Page 63 of Salt in the Seas
“They’re afraid of you,” Orra corrected. “And I supposed they’re afraid of me too.”
He threw back his head, the tinkling laughter having no effect on Orra. She smiled, once again amazed at how little attention she’d given the winex before meeting Aeliana. What if she’d befriended one hundreds of years ago? Perhaps she could have had a companion who didn’t wither away like all the people she’d known.
“I think if we work hard to help them, we can gain their trust,” Orra said. “Can you do that?”
His backside wriggled like a dog’s as he shoved to all fours. “We can work hard.”
She stood. “Gather more fish, and I’ll race you all back to the fortress.”
He rushed off to tell the others while she mounted her horse. She patted the mare’s withers and leaned in, brushing its hair softly. “Let’s go. They’ll still beat us back.”
Orra settled into a routine with the winex, showing them how to help the soldiers with menial tasks. By the sixth day of their cycle, when their bodies were the size of a twelve-year-old but their strength matched that of the soldiers, they graduated to more difficult labor.
Despite how much time and effort the winex saved the soldiers, General Nels’ men showed little thankfulness. If they’d been men aboard her ship during her time as Pirate Redwood, she would have shown them the plank. Instead, she took her complaint to their superior.
She found General Nels working alongside the soldiers, building supports for the outer wall so they could double its width with an additional layer of stone.
“I don’t know what you want me to do.” He didn’t even look at her as he nailed the wooden planks together. “Most of these men watched friends or family members torn apart by the winex. Maybe not these winex, but ones just like them. I can’t force them to be friendly.”
“But they’re proving themselves with their hard work,” Orra insisted. “We can at least show gratitude for the help. They have no obligation to work alongside your men.”
“I think you need to give it more time.” He took out a cloth and wiped the sweat from his brow, his gaze finally meeting hers. “If they continue to work hard, the men will see that. Give it a few moons.”
Orra huffed, ready to tell him that was lifetimes to the winex, but a tickle started at her wrist that grew to a familiar hum. She reached outa hand to steady herself on the temporary stakes, closing her eyes as she perceived the change. She could sense the onyx stone again, but it was too faint for it to tell her much.
“She’s back,” she murmured.
General Nels shook her elbow, and she opened her eyes to find him standing in front of her. “Mayvus has returned?”
Orra pursed her lips and did the math. “If she’s done building her army, she’ll reach us in ten to twelve days.”
CHAPTER 25
It had takena few days to find the right moment, but with the women’s cabin finally free, Aeliana wasted no time lying down on the bed and closing her eyes. She set aside all of Sylmar’s attempts to train her in noetic magic, instead focusing on the thread of connection formed by her brand on Durriken. If this worked, and if their theories about her noetic magic being stolen from Durriken were right, she wouldn’t need to work on her noetic skills anymore, because they wouldn’t exist.
As always, it felt invasive and wrong, but this time the thread connecting them seemed thicker than before, and once she recognized the path toward Durriken’s presence, it was like he was there with her—or really, she was with him. He sat in the same clearing where she’d last left him, only now the little boy held a squirming baby girl. Her smiles lit up her face as her pudgy hands reached for Durriken’s snout. It was a strange sensation for Aeliana to feel the girl rubbing his nose as if it were her own, like a tickle that made her want to sneeze. The dragon held unnaturally still as if knowing sudden movements might frighten the baby, and he barely breathed, likely concerned the warmth of his breath might be too hot for her tender skin.
“Adella? Ahndru?” The older male’s voice carrying through the trees caused Durriken to stiffen. His body drew inward as if he couldslink away and hide from whoever approached, but Aeliana couldn’t sense if it was fear or something else making him cower.
When the stranger reached the clearing, his jaw dropped and his face paled. He crouched and waved the children toward him, his eyes never leaving Durriken’s. “Quickly, come to me.”
Even though it was clear the man had far more fear than Durriken, the dragon took slow steps backward, his tail bumping into the trunks behind him. Aeliana sensed his desire to leap into the air, but something held him back.
I might kill them.The thought rumbled through her as if in answer to her question.The brush of the air from my flight could knock the wee ones to their deaths.
“Grandpa, you have to meet him,” the little boy said.
“Come to me now,” the old man demanded, his voice shifting to a panicked plead.
“But he’s our friend. He’s nice,” Ahndru insisted. “He won’t hurt you.”
“Are you so sure?” The old man’s voice shook, but this time from rage. “This dragon killed your mother and father.”
The words were like an arrow to Durriken’s heart, and Aeliana felt the pierce of their point along with him.
The boy’s face crumpled. “No. He wouldn’t do that.” He turned back to Durriken.
The dragon merely lowered his snout to the ground like a dog who’d been shamed by his disobedience.
