When a bright spot appeared ahead, Theo wondered if he wasn't hallucinating. It felt like an eternity had passed since he'd seen any light besides the glow from the spells they'd been using to navigate.
But the light didn't go away even after he blinked several times. And it was pale white like sunlight, not the color of any of their Levia.
At the front of the group, Zenith fell still and glanced over his shoulder. Darian nodded.
"That should be an exit. Let's go."
Along with the others, Theo eagerly picked up the pace. It didn't matter that his legs ached like they were going to fall off, or that the path had started climbing a steep incline. He was just glad to finally get out of this place.
They'd spent the past three days traveling through the Sunless Sea. Granted, if it wasn't for Zenith's internal clock, Theo would have had no idea how much time had passed. Everything blurred together – the darkness, the smell of water, the endless trekking. The monotony only broke when they stopped to rest or when ulms attacked.
The giant worms had popped up two more times, but they'd been easy enough to deal with. And as a bonus, provided food. Ryan of course had pitched a giant fit about eating roast ulm, and Theo had to admit he hadn't been very enthusiastic either. But it wasn't like they'd had a choice, and ulm meat didn't make for half-bad cooking. Flaky and tender, you could almost mistake it for fish.
The further they traveled, the fewer stretches of open water they encountered. They'd always managed to find enough land to stand on, even if they had to jump across some narrow streams here or there, but now only solid rock lay before him. The path steadily narrowed as it rose, the rough walls pressing in close until the group had to go single file.
Sam's tall frame in front of him blocked the light, but it didn't matter. Theo already knew it was there. And with each step up the unforgiving slope, the surroundings grew brighter, the air fresher. When he felt wind on his face, he almost laughed in joy.
Not that he had the breath for it, of course. At the end, the path grew so steep he would've come tumbling straight down if he wasn't clinging to the walls. The exit loomed before him, an oval of light so brilliant it flooded his eyes with tears, and then Sam stumbled through it and Theo spilled out after her.
His knees hit hard rock; the world spun around him. No matter how hard he blinked, the tears wouldn't stop streaming from his eyes, and he still couldn't see a thing. Just that harsh, blinding light.
"Theo." An armored hand on his shoulder, helping him up. "It's all right. Take it slowly. Close your eyes if you have to."
Theo squeezed his eyes shut, flooding his world back into darkness. But it was different than in the Sunless Sea, because he could feel the breeze moving, the warmth of the sun on top of his head. Such small things, but he hadn't realized how much he'd missed them – how much he'd needed them – until now.
He heard footsteps crunching about, voices muttering. Impatient now, Theo dared to crack his eyes open a little. The light still made him wince, but it was much less overwhelming than before. Bit by bit, he lifted his lids and blinked hard, and the world came into focus.
Still blurry, but it didn't matter. For a while he could only stand there, staring in silence at the blue sky above him. Aside from a few scattered clouds, it stretched smooth and unbroken in every direction, so huge he felt like it might swallow him whole.
But the ground remained solid beneath his feet. Looking around, Theo saw they'd emerged from a hole at the base of a low hill. Another hill rose in front of them, covered in a scree of glassy dark rocks. Between the two hills trickled a tiny clear stream, with green splotches of moss painting the boulders at its banks.
"Wow." Ryan let out a shaky laugh before falling onto his rear. Sam and Meg stood in place, looking just as dazed.
But Darian strode forward, brisk as ever, and pulled something out of her pocket. It was small and slender, about as long as her index finger, and seemed to be carved from bone.
When she held it to her lips, Theo realized it was a whistle. She blew hard, but to his surprise no noise came out.
Undeterred, Darian blew again. And again.
"Uh," Theo said. "Um, should I try?"
"Hm?" Darian threw him a glance, then gave the whistle an idle twirl before sliding it back into her pocket. "No need for that. It worked just fine."
"But I didn't hear anything…."
"You wouldn't. This is a jellywhistle – it's designed to make noise on a frequency only medusids can hear. I'm calling my skycraft with it."
"Skycraft?" Theo's heart skipped a beat. "You mean – "
"It'll be much faster to get to the nearest portal by air than on foot. Well, I don't know where my crew might be, so it could take them anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to get here. In the meantime, let's make ourselves comfortable." Darian dusted off her hands and glanced around the group. "Sounds good?"
