Page 89 of Those Fatal Flowers

Two shadowy figures approach from the north. Hugh’s eyes grow into large circles; his mouth falls agape.

He smiles like a man who’s seeing angels. I didn’t understand Jaquob’s confusion before, but now I do—witnessing their winged forms soar through the clouds is like watching a star fall. There’s an unmistakable magic in it. Before, I could see only our ugliness, but now I finally understand.

We are angels of destruction, and this ship is Gomorrah.

“No.” I laugh again, pulling Hugh’s attention back to me. “It’s you who has no idea.”

Their song grows louder, and Hugh wanders to the edge of the boat for a better look. Elizabeth appears on the upper deck, the other innocents in tow. They too stand in reverent awe at the sight of winged women in the sky.

Now’s the time.

I cross the deck to shake Elizabeth’s shoulder, and when our eyes meet, it takes her a moment to find me from behind her wonder. But then her mouth tightens in firm resolve, and with a nod, she turns to the other women and children and begins ushering them inside the longboat. Rose rushes past us, off to alert Emme and Cora.

Which leaves me free to find Thomas. How desperate I’ve been for this, and now, after all this time, it’s finally here.

Pain erupts between my shoulders, eclipsing my fantasies of revenge. I reach a trembling hand back to run my fingers between them. The skin there is too taut, stretched thin by something hard pushing up from beneath. I recoil with horror at the same time that a sickening rip interrupts the enchanting melody that filters down from above.

The sixth full moon hangs heavy in the western sky, and as dawn banishes it beneath the waves, it takes the magic of Jaquob’s sacrifice with it. Talons erupt from my bare toes, slashing the wooden planks beneath them, and agony brings me to my knees. This great unfurling, of feathers that push through skin, of wings that split open my back, hurts far worse than when my body absorbed them only a few months ago. But this time, I bear it without succumbing to the darkness that beckons, even when those magnificent black wings unfold and spray the deck with viscera—a mixture of my blood, my muscle. In the longboat, now safely lowered into the ocean, people scream.

But not because of me. They can’t see me over the edge of the ship, on all fours, desperate to keep myself from collapsing entirely. It’s because of Hugh, who has climbed over the low wall that separates him from the sea. Despite my cries, Hugh never looks at me. He’s transfixed by my sisters, and when they’re close enough that I can finally make out theirfaces, even blurred by tears, Hugh jumps out to them, then falls into the churning waves below.

What image was it that called him into the raging sea? Was it a kingdom of gold and a wife to own, or a different, secret wish he’ll carry to his watery grave?

Raidne and Pisinoe should lead the ship to the north to dodge the worst part of the reef. They don’t know we plan to anchor it, only that this part of the cove is vicious, and we need as many sailors alive as possible. But they spot me. Pisinoe takes Raidne’s hand, and before I know what’s happening, they crash onto the deck and sweep me into a tight embrace.

It’s Raidne who speaks first, pulling herself away just enough to take stock of me. “Are you all right? Look at you…”

I nod weakly, too overcome for words to form.

“Can you stand?” Pisinoe asks gently, and the two help me onto my feet. It doesn’t take long for the enchanted sailors to find us, driven mad by my sisters’ voices. Their eyes are glassy, their expressions hungry, as they pour onto the upper deck to find us huddled together. Terror sends me deeper into my sisters’ arms. The men are so frenzied by their proximity, so desperate for their futures, that they’ll tear us apart to look for them in our entrails. Though I’ve forgotten what I am, Raidne and Pisinoe haven’t. They open their mouths and let their song envelop them.

Immediately, the sailors stop in their tracks, swaying in sync with the melody, wearing slack-jawed grins. The notes bring tears to my eyes, and I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the protection our song brings. But my heart still beats wildly in my chest. My body doesn’t trust that I’m truly safe; I can’t forget the weakness of my human form.

Raidne stretches her wings, and then Pisinoe follows, andboth look to me expectantly. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with sea and salt, and close my eyes. One powerful beat is all it takes before we’re in the sky, out of danger’s grasp, and I scream once more.

This time, it’s with joy. We climb higher and higher into the heavens, twirling through the clouds and basking in the golden glow of dawn. Raidne and Pisinoe are laughing, and then I am, too. When we find one another again, we join hands to form an unbreakable ring in the sky.

“You’re here,” Raidne says, eyes shimmering with tears, voice painted with awe. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t return?”

“We knew you wouldn’t purposefully abandon us,” Pisinoe says softly. “But as the months passed…”

“…We were afraid something might have happened,” Raidne adds.

Something did happen,I want to cry. I made friends and buried a lover. I carried and lost a child.

I fell in love.

Cora.

I look for her below, but if she’s on the deck to dropEndurance’s anchor, she’s hidden beneath the clouds.

“You must have thousands of stories for us…” Raidne says, seeing how my eyes are searching.

Before I can answer her, a loudboomcracks across the sky and a flash of light dazzles from below.

“What was that?” Pisinoe asks, alarmed. I pull them both higher into the heavens.

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