Page 70 of Winds of Destiny

I’ve got my sword, my pack, and the blessing of two gods. I’m up for fuckinganything.

“I’m ready.” I take his hand and let him lead the way to the water, where his god is waiting…literallyonthe water, a dozen feet out into the depths. Her paws don’t even make ripples. Neither do Turo’s feet as he takes two steps without hesitation, the water holding him up like solid land.

I balk at the edge. I can’t…this isn’t…

“You can do this,” Turo says firmly, giving my hand a squeeze. “For Cam.”

For Camrael.I use my free hand to hold onto my pearl pendant, then step forward. I almost lose my balance, my mind still expecting me to fall through despite what my eyes are seeing. But when I stumble, Turo is there to catch me.

I lean in and press a kiss to his lips. He gasps, clearly surprised, then cups my face and deepens the kiss. We stand there in the light of the moons, on top of treacherous waters, taking our pleasure and comfort until his god finally gets to her feet andmeows with impatience.

“Let’s go get him,” I say when I can breathe again.

Turo grins at me, then turns and, still holding my hand, begins to run. I follow, and it’s the easiest thing I’ve ever done, more like gliding than forcing my bulk to speed up. No vipers can bite us and no lions can hunt us.

Tonight, we’re blessed with a path forward.

Tomorrow, hopefully, we’ll be blessed with a way to save Cam.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Cam

I wake up to the morning sun piercing all the way through my closed eyelids and the feeling of movement beneath me. I groan and lift my hand up to cover my eyes, then remember to be surprised that Icanlift my hand. Weren’t they tied behind my back? What happened?

“Drink.” A canteen sloshes in front of me. I gingerly open my eyes to see Dian crouching less than a foot away, the water in her hand and a terse look on her face. She’s the only one close enough to see, which is good because now I remember what Embros tried to do. With free hands, it’s far too tempting to stand up and punch him until his nose reappears through the back of his head.

“Drink,” she repeats.

“Fine,” I snap hoarsely, then take the water and drink. I end up draining the whole thing, and the ache in my head recedes somewhat. I was thirstier than I thought.

“Now this.” She hands over a piece of dried, tasteless meat and a handful of salted seeds. Individually they’re dull, but together they almost make a viable meal. I chew slowly, looking around. The boat we’re in—that Embros is in, too, damn it—is slightly ahead of the other two. We’re moving at a brisk pace, but no one is poling or rowing them. We’re caught in a current.

“What happened?” I ask once my mouth is finally empty.

She arches an eyebrow. “You don’t remember?”

“I remember…javelins in the air.” And desperation, and fury, and a feeling like my heart was about to rip right out of my chest.

“You summoned the wind.” She actually smiles at me. “A very strong gust. I remember the everwinds from when I was young, and this one was at least as strong as those. It was impressive, but you’ll need to practice more if you want to make it into something truly useful. Anyway.” She shrugs. “It knocked the javelins aside and saved your lovers.”

“They’re safe? You saw that?” I grab her hand without even thinking about it.

Dian, who must be in an unexpectedly kind mood, lets me hold on. “They were when we lost sight of them,” she confirms. “As long as they haven’t done anything foolish, they still should be. You’re lucky to have people who care about you so much.”

“I know.” It occurs to me that I can check on them myself. I close my eyes and reach inside, to that place where I feel a sense of connection to the pearls. I’m looking for anything—despair, anger, frustration, I’ll take it all as long as they’re alive.

Instead of any of those things, I get a feeling of excitement. Pleasure. Even wonder.

Are they having sex?Not that I’d mind, exactly, but Iwasjust stolen out from under their noses by Embros. Far be it from me to denigrate life-affirming sex, but I’d like to think they’re maybe alittletoo upset to have this much fun in the wake of my boat trip.

I can tell that Turo is listening to me and laughing.We’re coming,he says. It’s faint—he’s focusing on something else, he’s moving somehow, but it’s definitely him.We’re coming to you.

“How?” I whisper.

“How what?”

I forgot that Dian’s sitting right here in front of me.

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