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Back Copper Chain Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. CONTENTS
  5. MAP
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Despite Cob’s position at the helm, when Finn settled her, he didn’t need to be a healer to know she was in trouble. One of her eyes was half-closed and both were bruised, with dark pits surrounding them. The back of her head was scorched and there was a gash on one of her arms that seeped crimson blood.

More worrying still, she didn’t make a sound as they rested her in the bottom beside Chloe.

‘Will they be all right?’ Finn asked Dion.

Dion’s face was grave. ‘They have to be.’ His gaze took in everyone on the boat, first Chloe and Liana, then Finn, and finally Cob. ‘You all came for me. I won’t forget it.’

Cob harrumphed. ‘Where to, lad?’

Dion glanced back in the direction of Malakai. His eyes rested there for a long time before he looked forward once more.

‘Home,’ he said. ‘Sail for home.’

‘And if we’re followed?’

‘Then I’ll do what I can to hold them off.’

Cob shook his head, seeing that Dion was barely holding himself together. But he steered them away from the Lost Souls, and prayed to the gods that the skies would remain clear.

51

51

Two days’ sailing from the Lost Souls, somewhere on the edge of the Aleuthean Sea, Dion, king of Xanthos, stood on a sandy beach, staring out at the blue expanse and thinking. Despite his exhaustion, he was up before dawn, and the water was calm, with barely a breeze to ruffle his flaxen hair. He gazed out at the horizon for long enough to watch the purple sky become pink, and then a slender piece of light crested the edge of the world. The occasional cloud glowed red as the sun burst into existence, its morning rays angled to the sea, shimmering on the surface.

He inhaled, breathing in fresh air, exhaling slowly, bringing calm to his senses after the recent chaos and despair. But despite the sight of the Calypso nearby, the vessel that would soon take him home, he was still shaken.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the things these people from across the sea had done. Unprovoked, they had stolen Isobel, the woman carrying his child. They’d used him as their test subject, putting a collar on him and enslaving him with copper chains.

His nostrils flared as he felt rage rising up to the surface. He remembered the iron crossbow bolt plunging between Isobel’s shoulder blades. He reminded himself of the terror in her eyes as she’d died, trying to tell him something with her last breath before her lungs filled with fluid.