Chapter 54: Dearly Departed
When Nienna saw the plumes of smoke coming from Deep and Troubled Waters, her heart skipped a beat. From where they were, they had no way of knowing what state the sanctuary was in or if everyone was okay. Clutching her wounded side, she ran to the edge of the Shattered Ice Floe, shouting and waving frantically in hopes someone from across the water would hear or see her.
Chapter 53: Warring Souls
The dark, swirling patterns in the portal hypnotized Nienna as she let her mind circle. She found herself unable to move, paralyzed by the impending duty she had yet to fulfill. It was as if everything in her body refused to follow through. It refused to accept it, rejecting what was coming and find another way, but there didn’t seem to be any other ways. She had to make it all stop somehow. It wasn’t until she heard Seren and Salara call her name repeatedly that she finally snapped out of her spiral.
Chapter 52: You Get What You Gave
With a groan, Nienna opened her eyes. Her head throbbed like it was stuck in a vice, and her whole body felt like it had been turned inside out and back again. Her memories scattered throughout her brain. She couldn’t quite remember where she was or what she was doing.
Chapter 51: Work With What You’re Given
Shadows of rafts and makeshift boats floating on the surface passed over Nienna and the two quaggan who escorted her to the edge of the Shattered Floe. She tried to ignore the dulled sounds of battle from above. It only fueled her concern for her friends she left behind in Deep and Troubled Waters and made her doubt her decisions.
Chapter 50: No Good at Goodbyes
Despite being nearly out of breath, Nienna kept up her sprinting pace as she jumped over what was left of a door laying on the frozen path. The cables looped around her shoulder started to slip, but she hoisted them back up and continued running toward the northern side of Deep and Troubled Waters. She had just finished speaking with Deep Song. The kodan Voice was skeptical of Nienna’s plan and not thrilled about the idea of using her people and their home as the focus of the battle.
Chapter 49: A Practical Solution
Nienna paced back and forth along the frozen paths outside in silent contemplation. She pulled the hood tighter around her new silvery hair. Every time she had caught sight of it, it startled her. It didn’t look like her. It didn’t feel like her. Logically, she knew it was only hair, and she could color it whatever shade she wished, but the sudden and involuntary change bothered her greatly.
Chapter 48: Rescue Efforts Gone Awry
Nienna watched her negotiation efforts disintegrate as Seren threw her weight into Captain Morrow’s side and knocked her over. Lord Aedan Byrne uttered a primal growl and pushed his wife aside as if she were a minor obstacle in his way. Lady Bryne fell to the ice with a pained cry. He ignored her, as she scuttled back out of the fray, her face frozen in bewilderment at being so easily pushed aside. She stared at her husband, mouth agape, as he then leapt at the young guardian with the Sanguinary Blade’s point aimed at her throat.
Chapter 47: Frigid Negotiations
Quint eyed Nienna as he pulled the oars out of the water and rested them on his lap. “Where are you right now?”“Hrm?” Nienna replied. She absentmindedly rubbed at the bandage on her hand while lost in her thoughts. She furrowed her brow, suddenly realizing they were not moving. “Why have we stopped?”
Chapter 46: Parley
“What do we do with the three back there?” Quint asked as they stepped out of the chamber. He glanced over his shoulder back inside.
Nienna winced and covered her eyes. There was a thick cover of clouds above, but the muted daylight was still bright enough to bother her vision which hadn’t adjusted from the darkness she had been in for so long. “We can’t let them roam about; they’re too dangerous. We should keep them locked up until we figure out what to do with them.”
Chapter 45: Found
Unnerved by the dark, rippling shadow slithering around her legs, Nienna scurried out of the water as quick as she could, kicking sprays of droplets everywhere. She fell upon the shore, gasping for breath from the exertion.
Chapter 44: Bargaining Chip
Lord Aedan Byrne walked out onto the ice floe, seething as he stared across the frigid waters separating them from Deep and Troubled Waters. Their quarry was there, hiding behind walls of wood and ice.
Chapter 43: We Control the Shadow
Quint stretched out his tired legs along the cold floor. From what he could tell by the shadows outside the chamber, he was about half a day into his watch, but it felt like it had been a week.
Chapter 42: Crawling Under the Surface
“Are we going to talk about it?” Clarkus asked as he looked down at Alena. The asura had been quiet for most of their hike to the sanctuary and especially silent once they were all inside. He had expected to hear one curious exclamation after another as they entered Deep and Troubled Waters. Instead, she had been quietly taking in the sights as she shuffled along by his side.
Chapter 41: Deep and Troubled Waters
As the group descended the frozen hillside onto the Shattered Ice Floe, Dee pulled her hood down and breathed in deeply. It had been many years since she had been up this far north. The brisk cold, the howl of the wind, the sound of the frigid waters lapping against the ice: all of it renewed her vigor and lifted her spirits.
Chapter 40: On the Move
“Best get yourself strapped in,” Danae warned as she grabbed Mira Jayne’s arm and pulled her to a spare seat on the Raven’s bridge. The curious adventurer had snuck up for a peek, despite Danae’s warnings to stay below.
Chapter 39: A Bumpy Ride
Dee pulled open a cupboard door and promptly slammed it shut. So far, she had found nothing but basic rations and water in the Raven’s galley.
Chapter 38: The Shadow Within
Nienna awoke to a dull ache engulfing her whole head. Her eyelids were heavy and begged to stay closed, but she fought to keep them open. Steel plates and beams came into focus, which she thought was odd, because the last thing she remembered was being outside.
Chapter 37: Claws and Shadow
Mira turned away as Alva skinned the last of the hares they caught. She always hated that part, but her stomach was also crying to be fed. Ian chuckled and said it was because she was soft and something about being green. She didn’t appreciate his comment, and neither did Azoricum, who glowered at him as she slugged the cooking pot over to the fire.
Chapter 36: Distrust
At the behest of his captain, Harrisson descended the Raven at a speed he was less than comfortable with before nestling the vessel between a couple of outcroppings outside Hoelbrak.
Chapter 35: Bleeding Through
Alena’s long ears perked up at the sound of shuffling and grinding growing closer. Curious, she looked up from her notes and over to the med bay door that she left open for air flow. The Raven’s Revenge was an impressive vessel, despite its current condition, but it remained quite stuffy.