Broken Veil (Harbinger #5)(63)

Then Adam appeared up the rope. He gestured for her to sit down by him on one of the benches, and she did. She felt like a tangled mess of nerves. It was so wonderful to see him again. Yet so painful too. She remembered every word of the letter she’d written him to sever their engagement. At the time, under the sway of the Myriad Ones, she’d meant every word.

“Mr. Cochran,” the captain said, looking up at the pilot. “Take us through the prism cloud. Then give control of the zephyr to Miss Cettie, who will guide us to Genevar.” He turned to Cettie. “We’ve sent word ahead to the Serpentine to rendezvous with us on the way.”

Aunt Juliana’s ship. Cettie was pleased by the development. It would be good to see her aunt again. And if she had the chance, she would like to apologize to Caulton.

Their zephyr led the way. Other soldiers had crammed onto the bench with them, which did not give her and Adam the privacy she’d hoped for, but the noise of the exposed wind would make it difficult for them to be overheard. They were on their way now, heading toward danger. This might be her last chance to speak with him. As she looked at Adam, taking in his fatigue and bedraggled appearance, she regretted again that he was coming. He’d not slept that day.

“I’ve not seen the prism cloud yet,” Cettie asked, breaking the silence between them.

“You’ll see it shortly,” he answered. “When you came to Lockhaven, you might have missed it because it looks like a cloud during the day. At night, it’s a pillar of fire. It’s colorful, like the light that comes from a prism. Those buildings over there are blocking it, but watch . . . there it is.”

Cettie gasped at the sight. It was like a rosebud almost, with layers of colored petals. The center of the vortex was a bright patch of natural sunlight, which came through the whorl and shone into their world. It was nearly as big as Lockhaven itself, and Cettie watched in wonder as a hurricane passed through from the other side.

“My goodness.”

She couldn’t take her eyes off the prism cloud. It looked familiar to her. Not because she’d seen it before, but because part of her awareness had. She now had access to memories that weren’t her own. These memories felt different from those she’d accessed through the Myriad Ones, and they sounded different too. They were steeped in the Mysteries.

The zephyr raced toward the rift, followed by the other two on its flanks.

The colors became more vivid and pronounced as they rushed ahead. She could see the sky in the other world, the clouds and even a seabird. She gripped the edge of the seat as the zephyr approached the broken veil between the worlds. Her heart beat fast in anticipation of what it would feel like. She remembered racing through a mirror gate in a zephyr with Lady Corinne and her father.

She should have leaped overboard and plunged into the sea.

As they approached the fiery maw of the prism gate, the magical chorus of energy was so loud that it vibrated within her chest. Cettie turned her face away, shutting her eyes, the noise of the cacophonous music so penetrating she felt insignificant in its presence. It was power, true power, in all its glory. Sera had accomplished this feat? It amazed her. It awed her.

As soon as they were through, the song of power began to fade. When Cettie once again became aware of herself, she had a hand pressed to her heart and tears in her eyes. She squinted because they had passed into full daylight. Looking back, she saw the inky black of night falling behind.

They were over the sea, but she could see masses of land in the distance. A few seagulls cruised above the waves below them, and the other zephyrs dipped through the prism cloud to join them.

“Where are we?” Cettie asked Captain Dumas.

“Off the coast of Occitania,” he answered. “We’ll head west here to reach Genevar. The Serpentine will be watching for us. Would you like to take the helm, miss, and lead the way?”

“Not yet,” Cettie answered. “When we get a little closer.”

Captain Dumas nodded and gave orders to the pilot.

Cettie gazed at Adam and saw he was studying her face. She wished her powers allowed her to read his mind. He looked conflicted. No wonder. Honorable man that he was, he probably felt it was his duty to reaffirm their engagement. That was just the sort of thing he would do.

“I have something for you,” she said, keeping her voice low. They’d returned her poisoner bag to her after she’d passed the test with the Truth Leering and earned Durrant’s trust. She opened the bag and withdrew the book he’d given her after they’d both passed the Test at Muirwood Abbey.

His eyes widened with recognition when he saw it. “I thought you’d lost that.”

Cettie gently stroked the leather-bound cover. “I was afraid Anna had taken it,” she said, then shook her head no. “I should have trusted her integrity more. It was stolen from me because it meant something to me to lose it. Because it came from you.” She offered it back to him.

He took it, his expression softening. He opened it to a random page, gazing at the notes alongside the sketches. Then he closed the book and handed it back to her.

She kept her hands folded in her lap, refusing to take it. “It’s yours, Adam. You lent it to me. I’m grateful that I could finally return it.”

“I want you to have it,” he said.

“Adam,” she said, leaning closer to him. She tried to keep her voice steady, only partially succeeding. “I lost Joses because I let him come with me that day. I couldn’t bear it if you were harmed because of me.” She blinked and licked her lips to moisten them.