Page 118 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

“I need to examine you. Here’s a heating potion for the cold.” She handed me a glass vial filled with red liquid. I slugged it back. The taste of cinnamon tingled on my tongue.

“You’ve got hypothermia,” the witch said, taking off my boot and examining my toes. “But it looks like you’ll keep all your extremities. Are you a magus? A human would have died long ago in these waters.”

I tapped my pointed incisor. “Half-breed, as they say.”

The witch frowned at me.

“On my ship, everyone is equal.”

“My sister—is she alright? Did anyone else survive?”

“I’m having my two best healers work on her. She’s in bad shape. May even lose a finger or two, but she’ll live.”

A breath slipped between my lips, turning to vapor in the cold night air.

The witch continued, “As for any other survivors. We’ve only found one. He was floating on a barrel, half-dead.”

She didn’t have to say who it was. Conrad was the only person aboard stubborn enough to survive.

“Black bargain mark snaking up his arm?” I asked.

“Yes.” The witch nodded.

“Figures.” I leaned back against the railing of the ship. The heating potion worked its way through my body, making my skin tingle in some places and burn in others.

“It has to fight the cold,” the healer said, seeing the grimace plastered across my face.

“When can I see my sister?”

“When you’re well, and we’re back on dry land. I can’t have you in the way while we work on her. I promise I will come and get you as soon as possible.” The witch turned and walked away. The tails of her coat flapped in the wind.

I needed to talk to Tharan and didn’t care if anyone saw. Twisting the whisper stone, I waited for the sound of his voice.

“Aelia?”

“Tharan? Thank the Trinty. You have no idea how much I needed to hear your voice.”

“What’s going on? Are you alright? Did you see your mother?” Concern filled his voice, and I pictured his brow furrowed.

I took a deep breath, trying to collect my thoughts. “Yes, we saw her. She’s fine, and there’s a lot of stuff I need to tell you, but that can wait. As we were leaving the island, a sea serpent destroyed Conrad’s ship. He survived, but none of his crew did.”

“Oh Aelia… I… I’m so glad you’re alright. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

A tear streaked its way down my cheek. I had no words. No one had cared for me this way in a long time. Not since Caiden, and he didn’t know who I was anymore. The realization washed over me. My nerves were frazzled. I cried harder.

“Don’t cry, Aelia. You’re alive, that’s all that matters.”

A lump grew in my throat. I tried to speak, but the words came out mumbled and wrong, “I know where they are.”

“What? Aelia, I can’t talk about this right now. But are you saying you’ve found what we were looking for?”

“Yes.”

There was a long pause.

“Come home, Aelia. I love you.”

I went to tell him I loved him, but the line went dead.

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