Strength

by W. J. May

  It was silent for a moment, then the fae cocked his head towards the rigging.

  “Do the, uh...the sailing thing.”

  The sailing thing?

  “What are you talking about?” Asher said bracingly. “Why would you ask me to—”

  “Why wouldn’t I ask you to?” the fae interrupted with a hint of alarm. “I thought—”

  “Wait a second,” Evie cut them off sharply, looking between them. “You’re telling me that neither one of you knows how to sail?”

  This time, the pause was much longer. Then both men started speaking at the same time.

  “Of course I do.”

  “Since I was a child.”

  “I was just making sure he did.”

  “What a stupid question.”

  A hush fell over the ship.

  “Are you KIDDING me?!”

  The vampire raised his hands, trying to calm things down.

  “Look, Evie—”

  “You can’t be angry with me,” Ellanden said stiffly. “I’ve been stabbed.”

  “Let’s see if I can!” she shouted. “Let’s see if I can find it in me!”

  Asher tried again to intervene. “If we could all just calm down—”

  “You really thought that I would know what to do with this thing?” Ellanden interrupted, glancing up at the towering sails. “The whole time you’ve known me, you thought I’d been sneaking off and taking sailing lessons on the sly?”

  “Taviel is an island!” she cried. “I thought you might have some idea—”

  “Honey, just take a breath—”

  “Don’t HONEY me!” She whirled around, jabbing a finger at the vampire’s chest. “This is your fault more than his anyway!”

  It took Asher a second to change course. “Why is it...”

  She silenced him with a dangerous look.

  “Since you were the one who suggested stealing a ship in the first place, I kind of assumed you’d know what to do if we ever got onboard!”

  Sensing an opportunity Ellanden positioned himself behind her, folding his arms across his chest. “I assumed that, too, Asher. We couldn’t be more disappointed.”

  “Oh, give me a break—”

  “Would all of you just shut up?” Freya stepped quickly in between them, holding up her hands. “I don’t care whose fault it is—we’re here now.”

  The three friends glared petulantly, avoiding each other’s eyes.

  “So let’s just figure this out,” the witch continued, trying hard to hide the panic and speak in a rational tone. “You’ve all been on ships like this before. Where do we start?”

  It was quiet a few seconds, then Ellanden gestured up to the mast.

  “Well, this rope is clearly important...”

  Seth slumped back against the railing, rubbing his eyes. “Seven hells, we’re all going to die.”

  “No, we’re not.” Cosette pushed past him, heading towards the mast. “We’re going to sail.”

  The others watched in amazement as she flitted up the rigging, flying from rope to rope as if she had wings. Her hands were always busy, knotting something here, cutting something there. One by one the heavy sails unfurled, blowing open as they cupped the ocean breeze.

  The current grabbed them. White waves started lapping against the hull. By the time she was finished they were cutting smoothly through the water, heading out towards the open sea.

  Seven hells...where did that come from?

  “It isn’t perfect.” She landed gracefully beside them, shooting both of her adopted brothers an exasperated look. “I also assumed the two of you had at least some idea what you were doing. But, short of any complications, it should take us in the general direction of the Dunes.”

  Her confidence faltered when she turned around and saw their baffled expressions.

  “I mean...at least we’re heading due west.”

  The men were temporarily speechless, but Evie started to smile.

  “Where did you learn to do that?”

  “I worked on a fishing trawler for two months before heading to Harenthall.” She tightened one of the ropes, squinting against the wind. “This is a little bit different, but I assume the general principles remain. A ship is a ship.”

  Sure enough, there was a quiet sound above them as three more sails rolled open, filling with the ocean wind. There was another burst of speed as the ship glided evenly across the water.

  Three days? I bet we make it by the end of tomorrow night.

  “You worked on a fishing trawler.” Seth’s eyes twinkled as they looked the little princess up and down. “Of course you did.”

  Ellanden pushed deliberately between them, knocking into the shifter’s shoulder as he went.

  “You want to help get us there faster? Why don’t you whittle yourself an oar?”

  THE FRIENDS MIGHT HAVE spent the previous day recuperating, but the next few hours were all about preparation. Together, they scoured the holds of the ship—taking anything they thought might be useful and dragging it up to the main deck. They were indeed lucky that the Carpathians had decided to restock their supplies before heading to the taverns that night. As long as the wind held true, they’d be arriving at the Dunes with more than they could have possibly hoped.

  Food and fresh water, basic medical supplies, rope and crude satchels—along with a thick sheet of canvas Ellanden was convinced he could make into a tent. All things considered, it was exactly what they would have packed themselves before heading out on a long quest.

  And of course, it wouldn’t be a Carpathian vessel without weapons...

  “Seven hells...I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that.”

  Evie glanced up as Seth settled beside her with a grin, gesturing to the barbaric club in her hand. Both ends were pointed, with half a dozen serrated blades in between. Though perhaps the most unsettling feature was the massive hook sticking out of the side.

  The princess flipped it over, examining the hook. “You think that’s blood or rust?”

  The shifter glanced at her and decided to lie. “Rust.”

