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I struggled to breathe. She couldn't be serious.
She wanted me to steal the Atlanthyst Stone out of the Pearl Palace? It was said the Atlanthyst Stone was the reason for Azizi's incontestable power. It was the salvation of the kingdom from another realm, delivered by angels of Saerel rank. No one outside of the sea could possess the stone without being ruined.
"You're always simpering for your payè's affections. Well?" She looked at me, eyes gleaming in pride, her trap well set. "You've got your chance. Take it."
With that, she shot to her feet, brushed the length of her regal skirts, and patted her hair into place. Straightening her crown, she looked at me fondly and left a gentle kiss on my forehead before floating away.
"If you make a mess before you leave, tidy it up," she tossed over her shoulder. With that, she's gone.
I fell back onto the couch, jaw still working wrong.
The Atlanthyst Stone!
Bloody skies.
Was mamè trying to get me killed? But she was right. I'd been trying to win payè's approval my entire life. If he wanted the stone, and I was the only one who could get it for him...
A grin slowly spread across my face. I flew off the couch and back into the secret passageways, leaving mamè's chamber as tidy as I found it. It didn't take me long to find the stone that would lead to the chamber I'd bargained for Engèli to stay in. When I barged in, he was still lounging in bed with a pretty ayèl, her nude body curled under his.
"Engèli, get up."
Engèli shot out of the bedcloud, cutlass already in hand, ethèr winding around the blade. When he saw it was me, his eyes were flames of fire.
"What in the hells?—"
"Get dressed."
I grinned as Engèli blinked away sleep.
"Gather the crew. I have a job for us."
Chapter 12
When Sea Meets Sky
RAESHELLE
Ilooked out at the Avari kingdom in pure wonder. Never in all my dawns had I seen anything like it. Pressed against the floor to roof windows of the chariot, I gaped at this kingdom in the sky.
"Their ground is... clouds," Kianga whispered from somewhere beside me.
"Screw the ground. Do you see what they're wearing? All those rotting layers?"
Sniggers filled the chariot at Matteyo's outburst. Jenessa jumped in, agreeing with him.
"Matteyo has a serious point. All those layers would be insufferable under the sea. We could never."
Terfitti grunted but says nothing. She's kept quiet since the dawn she rudely pointed out I was on a fast track to entering the Ellelights.
"I think it's all glorious," I said wistfully. "Look at their iridescent halos. Can you imagine what those lavender silks must feel like?" I point to a cluster of magnificent towers carved of glass that reflect the lavender sky. "And those buildings there? They look like shops or something similar. I'd love to get lost in there."
"Mhm," Kianga agreed. "And look at their ayèn."
Jenessa whistled. "They're soft on the eyes, for sure."
"Shame they need air to breathe," Kianga grumbled.
"A well-crafted etherisc can fix anything," Jenessa suggested. "I see no reason we can't bring a few of them home."
