Page 89 of The Isles of the Gods
I’ve always known love wasn’t in the cards for me, and I’ve never minded—both my sisters are happily married to political matches. But it has meant I’ve never really wondered about anyone before. It was the safest way to avoid disappointment. And I’m not foolish enough to think I’m in love with a girl I’ve only known a few days.
But I am wondering if, when I let the current carry me along all these years, I was missing out on something.
And if it’s too late now to find it.
“Half an hour,” I say again, swinging around to face Keegan. “Half an hour to walk to the diplomatic district. Even if she got lost, half an hour is generous. She should have watched the front door for ten minutes, then presented herself. If she said she had an urgent message for the ambassador, she’d get in quick, so ten more minutes to talk, and then the walk back. She’s way overdue.”
Keegan doesn’t look up from the journal as he replies, “I can think of several schoolmasters who would be deeply surprised to hear you have such a firm grasp of the passage of time, you know.”
I snort, but he draws a tense smile from me, and I finally stop to lean against the wall and tip my head back to study the water-stained ceiling.
I stretch my awareness out to register the comforting presence of the nearby spirits. The needle-sharp fire spirits dance and zip around the flames that are consuming the last of our coal, moving with all the urgency of their kind. They’re quick to appear when a flame is lit, and just as quick to vanish when it’s doused. It’s always seemed to me they want to make the most of the time in between.
The air spirits waft gently on the warm air, more sedate. I still remember what I told Selly when she reached out for them.You ask. You don’t tell.But she told. In the few days I’ve known her, I’ve had time to figure out that at least when she’s at sea, giving instructions comes easier to our sailor than taking them.
Why did they ignore her all these years, though? Why do they treat her differently?
The mystery fascinates me, nags at me, and I desperately want to solve it. How can I do that if she’s gone?
Perhaps,says a little voice in the back of my mind,it could be an excuse to ask her to stay.
Perhaps she’d say no,I reply, wishing I was braver.
The spirits can’t do much for either of us now, though, however nicely I ask. I’ve been praying to Barrica for guidance and aid all morning, but solid wisdom is yet to arrive. I don’t know if she hears me at all—usually I have much more of a sense of her presence, but in Macean’s lands she’s quiet. Or perhaps my appeals are working in Selly’s favor somewhere out there. You never know.
For now, I brush my mind against the spirits and draw them around me like the comfort of a blanket. Getting to know them is a habit, wherever I am. There’s a ripple in the air spirits out in the hallway, but before I can speak, there’s a knock at the door. Keegan and I both freeze in place.
Then Selly’s voice rings out in the hallway, singsong and cheerful. “Handsome, I’m home!”
I shut my eyes, melting into relief. Keegan closes my family journal and sits up straight, slipping off the bed to open the door and admit her. She hurries in and closes the door behind her—she’s carrying a paper bag, and it smells sugary and delicious.
I only realize I’m holding my breath when slowly her lips curve to a smile, and I let it out. “You saw her?”
“I saw her,” she replies. “It worked. She’ll be here in half an hour, ready to eyeball you herself to be sure I’m not tellingher some wild tale from the deep. Then she’ll take you to the embassy in an auto and keep you there until she’s arranged a boat for tonight.” Her grin broadens, and she holds up her bag. “And she gave me money for snacks. I got this fried dough covered in sugar, and you’vegotto try it. I’m going to get out of this dress and back into something comfortable, but make sure you leave me some.”
Keegan reaches forward to take it from her, but I simply stare at her, held in place by the magnitude of what’s just happened. And then I can’t help it—I’m closing the gap between us in two quick steps and folding her up in my arms.
She doesn’t fight it—she wraps hers around my waist, burrows in against me, squeezes with all the feeling she has no words for.
“Selly, thank you,” I whisper. A weight lifts off my chest, and tears prick at the backs of my eyes. I’m so light, I could float up to the ceiling.
Half an hour more. The ambassador will come. And this will be over.
I’ll find a way to see Selly again. I’ll figure it out. I have to.
But we’re safe.
We did it.
LASKIA
Skyline Diner
Port Naranda, Mellacea
I’m perched on a stool at one end of the diner’s polished wooden counter, my shoulder up against the wall. I have my curls tucked under a newsie’s flat cap and my head down, but with Dasriel on the stool beside me, I’m shielded from view anyway.
There’s always an itch between my shoulder blades when I’m not on Ruby’s turf, and every time the bell on the door jangles, so do my nerves.
