Someone must have used the serpent scale to break the Montara curse, but none of us can remember who did it or what happened.
All I remember is that there was blood on my hands, and that none of my crew was bleeding.
“Don’t you feel like we’re missing something?” I smooth my hands over not a sapphire gown, but loose linen pants. Today I wish not to look like Visidia’s queen, but as one of the people. “It was too easy.”
Bastian wraps strong hands around mine, steadying them. “You call this past year easy? We faced the legendary fire serpent. The Lusca. We took down Kaven. We were poisoned and cut open more times than I can count. And still, we won.” His fingers press into my palms, warm and reassuring. “Yes, one of us must have used the scale to break the curse, but all that matters is that we’re all still here. The crew is alive and well. Our curse is broken, and we have everything we wanted. This year’s been hard enough; I’m taking what I can get.” Leaning forward, he peppers featherlight kisses onto my cheek. “You should do the same.”
I know I should; I want to. If I was the one who broke the curse, whatever I lost that day is gone, taken by the gods themselves. I will never get it back, no matter how hard I try to remember. But my magic is back, and the Montara curse is no more.
I’ve gotten nearly everything I wanted most—but what was the price? My family and crew are safe. My love for Visidia remains whole.
I couldn’t have been the one to use the scale. So who did?
“Amora?” Mother’s voice comes from the doorway. “It’s nearly time. Casem will be here, soon.”
Freeing me from his hold, Bastian presses one last kiss to my forehead before placing a hand to the small of my back, ushering me into the room. “I’ll meet you out there, all right? You’re going to be amazing.”
I nod, though my body stills when I notice it’s not only Mother waiting for me, but Vataea, too.
I wasn’t the only one who changed that day on the beach. Her eyes are darker now, her words colder. I love Vataea, and I want to be there for her the way I wasn’t before. But I can’t undo what I’ve done. I can only try to move forward and hope it’s enough.
The moment Mother spots me, she grabs my hands. Hers are bonier than they used to be, but they’re getting stronger day by day.
“Are you sure about this?” The words are out of her so fast I can barely make out each one. “It’s not too late to change your mind.”
But it is. After everything I’ve been through—after everything I’ve seen in this past year—I know clear as a night sky what I must do. Tonight, Visidia will finally be free.
“We’re going to be okay.” I squeeze her hand, just once, and let the weight of Father’s absence settle between us. No longer is it an anchor upon my heart, but a reminder of all we had to sacrifice to bring Visidia the freedom it deserves.
Though she’s coiled tight with tension, Mother nods and pulls me into her, pressing her forehead to mine. “You are the queen this kingdom has always deserved, Amora.” Her warm lips press against my cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”
There’s too much emotion in the room. Too much pain. With a final kiss to my hand, Mother excuses herself. In her absence, Vataea seems taller, her shoulders squared and sharp chin held high and proud. She’s radiant in a sleek sapphire day gown, but there’s a look in her eyes that tells me this might be the last time I see her in Arida’s color.
“You’re leaving,” I say, not as a question. But it stings all the same when she nods.
“You won’t see me after your speech. Goodbyes are … messy. And they’re difficult. But it’s time for me to go.” Each of her words is a crack in my heart, one after the other. I fist my hands into my shirt, needing something to hold on to.
“Where will you go?”
Tears wet her dark eyelashes, but they don’t fall. “I’m not sure,” she says. “When I’m ready, I’ll find you. But I can’t be a sidekick in your adventure. I’ll remember our time together, and I’ll cherish it. But there’s an entire world out there, and I intend to see it.”
I