Page 62 of The Isles of the Gods
“Leander, cut the wind,” I gasp, and he shoots me a wild-eyedare you serious?look, then closes his eyes, presumably reaching for some sort of calm, some sort of control.
An instant later the wind drops, and I climb over him so I can get to the oar, which—thank Barrica—is still lashed in place. I only have a moment to register the smell of salt and sweat, the brush of his hair against my cheek, and then I’m past him and grabbing for the oar handle.
The boat levels off abruptly, and we slide inside. I wrestle the oar with both hands, guiding us back into our path before the waves—and suddenly, with the wind behind us, the boat traveling at the same speed as the breeze, everything’s quiet and calm.
Keegan’s still clinging to the water barrel. The sight of him reminds me of the apples, and I twist around, but they’re long gone in our wake.
Nobody speaks—Leander’s chest is heaving, and slowly, as everything returns to normal, his eyes open.
“What did youdo?” he asks weakly.
“Me?” I protest. “Nothing!”
“Is Selly,” Keegan gasps, “a magician after all?”
“No,” I snap.
“Yes,” Leander says at the same time. He squints at me with reddened, salt-sore eyes. “They’re haughty, air spirits. Did you ask them nicely?”
Cold trickles down my spine. In my excitement at connecting with them, in my hurry to react to their excitement, I forgot. I can hear Rensa’s voice in my head.Thinking about yourself again, lass?
I was. Aboutmyexcitement.Myrelief.Myorders.
Because I’m exactly who she always said I was, however much I deny it.
I won’t lie to Leander, so I say nothing—and he has his answer.
“We’ll try again later,” he says. “I’m going to leave them alone for a little, let them settle.”
I nod, wordless.
“Why don’t you get some sleep? Keegan’s awake now; he can help me with the boat.”
I can’t believe I did it—Leander was right. All it took was a royal magician the spirits adore, a lesson out on the sea itself…and if I’m honest, a teacher I feel a connection to. A connection I can’t seem to shake.
And I can’t believe I finally,finallyfound my magic, and I couldn’t follow the one instruction I was given. I’m not an asker, and I never have been. I’ve always taken.
But I nearly cost us everything.
Our water, our boat.
Our lives.
All because I couldn’t meet the spirits halfway.
I can now see clearly what my mind knew all along when it was blocking my gift: I wasn’t made for magic.
LASKIA
The Gem Cutter
Port Naranda, Mellacea
I get cleaned up before I head downstairs to the Gem Cutter.
My room’s on the top floor of our building, with Ruby’s below and the club itself on the ground floor.
It’s an extra set of stairs to climb, but I love being up high. The view out my windows takes in the jagged rooftops of our neighbors, and past them the tall buildings of New Street, their windows gleaming back at me when the sun rises.
