When Shadows Rise (Book 1)

Chapter 9 (Kayden)

They'd been sailing for a week.

Kayden stood on the deck, bare forearms resting against the railing. The weather had grown warmer the further south they sailed, almost unbearable compared to Freca's frigid temperatures, and it hadn't been long before she cut the sleeves from her tunic.

The sun had barely risen above the sea at this hour. Even the waves slept, the quietness bringing a calm she hadn't felt in years. The breeze tangled its fingers through her deep brown hair. She smiled to herself as dawn's light kissed her skin. Below her, the water was so clear she could see straight to the bottom where flat, black seastones glimmered.

The ocean was the most lifeless place because of these deadly seastones, but the water itself was also poisonous to any magical mortal that submerged themself long enough. The irony of water wasn't lost on her; it killed, but they would die of dehydration without it. The only thing that truly kept them alive was the fruit from the wearian trees that reversed the effects of the poison—the same trees she was somehow supposed to heal.

Her smile fell.

"What are you doing out here so early?"

Kayden jumped, turning. She hadn't heard Eka sneak up on her.

"I couldn't sleep."

Eka joined her at the railing. "Anxious?"

"You could say that."

"Me too." Eka sighed, looking toward the gentle slopes of mountains ahead.

When Kayden had first come out here, the island was just a speck in the distance, but now they were close enough to spot the red and brown rock of low mountains and the hills of brilliant yellow grasses. From the books she'd read and maps she'd studied, she knew this island to be Treow, a small territory Leodia controlled. The people of Treow hadn't had the means to defend themselves from larger domains, so Leodia had offered protection in exchange for gold.

Eka's verdant green eyes brightened as she took in the sight, any trace of sleepiness gone in an instant. She'd lined her eyes in white makeup paler than her complexion and blonde hair, and Kayden liked it. The curving lines that ended in sharp points gave her a cat-like appearance. A lynx. Paired with her sparkling, silver tattoos, Eka reminded her of winter—of everything familiar when the world around her was all but that.

But with winter came a chill, and Kayden couldn't let herself get too close for fear of seeing Eka's heart freeze over. It would only take a few words to make it happen. The truth of Jesse's death, and everything between them would wither. Spending this past week with her had made it even more difficult, the guilt eating away at her mind until she wanted to spill the truth just to be rid of it, but she couldn't.

Eka reached for her hand, but Kayden pulled away.

The girl frowned. "You know, you've never told me about your scars. It looks like you've fought a hundred wars, but you're too young to have fought in any."

"You never asked."

"Do you want me to?" Eka's gaze traveled over the pink and white scars covering nearly as much space as her tattoos.

Kayden forced herself to remain still under her scrutiny. Usually, her arms were covered due to Freca's cold, away from prying eyes. She didn't mind people looking because she wasn't ashamed, but she didn't want Eka wondering about them. Her scars were not Nila's; they were Kayden's, and Eka could never know that.

"No," Kayden answered, her voice strained as Eka's attention snagged on the large scar near her shoulder—the one she had received the day of Jesse's death. "It's best we don't speak of them."