Kiss the Sky

3

2

Kira

J

asin practiced flying for another few hours while Reven and Auric guided our boat with waves and wind. Slade disappeared below deck, claiming all that open sky bothered him. He’d always been distant, but I sensed after my night with Jasin it had only gotten worse. He’d also been hit with a bad case of seasickness, which probably wasn’t helping matters.

The area below deck was cramped and dark, almost like a cave, which was probably why Slade preferred it. This ship had been given to us by Calla, the High Priestess of the Fire God, and her four mates. It wasn’t very large, just big enough for a small crew to maneuver, and I imagined it had once been used by them for fishing or for travel when needed.

I hoped Calla and her men were still safe. After we’d fought off the Onyx Army soldiers and escaped the Fire Temple, we’d spotted Sark, the Crimson Dragon, flying over it. Would he hurt Calla or her priests to get information out of us, even though they all served the Fire God too? I wasn’t sure, but from here on out we had to assume that the Dragons knew about us. We could no longer hide in the shadows and hope that would protect us. Soon we would have to face them.

As night fell, my mates and I converged on the deck to eat supper together. We’d left most of our gear and supplies behind with our horses in the Fire Realm, which would soon prove to be a problem. Calla and her men had been thoughtful enough to stock the ship with food and other necessities, but that would only last us a short time. Once we reached the Air Realm we’d have to get more supplies and find another way to travel.

I broke off a piece of bread and passed it to Jasin, who did the same before passing it to Slade. “How many days will it take us to reach the Air Realm?” I asked.

“It depends where we’re planning to dock,” Auric said, as he took the bread from Slade. “We’re making good time though.”

“What are the options?” Slade asked.

Auric c****d his head as he considered. “There’s the capital city, Stormhaven. It’s the closest to the Air Temple, although we’ll still have to travel on land for another week to get there. From a logistics perspective it’s the clear choice, since we can reach it in three days and will be able to obtain new horses and supplies there.” He drew in a long breath, his face grim. “The problem is that my family’s palace is in Stormhaven.”

“And the other option?” Reven asked.

“We continue past Stormhaven and around the bend for another five days to Galeport, then backtrack on land to the Air Temple.”

“How much longer will that add?” Slade asked.

“Almost three weeks.”

“Three weeks?” I asked, with a sigh. “I don’t think we can spare that long. Not when the Dragons might already be hunting for us.”

“If so, they’ll eventually head to the temples to try to stop us,” Jasin said. “The faster we get to them, the better.”

“No, the less time we’re on this ship the better,” Slade grumbled, pushing his food away while clutching his stomach.

“We could disguise Auric and slip him into the city unnoticed,” Reven suggested. I suspected he had plenty of experience doing that sort of thing from his former career as an assassin.

“Stormhaven it is,” I said. “We’ll sneak into the city, get what we need, and leave as soon as we can for the Air Temple.”

Auric nodded. “I’ll make the adjustments to our course with Reven.”

It was the right decision, but I was disappointed I wouldn’t be meeting Auric’s family, even if that was probably for the best. Auric was a prince who had grown up in a life of luxury. I was a commoner who’d once made a living as a huntress, a bandit, and a traveling merchant. We weren’t exactly suitable for each other, and even though Auric claimed he didn’t care about our difference in status, his family certainly would. And then there was the whole Dragon thing we had to keep a secret too.

“Now that that’s settled, tell us what happened the other night,” Auric said. “You told us about the Fire God and what he said, but you didn’t talk much about the actual bonding.”

Jasin arched an eyebrow. “What, you want all the naughty details?”

“No, of course not,” Auric replied quickly. “I simply want to know what to expect. Did anything…unusual happen?”

I glanced over at Jasin. “You did set me on fire.”

“What?” Reven asked, his head snapping up.

Jasin grinned. “Yes, when we uh…completed. I assume that was the bond taking hold and passing my powers to her.”

“Kira,” Slade said, in that low, rumbling voice I would never grow tired of hearing. “Are you in any pain?”

“No, why?”

Slade rubbed the back of his neck without meeting my eyes. “A woman’s first time can be…difficult.”

“Oh.” My cheeks flushed. “I’m all right. And if there was any pain, my healing powers must have taken care of it.” Another benefit of being the representative of the Spirit Goddess.

Slade nodded and blew out a breath. “Good.”

“You know I would never hurt Kira,” Jasin said, looking offended at even the suggestion. “Trust me, I took good care of her. Multiple times.”

Reven rolled his eyes. “Yes, we’ve heard all about your s****l prowess.”

Gods, could this moment be any more awkward? My skin felt like it was on fire all over again. I coughed. “Jasin made the experience very…pleasant.”

Jasin leaned back against the railing with a cocky grin. “I tried. Everyone should have a good first time, don’t you all think?”

Slade let out a soft grunt. “Good? Mine was fast and awkward.”

“Oh yeah?” Jasin asked. “Tell us about it. Who was the lucky lady?”