by Lisa Daniels
The center of the island. There was another scent he didn’t recognize, though it was older than the two women, and tasted faintly of charcoal. He broke quite a few twigs in his shuffle to the island’s center, where he knew a shrine to be. Almost all the outer islands had them, and islanders held themselves to a different religion than others.
An awful, noxious scent dug into his nose, coated his throat. He wanted to gag. Fear picked up his heart rate. That scent was familiar. That scent was—
No! He almost stepped on the two women underneath his claws. He tilted his head so his eye could take them in, and a growl left his throat. Green veins crept along their skins, faces pallid, unconscious and sweaty from the fight warring in their bodies. The stench came from the tiny cave within the island’s heart, but he didn’t need to check to know exactly what was in there.
Creeping Rot! Desperate, he bundled the two limp women together, so he could scoop them securely in his talons. Once there, he felt the taint of magic entering his body—but dragons could resist for lengthy periods. He could make it back. Flapping from a standstill point, his wings tore apart branches, foliage, as he lifted into the air, lurching for a moment, before speeding off to the Elegant.
The sight of them both under the veil of creeping death continued to stir a sickening, sloshing wave in his stomach, and he had to keep checking his claws, making sure he still gripped them firmly, because of the numb coldness spreading from the magic.
Making it to the Elegant within a few moments, wings aching from the speed of his flight, he had to circle the deck a few times before they cleared enough space for him to land. Puffing, he laid the women down on the deck and transformed, sending panicked orders for all their witches to stay away from them, and to get Alex.
“They’ve been infected, so have I—just—help!” Perran glared at Evelyn and Rukia, who had headed over to see the damage, before freezing. Vash, Meridas’ sister, quickly went to seize Rukia by the hand, dragging the woman away. Haut dashed downstairs—apparently Alex was busy with Luan over something—and emerged back up with her a few moments later.
“Seriously,” Alex said as Perran slumped to his knees, starting to feel dizzy, “when are you going to stop touching the bad stuff?”
A strange, creaking groan drew Perran’s attention to the island below their ship. They were anchored in the air, and all of the people on deck still conscious watched as the island rolled onto its side, with things falling off. It happened fast, like waves lurching a boat on rough seas, before spinning rapidly downwards.
Crashing thousands of feet below.
Alex, slightly white-faced, looked into Perran’s eyes. “Talk about having a close call…”
Perran stared numbly at the spot where the island once was. “I came here early. I… if I didn’t…” The thought sent a numbness inside. Fifty or so people on that island now dead. Most likely due to the person he was chasing, and still hadn’t found. “We should have brought the cure.”
“We don’t have that much of it,” Alex said, now touching Lissa, beginning her war to defeat the disease. “We want to save it for the most serious cases. Since visiting the place where we get the cure is… dangerous. And the Zamorkans don’t fully trust us yet.”
“Funny, because I don’t particularly trust them either.” Perran watched blearily as Alex strained the disease out of Lissa. A part of him wanted her to start with Kelsey, but he kept himself silent, not wanting to appear ungrateful, like he was somehow more desperate for Kelsey to survive…
A non-magical human dragged Lissa away from the others as the disease was cleared, and waited for Kelsey to be cured. Alex’s face contorted in pain as she pulled it out. “I’m not sure I have the strength for three in a row… this is…” Wincing, she yanked the green out, tugged from Kelsey like tiny snakes wrapped around the skin. A horrible sight, but not nearly as horrible as the one of her near death. With Kelsey dragged away, still unconscious, Alex turned to Perran with an unnatural sheen of sweat on her forehead.
“Maybe you shouldn’t push it,” Meridas advised, clearly not wanting to witness his partner go through more pain. Alex, however, scowled at him, before rather stubbornly placing her hands on Perran’s, leeching the darkness out of him.
“I thought you said you weren’t sure you could do this,” Perran whispered.
