by Cait Marie
A knock on the door woke Shane. The bright sun rays burst through the window, shining high enough to indicate the late morning hour. He had spent hours almost every night searching the lab and still hadn’t found any clues on how to cure or stop the Kald. The knock turned into pounding on the wood. Before he could fully stand from the bed, his door flew open, and the king stormed in.
“Father,” Shane said, playing up his exhaustion. “What is it? Has something happened?”
The king stopped in front of the table in the far corner of the room, where someone had left a tray of food for the prince. His habit of missing breakfast concerned the maids and kitchen staff, and they started bringing his food straight to his room. They never woke him or said anything if he was missing. They knew of the rebels. It should have worried him that there might be spies in the castle, but it didn’t. In the few weeks he had known them, he had grown to trust and respect the group—counted some of them as friends. He knew they would all be found guilty of treason if caught, but he also knew they were doing the right thing. He was grateful to have them working to protect their kingdom and its people.
After pouring himself a glass of water, the king turned and motioned for the prince to join him. Shane took slow steps to the table. They sat across from each other before the king began.
“You’re still sick.” It sounded like an accusation, but genuine concern filled his eyes. Shane simply nodded. “There are only a couple weeks until the ball.”
The normalcy of the conversation surprised Shane. He could almost pretend the same man that raised him sat across from him now.
The king cleared his throat and shook his head slightly. “I have a doctor coming in to check on you this afternoon and throughout the next few days. It seems my regular physician, Viktor, has run off.”
Shane took a great amount of effort to keep his breathing steady.
“But his apprentice will be here soon.”
Shane nodded, pretending to be grateful. He hoped that his unease would be misinterpreted as part of the illness. The king rose and looked down at his son.
“He will be stopping by regularly,” he said with a pointed look. “Throughout the day and night, he will be coming in to be sure it isn’t something more serious. We need you better before the ball.”
He walked to the door, and Shane let out a shaky breath. Before leaving, his father looked over his shoulder. The look in his eyes frightened Shane. He had seen the king look frantic before, but this was something else entirely. This was anger. This was a knowing look, like he could see all the secrets swirling around in Shane’s head. Then he left, slamming the door behind him.
The second it closed, Shane jumped from his seat and moved to turn the lock. He didn’t want any more surprises. Although, he knew he would not be sneaking out for the next few days. With the physician’s surprise visits, he needed to be in his room at all times. At that thought, he realized that was his father’s intent. The king knew he was leaving somehow. Shane just hoped he didn’t know where he spent most of his time.
The woven grass and fronds that made up the hammock shifted beneath Ada. The whole thing creaked and rocked as if it might topple over. Just as she opened her eyes to tell the person beside her to get up, a snap sounded, sending them both to the dirt floor. Once her heart settled, she glanced over at Phillip, who looked about ready to burst with laughter.
“Well, that’s one way to wake you up.” He sat up and slid back to rest against the wall.
Ada laughed, pushing herself up to sit next to him. In the light, she could see that the symbols were carved into the small table and the collapsed posts of the hammock as well.
“I’m sorry about last night. I just don’t understand why, after all this, they won’t help.”
“It’s not my story to tell.” Ada picked at a piece of grass. She thought of her ancestors taking everything from them. “I don’t blame them.”
“What now?” he asked. “They’re out there preparing to head back to the ship. Are we going home?”
“Not yet…”
“What do you mean?” His brow scrunched.
“I’m going to help them break the curse before we go back.”
“We’re going to…” His words were slow and drawn out. “What? Why?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do.” He looked at her like she was crazy, so she explained, “It was my ancestors who put the curse on him—them. What if they need me to break it?”
“You’re going to help them even though they refuse to help you?”
“Yes.” There was no hesitation. “They’ll take me home before the ball, regardless of the curse breaking. Then, I will try to stop my father myself.”
“Ada, no, that’s ridiculous.”
She put a hand on his and turned slightly to face him. “I’ll go to Michel. He should be there by now. He won’t have an army with him, but if we can convince the men he does have and any of our own soldiers not involved with my father, we might stand a chance. I’ll need you to talk with the guards…”
“Of course. But telling Michel will show him the treaty is being broken. He’ll have an excuse for a full attack. It would send us right into the war we’re trying to avoid.”
Ada thought about it for a moment. He was right, but what other options were there? “Maybe our marriage will be enough to stop him. Promise an alliance and convince him to only stop my father, not attack the whole kingdom.”
Phillip flipped over his hand and laced their fingers together. “For the record, I think this is a horrible idea. But I trust you. If you think this is the only option left, I’m with you. I’ll do anything I can to help stop your father, and to break the curse.”
“So, you’ll come with us?” she asked.
He held his free hand out, waving it about the room with a laugh. “Where else would I go? I’m helping for you though. Not for them.”
She smiled and leaned forward onto her knees to hug him. “Thank you.”
Phillip squeezed her back with a chuckle. “You’re lucky I love you.”
