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My steward is a good man. Loyal. Brave. He bows, and I know it will be done.
I glance once more at Phoebe. She’s half-turned, reluctant to leave, her gaze locked on me as though afraid she’ll never see me again.
My chest clenches, and for a heartbeat I want nothing more than to drag her behind me, consequences be damned.
But she is safer away from what’s coming. She must be.
“I will come back to you,” I promise, low and certain, before the current takes me and I surge toward the shoreline.
The sea is already restless, waves pounding harder against the rocks.
I use my powers to see past the shore and village to the borders—and I want rage with all the powers of the tide.
Beyond the horizon, I can see them, shadows writhing—too many, moving too fast.
SoulTakers.
Their hunger slithers through the wards like oil through water, seeking, pressing, clawing.
I plant my trident into the sand, lightning crackling down its prongs, and lift my voice above the storm.
“To arms! The Tide rises!”
And as my warriors rally, the tide of battle rushes to meet us.
The moment Phoebe is secure aboard my ship, I press my palm to the hull and send the command.
The sea answers instantly.
Sharks slice through the waves, their fins glinting like knives.
Whales breach and sing, a wall of sound that ripples through the water. Sleek otters dart in packs, teeth bared, while sea tigers prowl beneath the surface, their striped hides luminous in the moonlight.
All of them, every creature of the tide, bends to my will.
Protect her.
I pourevery ounce of myself into the command, binding it to them.
The vessel will not falter.
No shadow will touch her.
I should have said it—I should have told her I love you.
The words rose like a tide, but I held them back.
Because when I give them to her, it will not be in parting.
It will not be a goodbye.
Even so, I see the questions in her eyes as Amber ushers her below deck. They haunt me as I turn away.
I walk into the surf, calling the current.
My trident hums in my grip, hungry for battle.
My usual steed, the silverwing whale, answers my summons with a distant, thunderous song.
