Page 175 of Salt in the Seas
“And yet the Sun finds ways to use them, even in their darkness.” Orra blinked away the tears threatening to spill over and glanced at Marnok, whose cheeks turned pink.
The grind of metal on metal met their ears, and everyone turned tothe hall. A soldier led a man, bent by age, in a slow, painful walk to their cell.
“Father Fernandus,” Gaeren breathed out.
“May the Sun’s light give you guidance in whatever troubles you,” the old priest murmured, stumbling to his knees on the stone. The soldier looked like he might offer assistance, but the priest waved him off, then continued gesturing for the soldier to back up. “Let the boy speak his confessions in private.”
The soldier hesitated but eventually stepped away.
“Enla sends her love,” Fernandus whispered and winked.
“She has a funny way of showing it,” Gaeren said. “She needs to give a message to Riveran. Tell him to use the bead. He needs to tell Aeliana that Mayvus gathers her army at Ahmranan’s Viewpoint. Aeliana needs to turn back because Emeris is here.”
“And what about you?” Fernandus asked. “How can I help you?”
Gaeren shook his head. “When my father decides I’ve learned some sort of lesson, he’ll let me loose. It’s these people you need to help.” He gestured behind him, and Fernandus took in Orra, Emeris, Marnok, and Rildan.
The old man’s gaze rested on Orra. “Sun help us all.” His voice held awe. “You’re here to fix everything.”
Orra went still, then dropped to her knees, ignoring the way the stone jarred her bones. “What have you seen?”
He shook his head. “I’ve heard whispers. In the silence of the morning. When the Sun’s rising in the east. A Star to guide us all.” He reached out and placed a gnarled hand on her cheek. “Your burden is heavy. The Sun will make it light.”
“You’re not—” Gaeren started, then hesitated. “Only progenies can sift the future.”
“But the Sun can speak when it pleases.” Orra closed her eyes in relief. “Thank you, Father.”
The soldier cleared his throat. “I think you’ve all had enough prayer for today.”
“There’s never enough,” Orra said even as Father Fernandus accepted the soldier’s hand to rise. A warmth rose in her, stirred up bythe hope in the priest’s words. It bled through to her skin, making it take on the faintest of glows.
The old man winked at them all again. “May the Sun’s light always shine upon you,” he called as he left.
“And may the Stars’ light always…” Gaeren turned back to Orra, his voice softening. “May the Stars’ light always guide you.”
The others all stared at her, and she turned to the bars, taking up Gaeren’s former position.
“We should take turns resting,” Rildan finally said. “It’s bound to be a long night.”
“You all go ahead,” Orra murmured. “I have no need for sleep. Just the Sun’s light.”
She closed her eyes and leaned against the cold metal, wondering when she’d next be graced by its rays.
CHAPTER 67
The fartherthey got from Elanesse, the less Aeliana felt at ease. It was hard leaving Gaeren behind, but something else nagged at her, a suspicion that they were going in the wrong direction or making a wrong decision.
The weather turned painfully cold as they approached the Western Horn. True to Gaeren’s prediction, Larkos had insisted it was too dangerous to sail this far north in the winter while Sylmar had insisted it was a warmer year and could be done. In an effort to appease both men, Aeliana had asked Durriken to fly north and check on the icebergs in the Northern Sea—maybe even melt whichever ones seemed most troublesome.
The old dragon had grumbled but eventually agreed. He insisted it was only to ensure Aeliana’s safety and not to aid any war efforts.
Sylmar continued training her, but she noticed him looking at her differently, eyeing her palms with suspicion. She wasn’t sure if the cuts on her palms made him suspect her of blood magic or if he’d given in to his fear that she was branded and watched for evidence of that. Either way, he was no longer trying to hide his suspicion.
His paranoia spread not just to her but to the others aboard the ship as well. Holm had never seemed to be branded, so really anyone could be the enemy. A sense of despair clung to everyone aboard the ship likea cloud carrying the weight and preparing to dump it in a torrent of rain at a moment’s notice.
“Everyone is clean,” Kendalyhn insisted while she and Aeliana sparred. While Iris had quietly settled into her grief, the younger woman had begun spending more time with Aeliana, the broken bond having severed whatever distrust lay between them.
“I think Sylmar’s response would be that maybe it’s you who’s branded or that maybe Mayvus erased their memories of it.”
