He brushed his fingertips across my lips, and then the knock sounded on the door.

I sighed and twisted off him, grimacing at the pain in my muscles. For a moment, I’d forgotten how much I hurt.

Aaru picked himself up and answered the door.

“The captains are ready,” Hristo said.

Biting off a groan, I bent over to lace up my boots, then heaved myself up, muscles pinching and stabbing with every motion.

Both boys watched me, but when they offered help, I waved them away. I wasn’t above leaning on them, but if I arrived on the main deck looking like I felt . . .

No. I needed to appear strong, because whether I liked it or not, the Fallen Isles fleet followed my command.

We stopped by the mess long enough to get a drink of water and a bite of the rations Apolla had stowed on the ship prior to my breakout. The idea of food made my stomach flip uncomfortably, but I forced it down anyway. If I wanted to convince everyone of my wellness, I had to be seen eating; last night, Ilina had told me she’d overheard people talking about how I’d lost weight even in these last few days.

Dawn gleamed over the main deck as the three of us climbed up. Water dipped and swelled all around, and the other ten ships followed in our wake. Above, seven dragons flew in formation. They could have reached the islands already, but they’d stayed behind to escort us, even though we were supposed to be the ones protecting them. I imagined they were exhausted, flying for days like this. Two of the ships had managed to clear spaces large enough for even the titanus to land and sleep, but it wasn’t much of a break, especially with the giant noorestones all around. But like me, they took what they could get.

The first dragon, of course, had not moved from her place on the Star-Touched, and as we drew closer to the Fallen Isles, I could feel her power growing. One night, I’d thought I’d seen the bones glowing like noorestones, but no one else had commented on it.

“Are you ready?” Gerel asked as I reached the bow.

Wind tugged at my hair, and the scent of salt tickled my nose. Water stretched all around, brilliant and blue and serene. And not too far away, islands were being ripped up from their roots and people were dying.

“I’m ready to go home.” My voice didn’t sound quite as strong as I wanted, but only my friends were here to witness my weakness.

“All right,” she said gently.

I gripped the rail and closed my eyes, opening my awareness to the dark harmony of eleven unstable noorestones. Their energy skittered through me, sharp and ugly, straining to escape its crystal cages. Then I grabbed the noorestones and pushed.

Those awful, flickering sparks of Noore’s own fire flared hot, and the ships lurched forward, jerking over the water without grace. The movement made me feel sick, but I urged the ships onward, trying to ignore the seep of poison.