Alex gave a thin smile in response. “Yeah, well, I can’t risk you infecting anyone else. It’ll give me even more work to do. Luckily… it’s not as deep in you yet as the witches.” She grimaced and tugged out thin, thread-like strands of green from his hands. Such a weird sensation, like something cloying and cool being sucked out of his cells, leaving them warm and healthy again. By the time she had finished, she could barely sit up straight, and allowed Meridas to carry her in his arms, crooning to her and admonishing her for using too much power.
When he felt secure enough to stand and not topple over instantly, he headed straight for Kelsey, grasping her frame in his arms and carrying her to the cabin. She took light, peaceful breaths, and her head lolled against the front of his shoulder. He placed a kiss on her forehead before tucking her more comfortably into bed. Afterwards, he headed to Lissa, who had woken up and looked incredibly pissed off with herself.
“What happened, Lissa?”
“Attacked,” she grunted, accepting a bottle of alcohol from Vash. Lissa wore her favorite bear fur robes, which bulked out her frame more so she looked like she had some meat, rather than the stick insect Perran remembered that lay beneath. “Coal-demon.”
Alex frowned, confused. Rukia, Evelyn, and Luan gaped in sudden horror—the same horror Perran felt.
“A coal-demon? Who in the underland would be summoning something like that?” Luan scowled, folding her arms even as Evelyn let out a snort.
“A Zamorkan, of course. Specifically, the one you’re chasing, right?” She looked pointedly at Perran.
“Unless someone can magically turn up with the fugitive right now, we need to go back. We’ve run out of police funds, and there’s only so much I can invest before I end up being unable to pay taxes. I’m not as rich as some people,” Perran said with one eyebrow raised at Meridas.
“I said I’d help,” the shifter replied coolly. “I just don’t think we’re going to get the results you want to get.”
“Did you see anyone leave?” Lissa hissed. “The attacker was definitely on the island last night. It’s possible you might have encountered their skyship.”
“No. We saw nothing.” Perran sighed. “They could be miles away by now.”
“Just be careful,” Lissa advised. “I don’t think this person or persons have finished, yet. They’re experimenting. We’ve not seen the last of the Creeping Rot.”
“I know we haven’t,” Perran said. “But right now… I need to rest. We head back. Results or not, we can’t afford to waste any more time.”
Evelyn nodded before heading back to the alcove, activating her wind magic and propelling them away. Perran, instead of going into his quarters and resting, headed straight to Kelsey.
He didn’t intend to leave her side. Maybe it was a little early as well, but he wanted Kelsey to know that he cared for her. More than he wanted to admit, really. He didn’t know why, and neither could he find words to describe his feelings. But for one brief moment, when he’d thought she was dead…
Everything had turned cold. Happiness he’d been building up threatened to shatter itself into pieces. The easy manner he possessed around her was from more than a desire to maintain respect. Even him pushing her, wanting her to just rise out of the misery she’d once been in—he was desperate to see her succeed. To prove what so many other woman had not. And it would break his heart to see her revert, to have all her efforts end in death.
Sitting by Kelsey’s side on a hard, rickety, wooden chair, he grabbed a book to read, How to Maintain Your Ship, and absently flicked through the manual, sneaking glances at her all the while.
Chapter Nine – Kelse
y
Waking up, Kelsey felt a huge sense of relief that she wasn’t lying in dirt, with poison surging through her.
Instead, she saw Perran seated stiffly next to her, a book slipping through his hands. He wore oddly formal clothes for such a mundane event—not that she was complaining or anything.
Was he the one who found me? Us? She studied his features for a few peaceful, uninterrupted moments. She liked his thin nose, his gentle jawline, and the lightly curving ears. His dark hair had several layers, helping to give it volume, and his hands seemed big and delicate, somehow.
What about Lissa? She propped herself upright, and the rustling sound alerted Perran. He jerked awake, the book thudding onto the wooden floor. “Hey,” she said.
“Hey,” he replied, face breaking out into a smile. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’m not infected with the Creeping Rot,” Kelsey said, grinning. “Is Lissa okay? Is she here, too, on the Elegant?” She glanced around, though she couldn’t quite see the view through the port window properly.
