Stormbreak (Seafire #3) - Natalie C. Parker Page 0,27

a threat for more than one reason, though,” Oran continued. “And I suspect Lir killed the others because he needed Tassos out of the picture. Easier to take out all three at once rather than kill one and let Decker and Venn grow resentful or paranoid.”

“What do you mean?” Caledonia asked, pressing two fingers against Oran’s jaw to tip his face toward her. “Why was Tassos more of a threat than the others?”

“Because Tassos controlled the Net, and the Net isn’t only there to prevent people from fleeing the Bullet Seas. It’s there to protect what’s behind it.”

Caledonia was instantly alert. She’d heard stories of what was on the other side of the Net, but growing up, they’d all been about escaping the Bullet Seas. Nearly every tale she’d heard told of boundless seas and arable lands, but every so often there was talk of something else, too. Something Aric protected at all costs because without it, there was no Silt.

“There’s a rig in the South Seas, a massive structure drilled directly into the seabed that Lir has to control if he wants to keep the loyalty of his Bullets,” Oran added.

“What so special about it?” Even as she asked, Caledonia felt that she knew. That the stories she’d heard whispered as a child had contained more truth than she’d realized.

Oran’s lips bowed into a small frown. “The first thing Aric did when he learned how to produce the drug was to compartmentalize its production. The rig is where all harvested bale-flowers are sent to be ground into Silt and pressed into pills. With Tassos in control of the Net, he stood between Lir and Silt. Even if Lir had the blossoms, it would take more time than he had to build his own factory and produce his own Silt.” Oran drew in a deep breath as he considered all the possibilities. “If we’re right and he had started thinning Silt rations already, he had to kill Tassos.”

There was a chilling sort of finality to the way Oran said those words. He understood Lir’s motivation entirely. And the frightening thing was, Caledonia did, too. This made perfect sense to her. So much that she could almost imagine coming to a similar conclusion.

Caledonia shook the dark thoughts from her mind. She pressed her face against Oran’s chest and gave a small growl of disgust.

“I want to sail now. Attack the Holster, take Lir out, and end this for good.”

Oran sat up, resting his back against the cold stone and fixing stern eyes on her. “This fight is bigger than Lir, Caledonia, you know that. You’re the one who showed us.”

“My fight is with Lir.” Anger bubbled through her veins. Everything inside her cried out for Lir’s blood. She wanted him dead. For her parents. For Pi’s parents. For Redtooth and Lace and Triple. And for Donnally, who he’d stolen from her. Twice.

“We both know that isn’t true,” Oran said with a humorless smile. “I think you have a habit of convincing yourself your goals are smaller than they are. This fight didn’t end with Aric and it certainly won’t end with Lir. Not if your goal isn’t the person but the system they’ve created.”

That was nearly impossible to believe. There might be other threats, but no one would ever supplant Lir in Caledonia’s mind. Not even Aric had loomed as large. Lir would always be the burning core of her anger. “No one matters as much as Lir.”

At this, Oran shook his head lightly. “Maybe that’s what it feels like. Anger can do that. Rage can do that. Make you feel small when you are anything but. You, Caledonia, are bigger than your anger.”

She wasn’t sure that she was. For five turns, she’d kept her anger close and bright. It was like smoldering embers, a constant, quiet pain buried deep in her heart. Most of the time, she kept it under control, but sometimes it burned too hot and all she could think about was Lir.

“I don’t know how long that’s going to last,” she said sadly.

Oran leaned in to cup her face between his palms, bending close to whisper, “I know you. And you will make it last long enough to get this done. Just—just make sure there’s something left for after.”

Her cheeks warmed and she felt the constant pressure of her worries becoming less under his touch. “You mean something left for you?”

“Yes.” He tipped forward and caught her bottom lip between his teeth, lightly kissing before pulling away.