Chapter Fifteen

It had been three years since Asterin had last visited Orielle and the three mighty stone bridges spanning the jeweled waters of Horn Bay’s bustling harborfront. The call of gulls and blaring ship horns resounded across the city, just audible over the crash of waves upon the crags of the twin cliffs that hugged the bay. Nestled in the bay itself were hundreds of vessels of all sizes, divided into ports by wide piers that towered above the water on stalky driftwood legs. From east to west of Horn’s Bay lay Earl’s Port, Dame’s Port, and Knight’s Port, named after the bridges that corralled them. The rest of the city sloped down along the twin cliffs, the redwood-shingled roofs clustering tighter and tighter as they grew closer to the sea.

With one hand shielding her eyes, Asterin watched from East Cliff as a sailing yacht with a mast at least twenty feet taller than Earl’s Bridge stalled outside the port. Its captain, just a tiny smudge on the distant deck, signaled to the bright white lighthouse crowning the cliff. A moment passed and the very center of the bridge’s arch began to fragment, glowing slashes of red light cutting swift across the stone in vertical strokes. One by one, each fragment slid upward like spikes on a beast’s back. The sigil of Lady Siore, Goddess of Earth, flared as the yacht at last passed beneath the bridge, the masthead just ghosting the bridge’s underside. Then, as quickly as they had risen, the fragments shifted back into their original place.

Nicole hummed as Lady Siore’s sigil faded. “Neat.”

“There’s a team of wielders in each lighthouse overseeing the bridges,” Asterin told the earth-wielding Elite. “My father once told me that centuries ago, during wartime, they would use the bridges to smash oncoming enemy ships to dust when they tried to pass beneath.”

Nicole’s smile widened. “Neat.”

Gino took a discrete step away from her and asked, “But how come enemy earth-wielders couldn’t just counteract the bridges’ shifting with their own magic?”

“The bridges are spelled against all magic,” Asterin said. “Except for magic cast through the affinity stones embedded permanently in the lighthouses’ walls. The only way to remove them would be to destroy the lighthouses or bridges entirely.”

Casper’s stomach growled deafeningly, halting the conversation. He gave it a mournful pat. “Apologies.”

Eadric checked his pocket watch. “We’ve still got about eight hours until our ship is set to sail.”

Asterin tapped her chin. “I guess we should find something to eat first, then,” she said. “I know just the place.”

Eadric grinned. “You mean that bakery you constantly rave about?”

“You read my mind.”

They trotted along the multiple roads threading down the cliffs, each paved with stone tiles dyed in every shade of the rainbow to help differentiate one from another. With so many foreigners docking in Orielle every day, the simple system made for easy location of inns, shops, and other businesses. And easy remembrance, too, Asterin thought to herself as she led the others down the Ruby Road, where they eventually came to a halt in front of a charming little bakery with smoke puffing out of its stout chimneys. Already, Asterin couldn’t help but salivate at the arrays of vibrant sweets and frosted cakes decking the display window. Sal’s Bakery, the wooden sign hanging over the entrance read. They tied their horses up and headed inside. The bell tinkled above when she pushed the door open, the air drenched with the heavenly scent of baking banana loaves.

Casper inhaled lustily, his eyes fluttering shut. “I smell cinnamon rolls.”

“This was my father’s favorite bakery,” said Asterin. “Sal used to work at the palace, actually, but then he quit to open his own shop here. My father said that after he left, the cake never tasted the same again.” She leaned over the empty counter, peering around. “Sal? Hello?”

“They have chocolate croissants!” Gino exclaimed.

Eadric scoffed. “You mean chocolate on croissants.”

Gino waved wildly. “No, Captain, I meant chocolate croissants! Come look!”

“That’s preposterous.” Eadric bustled toward Gino while Asterin weaved behind the counter, searching for any sign of the baker or the other workers. She squinted at a floury handprint on the floor and reached forward to push open the back door just as the front doorbell gave a loud tinkle and she heard Casper step out of the way.

“Pardon—oh.”

At the silence that followed, Asterin frowned and looked over her shoulder. Hot wind gusted inside the shop, swinging the door back and forth. The bell continued to jangle on, almost menacingly, but the entry beneath remained unoccupied.

“Your Majesty?” Casper said, his voice strangely tight.

Asterin raised an eyebrow at the Elite. “Yes?”

He turned to face her.

Her breath stuttered as she lowered her eyes and caught sight of the long serrated blade jutting out of his stomach.

Their gazes met, his burning with pain and urgency.

“Run.”