Stormbreak (Seafire #3) - Natalie C. Parker Page 0,97
through the crowded wharf like a fish through water. “Captain!”
Behind her, Caledonia spotted Sledge and Pine. All three rushed toward her.
“What is it, Nettle?” Caledonia asked as the girl skidded to a stop.
“The Hands,” she breathed. “Of the River.”
“Here?!” Pisces’s hand darted out to grab Nettle’s shoulder. “Are you sure?”
Nettle nodded. “Completely. Spotted them from the towers. There’s no mistaking it. Such strange boats! They’re on their way into the harbor now.”
Sledge and Pine arrived a beat behind her proclamation, both with expressions of hopeful anticipation.
“Thin boats just like you described, Captain,” Sledge said. “It’s them.”
Caledonia’s thoughts whirled, and for a second she wasn’t sure her feet were planted to the ground. She had so many questions, so many hopes, and she didn’t know where to begin.
Pisces’s fingers threaded through hers, squeezing lightly as she turned to Nettle and said, “Find Hime.”
Nettle didn’t have to be told twice. They watched her go, their minds churning around the thought none of them was brave enough to vocalize.
When Nettle vanished up the thoroughfare, Caledonia nodded and said, “Let’s go greet our guests.”
Two narrow boats entered the harbor, weaving between the breakers like the current itself. They were similar to the boats Caledonia had seen on her one visit to the rivers, but these were larger, each carrying six people. Caledonia and her team waited at the end of an open berth as the Hands cut across the harbor, their shallow hulls barely leaving any tracks in their wake.
Caledonia held her breath as they drew up to the dock and tied on; she clenched her fists as the crew began to disembark. And as the sight of a familiar face appeared before her, she could not have held herself back if she’d tried.
“Amina!” Caledonia rushed forward. The girl had barely set her feet on the dock before Caledonia wrapped her in a hug. Pisces was there, too, her arms adding another strong layer to their embrace.
“We thought we’d lost you,” Pisces said, her voice muffled by someone’s arm or cheek or hair.
“Spirits, girls, if you hold me any tighter, you still may.” Amina laughed as they reluctantly let her go. “It is good to see you, too.”
“It’s more than good,” Caledonia said, aware that her eyes were brimming with tears and her voice was strangled with the same. Her friend was here, she was alive and smiling, and she looked whole and healthy. “What happened? How did you survive?”
“I got pinned down right after the first explosions. I couldn’t get to you, so I decided to give you as much time as possible, but I was hit,” she said with a shrug, gesturing to a spot high on her left shoulder. “By the time I made my way to the northern canals, nearly everyone was gone, but I found a boat—fixed it—and made for the Hands. I wasn’t sure where you’d be by then and I needed medtech. Seemed like the best plan.”
“It was the best plan,” Caledonia agreed. “It is so good to see you,” she repeated.
“And it’s about to be better.” Amina stepped back and for the first time, Caledonia realized there was a second familiar face in the group.
“Osias of Kyrasi Water,” Caledonia said, raising her hands in greeting. It had been a full moon since their last encounter at the mouth of the Braids, but she would know his face anywhere. “Welcome to the Holster.”
Osias raised his hands, mirroring her gesture. “We have come to aid in your battle, Caledonia Styx.”
At Caledonia’s confused silence, Amina explained, “Sister came for the Hands. After word of your alliance with Tassos reached her, she saw an opportunity to expand her reach beyond Slipmark. I’m certain she regretted the decision.”
“If Amina had not come to us when she did, we would not have understood the scope of the danger,” Osias said, turning a reserved smile on Amina. “We did not come into this fight willingly, but we would like to help you end it.”
“Osias has brought forty-two of his fleet,” Amina said. “All smaller craft as you see, but they pack a much larger punch than you might expect.”
“We welcome your aid,” Caledonia said, still too bewildered to do anything but accept this completely unexpected gift. No matter their size, she would put these vessels to good use. “Please, bring your ships into the harbor. Your people will be given quarters while we bring you up to speed, but we sail the morning after next. Your timing couldn’t be better.”