Page 112 of Shrine of Fire

A knife stuck out from his chest.

I gasped, and reached for him, but the numbness in my limbs hadn’t worn off, and I couldn’t work my hands properly.

Standing over us, Hashir barked orders. The First Mate restrained the Admiral, who looked a little like a rabid dog, as his hair was sticking out wildly all over his head from the melee.

“I was doing it for the Empire,” he snarled. “Where will your kingdom be without our ships?”

“You’re going to be court martialed,” Aki snapped, yanking the man’s wrists tighter. “For trying to assassinate the Crown Prince of the Ember Islands.”

“Poison,” Stefan said, his hands jerking again.

Cuan snarled. “Give us the antidote right now.”

“Please, it’s an herb. Makes the person more pliable.” Admiral Xilas rolled his eyes.

“What is the meaning of this?” Lord Baylin frowned at the First Mate. “You offer us safe harbor, and yet you poison our prince and attempt to assassinate him?”

First Mate Jorhn looked grim. “We will work out peace terms. I will have an antidote brewed.”

I closed my eyes and leaned against Kalahar. His warmth was exactly the soft blanket I craved.

The rest of the voices faded away, and I let the white fuzziness overtake me.

Heads were rolling, my favorite time of the day.

Metaphorically rolling, but all the same. After putting Nova and Stefan safely on our ship with a healer and bandages, Aki and Hashir had stood watch over them while they slept off the effects.

That had left me to follow Lord Baylin around and make sure nothing nasty got snuck into this new contract. We were at it for hours as Lord Baylin haggled back and forth.

I’d been ready to take them for everything. The Admiral apparently had a flawless reputation for getting deals signed because of his little tea parties, less because of his charm.

When I’d learned that, I’d gritted my teeth.

First Mate Jorhn had glanced at me, and then back at the negotiations. They’d known they were in the wrong.

Once they finished the new contract, we parted ways and returned to our ship with the Empire’s many apologies. I hadn’t envied the Admiral or the First Mate sailing back to tell the emperor about their screw up, but I wasn’t a sneaky bastard so that wasn’t something I needed to worry about.

Putting the Admiral’s power-hungry behavior out of my head, I left our quarters to wander about above deck. The wisps of spirits I’d been seeing for weeks were growing more and more numerous.

When I considered how Nova had almost died, as had Stefan, I gripped the guardrail and tried to find a way to make myself relax. As soon as I was calm, I would be able to go and rejoin the others in our room. As it was, if I went back now, I would be pacing back and forth.

I had never imagined that I would want a pack, and now I couldn’t imagine life without them. Nova was my shining jewel of the sea, and the men she had chosen for her pack were her crown.

We were on the final leg of the voyage, heading for Ember Island. I’d never been this far south in my life. Judging by Stefan’s apprehension about his father, I didn’t think we were going to get a warm welcome, but that was fine with me.

I’m sure Nova and Stefan would show me around. I could help them break in the bed. I grinned at the thought, some of the tension leaving my body, and walked down the length of the boat. It was dark now, and all the stars had come out. I named the constellations I recognized.

Magic pressed against me. The spirit oasis had been a blessed relief, almost like being my old self again.

But in the mortal realm I was back to feeling the press of magic against my skin like waves. I rolled my shoulders, wondering if it got better.

“May I join you?” Kalahar approached me slowly. He looked more tired than usual. Our time in the oasis had rejuvenated him, but it hadn’t lasted.

“Certainly.” I gestured at the night sky. “Do you know these stars?”

Unease twitched in my gut. Soon we would be fighting a spirit of legend. I had never been so unprepared for something in my entire life.

“I do.” Kalahar put his hands behind his back, reminding me of a scholar. “That line of stars is the Shaman’s Belt. The shaman of old meditated on their dual nature.”

---