  She set it down carefully, picking up some arrows instead and sorting them slowly into quivers. He watched her working for a moment, then began to help.

  A few minutes passed before she glanced from the corner of her eye.

  “...you hiding from the vampire?”

  He smiled in spite of himself, holding an arrow in each hand.

  “I’m not hiding from the vampire.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  “There’s no shame in it.”

  “I’m sure.”

  She nodded innocently, returning to the arrows.

  The two sat there in comfortable silence—dividing and counting the arrows, passing the ones the other couldn’t reach. It was a rather odd task, even more so given that they’d only known each other a few days. And yet, there was something strangely natural about it.

  The princess glanced up at him again, peering from beneath her lashes.

  “So you really knew what you were doing back at the settlement,” she said quietly, watching his reaction. “The rest of us are lucky you were there.”

  Now that the shock of the Carpathian encampment had begun to wear off, little details were starting to come back to her. The way the shifter had shaken off the nightmares much faster than the rest of them, walking with his hands in his pockets and his eyes on the street. The way he’d pulled the drunken soldier into an alley, gutting him with a blade before hiding the body in the trash.

  He let out a quiet sigh, keeping his eyes on the arrows.

  “Those people are all the same. You act surprised, they’ll want to surprise you more. You react in any way, they’ll find it engaging. The best thing to do is be indifferent, just walk away.”

  Even if that doesn’t always work.

  She stared up at him, debating whether to ask her next question.

  “...did you learn that in
the arena?”

  There was a hitch in his breathing. His fingers paused over the arrow.

  It was something no one ever talked about, though it was never far away from the shifter’s mind. Only a few weeks he’d spent in captivity but they were burned deep inside of him, plaguing him with a thousand blood-stained images he’d rather forget.

  “The arena is only about survival,” he finally answered. “It’s just...it’s just impossible to think about anything else.”

  She nodded slowly, letting the conversation drop.

  They continued working for a while—both imagining a world that no longer existed, both silently wondering if it could ever come to be restored. Almost all the arrows had been sheathed and sorted when he turned to her suddenly, flashing an unexpected smile.

  “Can I ask you a fantastically ill-timed question?”

  She let out a burst of laughter, leaning back on her hands.

  “What have you got?”

  His eyes drifted across the ship, coming to rest on the two fae. They were standing by the railing, talking in their native tongue, completely oblivious to their silent audience.

  “Ellanden’s very protective.”

  Not exactly a question, but he’d asked one all the same.

  Evie laughed softly, following his gaze.

  “You know their story. You know what they’ve been through. Ten years he was lost, ten years she tried to find him. Is it any wonder they can’t be separated now?”

  “No,” Seth answered honestly. “No, it’s not.” But he glanced at them again before returning to the princess—a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. “Ellanden’s very protective.”

  She laughed once more, pushing stiffly to her feet. “Let me ask you a question: how much do you know about fae?”

  He stood up alongside her. “Only what I’ve read.”

  She took his arm with a smile, leading him slowly down the stairs. “Let me put it this way...have you ever seen a pack of lions in the wild? And they look really cool from far away, but then you realize you’re too close and you start to get scared? And then they circle around behind you and you realize you’re in trouble? And then you start dating one of their cousins and the pack decides to rip you to shreds? Just tearing and biting and screaming—”

  “Yeah, I got it,” Seth laughed, holding up a hand. “Thanks for the warning.”

  She flashed a grin, tossing back her long hair.

  “I’m not trying to discourage you. I’m saying it’s going to be tough.”

  “I can do tough.”

  “It might even be impossible.”

  He came to a stop when they got to the base of the stairs—gazing across the deck at the woodland princess. She was stringing a bow with a thoughtful expression, nodding along as she listened to whatever Ellanden had to say. It was a rather serious image for one so young, but every now and then the sun would catch her eyes. Every now and then she’d look up with a smile.

  Seth stared for a suspended moment, then turned back with a wink.

  “Nothing’s impossible...”

  The two parted ways, heading for opposite ends of the ship. The shifter left to position himself within conversational distance of the girl he admired, while the princess went out in search of her own paramour. He was reclining on the banister, staring out towards the sea.

  “You get that you’re, like, a hundred feet up, right?” she called, squinting with a grin into the ocean breeze. “A whole ship at your disposal, but you want to lie down on the very edge.”

  Asher turned with a gentle smile, opening his arms. “Join me?”

  She scrambled up without a second thought, balancing precariously on the narrow banister before he gathered her effortlessly into his arms. A soft kiss pressed to the back of her head as she lay back against him, tracing her fingertips along the backs of his hands.

  “The arrows are all sorted. All nineteen million of them.”

  He glanced down in surprise. “Seriously? I was going to help you with that tonight—I thought it would take ages.”

  She shrugged, staring out at the churning waves.

  “Seth gave me a hand. Just like he did with the shifting last night.”

  In his own unique way.

  She hadn’t shared the man’s tactics with her boyfriend. Best not to test a vampire.

  “I know Landi’s not crazy about him,” she continued, “but I’m glad he’s here. The guy’s really easy to talk to. And, to be honest, it’s kind of nice to have another...”

