Page 48 of Salt in the Seas
Aeliana shook her head. “It has to do with my magic. Or maybe just Gaeren’s. But if it’s not his, then I don’t think I’m fully weaned.”
Sylmar opened the door wide. Even right out of bed, he was fully dressed, just like he’d been during their days traveling. He always expected to leave at any moment. “Let me grab my staff, and we’ll meet in the training room.”
As Aeliana stepped back to wait, a shadow flickered at the end of the hall, then Orra glided toward her. The older woman’s steps were far more hurried than Aeliana had seen from her since they’d come to the fortress.
“Did you sense it too?” Orra asked, breathless.
“Sense what?”
Orra placed her hands to her temples with a wince. “No, of course not.”
Sylmar backed out from the room and shut the door, then hesitated when he turned and saw Orra. “You invited her?”
“No,” Aeliana said. “I don’t know why she’s here.”
“I’m here because the stone has been used.” Her face pinched with worry. “It’s possible Mayvus crossed the barrier.”
Aeliana bunched her skirt in her fists, her mind racing. “Did you cross it to confirm? Like you did with me when you sensed I used the golden arrow?”
Orra shook her head. “My strength hasn’t returned. I don’t think I could do that again.” The vulnerability on her face made Aeliana wish she hadn’t asked.
“What do you know for certain?” Sylmar asked.
“The stone was held by a half-light, one with great power. Similar to the power that runs in her blood.” She nodded at Aeliana as if she were somehow to blame. “The hum was strong, close. But then it abruptly faded, like its source was suddenly hundreds of miles away.” She turned toward the window even though it was too dark to see out into the night. But beyond their view lay the northern cliffs, the Northern Sea, and Ahmranas, the icy land of the half-lights who had been on the other side of the Myndren Mountains when the land was split and the barriers put in place by the Stars. Or the Sun, if the Vendarans were right.
If Mayvus had traveled across the barrier with the stone starbridge, she was as far out of their reach as possible.
Sylmar pursed his lips. “Seems we should call a meeting, then.”
It was late in the evening by the time they gathered everyone in the training room, only allowing a few generals beyond Sylmar’s original group of loyal Recreants. They were carefully searched for brand marks, but Aeliana still felt wary after talk of illusions masking the marks. Gaeren, Riveran, Cyrus, and Aeliana’s parents had joined them as well, their presence bringing new energy and hope. The others likely thought they were going to hear an update about the men’s journey from Lorvandas, but Sylmar quickly snuffed out that expectation as he stood at the front of the room.
“Orra believes that Mayvus has crossed the barrier using the stone starbridge.”
Gasps and whispers spread through the few occupied tables, and Orra shot Sylmar an irritated glance as she made her way to his side.
“I sensed that someone used the stone,” she clarified. “I suspect it could have been Mayvus, but there is no way for me to know.”
Holm and Iris held hands where they sat on a bench, leaning in to each other for support. Lukai sat within arm’s reach of Aeliana, but the distance between them made her more aware of the closeness they lacked.
“Now what do we do?” Kendalyhn asked.
The others hushed, waiting to hear Sylmar’s response.
“We can’t go after her or the stone. Until she chooses to return, she’s out of our reach.”
“Can’t we find another starbridge?” Holm asked.
Orra shook her head. “Each starbridge is designed to travel to a single land. The golden arrow takes people to Lorvandas and returns them here. The onyx stone takes people to Ahmranas and returns them here. There’s no other way.”
“Maybe this is a good thing,” General Nels said from where he sat off to the side with the other generals. They all studied the room with their stiff postures and scowls, but their vigilance was probably what had kept them alive during the fight against Mayvus. “If we stopwasting our time hunting for one woman and her rock, we can work harder to rebuild. If she’s not here, she’s not a threat, for now.”
Velden let out a short laugh. “Assuming that Mayvus isn’t a threat would make fools of us all.”
The general shifted in his chair, his face turning red. “I just meant that fortifying the grounds and rebuilding the community following the Wyndren family is the best way to prepare for her inevitable return.”
Aeliana winced. It was one thing for them to respect her mother, but the Wyndren family was a mess. “What if we send dignitaries to Elanesse and request aid?” she asked. “Shouldn’t part of the rebuilding process include making amends with the legitimate royal family? I thought we received some sort of invitation or apology from them.”
At the other table, Gaeren sat up a little straighter. Perhaps he hadn’t heard about his parents’ change of heart.
