Page 99 of The Blood Traitor

“This is one of Sibley’s vessels,” Caldon said, patting the railing. “His crew, too, but they mostly keep to themselves — aside from when they’re gawking at our magic. To them, we’re like something out of a legend.” He shook his head, amused, then went on, “There’s a cook, which means no travel rations for a few days, and there’s also a groom, who’s keeping the horses calm — they’re in stalls down below, in case you’re worried about that beast of yours.” He arched an eyebrow, before adding, “And since I know you’re desperate to ask but afraid of the answer, Jaren’s with the captain right now, so you can stop looking terrified that he’s going to appear out of nowhere.”

Kiva acted as if she had no idea what he was talking about. Caldon chuckled, but his humor faded quickly, turning into concern as he said, “It’s a small ship, Sweet Cheeks. We’ll be crammed together for another few days before we’re close enough to windfunnel the rest of the way. You won’t be able to avoid him. And I think, after what he heard last night —”

“Please, don’t,” Kiva interrupted hoarsely. The small bite of apple wasn’t sitting well, but she was unsure if that was because of her angeldust detox, or their conversation. “I’d really like to forget that happened.”

“You can forget all you want,” Caldon said, “but that doesn’t mean he will.”

Kiva closed her eyes briefly before turning to stare out at the ocean. In a trembling whisper, she asked, “Do the others know about last night?”

Caldon snorted. “Do you think your brother would be sparring right now if he had any idea? We told him you weren’t feeling well, and you took a moradine tonic to sleep it off. He didn’t bat an eyelash when Jaren carried you onto the ship.”

Kiva swiftly repressed that image. “What about Tipp? I know Naari won’t say anything, but Tipp...”

“Jaren told him you wouldn’t want Tor knowing what happened,” Caldon said, “so Tipp promised to keep quiet. But be warned, he’s probably going to be clingy for the next few days. He didn’t like seeing you like that.” Caldon nudged her shoulder. “None of us did.”

Kiva attempted a weak smile. “You should have seen me in Zalindov.”

Caldon’s face darkened, and she instantly regretted her words.

To keep his mind off what she’d gone through at the prison, she quickly said, “I’ve never been on a boat before. Is there anything I need to know? Or do?”

“For today, you just need to rest,” Caldon said. “When you’re not at risk of puking your guts up, we’ll make the most of our time and train as much as we can until Galdric magics us to Lyras. We won’t have many more chances after that, since Lyras and Arden are close enough for us to windfunnel directly between them. And after Arden...”

“We head back to Vallenia,” Kiva said, her insides churning at the thought of confronting her sister.

“Hey, don’t jump ahead,” Caldon said, nudging her again. “One day at a time.”

“But I still have so much to learn,” she said, rubbing her temples as the throbbing intensified. “What if I can’t —”

Caldon interrupted, “There’s no point living in what-ifs. Don’t waste energy fearing problems that don’t yet exist.”

“But Zuleekadoesexist.”

“Yes, but you don’t have to face hertoday.”

Kiva still couldn’t let it go. “And Navok exists, too.”

“Navok’s not your problem,” Caldon said firmly.

“I’m sorry, did you miss the part where I almost had tomarryhim?” Kiva spluttered.

“I’ll rephrase: Navok’s notexclusivelyyour problem,” Caldon said. “Yes, fine, we all know he’s desperate to get his hands on you and your magic, but the larger picture is, Navok is a problem forallof us, in the sense that he wants to take over the world. And with an anomaly army, he could probably do that. But that’s why we’re on this ridiculous quest — tostopthat from happening. We’re already doing everything we can, Sunshine, so let go of your worries and trust the process.”

Kiva mulled over Caldon’s words, her gaze dropping to where Sarana’s second ring still encircled her finger. Her mind skipped from one thought to the next, before she finally asked, “Now that we have two of the rings, should we just leave the others where they are? Even if Navok finds the final two on his own, he’ll still need the ones we have.” She’d barely started speaking before realizing there were too many unknowns for them to leave it to chance. Ashlyn had once wondered if they were playing into Navok’s hands by retrieving the rings, and Jaren had agreed that they probablywere, but at least the Hand would be safe in their possession — and they could use itagainstNavok. Never mind that Kiva’s main reason for getting the rings hadn’t changed, that being to return Jaren’s magic. Maybe then she’d be able to rid herself of her allconsuming guilt and finally move on from everything she felt toward him. Gods knew that was something she desperately needed, now more than ever after the humiliating events of last night.

“Judging by the look on your face, you figured out your own answer,” Caldon said, tipping his head toward the sun and closing his eyes, his golden hair shifting in the breeze. “But to confirm, it’s too risky. Ifwe have all the rings, we have all the power. And we can use that power to make our own anomalies to combat his, should he move on Evalon.”

“We’d only use the Hand on willing people though, right?” Kiva said carefully. “Those who actuallywantmagic and volunteer to fight?”

Caldon turned back to her, frowning. “I can’t believe you just asked that.”

Kiva felt instant remorse. She knew that wasn’t the Vallentis way, to force someone into something they didn’t want. “Sorry. I just —”

Her mouth snapped shut, but not because of Caldon’s indignant expression; it was because two new people had appeared on the deck, one wearing a feathered captain’s hat, and the other —

Jaren.

He did a double take when he saw her, and said something quickly to the short, dark-skinned captain, before heading straight for where she and Caldon stood.

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