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As if sensing our plan, the Konda King sat on his haunches, spreading the length of his body across the opening. He blinked at me, golden serpentine eyes gleaming.
"High Prince Yakobba," He hissed. "Heir to the Avarien throne, Brightstar of the skies, parading around as a false pirate in the hopes your greedy king will remember he spawned more than one prince."
I flinched as if I'd been punched in the face. Emotions stormed me, threatening to undo me. My ears burned. I ground my teeth, eyes still desperately searching for a way out.
"Silence, you devilish spawn of the Black Hells," Kianga hissed. "We've heard of you in the sea. You are the one masquerading about, pretending to be other from what you are. I am not so easily swayed by legend. My payè told me the truth." We all had our eyes glued to Kianga as she boldly glared at the Konda King. "You are no Konda King," Kianga sneered.
"But of course he is," Corellis whispered, as if she and Kianga were in a private discussion. "It's plain and obvious, Kia!"
"No, he's not, Ayella," Kianga said, still glaring at the enormous serpent whose eyes had gone from burnished gold to darkened midnight. "The Konda King is actually a Fallen!"
The Konda King lunged.
Engèli and I snapped our wings and dove. As if in slow motion, Engèli and I flew beneath the scaly body of the konda, hardly avoiding the long claws of his hands and feet. As the konda roared, Engèli and I shot for the opening, narrowly avoiding the Konda's poisoned tail.
"Fly, Gèli. FLY!"
Engèli and I flew with unnatural speed, our arms wrapped tight around the sea angels holding the satchels full of alluniem. We flew back through the caves. The walls rattled with the screeching hiss of the Konda King. We kept flying until we plunged back into the blighted forest.
Sôlight still hung overhead. Losing myself in the flight, I leaned into adrenaline and hyper speed. I flew through the Poisoned Wood, racing back to shore. I saw nothing. Heard nothing. I tumbled into a void and flew.
I didn't remember when I plunged through the barrier surrounding the Wood. But even then, I didn't stop flying. Corellis was screaming. At some point, she released her grip on the satchel, letting it fall into the hands of my pirates. She yelled for me to stop flying, but I couldn't hear her. I was lost in the void and couldn't snap out of it.
Skies.
I was so tired.
Our flight didn't end until I'd flown to the Mistwind Sea and tumbled into the water. I released Corellis and felt myself sinking. I sensed her swimming towards me. By the time I felt the gentle strokes of webbed hands, I'd tumbled into endless black and was swept into the deep.
Chapter 19
Woo the Beauty of the Sea
RAESHELLE
"How is he?"
I looked up and met Engèli's striking, pale and hazel eyes. He squatted next to me, drooping his wings into the sand. I threw a look back at the erected tent behind us where the pirate prince slept. Two dawns had gone, and he hadn't awakened. I turned back to Engèli.
"Better. He tosses when he sleeps," I smiled to myself. "I think he has nightmares, but when he moves, it comforts me. I know he's alive. I hope he awakes this dawn."
Engèli nodded. He looked out at the sea. For a moment, we sat there in silence.
"Thank you."
"For?"
"Keeping an eye on him."
I flushed. Trailing the rolling tides, I nodded in response.
"You don't have to, you know? We can easily take over and?—"
"I want to," I cut in. "He's like this because he was protecting me. If it wasn't for him... wasn't for you, Kianga and I..." I trailed off, unable to finish.
I lifted my eyes to Engèli, his colossal frame blocking out the sôlight. Since we'd made it out of the Poisoned Wood, I noticed he kept doing that for Kianga and I. He must have said something, because the remaining crew would conveniently find themselves close to my Seaveillers, blocking the sôlight from them as well.
Terfitti was the only one who complained.
