“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said, my eyes going wide at the sight of Silmere Harbor—which, apparently, had been on Linead’s northeast boundary this whole time. The path led us down a long, sloping trail that tacked back and forth, descending from the ridge in Linead’s center. It all gave way at the bottom, exposing a wide harbor with two long piers at either end, surrounded by rocky cliffs. A river pulled away from the lake, wide enough for a few boats to bob merrily on their way down. I’d been in Linead for a good while now, but I’d never had reason to come here.

I shot an annoyed look Avira’s way. “Has this been here the whole time?”

Avira blinked, seemingly nonplussed. “Aye. Is something amiss?”

“It’s a harbor,” I said, giving the place a meaningful look as we continued down the final stretch. “With boats.”

“When they’re this big, they’re usually called ships,” Kevin wheezed, trudging on. His face was bright red by now, and I could see a sheen of sweat across his skin. Aethir’s ashes, we’d have our hands full with him when we got to Talmarn, I could already tell.

I settled for glaring at him, giving a sniff. “I don’t care what they’re called, they’re here, is what I’m saying.”

“Is there a problem, my little zephyr?” Avira said. Her voice was so innocent I thought I might puke.

“If there are ships here, then why did we have to all run down to Feinwer?” I said, wrinkling my nose. “It was a solid week of longwalking.”

Myles coughed. “B-Because-”

“Oh, stop talking,” Avira said. There was a laugh under her words, though. “Different destinations, lad. You’re heading west now, not south, and the southwest coast of Aradhen can be a dangerous route for sailors. Besides. The distance being traversed is far greater, now, so any shortcut to be had by leaving from a different port simply matters less.”

“I guess,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief as we hit the bottom of the path and entered the dock proper. “I mean, I’m not upset, it’s fine, it just- it seems stupid, is all.”

“Yes, I am sure,” Avira crooned, reaching out to pat my shoulder. “You survived the experience without any lasting harm.”

“Oh, stop it.” I chuckled, batting her hand away. A ship already bobbed in the port, the blue-emblazoned crest of the Seahunters waving from its mast. A few of the crew stood leaning against the railing, obviously waiting for our arrival. And more importantly…

A familiar, towering figure stood with folded arms at the sea wall. Sabbas didn’t have his axe on him, but it didn’t make him any less imposing. At our approach, he drew his head higher, glaring down at us.

“Guildmaster,” he said, nodding to Avira. “I…heard of what took place.” His gaze flicked to Myles. “My deepest apologies, Hunter Myles. Such an underhanded attack-”

“Yes, yes, it’s all very tragic, but he’s fine now,” Korinn said, elbowing her way back out around him. She’d abandoned her black-and-white tabard, I saw, clad in sleek white armor formed from plates off some sort of fiend. “And we should go before they come back to try again. The envoys from Talmarn already boarded, and I think the sailors are starting to get a mite antsy.”

“It’s the tide,” Avira said. “They want to-”

“Right,” Korinn said, her eyes lighting up. “That. Yeah. The captain was muttering something fierce up on deck a few minutes ago.” She quieted herself, pressing a hand to her mouth as if only then realizing she’d just interrupted Avira. “S-Sorry, ma’am. Didn’t mean to talk over you.”

Avira flashed a grin at the younger woman, her eyes twinkling. “A valid point to make nonetheless.” Her gaze settled to Sabbas. “I’m sorry, Sabbas. I don’t mean to commandeer your shadow, but-”

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“If the guildmaster needs help that one such as her can provide, then it is our duty and pleasure to do everything in our power to aid you,” Sabbas said, a proud smile curling at his lips. “I have no doubt Korinn will perform her role flawlessly. Yes?” The final word was accompanied with a meaningful look down at her.

Korinn jumped, then bowed hurriedly. “Of course. We’ll get the job done, ma’am.”

The clank of rattling metal rose over our conversation. I turned—in time to see a guard approaching, a wooden crate in his arms. I grinned at the sight of my sword’s hilt poking past the edge. Another guard followed behind the first, visibly flagging under the weight of Korinn’s enormous fiendhorn.