Her cheeks were flushed red, her eyes glittering. Despite their long trek through the Sunless Sea, Theo had never seen her so animated before.
Yet somehow he felt like he understood. Even though every muscle ached, his Levia burned brighter than the sun above. Not just his own, but the Levia inside the crystal shard in his pocket. Together, they urged him to go forward, to uncover its secrets….
"I'm gonna sleep for a thousand years!" Ryan's shout cut through the air. With that, he jumped onto a boulder and flopped on his back.
Yeah, all the Levia in the world wasn't going to make up for that brutal climb. Ryan had the right idea. Theo yawned and stretched before sitting on a clear patch of ground. When armor clanked, he blinked at Zenith settling down next to him.
"How are you feeling, Theo?" Zenith asked.
"I…." Theo swallowed and turned his gaze back up to the achingly blue sky. He'd seen a sky like this in plenty of arenas, but it had never seemed so vast, so wild. "I think...it's beautiful. I understand why you missed it."
Zenith blinked. His eyes were paler than the sky above, but just as beautiful. "I see."
His mouth twitched – not quite a smile, but it sent a strange floaty feeling through Theo's chest. Sighing, he leaned against Zenith's shoulder and let himself relax.
~*~
Theo must have dozed off, because the next time he opened his eyes, the sky blazed fiery orange. Meanwhile the air had gotten colder, the breeze biting through his T-shirt.
Though Zenith's cape wrapped around him helped a little. Rubbing his eyes, Theo sat upright and pulled the blue cloth over his shoulders. His back ached a little, but otherwise he felt well-rested.
Glancing around, he located Zenith's silhouette – looking rather odd without his cape – at the top of the hill, along with Darian. To his dismay, some stupid childish part of Theo wished Zenith had stayed with him.
'Idiot,' he told himself angrily. It wasn't like Zenith needed to rest himself. Better for him to spend his time doing productive things instead.
It seemed like he and Darian were intently scanning the sky. Theo got up and headed toward them, taking care not to trip over the hem of the cape.
"Hey Theo," Sam called, waving at him. She and Jin were sitting next to a fire by the stream. "We caught some fish. Wanna help us cook it?"
"Oh, sure." Theo turned toward them, but at that moment both Zenith and Darian stiffened. Theo followed their gazes, and his heart jumped into his throat.
A small dark shape had appeared in the sky, high above the mountains rimming the horizon. And it was heading steadily closer.
As it approached, something prickled the edges of Theo's consciousness. Levia? But he'd never sensed any Levia like this before, so constant and steady. Just like the sky itself.
The others had started noticing too; Sam and Jin got up and drifted away from the fire, and Ryan got off his boulder as well. Together, they watched the shape grow larger in the sky.
The prickle deepened into a thrum that rolled through Theo's entire body. It wasn't a sound, yet he felt like he wasn't just sensing it with his Levia either.
But by the time the shape came into clear focus, he forgot all about analyzing this strange feeling. Not when something even stranger – even more amazing – was floating right above him.
In the most basic sense, it resembled a blimp. The gondola was sleek and metal, shaped like a sailing ship with an open deck and massive propellers spinning behind it. But instead of a balloon, it dangled beneath the bell of a gigantic jellyfish. The jellyfish's tentacles were stretched taut, holding up the gondola like ropes.
'Not a jellyfish,' something deep inside Theo said. 'A medusid.'
As the medusid descended, the setting sun blazed through its translucent bell. Yet Theo could still make out its color, a delicate pale blue. Just like Zenith's eyes.
"What do you think?" Darian spun toward him, an exhilarated grin on her face. "This is my craft, the Blue Sky."
Theo almost couldn't hear her beneath the roar of the propellers. By now, the ship – the Blue Sky – had come so close its draft blew Theo's hair all over his face. Annoyed, he brushed it back. He didn't want to take his eyes off the amazing sight for even a second.
Up at the front of the ship, a man leaned over the deck railing. "Well, I'll be!" he bellowed, his voice carrying even above the propellers. "If it isn't the prince herself!"