Noorestones.

Not just any noorestones. There was something different about these, something I couldn’t quite identify. Then, what I’d thought was land in the distance grew; it wasn’t land at all, but ships coming closer. They carried noorestones. Loud noorestones.

Most felt alike: they set a hum against my thoughts—making me aware of their presence without becoming intrusive.

But these would not be ignored. They were powerful. Old. Slightly . . . wrong, like a note just out of tune, not quite reaching true dissonance. They drew my thoughts into a current of uncontrollable curiosity, dampening the sounds of the city and surf.

I listed forward, the toe of one shoe thumping on the guardrail.

“Mira.” Gerel’s whisper was sharp, like it wasn’t the first time she’d said my name. “What are you doing?”

My heart thundered as I shook back into myself. I’d forgotten she was here; I’d forgotten anyone was here.

“It’s the noorestones.” My fingers curled around the cool iron rail. “They’re on the ships, coming toward us.”

As soon as the whisper left my lips, a shock of excitement traveled through the crowd. “There!” people cried, pointing toward the water, where ten enormous ships slipped into the god shadow. “Hope is on the way!”

The ships were huge, bigger than any I’d ever seen, save the Star-Touched and the Great Mace. They were ocean-crossing vessels, powered by immense, unstable noorestones that had—in one case—interacted badly with a dragon, causing an explosion that had taken the Infinity four and a half years ago.

But that wasn’t the truth. The imperial spy called Seven had told me the explosion of the Infinity was a test, a way to gauge the destructive potential of these giant noorestones.

He’d also said the Anaheran government was behind it.

“Do you think the noorestones are weapons?” Gerel’s question drew me back to now.

I glanced around, praying no one had overheard her, but voices rippled all around us, teeming with cautious optimism. On rooftops and balconies, people had lifted themselves up to get a better look at the huge ships. They weren’t just unusual; they were shocking.

Gerel tried again. “Do you think they plan to use the noorestones to hold cities hostage?”

I shook my head. “I think, for now, the noorestones are being used to power the ships.”

She frowned. “Doesn’t this class usually require three noorestones?”

“Usually.” I bit my lip, listening to the excitement build around us; the promised hope was almost here. “I think these will be slower than the Star-Touched or the Great Mace, but they’ll be able to outpace any other ship in any Fallen Isles fleet.”

Her frown deepened. “I wonder how they’ll match up against the black ships.”

“If we ever find Nine, we can ask them to race.” Right after we found out what they knew about Anahera’s role in the Mira Treaty. Seven had given us what information he possessed, but Nine had been working in Anahera for months.

A short, barked laugh escaped her. “I’m sure that’s what spies do in their free time.”