“This way, follow me.”

“They’re almost to us, Aelia!” Baylis screamed.

The flame of the Ruska lighthouse blazed ahead of us.

“We are the children of fate. If we were going to die tonight, Mother would have told us. Now swim!”

Fighting the current, we swam toward the light. My muscles burned, and my body fought me with every stroke. I tried to focus on anything but the pain. I was stronger than this.

Waves battered us at every turn, filling our lungs with water. We coughed and spat the liquid back up but did not stop. The sound of bodies being towed beneath the waves continued to echo behind us.

“Don’t look back! Just swim!” I cried. My fingers were numb from the cold. Any feeling in my lower half had gone a long time ago, but still, I kicked, and Baylis did the same.

The screams faded. We were out of the ring guarding the island. I slowed my pace, trying to conserve my energy.

“We still… have… so far… to go…” Baylis said, trying to keep her head above water.

I prayed to Ammena the Harbor Master saw the attack and sent help. I failed my sister once. I would not let her die here in the icy waters of the Atruskan Bay.

“Just keep going, Baylis. We can do it.”

“I’m so tired, Aelia.” Her pace slowed, and fear bit at my heart.

Looping one hand around her waist, I did my best to support her.

“C’mon, just a little farther, I’ll help you. It won’t be long.”

“Okay, Aelia, I trust you.” Her voice faded.

“You have to stay awake, Baylis. You have to keep swimming.”

Her pale skin was utterly colorless, and her lips were the color of ripe blueberries. She wouldn’t last long. This tender creature couldn’t be a traitor. Was Clotho trying to sabotage me?I pushed the questions from my mind. If Baylis died, none of this would matter.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a rescue ship’s blue-and-white sails.

“Here! We’re here!” I called out in the loudest voice I could manage. Waving my free arm frantically, hoping they saw me.

“Please! We’re here!” My heart raced in my chest.

A sailor onboard pointed in my direction, and slowly, the ship began to turn.

“They’re almost here, Baylis. We’re going to get you warm.” Her body convulsed in my arms.

The ship approached. A sylph from the Court of Light shined a beam in our direction, and I squinted from the brightness.

“Two survivors! Get the gurney!”

I let out a sigh of relief. The cold crept in. I had been so worried about Baylis’s wellbeing I had forgotten about my own. A chill wrapped itself around me like a snake. My lungs seized, and I gasped for air.

“Hold on! We’re coming for you!” The crew lowered a sailor down on a gurney, and I helped heave Baylis on. Her breaths were so shallow I wasn’t sure if she was actually breathing or if I was hallucinating.

“You too, miss,” the man said, pointing to Baylis’s feet.

I climbed on, and the men hoisted us up. The bitter wind bit at my wet body, making me shake uncontrollably.

Once onboard, the crew rushed Baylis below deck, where a healer waited. They handed me a thick black wool cloak lined with wolf’s fur. My skin welted red as though I had been burned, and it felt the same. All I could do was sit and shake.

A witch with gray hair and eyes approached, wearing the white and blue of the healers’ guild of the free cities.