  She trailed off, not wanting to offend.

  “Another shifter?” Asher finished with a hidden smile.

  She glanced over her shoulder, measuring his expression.

  “Is that weird? It’s one thing talking with my dad about stuff like that, but that’s part of the problem—he’s my dad. There’s only so far he’d ever actually push me. It’s totally different with someone my own age, someone with a completely unbiased perspective.”

  Someone who isn’t afraid to strand you naked on a ship, if that’s what it takes.

  “It isn’t weird at all,” Asher said softly, tightening his arms. “There were a few younger vampires in some of the camps my father and I visited. It wasn’t exactly...” His body tensed before relaxing with a quiet sigh. “Well, I guess it wasn’t exactly the same thing.”

  Evie sucked in a breath, but said nothing.

  Considering how much of the vampire’s life had been spent travelling the five kingdoms with his father, trying to rally the scattered factions of his kind, they spent surprisingly little time talking about it. That was probably because Asher made a concerted effort not to spend time thinking about it. Whatever memories he did have, he tended to keep to himself.

  “And it isn’t surprising about Seth,” he continued suddenly. “There are a lot of strong personalities in our group. It’s good he’s here to provide some balance.”

  She shot a grin over her shoulder. “Give you and Cosette a little break?”

  “Exactly.” He chuckled quietly, leaning back against the rail. “Of course...he saw you naked on the beach. I guess that means I have to kill him.”

  She laughed, resting her head against his chest. “I was covered in so much blood, I hardly think it counts. At any rate, I plan on being naked a lot more often.”

  He froze beneath her, trying hard to think of a suitable response.

  “Oh, yeah?” he finally replied. “And why is that?”

  She let him hang for a moment before answering with a secret smile. “Because I’m shifting now, silly. What did you think I meant?” She tilted her head, staring up at him innocently. “Guess I should talk to Seth about it. It’s a wolf thing.”

  He lifted his eyebrows and an anticipatory shiver ran up her spine. “Oh, the naked part? You’ll just work that out with him?”

  She bit down on her lip, trying hard not to smile. “Yeah, probably should.”

  He nodded slowly, and for a suspended moment neither of them spoke. Then all at once—

  “Asher—NO!”

  The princess let out a shriek of laughter as the vampire leapt upon her—completely ignoring the fact that they were balanced on a narrow railing above a hundred-foot drop into the sea. His fingers blurred with speed as they tickled her mercilessly, easily deflecting all her half-hearted attempts to break free. At one point he actually dangled her over the side, letting her hang there for a moment before pulling her—breathless—back into his lap.

  “Are you insane?!” she shrieked, unable to stop giggling. “We could have died!”

  He nodded sympathetically.

  “Maybe you should get naked. Talk to Seth about it.” He shook his head with a grin as she settled back into his arms. “...it’s a wolf thing.”

  They sat like that for a while, staring out at the endless water. Then his eyes tightened thoughtfully as he thought back over the events of the last few days.

  “Jokes aside...you should have seen the way you two were fighting in the fore
st. It was perfectly synchronized. Choreographed. Like you were part of the same pack.” He glanced down at her with a hint of pride. “I’ve seen your father fight the same way.”

  She flushed in surprise.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  There was a little pause.

  “But Seth’s not in my pack.”

  Asher laughed quietly.

  “You’re the Belarian princess. Everyone is in your pack.” He kissed her softly, pulling back with a tender smile. “It’s a shame he has to die.”

  She laughed again, gazing back across the deck. “I think his heart belongs to someone else.”

  The two of them watched as Cosette finished with the bow and headed to the pile of weapons to get another. Seth glanced up from a book he wasn’t actually reading, aching to go speak with her, but his eyes drifted past to where Ellanden was sharpening a blade on the other side.

  The princess vanished up the stairs. He went back to his reading.

  “How’s Ellanden?” Evie asked quietly, looking back at the fae. At a glance, he appeared to be perfectly normal. One would never suspect he’d been recently stabbed.

  “It’s painful,” Asher answered, following her gaze with a touch of concern. “A lot more painful than he’s admitting.” He pulled in a breath to say something else, then ended up shaking his head. “It could have been so much worse. The guy took on half the battalion.”

  Evie’s lips twitched with a wry grin. “That’s Ellanden.”

  She could say with absolute certainty that the alternative had never crossed his mind. Why take on just ten Carpathian soldiers when you had a chance to fight so many more?

  They lapsed back into silence, staring with affectionate exasperation at their friend. But the longer they sat there, the more troubled the princess became. Yes, Ellanden had fought well on the beach. But it was nothing compared to the savage display she’d seen from the vampire.

  Asher was the fight.

  She stiffened in spite of herself. Trying to remember and forget all at the same time. She wanted to say it was a good thing. He was on their side, after all. Why wouldn’t the friends take full advantage of his particular set of skills? And yet...that power had already turned against them.

  When he’d attacked Ellanden in the tunnel he’d attacked her, too. Held her completely helpless. Smiled without an ounce of recognition as he prepared to take her blood.