-The Landing-
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Jordan fought against the raging waves, forcing her way back toward land. Wind mingled with the crashing folds of water—the Glacian Sea was unforgiving and as powerful as the rumored Abysmals who had once ruled Ealias.
As she felt her strength fading, she drew a deep breath and dove under the surface as a mighty wave raised its fist and pounded against the glassy mirror of the sea. Underneath the raging tempest, everything stilled and slowed. Jordan was suddenly aware of the feeling of water whipping through her long blonde hair and catching in her worn clothing. Peeking through half-shut eyes, she spied thin, feathered fish the color of coral flitting across the white sand beneath her. Liffs—fish that flew when they broke the surface of the water.
She kicked her legs and used her arms to propel herself closer to land, remaining under the turbulent surface of the sea until her lungs demanded air. Pushing up through the crashing waves, she stole a breath and a glance at the large, sprawling island gradually moving into focus. A single massive tree crowned with flaming red leaves dominated the center of the island, looking over the wide expanse of sea like an ancient lineal overlooking his or her kingdom.
After another ten minutes of cutting her way across the Glacian Sea, she approached the pure-white banks of the island. Surfacing once more, she quickly scraped hair away from her eyes and got her footing, leaving the churning belly of the sea and crossing over onto the solid brow of land. Her bare feet left tracks in the sand as she trudged her way toward the tangle of palms that ringed the beach, eyes on the blazing tree far above her, proudly planted at the island’s highest elevation.
She glanced back over her shoulder, noting where the sun hung in the horizon like a pendant—her swim had taken little over an hour. Greatly improved from her first venture, when she had barely returned to the island, the sea hungrily seizing her in its salty grasp.
When she reached the lush expanse of trees and the sand shifted to black stone and ebony dirt, she retrieved her scabbard from a branch and tied it to her waist, briefly verifying that her sword was still in the sheath. A sun encircled by two half moons glimmered from the hilt, catching the sinking rays of day. Satisfied, she shook out her clothing, retrieved her boots from behind a twisted trunk, and strode into the undergrowth.
She traveled almost silently, the jungle maze familiar to her now after her self-appointed exile. Five months living on the Landing, as she had dubbed the island, had taught her more than merely how to subsist alone. As she winded toward the great tree, she checked her various traps. Two of the four had captured small animals—a gray-throated caller and a silverback ren. She’d spent the morning gathering yellowberries and sea grain, so with the addition of the bird and the furry four-legged creature, she’d eat well tonight. Depositing the two animals in her pack, she finished her ascent to the tree.
No one else lived on the island. In fact, as far as Jordan knew, no one else knew the island existed—or if they did, it was small and insignificant enough not to draw anyone’s attention. That suited her just fine. Stealing the rowder and escaping the academy had been such a rash move no one had seen it coming. Not even Reign. She didn’t have a destination in mind when she abandoned the Forlorn; she just wanted to get as far away from them—him—as possible.
As she approached the great tree’s cathedral-like trunk, she set past revery aside. Old habits were hard to bury, and her Forlorn instincts still demanded almost half a year later that she scan her surroundings and check for potential threats before entering her makeshift home within the tree’s trunk. One hand on her hilt, she made her way around the entire perimeter of the tree, scanning the surrounding palms and foliage for threats. Just because she was the only person living on the island did not mean she was its only occupant. She heard things at night that would be more than a match for her sword, powerful creatures she’d only read about in Forlorn texts and manuscripts in between countless battle sessions and Orenda instruction.
They seemed to thrive in darkness and feared the blazing sun—Jordan was happy to respect their midnight wanderings.
After making the rounds, she approached the rope she had fashioned from sea weeds and braided into a ladder to make her ascent easier. Although the base of the mighty tree was solid, higher up the trunk was strangely hollow, as though some creature or being had called the tree home before Jordan set foot on the Landing. When she reached the top, she quickly stowed the ladder and pulled back the thick curtain of leaves that hid her small hovel from prying eyes.
The tree’s hollow was wide and smooth, easily leaving Jordan with space to sleep and cook. She’d gathered large stones from the sea and piled them into a circular mound that she used to start a fire without burning the tree’s thick trunk. Preparing the food was quick and mindless, leaving her an uncomfortable amount of time to linger on five months before.
Enough.
She’d relived the moment in her mind countless nights. But she hadn’t been found. She was safe here. There was food, water from the frequent storms, and shelter. It was more than enough.
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But after she’d eaten and the fire’s embers were flickering like dancing shades, she climbed higher until the Glacian Sea’s expanse spread before her like a map, the wavering reflections of the stars waypoints to Ealias.
