"Your hometown?" Theo burst out. "The Infernal Legion? Why would they – "
Fia shook their head, wings flapping frantically. Theo had never seen their face this color before, a horrible ashen hue more like a drowned corpse than their usual pale blue.
"I – I have to – Prince Darian – "
"I'll get her," Theo said quickly. "Okay?"
Fia nodded, eyes squeezed shut. Shuddering all over, they sank to their knees. The bird hopped over to them, and they reached out and pulled it to their chest in a tight embrace.
Sam knelt beside Fia, patting their back. For a moment Ryan stared at them, looking as if he'd been punched in the stomach, before trotting over to Theo.
"I'll come with you. Figure we should get everyone, right?"
Theo nodded. He might not understand the whole situation yet, but that didn't matter. Not when Fia needed help.
~*~
It didn't take long to gather the entire crew. They crammed into the deck cabin, taking seats or standing around the center table. All eyes were on Darian, who had taken the letter from Fia and spread it flat on the table.
The globe-fish bobbed a few feet above the table, illuminating the letter bright and clear. The message was short, written in shaky hand and splattered with ink blots.
'Dear Prince Darian,
The Infernal Legion has returned to Mare. We tried to fight, but they easily defeated us. They now possess a machine that can drain Samakah's Levia. If we do nothing, both Mare and Samakah are doomed. Please, you must help us.
Yours, Chief Lahu'
Darian breathed in, then out. Aside from Fia's shuddering breaths, it was the only sound to be heard in the cabin.
"That's old Lahu's handwriting, for sure," Darian said, a muscle working in her jaw. "And that's definitely his bird." She nodded at the bird still clutched in Fia's arms. "So we'll have to assume this is genuine."
Theo stood back, feeling lost but not wanting to say anything when the atmosphere was so tense. But of course, Ryan would never let that stop him.
"So what the hell's going on? What's Mare and Samakah?" he demanded, hands on his hips.
Across the table Meg groaned quietly and slapped her forehead, while Sam shot Ryan her best eye daggers. Fia shuddered, but Darian gamely answered.
"Mare is Fia's hometown. An island in the northern sea. And it was the first territory to offer me their allegiance."
"That's correct." Guntar lifted his head, throat wattle wobbling. "It was there Prince Darian won her first victory over the Infernal Legion."
"But now they're back," Darian said grimly. "Damn it, I thought…."
"Forgive me, but if you could explain the full situation to us?" Meg cut in, looking Darian in the eye. "The letter says something about a Levia-draining machine?"
Guntar clucked angrily, but Darian drew herself upright and met Meg's gaze. "Right. The Infernal Legion wouldn't normally concern themselves with such a remote settlement, but...Mare is different. It rests atop a Levia vein, and that vein is guarded by an ocean spirit."
"Samakah," Fia mumbled into the bird's feathers.
"For centuries, Samakah has protected Mare, keeping both monsters and invaders at bay," Darian explained, brisk as ever, though there was no hiding the fury quivering behind every word. "Very few in Mare have seen her directly. Instead, she channels her will through mediums."
Now Darian's gaze fell on Fia. "Fia is Samakah's current medium."
Theo's jaw dropped, and he wasn't the only one. For his part, Ryan looked like he'd been kicked in the nuts. Not that Theo could blame him. He'd certainly never suspected the peppy chatterbox Fia would be someone so important.
"So why aren't you there with your spirit now?" Sam blurted. The instant the words came out, her eyes widened and her hands flew to her mouth. "Ah, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean – "
"It's okay," Fia said, though their voice was quieter than ever. "I...it's 'cause I wanted to protect them. I thought this was the best way. Joining Prince Darian."
"Three years ago, the Infernal Legion attacked Mare for the first time," Kress spoke up. "They wanted to take over the Levia vein, see, and also control Samakah. And they did pretty well for themselves at first. Made all the villagers into their slaves, including Fia."
As Fia shuddered harder, Theo took a step toward them. But he had no idea what to do or say, how to comfort them.
"Until we arrived," Guntar said. "It was a long and difficult battle, but we finally freed Mare from the Infernal Legion."
"The townsfolk were grateful." Darian curled her fingers into a shuddering fist. "They swore themselves to me, and I – I swore I would protect them."
"And me." Fia spoke, to Theo's surprise, and though they were still trembling their voice sounded a little steadier. "I swore too. The Legion – they wanted me, 'cause they couldn't control Samakah without me. So I decided to go with Prince Darian. That way, they'd have to chase us down and leave Mare alone."
With each word, Theo's heart clenched tighter. Fia was around the same age as him; they couldn't have been any older than thirteen when all of this had gone down. And yet they'd chosen to make such a massive sacrifice. To paint a target on their back and leave behind the only home they'd ever known.
All this time, Theo could never have imagined this kind of steel lived in Fia. But it made sense, didn't it? He thought of Cay and Amaro, and Eulyn. Guntar. Zenith. Every one of Darian's crew had their own inner strength, their own reasons for following her.
"But they're back," Darian said quietly, glaring at the table as if she wanted to burn a hole through it. "They're back. And it seems they've discovered a way to control Samakah without the medium."
"Prince Darian." For the first time, Fia lifted their face from the bird's feathers. Taking the opportunity, the bird squirmed free, but Fia didn't seem to care. They had their eyes fixed on Darian as if nothing else existed. "We have to go back to Mare. Everyone – Chief Lahu – and Samakah, we can't let them have Samakah."
Darian nodded, eyes hard as sapphires. "Well said, Fia."
"I'll go change our course," Amaro said smoothly, already striding to the cabin door. "Unless you need anything else from me, Prince?"
"No. The sooner we get there, the better." Darian stood up. "Fia, I know this may be asking too much of you, but try to get some rest tonight. We'll need to be in our best condition when the time comes. All right?"
Fia twisted their fingers in their poncho. "I – I'll try."
"The same goes for the rest of you," Darian said as she headed to the door. "Guntar, Meg, if you'd come with me? We'll need a plan of attack."
"All right, but don't work yourself too hard," Meg said. "Try to take some of your own advice, hm?"
"Right, right." Darian waved a dismissive hand. "Let's go. No time to waste."
"My liege," Zenith said, stepping toward her. "If I could join you? Ah – " He cast a glance at Theo. "If the both of us could join you."
To his horror, a bitter jolt of jealousy stabbed Theo's heart. He should have been happy Zenith included him, but it almost came across as an afterthought.
Not like any of this mattered. 'Get a grip!' Fia's hometown was in danger and here Theo was still fretting about his sorry excuse for a love life.
No, he had to think about what was important. The Infernal Legion. For the first time since leaving Earth, they would face the Infernal Legion again – which meant Victor. Theo thought of the black dragon relentlessly attacking his friends, and his heart beat faster.
He could do it. For his crew's sake. For Fia's sake.
Warmth pulsed from the Star of Miriel, startling him – but comforting him at the same time. When Zenith gestured at him, he blinked, only to realize everyone had begun trickling out of the cabin. Darian had already stepped out of the door.
Gulping in a breath, Theo ran over to his familiar.