Page 97 of Fated

I laughed quietly and hugged her one last time before we went to the door.

Ash had a hand on the doorknob when the sound of screaming resonated.

“Areya! Wait!” I looked back to find Keo and Fin running toward us.

“We heard you guys were leaving, and we wanted to say goodbye.” Keo was out of breath.

I chuckled and threw my arms around him.

“I’m so glad you came to say goodbye,” I said, before I let go and gave Fin a hug. When I pulled away, I couldn’t help but smile at the redness of Fin’s cheeks.

“Will you come back?” Fin asked.

I was unsure what to say, but this didn’t feel like a forever goodbye.

“Maybe you’ll come to see us next time and see what kind of fun Ambrosia has to offer.” Both boys’ eyes lit up. Ash even hugged them both before we left the manor for good.

A polite Cresinthian named Cindy awaited us on the train to Ambrosia.

The ride, which took just over an hour, felt endless as my heart grew heavier with each passing mile, the city of Echo and the people I had come to care for slipping further into the distance. I spent most of the journey quietly leaning into Ash, his arm protectively around me.

He was worried about me, judging by how he glanced down at me every few minutes.

When his eyes searched my face, I did my best to offer him small smiles, trying to hide the sadness tugging at my chest.

The ascent to Ambrosia didn’t feel quite as magical as the descent to Cresinthia had.

My mind was too occupied, torn between the mysteries of the unknown ahead and the lingering ache of the home we had left behind. As we neared the top of the river, sunlight began to filter through, faint at first but growing stronger.

Actual sunlight.

I glanced at Ash, at the hand I was holding so tightly, and in that moment, I knew it would be ok. The weight of uncertainty lifted slightly.

I could face this unknown as long as Ash was by my side.

My mother’s warnings echoed in my mind—her urging me to leave Cresinthia and follow Ash. Now, as we prepared to break through the surface of the water, a sense of peace settled over me. Even if it hurt to leave, this was exactly where I was meant to be.

Chapter 24

We had spent so long away from the sun that I had to strain my eyes against the blinding brightness as we surfaced. Slowly, as my vision adjusted, I squinted and took in our surroundings. Unlike the small lake in Astern, we were now in a vast, seemingly endless river.

Turning to look behind us, rows of docks came into view, each one lined with boats of various sizes, bobbing in the water.

Ash held my hand firmly as we swam toward the end of the last dock, where an enormous boat—or more accurately, a yacht—loomed before us.

He grabbed the handle of a hidden ladder and lowered it into the water.

Helping me climb up first, his hands steadied me as I stepped onto the large open deck. The yacht was massive, at least four decks high, towering over the docks below.

I gazed up in awe, unable to grasp the full scope of the vessel.

“Are we even allowed to be on this ship?” I asked.

Ash flashed me a cocky grin. “I sure hope so. It’s mine.”

Of course, it was.

He helped me out of the scuba gear, which we were instructed to pack into the plastic bags and toss into the river. He handed me a towel, and I wrapped it around myself, securing it before shimmying out of my wetsuit. Ash did the same before pulling our personal bags out of the large waterproof bags, placing all the gear inside. Then he took both tanks and plastic bags and gave them a good toss into the water where they quickly disappeared.

---