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He smiled wolfishly. “I’ll make them.”
“And that’s how you’re going to stop their attack?”
He stopped closer, his eyes earnest. “Do you see, Delphine? I need to get to that island—and for that I need people with both plants and elements abilities. We’ve been working on our ship for so long, but it’s nearly finished now. Within a few days we’ll have fixed the storm damage and be ready to sail.”
I frowned, trying to work out why his words confused me. I finally realized the flaw.
“But I have a healing ability and so does Miranda. Why do you want healers?”
He smiled, placing a friendly hand on my shoulder. “I would never discount the importance of our own affinity! Since I’ve recruited all these people, I need to keep them safe. And that’s the job of healers, isn’t it?”
I nodded, pleased with his answer. The niggling feeling remained, but I brushed it aside. I had thought I would never be convinced by Grey, but that was because I could never have guessed the truth. He had never been the one undermining Tartora—he was trying to save it.
“Do you really need my help?” I asked, gripped by a new sense of certainty.
“Of course.” He held my gaze. “You and I are the most powerful here, Delphine. I may be the only one who can save Tartora, but I need you by my side. I need you to help me lead these people. Your family may have betrayed you, but I can lead you to a new people and a new home—a home you can reign over like a queen.”
His words filled me, warming and lifting me. There was nothing romantic in the way he was looking at me—he didn’t want me, he wanted my ability—but there was undeniable truth behind his words. People needed me—both the people of Tartora and this smaller community—and I could provide for them. I could keep them all safe.
“I don’t care about ruling,” I said. “But I’ll do my part to keep everyone safe. You can rely on me.”
His smile grew slowly, eventually covering his whole face. “I knew I was right to trust you with the whole story. Recruiting your friend was a mistake—she’s too far from activation—but I was right to hope she might bring you to me.”
He hesitated. “I’m hoping you can help me in other ways, too. I’ve never seen someone with your skills before. I’m hoping you can—” He cut himself off with a shake of his head. “No, never mind that. I don’t want to overwhelm you. For now, it’s enough that you want to help. The whole camp is busy preparing the supplies we’ll need for the voyage, and as leader, I’m constantly busy. Could you circulate among my people and give each of them a physical check? I wouldn’t want our busyness to mean I miss any illness or injury in any of them.”
He shook his head with an affectionate smile. “They’re all so devoted to the cause that they’re prone to ignoring their own ailments.”
I nodded. “I’m only an apprentice, but I’ll do what I can.”
He smiled at me. “I’m sure I can trust in your strength to make up for any lack in experience.”
I nodded. That had usually been my experience so far.
I let myself out of the cottage, my mind whirling. The answers I was seeking had turned out to be far easier to uncover than I expected. But now that I had them, I couldn’t follow the plan and leave.
I had seen the devastation in Eldrida from one storm, and I had witnessed the destruction left in the wake of the blight. What would be left of Tartora if it came to all-out war with the islanders? I might not like the way Grey had been luring young people away, but he was the only one who could save Tartora, which meant I had to work with him, regardless of my personal feelings.
I wandered across the camp toward my new bed in Miranda’s old tent. How much had I misunderstood of what was going on here, anyway? Miranda hadn’t been a prisoner like I expected—no one here was. And Grey really did mean to lead them to a new life in a new land like he’d promised. Maybe we had gotten the wrong idea about him, blaming him for undermining the king when it had actually been the islanders doing that all along?
I wished I could explain my intentions to Amara before I left, but I couldn’t risk making the trip back to find her. It was a full day’s trek each way, and Grey would sail soon. I couldn’t risk missing the boat, not when I was needed onboard.
Phoenix nipped gently at my ear, and I scolded him lightly. The pain of the pinch shook something loose in my mind, reminding me of the earlier niggle at the back of my thoughts. But the more I tried to work out what my concern had been, the less I could grab hold of it. Eventually, I gave up with a shrug. Whether or not I personally approved of Grey was irrelevant. We had a common enemy, and that was enough for now.
ChapterTwenty
It took me the rest of that day and all of the next to examine every one of Grey’s followers. No one had any significant health concerns, although there were plenty of niggling issues for me to heal.
I had thought the issues were only natural, given the weak strength of their healers, and it wasn’t until the second day that it occurred to me Grey himself was a powerful healer. I stopped halfway through my healing of an older woman named Ida, who had greeted me with a smile despite her pain. Her ailment wasn’t a threat to her overall health, but it brought her significant pain, so I was glad to be able to heal it for her.
When I realized I’d stopped, I gave myself a shake and quickly finished. But as Ida thanked me profusely, relief shining from her eyes, I couldn’t stop frowning. Why had Grey allowed her to suffer when he could have fixed it more easily than me?
“Why didn’t you go to Grey before now?” I blurted out, cutting across Ida’s thanks.
“Grey?” She stared at me, her brow creased and her eyes blank as if the idea had never occurred to her. “Why would I go to him?”
“He’s a healer, isn’t he?” I asked. “He could have healed this for you back when it first started.”
“Go to Grey for healing?” Ida’s eyebrows rose, and she gave me a curious look before shrugging. “I guess you’re new here, so you don’t know. Grey doesn’t use his power for things like that.”
