Page 86 of Salt in the Seas
“Clearly.”
He laughed, and despite her exhaustion, grief, and frustration, she laughed with him, grateful for the ways he helped her see the lighter side of life.
He looked like he might say more, but the Sun rose to the east, cutting off their conversation as they watched it risein all its glory. Now that Orra had all but confirmed the Vendarans were right, that the Sun was their creator and deserving of worship, Aeliana still wasn’t sure how to worship such a distant creator. The Stars had always seemed approachable and loving—as eager to please their creation as their creation was to please them.
She nearly asked Gaeren about his own faith, but Cyrus joined them, arms stretched overhead and his jaw popping with a yawn. When he finally settled back into a sleepy smile, he pulled his hair into a knot. “Ready for another day of fruitless searching?”
Gaeren snorted. “Sylmar’s starting to rub off on you. And no, we’re busy enjoying the Sun’s rise.”
Aeliana’s face heated at the way his words sounded more like they’d had a clandestine meeting.
Cyrus rolled back and forth on the balls of his feet. “Good. Me neither. Because today’s the day. I can feel it. We’re going to find the starbridge.”
“I can’t believe we didn’t find it.” Cyrus’ words carried across the tavern they entered, drawing heads in his direction.
Aeliana grimaced as several eyes narrowed at his pale freckled skin.
“Failure makes me hungry,” he went on, rubbing his belly. “I could use a big bowl of beef stew.”
“You’re always hungry,” Aeliana pointed out.
“But tonight it’s justified, right?” He sat down heavily next to Barny, whose only acknowledgment of their arrival was a twitch in his hand as he tightened his grip on his mug.
“Have any more leads for us, Barny?” Cyrus asked, elbowing the other man in his oversized gut.
The grunt he received in response could have been a confirmation or denial—or maybe just the expected result of an elbow to the gut.
Gaeren and Riveran soon arrived, followed by Velden and Ludo, and Aeliana and Cyrus scooted aside to let them in at the table.
“I know we haven’t been here long,” Gaeren said, “but this feels impossible.”
He leaned back with a look of defeat that echoed Aeliana’s feelings, and Riveran hummed his agreement. Today they’d scoured the darkest parts of the harbors, meeting a wide range of seedy individuals. Some had even produced items that could be labeled as a silver fish, but none of them hummed at Aeliana’s touch.
“You’re not going to let the rougher residents of Andel scare you away, are you?” Ludo sent a sneer in Gaeren’s direction. He would likely always be the enemy in the old navy man’s eyes.
“Oh, I’ve been scared of them since we arrived,” Gaeren said. “But now I’m frustrated.”
Ludo grinned, and a waitress brought another round of drinks, taking the empty glasses as well as the newcomers’ orders. Her eyes lit up as Cyrus selected half the menu. Aeliana raised her brows as the woman walked away.
“What?” His ears turned pink. “Sylmar and the rest should be here soon. Now they won’t have to wait as long to eat.”
“Unless they take too long to get here and you finish it all for them,” Velden said.
“How far have they made it down the coast?” Gaeren asked.
Sylmar, Kendalyhn, Lukai, Iris, Holm, and Brogdon had started approaching ships at harbor. They’d developed a story about a lost heirloom that they were offering a reward for, but so far they’d only had swindlers trying to convince them the metal trash they’d drudged up in their lobster traps had a fish shape to it.
They’d even brought Ludo and Barny in on parts of the truth in the hopes that they might have better leads, but the navy men still consider the starbridges to be tall tales, despite having a friend who clearly held Sayhleen ancestry.
“They might have made it halfway down the coast,” Velden suggested. “But approaching docks is tricky. If a sailor has it, they might have already gone past his berth, only he was out at sea when they did.”
“It feels like there has to be a clue we’re missing,” Gaeren muttered. “Something.”
“You’re the one who was so certain this was the plan of action to take.” Aeliana still wished they’d gone after Pacran instead. Especially when they hadn’t made any progress in so long. “Where did you get your information anyway?”
Gaeren hesitated. “I’m not proud of the source, but I feel like it’s reliable enough.”
“Gaeren.” Riveran stretched out his name in a warning that only served to make Aeliana more curious.
