-Above the Clouds-
Jordan remained firm, her stance unmoving even as she eyed the familiar stranger. But this was not the dark prince she had expected and feared. In his place stood a man she recognized, although not by name.
He was Forlorn—she knew he’d attended the academy the same time she had. A powerful wielder of Orenda, although their paths had almost never crossed. She had lived in the courtyards sparring, almost never without a sword, waging battles without the powerful, mysterious lifeblood of Ealias—Orenda.
Holding his hands up in mock surrender, his brown eyes half hidden under his hat and curls, he murmured softly, “I mean you no harm. I come as a friend.”
“I don’t have any friends.” At least not anymore. The words were out of her mouth before she had time to taste the bitterness.
“But you did have many admirers. Consider me one of them,” the man said, bowing slightly.
As soon as Jordan had boarded the great white ship, the voracious storm had faded, as though consuming itself. She’d never seen such huge waves devour the beach of the Landing, but in the moment only one thing had been certain—the Answerer would not stop until she was back in the gleaming towers of Deporta. The ship had been a desperate but obvious gamble. A massive vessel like the one she was now on could outpace an Answerer, but its captain was clearly Forlorn and had shown up in her moment of need… the irony was not lost on her.
“I recognize you from the academy. You were skilled with Orenda. Your name?”
The man smiled, a grin that broke through the departing storm clouds.
“Cal.”
“How did you find me out here? Who sent you?” Her hand hadn’t left her scabbard, although she had vowed to not unsheathe the sword again. The Answerer had filled her with primal fear and a desperate hunger to survive, but now that the creature had slipped back into the icy waters, her resolve was firm once more.
She’d seen enough pain inflicted with blades like hers.
“I’m Forlorn, but no one sent me.”
“But how did you know my location?” Jordan demanded, her eyes fixed on Cal as she edged her way toward the center of the ship, ready to fight or flee if needed.
“I was looking for you,” he admitted, removing his hat briefly to run a hand through his tousled, shoulder-length blond curls. “And it seems the Forlorn are too.” As he did, she noticed two long scars running from his left eye to the bottom of his cheek.
Scars he hadn’t had before, if memory served. But the two thin, perfect lines—the man behind the attack was obvious to Jordan. After all, he had trained her, pushed her to become the most deadly sword wielder at the academy.
“What happened?” she asked, her voice faint. What she wouldn’t give to be wrong. How many victims would fall prey to Reign’s voracious hunger to rule, no matter the cost?
“When you left, the Forlorn leaders began to pay special attention to me, particularly my gift with Orenda. The raisling was determined to replace you, and equally determined to cut down anyone who stood in his way.”
Cal looked away, hiding his scars, which were already partially covered by soft, golden curls at odds with the sharp lines of his handsome face.
“Did you run too?”
“There was nothing left for me there. But I lingered in the shadows long enough to unearth the Forlorn’s desperate gamble to find you and bring you back. When they unleashed the Answerer, I followed, hoping to at least even the odds when you were found.”
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“And the ship? Where would a rogue Forlorn find a majestic, hulking ship like this? I didn’t know any ships were even capable of braving the ferocity of the Glacian Sea.”
“Sheer luck. When the Answerer started cutting through Trucesa, I had the sinking suspicion I would have to cross the sea to find you. I visited a local inn near the harbor of Trucesa and made friends with a man who had heard rumors of a legendary ship capable of taming even the wildest seas.”
“Thank you for coming when you did.” Although she had experienced betrayal at Reign’s hands, it struck her that the raisling would go to such lengths to reign in the towers. Her eyes went, unbidden, to Cal’s scars once more.
“Who was named the new Forlorn lineal when I left?” Cal had crossed the deck and was now standing behind the bone-white wheel of the ship, making small course adjustments as needed.
“They hadn’t coronated a new lineal before I left,” Cal said softly, his attention clearly elsewhere.
“And you’re sure no one followed you?” She couldn’t hold back the lingering suspicion that there was more to Cal’s story than he was willing to share with her.
“No other vessel is capable of crossing the open waters. Every other ship is forced to hug the Elisian coast.”
“And by rowder?”
Cal shook his head resolutely. “I may not be as talented as the true lineal of the Forlorn, but I have my own talents at slipping away unnoticed.” He smiled at her and Jordan looked away quickly, examining the scabbard at her waist with sudden scrutiny.
“And where will you go now?”
“I made a promise when I discovered The Heightened. A promise I now need to keep. Have you heard of Hyasin?”
Jordan couldn’t help raising her eyebrows. Hyasin was a fairytale, a fanciful footnote in the academy archives. It wasn’t even covered in regular instruction. “Legends of a lighthouse resting in the very skies, guarded by stars. I thought it was nothing more than a fantastical story.”
Cal winked at her, his deep-brown eyes intense, catching the sinking sunlight. “The legends are true.”
“But a building made of stone couldn’t float above the clouds!”
“I’ve been there, once before.” Cal looked thoughtful, one hand on the intricately carved steering wheel, the other hand resting on a ledge beside him.
Curious, she walked over to his side, peering around him to catch a glimpse of the parchment he was regarding with interest.
A map, of Ealias. Even her island was featured, although it bore a nondescript name and was little more than an ink blot on the worn and faded sheet.
“And how did you reach a floating mound of stone hung like a massive star hundreds of feet above the world we know?”
Cal remained quiet for a moment, referring to a compass resting beside the map. After doing some mental calculations, he adjusted their course, taking them northwest, but not toward the shores of Ealias.
“This ship travels in some… unique ways,” he finally said. As their course changed, the direction of the wind seemed to alter as well, as though attracted to the white vessel.
Even though Jordan had floundered in Orenda study, she had studiously learned its art—its abilities, limitations, dangers. Could Cal be manipulating the very wind, the sea’s waves? Nothing she’d studied or been instructed on supported something so ridiculous. The Forlorn clearly taught that Orenda was the companion to weaponry, used for nothing more than defeating and subduing enemies and threats. Orenda couldn’t be used to influence the elements.
“Next you’ll be informing me that we’ll be flying to this supposed lighthouse,” she scoffed, outwardly relaxing her posture even as she remained inwardly alert.
Cal laughed, a light rumble like the approach of a distant storm. “And you wanted to escape from society! They just don’t have your humor at the academy. I can’t actually tell you how we’ll arrive. It’s a secret I guard close to the chest. When we’re close to Hyasin, I’ll have to ask you to remain in your quarters.”
“The quarters I don’t have?”
Cal cocked his hat in her direction and gave her a deep bow. “I’m good friends with the captain of this majestic vessel. I’m sure I can arrange something.”
“Even so, what would compel me to miss a flying ship? Good luck keeping me contained.”
“It’s not my secret to share,” he said cryptically.
“And is it not your ship either?” she asked.
He winked before asking, “Why the island? Of all the places you could have fled to, why did you go there? Didn’t you have any family or friends who would have taken you in?”
Jordan found herself inexplicably drawn to the horizon hovering seemingly just out of reach and strode across the deck until she reached the rigging. Climbing, she was soon high enough to catch the fading speck of the Landing.
“I wanted to go somewhere like me—forlorn.”