Page 74 of Across the Sapphire Sea
“That’s enough, Valeri,” said Ash. “Be polite, we’re guests here.”
Guests!That was laughable. They were prisoners at the moment, and Elias was a hostage.
“Will none of you take me up on my offer?” asked Finley as they rose from their chair. They held their bare arms out straight, wrists exposed. “You came all this way for our blood.”
Ash stood to meet them. He towered over the diminutive Finley, but he didn’t use his height to intimidate. That wasn’t Ash’s style. “Only Valeri knew that’s what we would need. The rest of us hoped the cure would be something simple—a tonic you could share, or a potion you could teach us to make.”
“I see.” Finley clasped their hands together. “I am sorry the answer isn’t so simple. I will leave you in peace while we wait for Sachi to finish speaking with Elias.”
“I want him back,” Valeri snapped.
“And you shall have him. When Sachi has finished,” said Finley before leaving on silent feet.
* * *
Elias, Present, 1432 Common Era
“You’re coming with us?” asked Elias, full of hope.
Sachi leaned in. “That is how we solve this. Your witch Aella creates this incredible portal you speak of. Fae magic could never accomplish such a feat. I’ll come to Bran Vigny with you, and Mahu will drink my blood. No one will have to die this way.”
Elias couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but the stars were their witness. “Your people, though. Will they be angry with you?”
Her head tilted. “Furious, I imagine.”
If that bothered her, Elias couldn’t tell. He must warn her. “The journey back home for you will not be simple. Aella can portal home, but she cannot portal from Bran Vigny to Lappland. It’s too far, she doesn’t know the land well enough, and there is no one to help her on this side.”
“I don’t want to come back.” Sachi sounded quite sure of herself.
Elias’s eyes widened. “You don’t?”
“No,” she answered without hesitation. “This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for. I’m tired of protecting a gate that no longer exists. I grow weary of wishing for a realm we lost access to ages ago. We waste away here, longing for what was, and we do not enjoy what is. I wish to know whatis.”
Elias followed along as her words came faster and faster, and her eyes sparkled like emeralds.
“I’d like to see other lands and feel the warmth of a southern summer. I want to explore the continents. I’ve heard of big cities where people trade from all over the world. Constantinople. Rome. I’d love to see Egypt. To see pyramids and ancient writings unlike our own. To lie on the bank of the Nile. To uncover civilization’s secrets rather than protect them. Do you understand?”
Elias laughed. He couldn’t help it. “Sachi, I am twenty-three years old. My wishes are much simpler than yours. I’d like to make a friend. Perhaps go a week with my lover without argument. Your list makes mine seem ridiculous.”
“Oh no!” She sat up, grabbed his hand, and held it in her lap. “You don’t seem ridiculous to me at all. You’re pure. Innocent.”
Elias shook his head. “Not innocent.”
Sachi studied him. “Perhaps not, no. But you’re good. And that matters. Your wishes matter too, and making a friend is a worthy goal. I’d like us to be friends.”
“I would like that too.” Friendship was the thing he desired most in the world.
“So it’s settled.” Sachi squeezed his hand. “I shall come with you. That solves most of the problems.”
Elias shuffled to sit as well. “The one it leaves behind is huge.”
“Yes,” she agreed reluctantly. “The rest of The Vartija will not be happy their secret is out.”
“Not that,” said Elias, though her point was valid.
“What then?”
“Well, Sachi…youarethe secret, correct? Yourself and the other faeborn. What happens when word spreads? The reasons The Vartija have been so protective are still valid. Every vampire community across the globe will want your blood for themselves. Aren’t you worried about that?”