Korinn skipped forward with a happy cry, snatching it from him. “Oh, thanks! I wasn’t sure when we’d get these back.” She gave it an experimental swing, the strings singing their eerie, unnatural song. Behind her, the man sagged, sweating profusely.

I advanced with Myles, claiming my sword and shield from the crate as he slid his daggers into their sheaths.

“None of that, now,” the second guard said, letting the empty crate fall to his side and eyeing Korinn as she gave another song-stirring swing. “You can have ‘em on the dock since this is a special circumstance, but keep the things idle. We can’t have-”

“Yes, thank you, you’ve served admirably,” Avira said, bowing to the man. “Now, if you don’t mind us, I’ve got to see my hunters off.”

She turned her back on the man, ignoring his splutters—but I caught a glimpse of her rolling her eyes.

Her hand settled to my shoulder, steering me toward the ship. Somewhere behind me, Korinn cooed at Nella, prompting a squeal from the baby krytir.

“I’m sorry to cast you out so abruptly like this, lad,” Avira said, looking up at me with a wry smile. “It’s not ideal. But-”

“I understand, Avira,” I said. I held my hand up, the faintest hint of black extending past the trimmed fingers of my gloves. “I’ve got Lens. I’ll contact you like we discussed. If there’s a fiend in Talmarn…” I shrugged, glancing to where Korinn and Myles stood, idly chatting. “We’ll handle it. It’s not a problem.”

“I know you will.” Her fingers squeezed tight—and she leaned in, wrapping her arms around me for a quick hug. “Be safe, lad. Remember. This mission isn’t worth your life. If anything goes wrong-”

“I’ll be fine, Avira,” I protested, squeezing her gently before pulling back from the embrace. “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”

“I know you will,” she mumbled, nodding. Raising her head, she nodded once, gesturing for the boat. “Now, be off with you! The seafolk will have my head if we delay much longer.” Her eyes held mine for a moment longer, and despite her words, there was worry burning in their yellow depths. “But be careful, Trellin.”

“I will.” With one last look, I strode for the gangplank. Kevin groaned, shambling along behind me, and I heard Korinn in the throes of the same worried goodbyes as I’d just escaped from.

The sailors were already yelling back and forth to each other as we took our places along the railing, starting to push us off from the dock.

“I guess we’re the only passengers,” Kevin said, letting his bag fall with a thump. Nella took flight with an angry screech.

“No, girl,” I said, raising an arm for her to land on. “Stay close, remember? We talked about boats before.”

I could feel her irritation through the bonding band, but she begrudgingly winged back toward me, pointedly landing in a clatter on the deckplates and not on my arm, which I lowered.

I glanced to Kevin instead, noting the tiny grin he wore. “Hunter ships aren’t passenger liners,” I said, swallowing a groan. “And I doubt the diplomats would like being packed in with the common masses.”

“I wonder how they’re getting on, anyway?” Korinn said. She was waving furiously as we started to move away from the pier. Sabbas just scowled up at her, utterly impassive and steadily growing more distant.

I nodded, watching the pale silhouette of Avira standing alongside him. “Yeah,” I mumbled. “We…We should check in with them. I’ll go introduce us. In…just a few minutes.”

Myles nudged me with his elbow. “She’ll be fine,” he whispered. “She’s got Sabbas and Silvos both looking after her.”

“I know that,” I mumbled. “And…it’s not like she isn’t safe alone. That doesn’t mean I like leaving her at a time like this.”

Myles chuckled, but it devolved into a coughing fit. Korinn patted his back, wincing. “We’ll be back before you know it,” she said, looking over to me.

“Right,” I said. I took a deep breath, nodding back to her. “Sooner we get this done, the sooner we can come back.”

She smiled. Together, we turned back to Linead. The ship was starting to accelerate, turning Avira and Sabbas into a tiny pair of shadows on the pier.

Finally, when the city was just a faint strip at the horizon, I pushed off the railing, grabbing my bag by the straps. Nella had found one, and was waging the war of her life with the leather. I pulled her free, chuckling. “Let’s find our quarters. We’ll get our gear stowed, and then…”

I took a deep breath, licking my lips, and finally looked up to Korinn and Myles.

“It’s time to go greet the Talmarnans.”