“Lissa’s fine. I found the two of you collapsed nearby that shrine. I… took you back, and Alex did the honors of drawing the poison from your magic.”
“Thanks for saving me,” Kelsey said, crawling out of the bed. “I need to thank Alex, too. Where is she?”
“Speaking to Lissa,” Perran said. His eyes were soft, full of concern. The dim light of the cabin made her focus harder on his face, tracing the contours of his jaw, his nose. She still hadn’t quite processed all her thoughts about him. Nor did she really know if he liked her.
Then again, he did just claim to have found her, which meant he might have been frantically searching once he realized they weren’t at the hut. And he’d sat in a chair next to her for who knew how long, just to make sure she didn’t wake up alone. Now he stared at her with such tenderness that certainty rose inside her. He liked her, probably far more than he was willing to admit, and a lot more than she wanted to. For all her attempts to call him Perran, her mind kept slipping to refer to him as Master Rus instead.
Perran filled her in on the status of the island she had stayed on—namely that it was lost to the world. Fallen some hours before. “No one had any idea how close it was to falling,” Perran said. “It must have already been infected when we landed a month before to drop you off.”
“Skies,” Kelsey whispered. “You mean we could have died at any point during my training?”
Perran looked deeply uncomfortably as he nodded. “You could have.” He clasped his hands together. “I was careless. I should have thoroughly investigated the island. I thought… since it’s the furthest one away from the main cluster points, you’d be safe…” His lips twitched. “I’ll be surprised if I don’t get fired for incompetence.”
“It’s not your fault,” Kelsey said, thinking that for all the time she’d been there, at least it had been peaceful—right up until the moment that unnatural beast had crawled in through the window and attempted to assassinate Lissa. Just like how it had been used to kill the other witches on the island. But what purpose did it serve the killer to target people on remote islands who didn’t want anything to do with normal society?
It didn’t make sense. Seeing Perran still upset, she hastened to comfort him. “You can’t always prepare for every mistake. At least we’re alive, so that’s one worry off your mind. Though… Lissa lost her home, didn’t she?” Twice, Kelsey thought with a small pang.
“There will be others to inhabit. I’m just glad you both are safe.” He held her hand, and she accepted the gesture with a little smile. She could probably get used to that. Already, her mind began playing through possibilities. Such as being bold. Saying the things she wanted to say and not feeling terrified to do so.
Those almost adoring features on him made her consider Lissa’s suggestion again. When they would kiss. If they would kiss.
Telling him that she wouldn’t exactly mind if he wanted to kiss her. Though she didn’t know how to kiss. That thought froze her up slightly, because she didn’t want to embarrass herself or him. But then again, how exactly would she learn to kiss effectively if she never kissed at all?
“It made me think that, you know… how hard it is to say things, sometimes?” Kelsey said, waiting for him to nod. He rubbed the top of her hand gently as he did so. “It feels like if I spend too long worrying about what to say, there might come a day when I’ll never be able to say anything at all. Because the person I want to speak to is gone, or I am.”
“I know what you mean.” His eyes went from soft to distant. “We always think we have more time. We think we have years and years ahead of us. But life can end at any moment. Any time.” He held her hand tighter and brushed her knuckles with his cool lips. “We never realize how much time we have until it’s gone.”
His words stirred something raw inside her. Regrets that she didn’t want to process. Like all the times she could have done something, said something. Made her choice to run, to love…
Each and every moment had slipped away from her, somehow. Even her own powers—she never had the opportunity to explore them before. Or realize even that she had them to try out.
She’d missed out on a huge chunk of her life that way. “I was curious, by the way, how you and Lissa were as friends. Before I suppose you separated, and she came to live instead on some lonely island too far away for casual contact.”
