Page 77 of A Forgery of Fate

“Elang?”

“Mailoh is missing,” he said at length. “We haven’t seen her since last night.”

I felt like I’d been punched. My voice crawled out of my throat: “I’ve got to help.”

“There is already a search party,” Elang replied. “Caisan’s brought his best scouts.”

“Let me—”

“There’s nothing you can do. You can barely swim, and your human flesh is prey to the cold. It would be better if you went back inside.”

Whatever I was going to say shriveled up in my throat. Behind him, a group of turtles appeared in the near distance, circling the castle perimeter. Seeing them made my chest tighten. Mailoh had a daughter, I remembered. A young daughter who had been sent away from Yonsar. I had been in her place once. I hadn’t even known that Baba was missing—until it was too late.

“Have you tried looking beyond the canyons?” I asked Elang.

“Yes. Now go in—”

“What about the Western Fold?”

Elang could tell what I was thinking. “No oneis permitted there, and that includes you.”

“But Mailoh could be—”

“It isn’t safe,” he said, cutting me off. His shoulders squared; this wasn’t easy for him either. “We’ll find her once the sea has settled. I’ll not risk any more lives.”

It was the hardest thing, dragging my eyes away from the dark cliffs beyond the castle and making myself nod mutely. But a plan was already bubbling in my mind, and I couldn’t give it away. “I’ll leave.”

His jaw relaxed. He’d been prepared for a longer argument. “I’ll call for you when it’s safe.”

I pretended to head back inside the castle, but as soon as I was out of Elang’s sight, I dipped into a thicket of coral and rubbed at my ring. “Shani, I need your help.”

In a glittering cloud, the demon misted out of the opal. “Lying to your husband so early in your marriage?” she jabbed. “Doesn’t bode well for your future together.”

I wasn’t in the mood for her quips today. I pulled her by the tail, bringing her close. “Hush and listen. Mailoh’s missing. I need you to help me find her.”

“Why should I care about that stodgy old rubberhead? Besides, you heard Elang’anmi’s orders. We’re not to leave.”

“If you don’t come,” I said, twisting off my ring, “I’m going to grill your opal over the fire. See how you like sleeping on coals.”

“Manipulative and extortionate.” Shani’s mouth quirked. “I respect it.”

She thrust out her triangular fins, each lengthening until they resembled her old wings. She became just large enoughfor me to ride on her back. “Hop on quickly. If we get caught, I’m blaming everything on you.”

Together, we blasted out of the castle. I lay on my stomach, pressing myself flat against Shani’s back as I scrabbled for some part of the demon to grasp. As a stingray, Shani had no ridges or small fins, and her skin was smooth and slippery. Riding on her back was as unwieldy as flying on a blanket. I couldn’t say for sure that she’d rescue me if I fell off.

I hoped I wouldn’t have to find out.

Around the canyons, the sea was thick, grit from the storm swirling in ominous patterns. “Mailoh,” I shouted. “Mailoh, where are you?”

There was only silence.

“The scouts have already searched this area,” said Shani as we traced the gorges and valleys. “She’s not here.”

“What about the Fold?” I said, pointing to where the canyons tapered off. The water there was darker, as if doused with ink. My stomach curdled with dread. What if it was Mailoh’s blood that I’d painted in the vision? “In there, you see how dark the waters are? Mailoh could be inside.”

“We’re not going down there.” She pulled away. “The currents are getting stronger. All the scouts have gone back already. If they haven’t found her, then—”

“Don’t say it.”

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