Page 198 of Salt in the Seas
Gaeren frowned. What the guard really meant was that she’d been confined there by their parents. They were still determined to find a way to keep her from taking the throne. He debated where to go first, but once again, the memory of the sprite made the decision for him. He swept past the guards and up the stairs. On his way to Enla’s room, he peeked out one of the balcony windows, then swore as the tranquil ocean view was broken up by dozens of ships, just like Felk had said.
They dotted the harbor with a terrifying pattern of perfection, like the strategy games Danton used to give Gaeren for warfare instruction. Except he had no pieces to lay on the board for a defensive strategy, and Gaeren suspected the people were currently suffering because of it. Would it be enough to bring them on board to fight with the Elanesses after they heard Gaeren’s promises? Or would they simply step back and direct Mayvus toward the palace?
His father could command the navy Croft had brought up to attack, but it might already be too late if Mayvus’ soldiers swarmed the harbor. If they’d had just a little more time, they might have gotten the Recreants on board. They might have gotten Enla in a higher position of authority.
Four guards stood outside Enla’s room, and Gaeren brought them up to speed while pounding on her door. Two split off, probably to report to their commanders, while the other two drew weapons, their stances even more alert than before.
When Enla opened the door, her eyes were clouded over, her face stoic. “It’s good to see you, Gaeren,” she said flatly. Did she actually see him?
“Did you know?” His voice shook with a frustration he hadn’t realized he’d been harboring. “Did you see this coming?”
She cocked her head, and her eyes flickered as if trying to focus on him instead of whatever visions she’d been seeing. He placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her the same way he’d done to Erech moments earlier.
“Enla, I need you here,” he ground out. “I need you present now.”
She gasped in a frightened breath, and her eyes cleared, the apathetic gaze replaced by anxiety. “Is Mayvus here?”
He nodded, but something inside him broke. “You knew all this time, didn’t you? You knew she was coming and you didn’t tell me.”
She shook her head. “It was one of a dozen paths. They weren’t always certain. Sometimes the winex overtook them. Sometimes she sailed past the harbor. But you and Aeliana were supposed to be gone. She came too quick.”
He slammed his fist against the wall, and she shrank away from his anger.
“You should have told me,” he said. “We could have been more prepared.”
“All the paths merge,” she whispered. “No matter what we do, it all ends the same.”
Something cold slithered down his spine. She’d never said something with so much certainty. It reminded him of the way Lady Merinnia saw only one or two outcomes, and it left him terrified. If only one path remained, did anything they might do even matter?
“What happens?” he asked.
She shuddered. “So much death.”
“Yours? Mine? Aeliana’s?”
She shook her head, and her gaze clouded over once more.
“Enla.” He shook her again as he shouted, but this time, she remained lost in the visions.
Her lips moved silently—whatever conversation she was having wasn’t with him in present day.
“I don’t have time for this,” he muttered. “Please, Enla, please come back to me.” He slapped her cheeks, then took a glass of water from her bedside table and sloshed it in her face. She flinched but remained stuck, searching their future.
He never should have asked what happened. How long would she be lost, searching to give him an answer he probably didn’t want to hear?
He swept her up in his arms like a baby and carried her out of the room. The guards exchanged glances, unwilling to question his unusual behavior. He took off down the hallway, knowing they’d follow. When he passed the same balcony window, he paused, gesturing for the soldiers to look at the congregating ships. With the Sun’s sleep, lantern and firelight lit up the town, but it felt like more than usual, like Mayvus might be lighting fire to things not meant to burn.
“That’s what we’re up against. A madwoman with ridiculous amounts of magic and a fleet of soldiers she’s brought from Ahmranas. Do you understand?” He glared at the soldiers as if they were to blame, then felt remorse as their faces paled. “This is war. We need every troop, every soldier, every man and woman in this city to fight. I will take Enla to our parents. But we need to launch a counterattack.”
“I’ll go to the healers,” the second soldier said. “Make sure the network of progenies is being included in the commander’s tactics.”
He sprinted away without waiting for approval, breaking protocol by leaving Enla with only one guard. The man’s desperation actually gave Gaeren confidence that the threat was finally being taken seriously.
Gaeren pursed his lips, dreading the next step. “Let’s go to my parents.”
The other guard nodded, and they took off toward the council room. As Gaeren swept past the council room guards and through thedoor, chaos broke out. His mother paled and rushed to Enla’s side, calling for healers and demanding that Gaeren lay her down. Tobias joined them, leaning over Enla and blocking Gaeren’s view of his sister.
Against his better judgment, he turned away and let his gaze lock on his father, who remained seated in his council room chair on the dais. Gaeren shouted to be heard over the panicking council members. “Mayvus is here. We don’t have time for you to step down and let Enla make her choice. We don’t have time for you to evaluate how this will impact your authority or rule. If we don’t fight her, we will all die. And your response in this moment will determine if the people you claim to serve will step up and fight alongside you. If they don’t, you will die. Enla has seen it in almost every path.”
