Page 22 of Petals for Deadly Power

Hope unconsciously caressed the hilt of the daggers on her waist, an ever-familiar movement that comforted her. She was more impatient than she would have wanted.

The jasmine scent of the patio made her smile. She would miss this space, especially at night. She missed nature and the woods so much already. In a navia in the middle of the Radel Sea, there would be none of that.

Hope walked towards the bench where Lenna and Indianna were talking at a speed that was difficult to follow. “May I speak to you?” she asked the fire-haired young woman with golden eyes.

Indianna stood up, squeezing Lenna in a tight hug and giving her a kiss somewhere between her hair and her cheek. “Ciaran is mouring me and Ayla next, so this is me saying goodbye. Take care of Sasha and Brendon, please.”

“I will.” Lenna grinned, kissing Indianna’s black bob back. Then she headed towards Ciaran, who was already waiting for her next to Ayla.

The snappy yet intense words between Ayla and Lenna a few minutes earlier had been unpredictable. There had been a fewdon’t you dare die without me,you better survive or I’ll kill you, andfor Cardinal’s sakes. There had also been extremely long hugs, unexpected tears, and love. The type of love that only two people who were born together could feel. A love that hates and breaks but is there when it matters most.

Lenna waited until Ciaran’s hands were on the back of Ayla and Indianna’s necks and the three of them vanished, before she turned to Hope. The unusual shine in Lenna’s eyes was the only proof of what was truly happening underneath the surface.

“I don’t need to wish you luck. You will survive this,” Lenna said.

“I don’t believe in luck. But yes,wewill survive this.”

“We shall see.” Lenna’s usually confident and authoritative voice trembled a bit.

“Do not die, Lenna. I will need a First Feather after I kill my father. Thyria will not rule itself.”

Lenna’s golden eyes widened. “Oh, fuck. I had forgotten about that.” She shook her head while grinning. “No pressure, right? The Fifth crusade might as well be a walk in the park.”

“Send me an ink if you need me,” Hope said. “We’ll be in two navias, but we are all still one team.”

Lenna tilted her head, narrowing her eyes while looking at Hope. “You would be a great leader.”

Hope felt a slight blush striking her cheeks. She was not used to compliments that mattered. Her lips tightened in a smile. “We shall see,” she echoed Lenna’s words.

The scent of pine and night reappeared in the patio of the safehouse, and Hope inhaled surreptitiously. She might not see any woods in a while, but at least Ciaran’s scent would remind her of home while they travelled in the navia. That is precisely where they moured to, as soon as the metallic hand of the man touched her neck and sent goosebumps down her spine.

The navia floating on the dark waters was like nothing Hope could have ever imagined.

An immense crescent-shaped moon formed the main body. Its thicker part floated on the water, while the two sharp ends pointed towards the red moon in the sky. Two parallel platforms crossed the curved form horizontally.

A moon shape, crossed by two straight lines. Hope had seen that symbol before. It had been on the cloths the courtrades used in their quarters in Verdania. Even if this time, the symbol had become real and had such dimensions that she was surprised courtrades could hide from plain sight.

“It’s splendid.” Hope couldn’t hide the awe in her voice. How did the courtrades keep this metal beast from sinking? “Its shape . . . It’s the courtrade’s symbol, isn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

The shape Ciaran had on his skin before Rhei Coralt tried to remove his courtrade blood from him by amputating the arm where the courtrade mark had been. Hope struggled to imagine him with two biological arms. His metallic, bionic arm made Ciaran so much more special, and sometimes Hope wondered if there wasn’t anything at all said arm—and said man—wouldn’t be able do.

From the thick shadows around them, two courtrades emerged.

The shortest woman Hope had ever seen wore a white eye patch, heavily contrasting against her dark brown skin. Next to her was a tall, old man with the straight composure of someone who had been muscled in his youth. His hair was short and white like ivory, his eyes dark blue.

If Hope had to guess, she would bet her daggers on them having hidden on the seashore since they moved the navia there.

“Do you like our baby?” the man asked Hope. His voice was slightly raspy, but his words were expressed with happiness.

She chuckled. Hope tilted her head backwards to see the navia at its fullest. “Your monumental baby? She’s precious.”

The smile of the man marked elegant wrinkles around his eyes and cheeks. She didn’t know him, and yet his knowledgeable and peaceful smile filled Hope with calm and joy.

“Hope Nevada, nice to meet you. This is Ciaran Castel,” she said.

The old man’s smile didn’t falter, and his eyes glittered under the moonlight. He inhaled deeply before replying, “It’s my biggest pleasure meeting you. My name is Stevian, and this is Nyxara. We are honored to join you in this mission.”

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