A throat cleared from the doorway. Ada looked up to see Loxley standing in the doorway. His fist clenched at his side.
“We’re just about ready to go,” he said.
Before she could say anything, he stormed back out into the sun. Ada groaned and flopped back onto thin padding of grass, covering her face with her arms.
“You should talk to him,” Phillip said.
“There’s nothing to talk about.” Her arms muffled her words. Phillip stood and began tugging her up. Once on her feet, she thrust her hands through her hair.
“Clearly something needs to be dealt with.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she replied, pulling on her boots.
“It looks like it matters quite a bit.” He tilted her chin up.
“It doesn’t matter to him,” she whispered.
Phillip pressed a kiss to her forehead, then led her outside. She looped an arm through his, and he leaned in closer to say, “Oh, I’d beg to differ.”
He nodded toward the beach, where Loxley stood with arms crossed, glaring at them.
“I think the problem is he does care,” Phillip continued.
Ada rolled her eyes. “Like I said, it doesn’t matter. I’m going back to Detmarya and marrying Michel, and he’ll still be…”
“A pirate,” Phillip finished for her. She nodded and looked at her feet.
They paused at the edge of the village. Phillip said something about helping with the boats and left her looking around the island. Ada sniffed back the sadness that threatened to overcome her. “I found it, Mama,” she whispered.
“I know you expected more,” Brienne said as she came up behind her. They stood side by side, taking it all in.
“No, it’s not that,” Ada explained. “I’ve waited my entire life to find this island and all of you. I just can’t believe I’m actually here.”
Brienne draped an arm around her friend’s shoulders. Th
ey looked around at the small village, listening to the breeze rustle through the fronds and tall grasses for a few moments before turning back toward the beach. Together, they shuffled through the sand. Ada sat in one of the boats and helped row back to the ship. Loxley didn’t say a word to her. In fact, it seemed as if he actively avoided her.
“He’ll come around,” Ren told Ada at dinner that night.
“He’s grateful you’re coming with us,” Brienne chimed in around a mouthful of apple. She swallowed and took a drink. “We all are.”
Ada smiled and explained her theory on needing her book and cards to break the curse. They agreed it was possible. Things went back to her new normal, and for the next few days, Ada stuck with Brienne or Ren as they went about their duties. She knew the ship well at that point and began doing things without needing to be told. The weather stayed clear, but as they sailed farther west, clouds filled the sky.
“We’ll arrive at the Sannwyn Isles,” Loxley said, joining Ada at the bow of the ship. “I’ve heard stories of an ancient witch there, who knows the old magic. We’ll reach the main island by dusk and start looking.”
Ada nodded in response and continued looking out over the water.
“You’re not talking to me now?” he asked.
She turned to him with narrowed eyes. “Because you’ve been so interested in talking to me lately?”
“Forget it,” he said, waving her off and starting to walk away.
“No, stop.” Ada grabbed his arm. “Why are you doing this?”
Loxley looked down at her hand. She didn’t remove it. “I’m not doing anything. I don’t think you realize how big of a deal this is for us too. You’re not the only one whose life is about to change.”
Ada kept her mouth shut and listened. It was the most he had said to her in days.
“The book you have only tells part of the story. It doesn’t tell about those three years we spent fighting in the war for King Henri. It doesn’t tell how much death and destruction we caused as spies in Rayerna. We were unstoppable with our lives tied to those cards.”
A seagull flew overhead, squawking in the wind. Ada hadn’t thought much about their time in the war—how the rumors spread of the immortal warriors.
In a quiet voice, Loxley said, “I have been cursed for one hundred and thirty years. Never aging. Never dying. Always alone.”
Ada barely heard the last words. “You’re not alone anymore,” she told him, moving her hand to his cheek.
Pained, ocean eyes met hers. He opened his mouth to speak but shut it quickly. He took a step back, shaking his head. As he walked away, she heard him mutter, “for now.”
For days, Shane stayed in his room. The doctor came in several times throughout the day and night. It was the man he had seen down near the lab the first day. He brought tonics to help with the fever Shane clearly did not have and the other symptoms he faked. Each time, Shane found a way to get rid of the medicines without ingesting them, but he didn’t know how much longer he could keep up the pretense.
Shortly after one visit, he risked sneaking through the hidden tunnels to Michel’s room. He told him everything that he knew, wanting to keep the prince safe. The visits to the rebel group ceased entirely. It took too long to get there and back, and his rooms could not be found empty. He couldn’t risk being followed either. He would not put them in any more danger.
A few nights into the new routine, Shane paced before his fireplace. The flames danced and crackled, fighting the cold that threatened from outside the stone walls. He yanked at his hair, trying to come up with a plan. The physician had just left him, assessing that none of the medicines seemed to be making a difference. He then suggested trying a new medication they recently developed and told Shane that he’d bring the injection with him in the morning.
Bile rose in Shane’s throat at the thought. He’d hoped that pretending to be sick would get the ball postponed, but the doctor bringing a newly developed injection could only mean one thing. Had he known the man would entertain that option, he’d have acted like he felt better.
