Page 114 of The Isles of the Gods
She curls her hands around the railing, and we gaze at this new mystery. If she was unique before, now she’s something I’ve never even imagined.
How did it happen?
And why?
“Selly!” Keegan calls from the wheel, and we both glance back together. “Do you want to take us in?”
She looks up at me, wonder still all over her face, though she doesn’t slip from the circle of my arm just yet.
“Shall we go make this sacrifice?” she asks.
“All right.” I sigh. “But we’re not done figuring your marks out, not yet.”
“I know,” she agrees, her smile soft. “But we’ve beaten them here. If we’re quick, maybe we can get back under way again before they arrive.”
I can see it in her face, for the first time in a long time, and I’m feeling it spark inside my chest as well—hope.
We were prepared to give everything to this—to die in the effort to make this sacrifice.
But maybe…just maybe, we won’t have to.
Perhaps we’ll make it home—to Keegan’s beloved libraries, which might explain her mysterious magician’s marks. To my sisters, whom I’d happily invite to tell me everything I’ve ever done wrong, just for the joy of seeing them.
To…I can barely whisper it, even to myself, but somewhere within me is enough madness to imagine the idea.
To a future with this girl in my arms. Whatever it looks like.
All I know is I can’t bear to part ways with her.
“Let’s go,” I say. “And Selly—I know you saved my life yet again. Thank you.”
She gazes up at me, then smiles slowly, something softer, gentler than it’s been before. I match it, my own lips curving in response. I can’t help myself. I want so badly—if she just liftedher chin a fraction, gave me the smallest of signs—but then the boat hits an errant wave, and we grab at each other for balance, and she only laughs. “You’re welcome.”
She takes her place behind the wheel, and Keegan and I move without instruction to trim the sails for her. As I watch the spirits flow across the sails and loop around to play with her hair again, the realization hits me, an echo of that yearning moment just now when I wished I could kiss her.
They know I want to touch her. So they circle her instead—they tug at wisps of her hair, as fascinated as me.
As she guides us in toward the Isle of Barrica, I look up to study our destination—all black rock at the base, steep cliffs rising until they reach the island’s crown of jungle.
I can’t believe we’ve done it. We’ve made it here, and the temple is within our reach.
We’re not far ahead of Laskia and her crew, but maybe,maybewe’re far enough.
“I’ll need directions, Your Highness,” Selly calls, her tone light.
It’s the first time someone’s used that title in what seems like forever, but I don’t feel the usual weight settling on me when I hear it. Not today.
I pull the journal from its waxed cotton bag and flip it open, leafing past pages covered in sketches and lines of scrawl—the handwriting of the generations of royals who came before me. I’ve read it enough times now that I know exactly what I’m looking for, and it doesn’t take me long to find the description of our landing place in my great-grandfather’s neat handwriting.
“You’re looking for a cove,” I call back. “The cliffs risehigher on either side of the opening, but at the far end they drop to ground level. There’s a strip of black sand, and we can drop anchor and get ashore there.”
“Aye, aye,” she calls cheerfully, and she bosses us around, calling out orders as she works the boat around the island in search of the little cove. We could almost be in Kethos, except the cliffs beneath the greenery are black stone, not white chalk.
Keegan ducks below, emerging with iced buns I’m glad I didn’t see when I was throwing half our food overboard. They’re sweet and sticky, the best thing I’ve ever eaten—my relief and the sunshine make them light and delicious.
I deliver one to Selly and stay with her as she rests one hand on the wheel and eats with the other. We lick our fingers clean, sugar and salt lingering, and she absolutely catches me watching her at work, her eyes dancing, though she says nothing.
TheEmmacuts smoothly through the tropical blue waters around us, and as the sunshine warms us, it’s hard to remember the desperation of last night.
