Page 93 of A Reckless Indulgence

Cav

Cav can’t open his eyes. Raw pain scratches up his throat, branching into his shoulder until it throbs. His skin is tight and dry. His body is too heavy, or too weak, to move. There’s a crackling in his ears, but past that, he hears waves crashing.

He smiles. He remembers this. For years, he’s dreamt of returning to this moment. Back to his shipwreck, when his eyelashes were crusted with salt, and his nose was scraped out by seawater. He knows what comes next. He lies on his back and sinks into the feeling of her fingers brushing hair from his face.

But something’s wrong. The ocean sounds too far away. When he inhales, he breaks into a fit of coughing. The scent of fire burns away everything else.

He fights to open his eyes. Around him, the world is blurry and streaked with shadows. This is not the grotto. There is no rock formation overhead, no waves lapping at his feet, no water dripping onto his face. Above him, stars blink in the hazy sky. Flames dance on the debris around him. His scales are gritty with ash.

His neck creaks in protest when he turns toward the ocean. There bobs the Indulgence, looking almost peaceful, aside from the burnt sails and charred hull.

Cav’s brow knits. That small movement makes him groan, but cool hands cradle his face. There she is. Lyx. Beautiful Lyx, looking down on him where his head rests in her lap.

“I think we’ve — been here before,” he rasps.

Her lip quivers, and her body glows, but her eyes look wearier than he’s seen. She keeps moving her hands down his body. He arches into them until he realizes she’s checking for something. Wounds. Tenderness.

Her cheek is bleeding. He reaches toward it. “What’s wrong?” Clearly something is, but his mind is too thick with muck to remember how they got here.

Her hands rest on his chest. “You don’t remember,” she murmurs, like she’s to blame for the state he’s in.

Cav reaches through the cloud of his memories. There was a sailboat, nets of oysters, a gun… Tidus was here. Cav tries to sit up, but his shoulder spasms. “Is he still here? Is he —”

Lyx lowers him back to her lap. “Gone.”

He sighs with relief, but that stirs up another round of coughing. “Did he — start a fire?”

Lyx’s gaze flicks to Cav’s mouth. Every breath he takes is a struggle, his lungs chafed with smoke. It’s strange; his body can withstand more fire than most, but this is different. This feels like he was standing in the middle of it.

A dream unravels in his mind. It’s so distant he can hardly remember it. Lyx’s voice in his ear. A respite, drawing him out of his body to watch from above. Someone set fire to the ship. Someone stepped into the blaze. Someone stoked the heat that he can still feel on his skin.

Not someone. Cav. It was his hands curling around the ship’s ladder. It was his eyes staring up at the wooden beams. It was his mouth spilling flames.

This destruction is all Cav’s doing.

From deeper in the island, a stampede of footsteps grows. Heathen and Cypher emerge from the brush, followed by the remaining crew. Their chests are heaving, eyes rimmed with sleep, trying to make sense of the ruin around them.

“Cav?” Heathen pants. “How are you…” They blink blearily toward the empty ramp. “Where’s the fire? We saw it. We saw…”

Shame spreads up the back of Cav’s neck. With a wince, he tries to push to his feet, but Lyx bears the brunt of his weight. Heathen rushes toward them, reaching to support him before she catches sight of his singed flesh. “You’re burned.”

Behind her, the rest of the crew sprints toward the water, piling into dinghies and rowing to secure the Indulgence. Cypher stays behind. Already, the flaming ship tattoo is fading. The mark has served its purpose.

Guilt and soot clog Cav’s throat. “It was — Prodeus,” he chokes. He has to place a hand on his knees to catch his breath. “He’s been watching — following us.”

“He did this? After all this time?” Heathen scans the beach. “Where is he?”

Lyx looks out across the water. “Returned to the sea.”

Cypher crouches next to a pile of scorched netting, searching the debris before she rubs the sooty tips of her fingers. “Something doesn’t add up.” She rises to her feet, gaze flicking over both of them. “How did he know where to find the Indulgence?”

Cav schools his expression. “I told you — he’s been following us.” He takes a few ragged breaths. “He must have been — watching you today.” He wants to tell the truth, but that means giving up Lyx, and he refuses to do that.

“Today.” Cypher gestures toward Lyx. “After she disappears and magically returns?”

Cav huffs. “I’m sure his boat is — somewhere close. Look for it.”

“Who really set the fire?”