A noise across the room caught his attention, and he whirled around to the entrance of the secret tunnels. He watched the tapestry move to the side, expecting to see Michel emerge. Instead, he rushed to the female sneaking into his room.
“Gwyn,” he hissed as he reached her.
His arms went around her, and she only hesitated a moment before wrapping her own around his back.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
She stood back and looked him over. After assuring he was alive and intact, she slapped his arm. “You haven’t been by in days. We were worried.”
He hushed her and apologized, then led her to the fire. He asked how William was before he filled her in on the conversation with his father. Her face paled as he finished with what the doctor told him that evening. She shook her head.
“Shane.” Gwyn reached out to hold both of his hands. “You can’t get that injection. It’s probably—”
“The Kald. Yes, I know,” he interrupted. “I assumed so as well.”
“Unless maybe it really is the cure.”
Shaking his head, Shane said, “I don’t know.”
“Do you really think your father would allow him to make you sick?”
He thought about it. With a sigh, he moved to sit against the arm of one of the burgundy chairs. The wind howled outside, but the castle was otherwise silent. He locked the door each time the doctor left, ensuring he be the one to open it for any visitors, but he still looked toward it in concern. Despite everything, he didn’t think his father would purposely give him the virus. But he wasn’t sure what to think anymore.
“Shane?” She moved closer, stopping just in front of him. Her dark hair shimmered in the glow of the fire. It cascaded around her shoulders in loose curls. So different than her normal tight braids.
He reached out and pulled her closer. “I don’t know,” he whispered. “I don’t think so. He hasn’t been by in days. The physician might be acting of his own accord, especially if he knows I’m faking it.”
“We’ll figure a way out of this.”
Bracing herself with both hands on his chest, she slowly leaned in and brushed her lips along his. His grip tightened on her sides. As her hands slid up to wind around his neck, he grabbed both wrists and gently pulled them back down. He broke the kiss but kept a hold of her where she stood between his legs.
He rested his forehead against hers. “Gwyn, I have to ask you something.”
“What?” She sounded breathless, and he couldn’t stop the side of his mouth from twitching up.
“I need your help. I don’t know what else to do—who else to ask.” Gwyn leaned back to look at him. When she nodded, he continued, “We’re running out of time. The ball is in less than two weeks. I don’t think my father will postpone it.”
“What do you need from me?”
He kissed her briefly, grateful she would help. “I’m sure my father knows I’ve been lying. I don’t know how much he knows, but I am sure I don’t want anyone else in danger if I can help it.” He took a deep breath. “We need to get Prince Michel out of here.”
“Do you think your father will hurt him?”
“Yes.” Shane sighed. “He’s planning to eventually, so if there’s a chance he knows the truth. If he suspects Michel knows his plans and the truth about why Ada left… I have no doubt he’ll move up whatever he intends to do to the prince. According to Phillip, when he and Ada heard my father, there was a plan to kill nearly everyone at the ball.”
Shane stopped and stood suddenly. He cursed while raking a hand through his hair. Gwyn reached out to stop his pacing. “What? What is it?”
“The ball,” he said. “The dinner at the ball. That’s how he is planning to kill everyone. Stars, I’m an idiot!”
“Shane, what are you talking about?” Gwyn demanded.
“The Kald—that’s how it’s spreading. It’s being ingested.”
Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth.
“That is why only some people were getting sick. The king’s men must be injecting it into a food supply somewhere in the city,” he said.
Shane and Gwyn went back and forth contemplating the possible locations. Then a more frightening thought occurred—that it could be in the water. Maybe not yet, but with the king’s erratic behavior they knew it could be a future possibility. If not in Detmarya, then somewhere else.
“Shane.” Gwyn put a hand on his chest. “You’re right, we need to get the prince out of here. If he gets sick or worse, it won’t matter what else we do. It will start a war.”
“You’ll help me?”
“Of course,” she whispered and reached up to kiss him again. “When do we do it?”
“The day after tomorrow, just before dawn,” he said, placing his hands on her hips. “That way we can prepare a ship and have him leave as soon as possible. Can you get a few people to help you? People you trust?”
“Yes, we’ll take care of that. I think it will be easier if it’s just me who comes and gets him though.”
“It’s too dangerous. At least bring someone as a look-out. I’ll talk to Michel and have him prepare to leave.”
Gwyn agreed, and with another kiss, she slipped back into the night. Shane thought through the plan as he walked through the tunnel to the prince’s chambers. His mind drifted to the other issue with the doctor. If he pretended to feel better, could he convince the man to not give him the injection?
The Sannwyn Isles weren’t so much islands as a collection of marshy lands covered in various shades of dull green, clumped together around one central island. The sun sat low in the sky by the time they docked at the mainland. They all made their way through the streets of the lively town. People walked about the open booths, selling and trading everything from live animals to jewelry. The scent of mixed spices made Ada’s mouth water.
