Page 56 of The Edge of Darkness

He didn’t reply.

“Is it because it’s not every day that a High Lord and a demigod sail to your homeland to request an audience with a wardeness?”

He slid his eyes to me. “No . . . It’s because no one has ever journeyed there to ask for an audience. You two are the first.”

Were we breaking some kind of rule? Was it taboo to meet with a wardeness?

That’s what Silas made it sound like.

Several hours had passed since our conversation, and I spent the last of it informing Niall that we might not exactly receive a warm welcome from Nivelle. And on top of that, our power wouldn’t be of any use once we went ashore. By the time he was done grumbling about Silas and his “lack of communication,” the sky was growing dark, but not just because of the sinking sun. The clouds had thickened, the winds were gathering strength, and the waves were beginning to rage.

We were approaching Neveshir’s storms.

As Roirdan crossed the deck to us, a wave bashed into the side of the ship, the top portion cresting the waist rail and soaking him. He shook the dripping strands of hair from his face as he neared. “You could have at least put the shields up before I got drenched,” he said, flinging a wet hand at Niall.

Niall eyed the water droplets that landed on the lapels of his tightly-fitted black jacket. “If I had known you’d complain this much, I would have brought Aremis instead.”

I let out a laugh while Niall snapped his fingers.

A shimmering shield slid into place around the ship, and the next onslaught of waves crashed into the invisible barrier, washing around it as though the vessel were nothing but a deeply rooted stone in a riverbed.

Ominous clouds continued rolling overhead, casting shadows over the thrashing turquoise waters, but we sailed onward through the thick of it. Rain fell in heavy sheets, driven by the forceful wind and pelting against the shield.

Silas emerged from the cabin behind us and strode up to my side as thunder rolled across the waters.

Niall leaned against the railing and nudged his chin toward the coastline. “Want to direct us to the nearest point of entry?”

Lightning flashed, illuminating a handful of stone structures jutting out of the water between us and the distant shore. “See those large columns?” Silas pointed. “Go in between them.”

The ship made a slight adjustment to its course on Niall’s silent command.

As we drew closer, the pillars became more pronounced. Each basalt stone structure had been naturally formed into square sections that were stacked atop each other, stretching from the watery depths like rough-hewn fingers trying to escape the stormy seas. We passed through them—three on our left and two on our right—and the largest of The Neveshir Isles came into view.

There were no beaches or sandy alcoves, only more of the same dark gray pillars that formed the sheer cliffs lining the entire coastline, towering high above the waves.

Moments later, the rain eased to a spitting mist, and the waves lulled.

“The columns are a portal of sorts. If you don’t sail through them, the storm still rages, and there’s no access to the grotto,” Silas explained.

“What grotto?” I asked.

“There.” He pointed to a mighty waterfall cascading down the cliff face and pounding into the seas below. “Behind the waterfall is where we will dock.”

I looked at Niall, but his face remained solemn as he stared ahead.

“We’re going through that?” I said.

The corner of Silas’s mouth twitched up. “It’s spelled, don’t worry.”

Spelled. Right.

I trusted Silas, even if Niall and Roirdan didn’t yet. So, I set the example and nodded, not deigning to question him further.

I could feel the power of the falls as we approached, the water churning and surging like a heartbeat beneath us. My body tensed, and I winced out of instinct as we passed under it. But Silas’s words held true. What was a powerful, mighty work of nature from afar became as gentle as a trickling stream the moment we moved through it. The ship’s shield deflected every ounce of water like it was mere dew on a slippery leaf.

Once we were on the other side, I sucked in a breath.

The grotto was a gaping subterranean cavern big enough to fit several ships on its shore. More basalt columns stretched from floor to ceiling, holding up a roof of what looked like pitted volcanic stone. The space was dimly lit, thanks to the cloud cover on the other side of the waterfall, but I could make out a large opening, cut from the stone, straight ahead. A wide set of stairs lay within.