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Back The Alcazar Save as PDF
Chapters (51)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Map
  4. Part One
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. Part Two
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. Part Three
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. Part Four
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. Part Five
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. Part Six
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. Acknowledgments
  48. About the Author
  49. Books by Amy Ewing
  50. Back Ad
  51. About the Publisher

The moonstone began to pulse gently against her skin, as if it was saying, go, go, go. Leela steeled herself and looked the High Priestess right in the eye.

“I am going to bring Sera home,” she said.

And then she jumped.

Part Five

The Island of Culinnon, Pelago
and
the Island of Braxos, Pelago

25

Sera

MERTAGS SWARMED THE WATERS AROUND THE GALLEON as the island of Culinnon drew near.

Sera watched as its coastline took form, trees painting its shore like jewels, shimmering in rich colors, richer than Sera had yet seen on this planet. Exquisite blue-green leaves and silvery-white bark that glowed like moonlight.

“They’re Arboreals,” she gasped.

There must have been hundreds of them. Sera felt tears well in her eyes. She had only ever known Boris, but now she found herself staring at a whole forest full of Arboreals.

“So many,” Leo murmured, and his voice sent a sudden prickle up her spine. “This must have been where my father stole Boris from. Errol too.”

“Ambrosine was livid when she found out,” Bellamy said. “She blamed Hektor, for not protecting them better. She always blames Hektor when something goes wrong.”

There was a flash of movement on the water and Sera saw a ship, painted in the shifting colors of the sea, sailing past them. Then she saw another just beyond it, and another.

“She calls them clandestines,” Bellamy explained. “Ships that blend in with the ocean. Makes them harder to detect until they’re right on top of you. They’ve been sinking any ship that dares to come north. That’s why the waters have been so empty.”

The memory sharing seemed to have stripped Bellamy of her fear, no longer scared to talk to them but eager. Sera felt a flutter in her chest and a clenching in her stomach, the scene of Hektor proposing to Bellamy still fresh in her mind, the embrace and the kisses that awoke a discovery in Sera herself, one that was swimming bright inside her.

She glanced at Leo, but he was staring at the Arboreals with razor-sharp focus, almost as if he was determined not to look at her. She bit her lip and tried to push the feelings down.

“We’re here!” Ambrosine declared as she strode up to them. “Bellamy, go put on something decent. And get Mckenna to run a comb through your hair. Honestly,” she said, rolling her eyes as Bellamy scurried away.

Sera had to grit her teeth to keep quiet.

“How marvelous are my treasures?” Ambrosine said, sweeping her arms out. “My family’s most prized possessions.”

Mertags and Arboreals were thoughtful, intelligent creatures, Sera thought, not possessions.

“They’re remarkable,” Leo said.

“My mertags will destroy any ship that comes within a mile of Culinnon’s shore,” Ambrosine bragged. “Unless it carries a familiar face or flies my banners. They’re devilishly smart, you know. Very easy to train.”