Eris POV

The air below deck was thick with tension. The discovery of the blood orb had set something into motion, and I could feel the weight of it pressing down on the ship. I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but as I passed by the crew’s quarters, I heard hushed voices—Rubeus’s and Koa’s, low and urgent.

“I don’t care what it takes, Koa,” Rubeus’s voice was like gravel, rough and full of something I couldn’t place. “The orb... It can’t fall into anyone else’s hands. If they find out about it—if she—”

I pulled back from the doorway, my heart pounding in my chest. I couldn’t let them know I...