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Rythos cursed, dragging his hands furiously through his black strands. “Solas and Aldric,” he muttered. Shadows rushed towards him, wrapping up his legs, and he flickered, half of his face turning to nothing but darkness.
“You sailed them here?” I asked, unable to believe what I was hearing. Rage surged through me, and I shoved him hard in the chest. “One drop of water is enough to kill them! You knew that—and you brought them anyway?”
He flinched at my words, eyes looking past me to Helion.
“Sail your ship to mine,” he grunted, dissolving into shadows.
“Wait!” I shouted, my feet carrying me a step towards him without my even realising.
He paused mid shift, half his body swarming with shadows and drifting on the wind.
“Be careful,” I pleaded.
“Only for you,” he whispered as shadows rose around him and swallowed him whole.
Helion swooped his arms beneath my knees, the world tilting for a moment before he cradled me against his chest and cinnamon and smoke filled my nose.
“Put me down.” I balled my fists and crashed them against his chest. I would be faster in the water. If I could follow the Siren—
“Could you stop moving?” he warned, running across the rocky isle to where the ship rested in a channel that brushed up along the outcrop of stone.
“Let me swim after her,” I pleaded, pushing against his chest.
“You won’t come back.” His muscles tensed beneath me, grip tightening on me.
Desperation pounded through me. Aldric and Solas needed me. Every second that passed felt like another step towards their deaths.
“I thought as your wife, my word is something you would trust.” I countered, throwing his words back at him. “Meet me on Rythos’ ship. I will be there. Trust me.”
I let the bond open between us, almost sighing at the relief that flooded my chest. Closing myself off from him had become a constant strain, as though I were forcing apart two things that had never been meant to exist separately.
Whatever he saw inside me was enough for his grip to loosen. A sigh escaped him before he turned, running back towards where the Siren had disappeared.
He set me on my feet, his fingers burning through the bindings before brushing the ash from my wrists with surprising care. A crooked smile tugged at one corner of his mouth, as though he refused to let me see how close he'd come to panicking.
“Be careful, Sunshine.” He gave my chin a light tap with his forefinger. “And don't use my own words against me again, yeah?”
I rushed towards the edge, ready to dive, but faltered. Pebbles skittered over the ledge, disappearing into the cursed waters below.
My chest tightened.
Turning back, I crossed the space between us before I could lose my nerve. Rising onto my tiptoes, I cupped his jaw and pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
His grey eyes widened, the surprise softening something in his expression that I hadn't realised was still guarded.
Before he could answer, I turned, diving over the edge into the Dead Sea.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Songs of Truth
Lyra
The sea welcomed me into its cold and suffocating embrace. It clawed through my skin unforgivingly, twisting the bones in my legs until they cracked and shattered.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
