"The sea welcomed us, as women reborn scarred, bonded, and woven into the very current of fate."
Hours later, the mist gave way to clarity. The waters turned from deep grey to crystalline blue-green, the telltale colour of the Pearl Castle's outer waters. Towers began to shimmer in the distanceopal and coral, rising from the waves like the bones of a sleeping god.
My heart stuttered. "I've never seen it in person," I said, awe slipping into my voice. "Only in paintings. Tales."
"It's more than a fortress," Ysara said softly. "It is a being. A heart. A memory of the gods."