During the stretches of daylight it was easier to forget, but at night the stars glared like lighthouses, intent on burning through her soul like living flames. Trying to tell her something, determined to blaze through the cloak of fears she spread over her past and light the entire island like a sun.
***
Morning crept into her room with long, glowing fingers that shone through the curtain of leaves, turning the hollow brilliant shades of ruby. Unlike the other trees that filled the Landing, the giant tree Jordan called home was draped in bright red leaves; regardless of the season, the tree displayed the ruby leaves with pride. When she’d initially arrived at the Landing, her first action had been to scale the island and clamber up the tree to get a bird’s eye view of the land and surrounding sea. Finding the hollow had been a stroke of luck Jordan had trouble shaking—without it she would have struggled to survive on her own in the wild. Growing up as a warrior at the academy had made her strong and immovable in some areas and clueless in others. The first week she’d fought to build a fire, smashing rocks against each other and scraping twigs together in a desperate attempt to survive and beat back the long fangs of chill.
Making traps had been a little easier, and fishing had been the easiest. She’d always had dead-on aim. After a quick breakfast, she exited the hollow and let down her ladder, shimmying down the tree and heading for the beach. The fish were most active first thing in the morning. As usual, her sword was strapped to her side, her long hair loose in the salty breeze, skin far darker than she was used to after months of spending all her time outside.
The Glacian Sea, as icy as its name implied, seemed to wave a greeting as she kicked off her boots and stepped into the sand. After tying her scabbard into the branches, she uncovered the spear she had fashioned from thin, strong wood and waded into the water, biting back a grimace as the cold rushed to meet her.
She regretted having to fish, but after trying to live off of only berries and sea grain, she knew she’d grow too weak to survive without the protein. So she fished as sparingly as she could, only spearing the largest, fattest liffs. She usually caught them before they broke through the surface—as fast as the fish were underwater, they were twice as quick flying above the glassy waves.
Eyes trained on the crystal-clear water, she focused on her victim and readied her spear, stilling her breathing and heartbeat as she prepared to pounce. Just as she was about to release, a large black shadow darted through the water, scaring the liffs, who burrowed into the sand, hiding from the mysterious threat.
Wary, Jordan started backing out of the water, eyes on the deep, hands taut on her spear. She’d never encountered a dangerous creature on the Landing during the day, and she was smart enough to stay in at night—or at least safely perched high within the great tree. She’d been fishing for the past four months without encountering anything larger than a particularly plump liff. But this was no fish.
If she could get to the start of the trees, she could exchange the wooden spear for her sword—
Without warning, the black form leaped from the water and lunged at her. Acting on instinct, she crouched down for better balance and leveled her spear at the creature. She had reached the beach at least, water streaming down her calves as her feet sunk into the creamy sand. The creature took its time, almost leisurely slinking up onto the shore. Its black, muscular body seemed made of cords, taut and ready to uncoil at a moment’s notice. The skin, which should have gleamed from the sea water, remained strangely matte, as though the creature had never gotten wet. Large white eyes without pupils stared at her blankly. It stood lightly on four long legs and had a tail that was probably six feet long and as thin and supple as bamboo.
Jordan had never encountered a beast like this in person, but she instantly knew what it was. An Answerer.
So, she would have to answer for her betrayal after all. The creature would drag her across the Glacian Sea if it had to and carry her all the way to Deporta. The towers. The Forlorn.
No.
Reacting with practiced speed and precision, she struck out at the creature, keeping its lithe form at a distance. The Answerer was too unsubstantial to be wounded with traditional weapons—its skin was the same consistency as hardened shadow and as impossible to penetrate.
It smiled, revealing double rows of ivory fangs that glowed as eerily as the full moon, teeth as bright as its skin was dull. With lightning reflexes it dodged to the side, its shoulders slightly shaking as though the thing was laughing. But its every movement was silent. Like a living stone, come to drag her down to the depths.
Growling, Jordan struck out once more to distract the Answerer for a moment before dashing to her sword, her feet kicking up sand and sending it soaring like lava spitting from an active volcano, temporarily blinding the creature.
In moments, she arrived at her sword, blindly tossing the spear behind her. In any other circumstance she would have hesitated—she hadn’t unsheathed the sword in five months. Since arriving on the island. She’d made a promise. The sword’s bloody history would find an end with her.
That all faded. She ripped the scabbard off. She wasn’t practicing, slashing at the air with a sheathed sword until her breaths came in great gasps.
They’d found her. It was time to act.
The sword’s blade seemed to gather sunlight, beaming like a fallen star as she whipped back around to face her opponent, blonde hair flying, sword aiming for the head.
The Answerer roared a silent cry of pleasure and leapt.