Page 116 of Winds of Ruin
Amara flipped the map toward us. “That’s about a mile or so away from where I found Asterie.”
El’s stare seared into me. “Would you like to come on a detour with me after dinner?”
Who needed sleep?
She would not find a relic in those sea caverns, but learning all we could about the Sources seemed prudent, anyway. In my gut, I knew Ryn had spoken the truth—the last relic was my son. I’d rather explore a cave than tell her that.Coward,I chided myself.
I’d follow El to whatever depths of the realm she wanted if it meant she didn’t walk away from me.
Chapter 46
Elsedora
Ported ships bobbed along the coastline of Ikanten. We’d walked a few miles south of the docks. The gull song quieted, and waves lapped the shore and coated the air in salty mist.
The remote sea cliff had a rocky face that stretched up high above and left us in its shadow. Emmerick lit a golden light in each palm to help us navigate.
We stood on a sandy patch of beach; high tide would soon approach and cover it, limiting our time.
Emmerick had changed into a simple tunic with a leather harness that held a blade across his back; I’d stayed in my leathers but opted to change into a shirt that hugged my body to eliminate any potential snags if we needed to navigate tight spaces.
“Where do we start?” he asked.
I closed my eyes and focused on which way the wind blew. Some days, it tugged at me, as though Siro’s hand guided me.
My mother had often stood at the edge of the orchard when uncertain about a decision. I’d never understood it until the magic had shown itself to me twenty years ago—about four hundred years later than it should have.
My hair lifted off my shoulders, and the direction of the gust shifted suddenly.
When my lids opened, Emmerick watched me with a tilted head and a hand on the back of his neck. While I’d always objected to people tagging along, I did not mind him by my side. It seemed he was the exception to several of my rules.
I smiled, and the sunlight in his palms flared brighter. “The wind is hitting the cliffs—I bet there’s an opening somewhere,” I said.
We searched the rocks until a shimmer caught my eye. Emmerick followed, lighting my way as I approached the cliff face.
Just as I’d suspected—there was an opening, barely large enough for the hulking man behind me to fit through. Above the cave, fused into the rock, was a golden seashell. A mark of Aquas.
“Something is here.” I was certain.
I slipped inside first.
Em grunted in exertion as his blade scraped the rock, though he managed to squeeze himself through.
Luckily, the tunnel that followed was wider, but the ceiling was low. He ducked as we stepped through the damp underbelly of the cliff.
The wind urged me forward, and the sunlight in Em’s palms heated my back.
Droplets wet the top of my head as we pushed further into the tunnel. The sound of our boots scraping uneven rock and splashing through puddles echoed.
“Wait,” Emmerick whispered as he reached over my shoulder and cast the light further. There, at what looked like a dead-end, was another golden seashell fused into the cavern wall.
I took a deep breath—we’d need to try an opening charm.
Not knowing what dangers lurked ahead made me question whether I really wanted him here with me, as much of a relief as his company was.
“It might be dangerous to open,” I warned.
He drew so close to my back that I could feel the rise and fall of his breath. “Then, we face it together.”
