Page 87 of The Fractured Prophecy

A cry from the crow’s nest interrupted my reverie.

“Ship approaching!” the man called.

All around us people scurried into action.

“Friend or foe?” I wondered out loud as Rivven straightened, seeming to grow a head taller.

“How the hells did anyone else get past that storm?” Rivven grumbled, hand on his hilt.

“They’re flying the skull and crossbones,” the man called down, and the movement around us tripled.

“Fuck.” Rivven pulled his sword with a sharp scraping sound. His free hand gripped my forearm. “Get below deck.”

“You can’t be serious,” I protested, my ire creating my own mini funnel cloud, which whipped my hair into a frenzy.

Rivven grimaced, half searching the open sea over the railing, half watching me. “I know what you’re capable of, Nye. But the body you’re in could draw even more unwanted attention, and if there’s a small chance we can get through this without a battle, we’d all be better off.”

Of course he was right. The wind died down, and I brushed back the wild strands that had come loose. “Fine.”

Rivven grinned as I backed toward the belly of the beast.

I’d taken only a few steps when a cold shiver skittered down the back of my neck, making me freeze with one leg lifted in mid-step. I knew that sensation, though I hadn’t felt it since the Imrati. It was the same as the one that had first warned me of the changes coming, back when I lived at the castle, before any of this was set in motion.

I spun around to find an opaque fog swirling over the deck like it was trying to swallow the ship whole. A litany of curses sang out from everyone.

The spot where Rivven had been standing was filled with only swirling white vapor, so thick I couldn’t even see the sails just beyond. Silence buzzed in my ears as the entire ship was blanketed in moments. Then there was nothing but the fog—no battle, no shouts, just an eerie pause like everyone was collectively holding their breath.

Is it an illusion? I wondered, squinting to see if I could find any evidence of the ether behind it. What I saw forced a gasp from my lips. The entire mass of mist glowed with an opalescent sheen like nothing I’d ever seen. Thousands, maybe millions, of tiny multi-colored threads wove through it.

The other ship forgotten, I reached out to run my fingers through the sparkling curtain surrounding me. Tingles of electric energy sizzled along my skin, sparking in brilliant pops of purple, white, and green. I spun in place, trying to catch more of the strange sight and nearly tripped over something behind me that hadn’t been there moments before.

Squatting beside the unknown object, my long, loose hair swung in my face. Dark strands obscured my view, and I froze in absolute shock and confusion. My heart raced so fast I felt dizzy. Why? How was my hair dark again? Swallowing back any premature excitement, I called on the air currents surrounding me to clear the soup-like fog obscuring whatever lay at my feet.

My sister’s frost-colored braid was the first thing to appear, followed quickly by her hand, open and limp, sprawled across the deck. Panic gripped me so hard I stopped breathing for a horrible moment.

“Rune!’ I shouted, reaching out to shake the inert form before me.

A low groan answered me, and I nearly fainted in relief. Instead, I sat back on my haunches, hands splayed over the damp wood of the deck as sound erupted all around me. It was as though the world had been holding its breath until that moment, then released it.

Had she somehow figured it out and pushed me back out again at this inopportune moment? Her eyelids fluttered as her beautiful face grimaced with discomfort. Whatever had happened, I had to get her out of sight.

As I stood in preparation of heaving her to her feet, the world thundered around us. It was the sound of too many heavy boots hitting the deck at the same time. We were being boarded. How had they gotten here so fast?

I stooped to scoop my sister up under her arms but was shoved roughly to the side. I hit the deck hard on my hip and elbow, letting loose an exclamation that could make pirates blush.

A deep laugh bellowed over me. I looked up, up, then further up again, to find a giant of a man towering above me. His chiseled features would have been stunning in any other circumstances, as would his incandescent eyes that seemed to flash with a rainbow of colors that dissipated as fast as they appeared. They stood out all the more against his golden skin. And golden it was—literally as far as I could tell. The man was gilded like an ostentatious statue of a god. The wind pulled the billowing white clothing he wore back against his muscular body, leaving little to the imagination. He would be a formidable opponent in combat, built much like Rivven, but easily three times his size. It was a good thing I had tricks other than brute strength at my disposal.

“I like you!” he announced, so loud and boisterous it shocked me.

“Um.” So intelligent, Nye.

“Come.” He reached an enormous hand out in offering, and I stared at it, unsure what to do or even what was happening.

All around us, the sounds of metal on metal rung out along with the grunts and cries of those locked in battle. Yet here I was, in my own body, beside my unconscious sister, with a giant offering me a hand. But only after knocking me down in the first place.

Drawing a deep breath, I got to my feet without his help, then dusted myself off, noting I was wearing a white dress made of what looked to be the same material as his clothing. My eyes widened, and I shot another look at the man before me. This time, I noticed he wore silver and gold earrings up and down the entire length of each lobe. His hair was dark but streaked with colors that matched his unnerving eyes.

“Who are you?” I asked. Clearly, magic had been involved in freeing me again, and judging by our matching outfits, I assumed he was somehow connected. Despite not actually touching me, the idea that he changed my clothing felt…invasive.