Page 189 of Keldori By Daybreak

And who would be following us? Tamora was more focused on taking her armada up the coast to try to get the jump on Gams, and Caitria was probably still regathering herself after we’d destroyed her camp and Skal supply at Willow’s Grave.

I relaxed my grip and forced myself to breathe.

We were fine. Everything was fine.

But I thought I saw a flicker of gold light on the horizon sputter to life in the middle of the dark spot, and then snuff out.

39. Advanced Tides and Currents

The dark spot did indeed reveal itself to be a boat with the rising sun. It had gotten closer in the night, now near enough for us to recognize the rounded hull of a fishing vessel like ours but still far enough that we couldn’t tell who might be on board.

“It’s probably nothing,” Orla assured us over a meal of dried fish, but Tiernan hadn’t been able to look away from the boat since learning it was there.

Gold light blazed in his hands as he stood resolutely at the stern of the boat, watching the distant hull.

I was certain I’d seen gold light flash on its deck the night before, but it had remained dark until morning. Now, with the sun steadily climbing, it would be impossible to see Skal-light at this distance, but if there were to be any more signs that Caitria was on the ship, Tiernan would see them.

I managed to calm my nerves enough to sleep through the afternoon, but when I woke in the evening, it was even closer.

Davyn had turned taciturn, and his new stoic demeanor seemed to have infected his crew. They tended to the sails in a careful quiet, keeping an eye on the three masts while watching their captain from their periphery.

By the middle of the night, the ship had crept closer still, and I gathered at the helm with my friends to watch it. Anxious orange light jumped in Ciarán’s fingers, and Una growled, taking no heed of Fana’s placating shushes.

“Tell me, miss,” Davyn murmured with his hand on the tiller, “who is it that might be following you?”

Tiernan’s shoulders tightened where he continued to keep watch off the stern.

Davyn, his daughter, and his crew had treated us with hospitality so far. He hadn’t asked questions about why we needed to get to the Tortoise. He’d fed us with provisions that were meant for his own fishermen.

But I hesitated.

Not everyone wanted the Rift closed, and not everyone was fond of the Saergrim. If I told him about Ferrin and Caitria, or about Lyria’s doorway, I wasn’t sure how he’d react, and out here in the middle of the ocean, we were at his and his crew’s mercy.

“It’s your call,” Ciarán said in my head. His eyes glowed at me from across the tiller. He’d lit his retina guards at the first sign of danger, not caring if his black sclera alarmed the crew.

“Bad people,” I finally said to Davyn.

Tiernan made a sound between a grunt and a laugh.

“Is my crew in danger?” Davyn asked evenly. “Don’t lie. My daughter is on this ship. My other daughter and my wife are at home waiting for us to come back safely. Are we in danger?”

“If it’s who I think it might be, then yes.”

He nodded, but kept his eyes ahead.

“Does the ship have weapons?” Ciarán asked.

“Just nets and spears for the fish,” Davyn replied. “But you are free to check belowdeck for anything that might be useful.”

Ciarán nodded and took Iseult and Orla to scrounge up supplies. Davyn beckoned for Vinia to take his place at the helm and then for me to follow him to the bow of the boat. He pointed at the dark shapes that had risen out of the forward horizon. One of them had a rounded body and a steep outcropping, giving the impression of a large turtle craning its head to look at the twin moons above.

“That there is the Tortoise,” he said. “If the other vessel is indeed chasing you, we should beat them there, but you’ll be vulnerable on the island. I won’t be able to help you.”

“You’ve helped us enough. We’ll be okay,” I promised.

His broad shoulders lifted and fell with a heavy sigh. “There’s been rumors, you know. A new Saergrim, seen recently in Willow’s Grave. They said she’s just a kid, and I’ll admit, for a moment, when we first met, I did wonder. But then I questioned how someone as insignificant as me could end up in the new Saergrim’s story. It feels laughable to even suggest it now but—” He cleared his throat and squinted at the islands ahead. “Tell me, Miss Wren. Who is following us?”

“His name is Ferrin Quillguard. He freed the Frozen God and opened the Rift. We’re trying to close it again.”