Warlord and the Waif by Chloe Parker
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CALDER
I CONTINUE TO be amazed by this human woman.
My heart races as I rush to find her, desperate to get to Ella before Ioni kills her. I curse myself for what a fool I’ve been, ordering her to come down to the docking bay without me. I never should have let her out of my sight.
My fears seem all but confirmed when I hear screams from the library, Ioni’s shrill cry echoing all the way to the stairs. I steel myself for the worst, clutching my axe in my fist, Portia and Jack flanking me as we hurry to Ella’s aid. I see Ella across the threshold, her eyes wide and glazed over as Ioni squeezes her neck, the magister draining the life from her. It won’t kill her if she’s still at full strength, but I need to do something.
I let my axe fly, and it finds its target with a sickening thud.
Were Ioni not already close to death, she would shake the wound off, recover, use some of her life-force to heal. But instead, she slumps forward, just a small trickle of blue blood staining her robes. Ella stumbles, looking up at me with a dazed stare.
This victory is hers.
I run toward her as she gets her footing and she meets me in the middle, throwing herself at me and burying her face in my neck. That she has this much strength after her battle with Ioni shocks me, but I realize she shouldn’t surprise me anymore; this woman is so much more than I first believed. So I utter the only words I can think of in the moment.
“You did well, my warrior queen.”
“Calder, we need to hurry.”
Portia’s voice interrupts my reverie, and I turn to face her, setting Ella gently down. She keeps her arm looped around mine, her grip firm at my elbow. I imagine she’s tired, but I’ve not known her to show weakness.
“It’s only a matter of time before reinforcements arrive,” Portia continues, “The crew is starting to board; we should get to the bridge.”
I nod, glancing at Ella and catching sight of her radiant smile.
“I can’t wait to see the stars,” she says.
The three of us set off down the corridor, back toward the bridge. I glimpse familiar faces passing me as the ship fills up, grins and scowls that I haven’t seen in hundreds of years as they head to their old bunks. There are new faces too, and many more missing that were slain on this planet. When I step foot on the bridge, my chest burns at the empty navigator’s post, where Lucien once sat as we traveled the universe.
Jack walks toward me, nodding his head at Lucien’s post.
“We retrieved his body from the gate,” he says, “He’ll have the star-bound burial that he would have wanted.”
“Thank you,” I murmur. I swallow my pride and continue. “Jack, I must apologize for my actions…”
“No, I should be the one—”
“There’ll be time for apologies once we’re flying, boys,” Portia interrupts, “Let’s get underway.”
I head to the control panel in the center of the room, facing the dark docking bay. Ella stands at my side, looking down at the panel as it flares to life, warm under my hands and feeling like destiny. When I glance at her, her eyes are narrowed in concern, and she extends a hand to touch my scars.
“Calder, your tattoos,” she says, “Shouldn’t they have vanished if the curse is broken?”
I feel a tinge of doubt, but shake my head. There’s too much at stake now to turn back.
“We’ll have to see when we get into orbit,” I tell her, “Have faith, Ella, as I have faith in you. We will escape this prison.”
She nods, though the concerned expression doesn’t go away.
“Is everyone aboard?” I ask.
“Aye, captain,” Portia nods.
“Airlocks sealed?”
“Aye.”
I press my hands to the panel and give the command to the ship for disengaging from the dock.
The ship moves, and someone lets out a yelp of excitement from my left. Portia has a wild grin on her face, and Jack rushes to the window to look out as we float into the clouds. The dragon masthead glimmers in the dim light when we come into the sun, and I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen anything so beautiful.
Until I look at Ella’s face, the light shining in her eyes, the flecks of sun on her cheeks, and my heart soars.
“Ascension is primed,” Portia says from the panel to my left, “We’re ready.”
I pull my hands up to pilot the ship into orbit, and we ascend.
The mist disperses around us as we ride, Ella clutching my arm as the ship trembles through the atmosphere. The unusual gravity on Myste makes me dizzy, and the world spins slightly at the now-unusual sensation of takeoff. Through the windows, I see a firefight at the spaceport, and a few of the Hyperborean ships take off. This must be Jack’s men, waiting to join us after we’ve taken out the satellite.
My tattoos ache, though Ella’s touch is on me.
Then the world burns.
I fall to my knees and the Fury lurches in the atmosphere, coming to a sudden standstill. I can barely feel anything but the pain, and not even Ella’s hands seem to do anything to stop the pain.
The curse lingers.
“What are we supposed to do?” Ella says, “Why isn’t it working?”
I hear footsteps and gather myself just enough to see Jack and Portia’s faces swim into view.
“There’s got to be more to it,” Jack mutters, “The curse…”
He starts to repeat the old song over and over, tripping over the words. Then Ella makes a shocked sound and looks from me to Portia with wide eyes.
“Wait!” she says, “‘Let love bind’—that’s what the witches said?”
Portia nods.
Ella gives me a manic grin.
“You’re going to think I’m insane, but is there anyone on this ship that can marry us?”
I gape at her, unsure what she’s saying, but Jack nods in agreement.
“I can do it,” he says, “Get him up.”
Ella’s hands find mine and she somehow hauls me to my feet. The pain eases somewhat when I look into her eyes, facing her before the window as we float through the clouds. She’s battered, but proud and dignified, looking every bit the part of the warrior queen.
“Does anyone have something for the hand-fasting?” Jack asks, “A ribbon, a chain…”
I see a spark in Ella’s eyes and she reaches into her pocket. When her hand emerges, she holds a shining silver chain, a plain disc attached.
It’s Lucien’s key.
My heart aches as Jack takes it with an understanding nod, and we stand together in silence. Jack takes the chain and I grasp Ella’s hands again, staring into her eyes.
“We are gathered here today to get the hell off this planet, so on, and so forth,” Jack says.
Ella laughs and squeezes my hands.
“Do you, Ella, take this warlord to be your husband?”
“Yes,” she says without an ounce of hesitation.
“And Calder, do you take Ella to be your wife?”
My body warms, the pain vanishing entirely.
“Forever,” I murmur.
Jack takes the chain and wraps it around our joined hands, binding us together as mates, and my heart soars as the Fury ascends.
“Then I pronounce you man and wife,” Jack says triumphantly.
We wait for a moment, time standing still as I wonder if this absurd plan will work. Then Ella’s eyes go wide, her gaze falling to my shoulders.
I glance down to see golden light shimmering around the old scars, the curving shapes of my tattoos lifting themselves off of me. I get the strange sensation of weightlessness, raising my arms to watch as the curse unwinds itself from around me, my flesh unmarred once again beside the scars I won in battle. The last portion to vanish is the shackles around my wrists, which disperse in a kaleidoscope of light.
Ella smiles at me, and I back at her. The curse is lifted; we’re free to fly.
It’s time to give Ella the stars.