Page 19 of By the Flames of Her Fury

A rare smile pulled on my lips. “It’s true. When you stand on the beach and face the water, all you see is blue. I like to roll the legs of my pants up and stand in the sand when the tide comes in.” I paused. “Wait, do you know what sand is?” If she had only ever seen Drakorum, then the cold, jagged mountains and rocky dirt was all she knew.

“I’ve seen pictures.”

“Well, it’s…soft, kind of, and gritty. It gets everywhere. Under your nails, in your hair, inside your clothes.” I closed my eyes, almost able to imagine the wind fluttering around me. “The best part is standing there when the water rushes over your ankles. It’s cold at first, but then it feels good. The sun always warms it up. And then you just look out to the ocean. The waves go on forever, straight into the sky.”

“Isn’t that scary?” she asked. “What if you go out too far and can’t get back?”

“I mean, you have to be careful, but…no, it’s not scary. You take a deep breath, and it doesn’t feel like anything bad can happen. It’s the most peaceful feeling.” I hadn’t thought about that in years. I’d become so jaded and haunted that I’d forgotten the way things used to be.

She hummed softly. “I don’t think I’ve ever had that.”

“Had what?”

“Peace.”

Something uncomfortable dropped in my stomach, like a rock splashing into water. She was so young. We were all so young, but at least I remembered a time outside of this cell.

I swallowed the lump in my throat before I said, “Maybe one day, Songbird.”

“Maybe. And, Swift?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “About your parents. My dad died when I was a baby, so it’s not really the same because I never knew him. But my mama’s been with me the whole time. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost her.” Her breath hitched. “Well, I—I guess I kind of have now.”

“Don’t think like that. You’ll see her again,” I said, then instantly wished I hadn’t. Who was I, to try and give any semblance of hope when I’d lost my own a long time ago? The despair in her voice just made me want to say something that would take it away.

“Do you really believe that?” she asked.

What did I believe?

I believed in gray stone walls. I believed more pain would come tomorrow. I believed this cell was my grave and that I would’ve been better off if I’d died in Iluze with my parents, and I believed I’d never see the sun again.

But as I glanced through the hole to see her golden eye shining back, I realized that last part wasn’t true anymore.

“I believe we can’t give up,” I whispered.

“Hey, you two. Shut it,” a deep voice snarled from outside. A shadow of a burly figure appeared in the hallway. Something metal clanged into Songbird’s cell bars, followed by her sharp gasp.

I jumped to my feet and lunged as far as my shackles would let me. “Hey!” I shouted. “It wasn’t her fault. It was me.”

A guard in a silver lion’s mask slid in front of my bars, towering over me. His silhouette cast a menacing shadow over the ground. My heart bashed in my chest, my muscles clenching as if preparing for an attack.

But he simply huffed at me. “Don’t let it happen again.” He smacked the bars with his gloved hand.

I held my breath until he passed, then slowly sank back against the wall. “They’re just a bunch of brutes,” I whispered to her.

“Trust me, I’ve dealt with men like them my entire life,” she said back.

Another sound rang down the corridor, and my head snapped to attention, expecting the guard to be back. “We’ll stop, I sw⁠—”

But a high-pitched, inhuman shriek echoed through the shadows.

8

Vera

We were deep in the heart of the Imarian Sea, and the sky turned from a soft blue to a mix of navy, orange, and yellow. A lone sea bird circled low near the mast. I watched its feathers extend wide, and the motion brushed my heart with deep, quiet yearning.