Page 95 of Raven's Dawn
“The rest of us are staying here,” Laila’s voice, walking past me from behind. “Rain, Luci, Rania, and Caeda are planting the crystals.”
“That’s them then?” Ezra pointed to the island. “That’s where they are?”
Gazing at it somberly, Rania blew out a deep breath. “It is.”
“And you four will be out in the open,” Ezra said, confusion pinching his brows. “Literally, you will be sitting ducks in the middle of the ocean.”
“Do you think we’re stupid?” Caeda shot him a look. “Of course not. The boat is also disguised with the spell that makes us invisible. Combined with the spells we have around ourselves, our energy signatures are virtually untraceable.”
“So no, we will not be,”—Rania held up air quotes—“sitting ducks.”
“We also won’t be taking questions, nor orders, from leeches,” Caeda said. “Do as you’re told or leave.”
Ezra pouted, but remained quiet.
“We also won’t be doing that,” Rania said, shooting Caeda a look. “One of these leeches is part of the reason we’re able to eliminate thousands of the swine at once. We can extend a bit of respect.” She turned to Ezra. “But do not play the hero. That is not your role today. And no, answering all of your questions is far from our top priority.”
Ezra’s lips were still slightly pursed, but his eyes had softened.
Like I said: I liked Rania.
“Where do you want us?” Luci asked, walking up from behind me as well.
“I’ll take the lead,” Rania said. “Then Rain, you, and Caeda.”
A-okay with me. I obviously wasn’t the person to direct this. Rania knew what she was doing. Caeda was a bit too mad for leadership, but she was strong. Wedged between them, I had faith that I would stay safe throughout this. And once we’d assembled the cage, the rest would be smooth sailing.
After a quick kiss with each of my guys, I followed Rania into the canoe. Luci offered me a hand to get inside, but I managed on my own. It reminded me of the short boat ride that Ezra and I had taken on our trip to the Bahamas last year.
Then I sat down, and ice-cold water bled through my jeans onto my ass.
The others climbed in as well. Rania told us each to grab a paddle from the floor on our right and left, and then to row. I had never rowed a boat before, but it was pretty self-explanatory. Rania would whisper the instruction, I would do as she said, and the boat would move in the direction she wanted it.
Rocking side to side on the icy ocean, the freezing wind bit at my cheeks. We stayed quiet for the next few minutes. Then, in a hushed tone, Rania spoke from beside me. “Caeda informed me that you’re eternal.”
“I am,” I said, watching the island draw closer.
We were still thousands and thousands of feet away, probably somewhere around a mile, if I had to guess. It was hard to tell because there was nothing on the island for me to estimate the scale. No trees, no bushes, just snowcapped peaks.
“What is that like?” she asked.
I wasn’t sure how to answer that question. “Physically? Mentally?”
“Both.”
Again, not an easy question to answer, but there was one word that came to mind. “Freeing.”
“How so?” Caeda’s voice came from behind with an edge to it. “What does that mean?”
“Physically, it takes a lot to kill me,” I said. “Death isn’t around every corner anymore. I can take risks that I couldn’t before.”
“And mentally?” Rania asked. “How freeing is it?”
“Endlessly.” I couldn’t help the smile that touched the corners of my lips. “I lost my mom when I was young, and then my brother, and then my grandma. The clock was always ticking, you know? I knew that one day, likely before I got to do the things I wanted to do and see the things I wanted to see in the world, I would die. It comes for all of us, right?
“But then I got eternity, and now I have eternity. The clock’s not ticking anymore. There’s so much opportunity that comes with that. Knowing that I have more time. I’ll be able to see everything I want to, and do everything I want to, and I won’t run out of it. There’s freedom in that. Knowing that you have time to fix it, and to live it, and to… do whatever you want to do. You can set goals in a way that you never could before.”
“Hmm,” Caeda murmured.