Page 112 of Quarter Labyrinth

Callahan’s eyes widened, his weathered face pale under his bushy gray eyebrows. “Impossible. Gerald killed Allison.”

“Hemarriedher,” I corrected sharply, letting the words hit like cannon fire. “And now I’m claiming my birthright.”

Callahan froze, his gaze narrowing as he studied me, as if searching for any sign of falsehood. His weathered features betrayed a flicker of doubt—of recognition.

“You don’t know me, grandfather,” I said, standing taller as the title landed with the force of a tidal wave. “But I promise you—I’m not someone who gives things up easily.”

His face blanched. Around us, the waves seemed to hold their breath, the moment stretching taut like the ropes of the sails in a storm.

He said something to Leif that I couldn’t catch.

“But she stole them,” Leif replied. “I won those ships.”

“Enough! Give me time to sort this.” He stretched a hand to me. It wavered as if he were testing uncharted waters. “Granddaughter.” The word sounded wrong on his lips, like he didn’t know the shape of it. “You belong by my side.”

My mother didn’t trust him enough to tell him her plans. Neither did I.

“I belong with my father,” I replied. “I’m not going anywhere.”

For a moment, his hand hovered in the space between us, caught in a strange limbo. Then, slowly, it faltered. His fingers curled inward as he let his arm drop back to his side.

“Godfather,” Leif tried again, his voice almost pleading, but Callahan didn’t look at him. Instead, he turned away, his shoulders rigid as he barked out orders to the crew. One by one, the ships of his fleet began to stir, the great sails catching the wind as they prepared to leave.

The sea around us swelled, as though echoing Leif’s fury. His gaze snapped back to me, and it was like a storm was building in his eyes. Every line of his body was taut with frustration, his jaw clenched so tightly I thought it might crack.

The sight of him so near set my skin alight.

The soft parts of me didn’t want him to go—they wanted him to stay. To come aboard. To pledge himself to my crew and never leave my side.

But I forced myself to hold my ground, to let the fire burn around me without consuming me.

“You will see me again,” Leif vowed.

I tilted my head, letting a small, knowing smile tug at my lips. “I’m counting on it. All paths lead to me, remember?”

His eyes burned into mine for a moment longer, and then he turned away, his dark hair whipped by the wind as he moved toward his ship.

The fleet began to pull away, their great hulls slicing through the water, and the tension in the air slowly ebbed. But even as their silhouettes grew smaller on the horizon, I couldn’t move until Leif’s figure faded.

“You won today,” Jorin said. “Let’s hope you keep winning tomorrow.”

I grinned. “I’m planning on it. Did our spies deliver the letter?”

“They did. If anyone aboard Vincent’s fleet or Callahan’s crew knows what happened to your father, we should know soon.”

I stared out over the water. For so long, I’d imagined my father out there, and I’d whispered the words to himI’m waiting for you. Now the words changed, but they didn’t lose their resolve.

I’m coming.

CLARK

Clark woke to the sound of rain. He stretched out under the canopy, gritting his teeth with the ache of sleeping on the ground. He missed Haven, his bed, and his books.

But if they were ever to get home again, they had to survive. That meant finding water.

He glanced at Ren before slipping into the garden and the pouring rain.

A girl waited in the forest.

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