Page 36 of The Trials of Ophelia

“No…” I shook my head, wide-eyed.

His jaw popped open, and he looked frantically between me and the new toys. “Come on, Alabath?—”

Ezalia laughed, the sound mixing with the breeze again. “We can provide a demonstration later.”

“That would be excellent.” Tol’s face lit up. “Thank you, Chancellor. See?” He dropped a kiss to my cheek, the unexpected fire swirling in me and melting my worries. “Nothing to fret about.”

“You have no idea what obsession you’ve planted in his head,” Cypherion told the Seawatcher.

Tolek was going to love it here.

“Expanding your expertise can never hurt.” Ezalia smiled, but kept walking, leading us past the rows of canons and the storage shed behind them. Tolek laced his fingers through mine and followed on her heels with the most satisfied smirk I’d ever seen.

As we got closer to the inhabited part of town, the buildings were made of the same ashy driftwood, but they became slightly larger. Flat and elongated, as if it was quicker and easier to build out rather than up. Warmth fell from their windows, pouring over the dirt-lined streets, families within preparing for dinner.

This wasn’t a city like Palerman or even Gaveral. This was an outpost. Warriors lived here, but it was evident from the architecture that it served a purpose: defense. Besides homes, there were two small inns for travelers—one of which Ezalia cleared out for our party—and a handful of shops and stables.

It was peaceful, though. Not desolate like one might expect. A steady hum of life filled the air, and it was clear while it may be a small village lifestyle, hundreds of warriors still proudly call Brontain home.

As we approached the inn, a small building with its front almost entirely covered by green stalks of ocean-yarrow, I gripped Cyph’s wrist.

“Why did you and Seron want to move back here?” I hadn’t missed the way they both surveyed the area when the Angel task came up.

Cyph watched the rest of our group disappear inside, crickets chirping out a tune that set my nerves on edge. Then, he ran a hand through his hair. “He said they’ve been having trouble with wildlife out there. That the cliffs have been attacked twice recently—once by land and once by sea.”

My breath caught in my throat. “Was it Kakias’s doing? Searching for the emblems?” I’d been relieved we made the trek here without a hint of her, but perhaps that was because she was ahead of us.

“Not warriors,” he said. “The land creature came in the night. Long limbs and wild screeches.”

Concerns of the queen vanished.

“Wings?” I whispered.

He shook his head. “The sea one, though.” He shivered. “It sounded horrific. Jumped thirty feet out of the water and collided with the rock, taking a chunk of cliff with it. It was there and gone so quickly, they barely had a chance to take note, but they think it was an alpheous.”

“Those haven’t been seen in centuries,” I gasped. Giant sea serpents legend told were born out of sediment of ocean depths, alpheous were believed extinct. Or at least kept themselves far enough from warriors to not be seen in nearly a millennium.

“I know.” Cyph nodded. “But it sounds like one. Large scaled body with rows of spikes along the spine and gullet. Nearly thirty feet long.” There was something in his voice I didn’t recognize.

“What else?” I asked.

“Nothing, but…” He looked up at the wooden overhang, searching the planks for an answer. “I’m worried. Why are all of these creatures surfacing? It can’t be good, and I’m afraid we’re in way over our heads.”

I swallowed the honesty and realized what the tremor in his voice had been: fear. Cypherion rarely showed it, but dammit did it scare me when he did.

“You might be right,” I answered just as honestly, but I didn’t tack on I was afraid, too.

Ezalia directed us to three rooms, taking the two remaining for herself and her warriors. As our group of six stood outside the closed doors with shells carved into their frames, the warm yellow mystlight illuminated our averted glances and awkward shuffling.

Three rooms, each with two beds.

My sister couldn’t hide her grin as she watched the rest of us. I could share with Tolek, but I was already resisting temptation by a fragment of a thread. It didn’t matter there were two beds instead of one.

And if we shared, where did that leave Cypherion? With Santorina or Jezebel, I supposed. He wouldn’t be alone with Vale, that was for certain. But?—

“Oh, for the love of the Angels.” Jezebel finally threw her hands up and swung one of the doors open. “Boys—in here.” She strode down the hall to the next. “Rina and Vale—that way if you need to rewrap that wound.” She crossed to the last room. “Sister, we’ll take this one. Now, we’re meeting in the dining room in twenty minutes. I suggest you all wash up quickly.”

“Thank you, Jezebel,” Rina said. “At least someone is still thinking with their head.”

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