“We used to be best friends,” he said, after considering how to reply. He didn’t let go of her hand, and she wasn’t inclined to make him. “She had the accident with her magic when the ship carrying us was taken away, and she wanted to go back and save her pet kitten, which had been left behind. She… she ended up killing her own brother with the loss of control of her powers and damaged her face. And her parents couldn’t look at her without seeing the person who killed their precious son. So she came to live with my family, and we got an elderly storm witch to come and teach her control.
“She helped us rake in more money for a while and tried to confess her love for me.” His mouth twisted uncomfortably, and Kelsey cringed, instantly picking up on why. “But… I didn’t love her that way. And then I lost my sister to an abuser, and she found my habits of picking up strays… bad. She left in the end. We didn’t speak to each other for years. But we were gradually getting back into contact for the past two years. Both of us getting older, both of us realizing that whatever had happened, we used to be best friends at one point.”
“At least you reconciled.” Kelsey’s mood dropped, thinking of Lissa. Living alone. “I wonder if she found anyone else?”
“I don’t know. She never said. And I never thought to ask.” He gave a half-shrug, uncomfortable.
“Well, I hope she’ll find some happiness.” Kelsey closed her eyes for a moment. “Thanks for telling me this. Was she… friends with your sister?”
She opened her eyes to see him nod mutely. She also knew she wouldn’t get much more out of him on the matter. Seemed both Luan and Lissa knew something more of Perran’s past than Kelsey fully comprehended. Though she wasn’t sure if she’d ever comprehend the way he did. She’d never lost anyone. Yet.
Now, both their eyes rested on their still-clasped hands. His eyebrows arched upwards. “You can let go any time. I’m not stopping you from doing it.”
Her heartbeat nearly doubled its pace, and her fingers twitched in his, but she didn’t let go. Her throat constricted horribly before she managed to say, “What if I don’t want to let… go?”
A grin joined the raised eyebrows. “Is that so?”
She nodded, hardly daring to believe what she’d just said.
If she thought speaking her mind was difficult, it was nothing compared to admitting she might have feelings to someone she liked. Was it too soon?
Skies, she hoped not. “I’m not sure if you… like me,” she said, her left knee now experiencing the sensation of turning to liquid, as she could barely stand on it without shaking. “I mean,
I’m not great at reading things, and maybe what I see isn’t what I think I’m seeing…”
He let her babble on incessantly, until he said, “You’re not mistaking what you think there is between us. It’s been… great to see how much you’ve improved. An honor, even.” He brought his other hand to her. “But regardless of how I’m feeling, how I want to watch you grow into your new self, to share the journey with you… I don’t want you to feel any pressure. I never helped you just so I could get into a relationship.”
“I know that.” Kelsey beamed. “But I’m glad it turned out this way all the same. I want to find out more about myself. These powers. And to… maybe see how things might go with you. I… um… have to warn you.” Her cheeks flushed. “I have very little experience in romance.”
Perran’s eyes twinkled at this. “Perhaps I can help.” He leaned tantalizingly close. “You’ve come a long way,” Perran whispered in her ear, sending a delicious, warm shiver through Kelsey, making her want to melt into his arms. “But remember this. You should never feel like you don’t deserve anything.” His lips were so close. She imagined them touching her skin. Excitement welled up, thinking of what they might do together. If he took that extra step.
If she did. She’d never been one for bold moves. People had stamped those tendencies out of her, brutally, leaving her too timid and passive to do anything.
Right now, with a sudden blaze of fury, she realized she hated being that person. Someone others saw and immediately took advantage of. Someone who stood on the precipice, always wanting, never taking. Because somehow, she’d convinced herself it wasn’t her right to do so.
Right now, Perran effectively encouraged her. She might not be the smartest person around, but she knew he was waiting for her to act now, not him.
The choice was all hers.
Still riding that burst of anger, she nudged her head against Perran, causing him to move and present the perfect angle for them to touch lips together. He certainly didn’t expect her to kiss him so hard, so desperately, and though he engaged in the contact with pleasure, with eagerness, the roaring sensations inside Kelsey ended too soon. He pulled away from her, breathless, looking slightly dazed. “What was that, Kelsey?”
