The Deepest Blue(34)
“I must increase the relief efforts in Olaku. And send a ‘Congratulations, you must be so proud’ letter to the parents of our newest spirit sister. She was all that kept it from being a massacre. An act of heroism that I rewarded by sending her to her probable death, yet another horrible thing in Belene I can’t stop or change.”
“You know,” Garnah said mildly, “sometimes I get the impression that you don’t like being queen.”
At that, the queen of Belene laughed so hard that she cried.
Chapter Nine
They moored in a vacant harbor at a half-rotted dock. Mayara had the very strong sense that the sailors were happy to see them go, which was proven when she overheard one of them say to another, “Be glad to see the last of those witches.”
She made it a point to smile extra sweetly at that superstitious sailor as she walked over the plank to the dock.
Lord Maarte didn’t accompany them onto land. He stayed at the helm, watching them disembark. He had, she knew, plans to sail to the Southern Citadel, the southernmost city of the forest kingdom of Aratay, to trade island fruit for mainland wood, but Mayara had expected him to wish them well or at least bid goodbye to his ward. He had to feel some responsibility for Roe, since her family was supposedly under his protection. But as far as Mayara could tell, Lord Maarte didn’t glance at Roe once.
Maybe he truly does want her to fail. She couldn’t imagine what “political problems” could be caused by giving a young woman the help she’d need to maybe not die.
He did, though, make eye contact with Mayara and had the gall to look pleasantly amused, as if he were letting the women off the ship for an afternoon picnic. Mayara wished she’d called him more than just “vile.” He deserved worse. But she refused to waste any more time thinking about him. Deliberately, she turned her back on him and faced the island.
We have three days to learn how to not die. Best make the most of it.
The training island was so tiny that it didn’t have any villages, houses, or inhabitants. As far as Mayara could see, it had nothing except a decrepit dock. Where exactly are we supposed to train? And with whom?
Mayara, Roe, and Palia clustered at the end of the dock as the Silent Ones swept off the ship behind them. Then the sailors pulled the plank back and untied from the dock.
“Now what?” Roe asked.
Palia plopped herself down onto a crate and stretched her legs. “Ahh, it’s nice to be back on land! Shame that means we’re closer to our doom.” She pointed to another island to the south. It looked innocuous, a smear of beautiful green amid the turquoise blue.
Mayara swallowed hard. “Is that . . . ?”
“Yes, it is,” Roe said in a hushed voice. “We’re on one of the nearby islands. This used to be a pineapple farm, until spirits destroyed the soil. Now it’s abandoned.”
“And now we’re abandoned too. Yay. And with such great companions.” Palia scowled at the Silent Ones.
The three Silent Ones had drifted to the other end of the dock and stood motionless, facing the interior of the island, which looked like a pile of bare rock. Mayara strained to see whatever it was they were looking for. “Any idea what we’re supposed to do?”
“Be trained,” Roe said, then frowned at the gray, unwelcoming stone around them. “Really thought the other candidates would be here already.”
For a while nothing happened, and Mayara started to fidget. Then, in the center of the island, a stream of fire shot up from between the rocks. Mayara felt the heat warm her cheeks. She and the other two women automatically cringed, even though the flames weren’t close enough to hurt them. Roe scrambled to her feet, and Palia rose as well. But the Silent Ones seemed unfazed. They merely waited.
Mayara shielded her eyes against the sun as she saw a shape soar toward them. It came from between the rocks, and at first she thought it was an oddly shaped bird. She felt the familiar itch of a spirit, though, as it came closer.
And then she saw someone was riding it.
The spirit looked like a bird, but far larger than any bird Mayara had ever seen, with translucent wings that were nearly invisible against the sky. They distorted the clouds. On the bird’s back was a woman in a red shirt and leggings.
The bird spirit landed at the end of the dock, and the woman hopped off. She looked to be about thirty, with seaweed-green hair, pale skin, and a thick clump of scar tissue running from her left cheekbone to her chin.
Mayara thought she was the most terrifying woman she’d ever seen.
The woman barked, “Listen up, newbies, you’re here to prepare for the island! I am Heir Sorka. It’s my job to make sure you don’t die before you set foot on Akena. After that, it’s all up to you.” She marched between them, inspecting them. She sniffed at Palia, raised eyebrows at Roe, and then stopped in front of Mayara. “You’re our future, the ones who will protect the innocent and preserve our way of life? You’re the best the islands have to offer?”
“Not really,” Mayara said. “We’re just the ones who got caught.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them.
Heir Sorka glared at her, and she had mastered the art of the withering glare. Mayara felt as if she’d shrunk to two feet tall and five years old. Behind Sorka, the spirit spread its wings and cawed. It sounded like metal scraping against metal.