Page 24 of The Spark that Ignites
When the sun reached mid-sky, they neared a small bay, merely a pocket of water swept away from the sea. Despite the thrashing ocean, the crisp blue water was still, unmoving and not a single wave or ripple disturbed the delicate glassy surface.
It was the strangest thing. Like a mirror.
Emmery caught her reflection and winced. Her swollen eye and throat were now a mottled blob of blues and purples, andit was no wonder Vesper had been staring. Good gods, she resembled a battered grape.
“The portal is here. It’ll take us to the gate,” he said, and, without warning, Vesper stepped out into the water—or ratherontoit. Ripples surrounded his feet, but he didn’t sink. “Follow me.”
Eyes wide, Emmery lingered at the shore, the water edging the toes of her boots as fear iced over her limbs and prickled her spine. Even if she found the portal to the gate all those years ago, she wouldn’t have been able to cross it. Yet, it’d been right under her nose, mocking her all this time. And they were only a few hours from her family cottage.
This was some cruel joke.
Vesper sauntered along the open water, throwing over his shoulder, “Are you coming?”
Her reflection stared back at her, a teasing, taunting admission of how cowardly she truly was. Because of course it had to be water.
When Vesper caught her expression, his steps halted. Emmery’s unblinking eyes brimmed with tears and not wanting him to see, she tucked her chin.
She couldn’t do it. Couldn’t get her damn legs to move. How utterly and completely pathetic.
Vesper tiptoed to her, as if she may dart into the brush like some spooked animal and disappear into the wild. But honestly, the prospect didn’t sound terrible. Anything to keep her off that depthless blue.
He reached for her shoulder, thought better of it, and dropped his hand, his brows pinched as he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Emmery shook her head, finally tearing her eyes up to meet his. The high sun scorched like hot coals, and her vision blurred.
“I—” She swallowed the lump in her throat, that mocking burn reminding her she was worthless. “I can’t.”
How could she tell him? Not explain but admit how the water affected her. Flashing sinister images that lived in her bones and under her skin. After all those years, she had never truly recovered from the grief that left her heart a crumpled thing in her chest. The loss, agony, crippling devastation—
But that wasn’t all. Emmery glanced back as if she could see her cottage. She was leaving her entire life behind. Everything familiar would be a thing of the past and she didn’t know how to process it all. What if Karynthia wasn’t that magical place she dreamed of? What if she failed the trial? What if she couldn’t bring Maela back? What if the gods were truly punishing her? There were too many unknowns. Too many risks.
Vesper’s brows furrowed as he saw her pain, recognized it, and matched it with patience. With kindness. He offered a gloved hand. “Trust me?”
Emmery’s lungs constricted, her mind a conflicted riot of thoughts and unwelcome emotions. Warmth flickered in her chest from the small act, like a tulip opening to golden sun rays, but she smothered it, blinking it away and killing that bit of growth. It was too daunting. Too tempting to allow that warmth in. Hadn’t she just told him they couldn’t be friends?
But how long had she been on her own? For all these years she had only had herself and named everyone else an enemy. It would be easier not to trust Vesper and keep him at arm's length. With her plans, she needed to keep the wall up. To build them higher. Her sister was what mattered, and for her sister she would do anything.
Regardless of all her tangled thoughts, Emmery took his hand, and his steady hold pierced her panic. On a long exhale, she said, “No, but I don’t suppose I really have a choice at this point.”
Thankfully Vesper didn’t flinch from her harshness and instead offered a small smile as she breathed through the fear. His fingers wrapped around hers. “You will.”
Emmery squeezed her eyes shut as she stepped out. Relief washed over her, a sigh escaping as she found solid footing. “Why does that sound like a threat?”
She stepped wearily, as if at any moment the water’s depths would claim her. Not once did she dare look down as Vesper tugged her along behind him, like a merchant carting his goods. Because that was what he was doing. He needed her.
“Maybe it is,” he said and kept his eyes on her, his brows knitting. When Vesper halted, Emmery collided with his back and the air thrust from her chest.
“Now, was that so bad?” he teased.
Emmery cracked an eyelid, finding them at the center of the bay. Her stomach plummeted as she stared into the infinite ocean depths, both of their cloaks flapping in the rampant sea breeze. “Don’t mistake this for weakness,” she snarled but it was brittle. “Iwillpunch you.”
“Don’t tempt me with a good time.” Vesper released a breathless laugh and tapped his toe in the glassy water until it came away wet. He shot her a look she couldn’t decipher and said, “Hold your breath.”
Emmery didn’t get the chance to respond before Vesper grabbed her waist and plunged them headfirst into the water.
Chapter Nine
Ashock of impact rocked Emmery’s knees as the ground rose up to meet them on the other side of the portal. Vesper had plunged them forward with such haste, Emmery had inhaled a mouthful of seawater, and it dribbled from her lips, leaving a wretched fishy salt coating her tongue as she choked.
