Page 41 of The Powers of Nyx
“The ocean bows to me,” he continued, as the sails caught wind and drew taut. “As do the winds, as this land here sits at the edge of the Abyss Court of Unseelie. Because of that, I can use both to sail between our realms. Avalon is along that journey.”
The male pointed to the horizon, and as we all glanced towards it, the air above the water rippled and changed colours. The children gasped, while I stood and gaped at the haze formingwhere the water met the sky. “The bridge between our worlds here is thin, which is what makes this passage so protected. And I am one of the very few who can navigate it. Not only will we pass through the realm of Faery, but we’ll also bypass the realm of Hell before we make it through the barrier protecting Avalon. But do not worry. I am a master of this craft, and I will see you through this safely.”
Does this man ever stop?I wondered, blocking out the rest of his erratic spiel. He spoke some more about how he was the most perfect captain for the voyage, but it was easy to tune him out after a while.
He might be egotistical, but he isn’t lying,Maeve said, though she seemed to remain hooked on each of his words.He is the best at this and has been for three hundred years.
I blew out a breath as he clapped and ended his speech.That’s a long time, I replied. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine spending three hundred years doing the same thing.
But now you have five-hundred years to spend as Queen,I reminded myself.Get used to that.
The captain disappeared somewhere, leaving us alone on the main deck. I cleared my throat as all eyes fell on me. “So, what now?” I asked. “Do we spend our time up here, or...?”
Maeve motioned to a small set of stairs and a shadowed door at the back of the ship. “No. We regroup down there with a meal and wait until we make the crossing.”
“How long will that take?” Thea asked, her uncertainty clear in the tremble in her voice. She wrapped her arms around herself.
Maeve glanced at Thea, then at me. “A day. Which means there’s time to rest, but not much else.”
“So, no sightseeing in the other realms,” my friend muttered, nudging me again. “Shame.”
I snorted and shook my head. “Yeah, what a shame.”
Maisie groaned dramatically where she was huddled against my legs. “Hungry.”
If there was tension before, it was gone now. The team laughed as Maisie collapsed against me with her arms dramatically covering her face, another moan falling from her lips.
“It’s not like she didn’t eat an entire blueberry muffin during the drive or anything,” Rowan said, giving Maisie a pointed stare, a playful smirk playing at his lips. “And ate the other half of mine.”
At that, Thea chuckled. “Yeah, you were so easy to manipulate.” She turned to me, and despite the exhaustion lining her face, she still had a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. “As soon as Elias was gone, they managed to have Rowan wrapped around their pinkie fingers. You think Elias is bad with them? Wait till you see him.”
My heart warmed as I glanced over at the red-head. The tension that had wound his body tight seemed to be lifting from his shoulders bit by bit. Rowan looked up and our eyes met as a wave of hope rushed through me.
Adrian, Elias, and Maeve all appeared to be my mates. Maybe, just maybe, Rowan could be too.
“We need to move off the deck,” Hawk snapped, appearing in front of me and the kids. “Let’s not be sitting ducks.”
I frowned up at him and clenched my teeth to keep from snapping. Him. Him I didn’t want, even if my body liked to react like it did. Hopefully, as soon as we reached Avalon, I wouldn’t have to see him again.
Instead of responding, I grabbed Ginny’s hand as Elias swung Maisie into his arms. Eloise chose to keep to herself, so I made note to have her take some alone time as soon as we ate. She’d be touched-out and needing some breathing space, even if she didn’t want to ask for it.
Rowan and Hawk followed us as we made our way to a little staircase. Maeve was already in the shadows of the alcove, her arms crossed tightly around her chest, and I couldn’t help the pang of guilt in my stomach. Whatever happened when we’d completed the bond had given her new freedoms that I couldn’t fully understand. I’d felt her heartbeat beneath my hand, heard each thud of it. Before, her heart hadn’t moved in her chest for a long time.
The need to be close to her rose within me, and my magic tingled beneath my skin as I moved closer to her. Our bond was like a living creature within me, hungry for even a moment alone. Despite technically completing the bond, there were still other aspects to it that we hadn’t touched upon in our short time together.
I swallowed thickly as Maeve unlocked the door and stepped across the threshold of the room we’d be staying in for this short journey. I herded the children in after her but still kept them close. Adrian stayed at the bottom of the stairs and held his hand out to Eloise, then Ginny, helping them down into the little alcove so they could follow Maeve. When he reached for me, he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.
My breath escaped me in a shaky huff as I crossed through the doorway. We followed a short hallway with two doors before hitting what I assumed was the main room of the cabin. The back wall was made entirely of stained glass depicting some sea-based battle between men—Fae, maybe—and monsters. Tentacles rose from the waves to wrap around the ship’s hull, while the bodies of men leapt into the water.
Then the glass moved. It fuckingmoved. Like a scene from a movie, it shifted to show a drowning ship and the great monster who’d sunk it. The body of the tentacled monster was that of a man, and it stared at us for a moment before diving beneath the glass waves to reset the scene.
Ginny squealed while Eloise gasped. I hugged the former to my side while the latter strode over to the glass with wide, awe-filled eyes. “Holy crap, that’s so cool,” she whispered, her hand hovering over where we’d seen the monster. “Was that magic? What kind?”
I shared a glance with Maeve.I could tell them,she said hesitantly. Maybeexplain the magic?
It warmed my heart that she wanted to explain it to them, despite her clear exhaustion. I gave her a short nod, and she turned to the kids and explained it was a kind of enchantment that reflected the stories of old battles the ship’s captain fought in, to show their bravery and smarts, and a boost to their egos.
All three were completely entranced by the explanation. I took it as an opportunity to have a quick look around; there was a sitting area with a few large couches that looked plush and comfortable, and a dining table on the other side of the room. I suspected there was a bathroom behind one of the doors we’d passed—something I so desperately wanted—and I hoped maybe a kitchen behind another. Or beds. All three girls looked drained and tired, despite their complete attention on Maeve.