The Tempest Sea

by Robin D. Mahle

  “Regardless,” Nell said, “Gunther says he had no knowledge of Xavier’s plan. I believe him. Now I want to know if you did.”

  “I did not.” My jaw clenched, and then something occurred to me. “Wait. How did you know about Xav?” I hadn’t even had a chance to mention the photograph of Xavier carrying an unconscious Addie across a gangplank, and I hadn’t yet decided that I was going to. “For that matter, how did you know to come at the same time we were breaking out?”

  “We’ve been monitoring their comms, waiting for the chance to retrieve you. We would have teleported in, but the bracelet broke.” It was Gunther who spoke. His face was drawn. He was exhausted. Or as upset about Xavier as I was.

  “You mean you broke it,” Nell muttered.

  “Technically, it was working fine until you used it again.” My brother failed to rise to her bait.

  “And how are we supposed to know you can be trusted?” I asked Nell before they could continue their argument.

  Her features pinched with annoyance.

  I continued. “I’m glad you’re alive and all, but I seem to recall you being the one who put the necklace on Addie to begin with.”

  Locke’s face darkened, and Nell withered somewhat under the force of his disapproving gaze. Gunther started to break in, likely in her defense. I bit back a sigh. My brother’s eternal optimism when it came to seeing the good in people wasn’t always practical.

  Nell held up a hand to stop him. “No, it’s a fair question. I may as well tell you what I told Addie. It’s something I’ve never told anyone, and I hope it will earn your trust, because I need your help to get her back. Long story short, Levelia is real. It’s where I’m from, and that necklace is my only way home.”

  I gaped. After seeing her teleport, I’m not sure why I was surprised. Locke’s expression didn’t change. I thought Addie had inherited her ability to don that haughty mask from her notoriously cold father, but now I wondered if she had learned it from the man before me.

  “I never meant for her to get hurt, though. I thought Locke,” she met Locke’s brown eyes with her green ones, “would protect it. I didn’t know there would be men there that day or that she would be in any danger. I swear it. She’s my best friend. I just want to get her back now.” Nell looked almost close to tears.

  I pushed away my remorse at making a woman cry. The question had needed to be asked.

  “I want to get Addie and Xav back, too, but how?” I asked. “A week ago, we had never even heard of the group that attacked us. We can hardly search the entire ocean for them when we have no idea how to find them.”

  “Wrong as usual, Clark. I know exactly where they are.”

  Just the sound of that voice had my vision going red, and my teeth clenched. Rather than turn to face the source, I shot my brother an accusatory look.

  “Gunther, what in all hells is Jayce doing here?”

  The Protector

  When the general had brought Xav onto his ship and shown him another boy, Xav didn’t care enough to wonder who it was. But children are resilient and naturally curious, so Xavier couldn’t stay disinterested for very long. The boy, Clark, became his constant companion.

  They argued about everything and competed constantly, but the fighting was a distraction that kept Xav going on his worst days. Xavier had tried to keep the boy at a distance, well familiar with the price of caring too much about another human…

  Somehow, though, Clark’s fearless exuberance for life ate away at Xav’s stony exterior. Months passed, and then a year, and eventually Xav was forced to concede that he had wound up with another brother. This one he vowed to protect, always, no matter the cost.

  Chapter Two

  ADELAIDE

  I stared at the colossal back of my current guard, wishing the heat of my gaze could physically burn him. It didn’t, and the detestable man remained as unaffected by my hatred as he always did. Not only was my guard’s enormous form blocking the meager lantern light from permeating my cell, which was reason enough to despise him, but he also happened to be the same man who had gotten me locked in this damned place to begin with.

  I had no idea why Xavier won the dubious honor of guarding a defenseless, imprisoned woman. General Noble had thrown me down here shortly after our brief conversation on deck. It was hard to believe he was the allegedly kind man who had adopted Xavier and the two other boys. I didn’t want to think about either of those boys right now, though, for very different reasons.

  General Killian Noble was also the mass murderer who had taken the lives of my mother and sister, along with thousands of others, in the biggest explosion the Ceithren Empire had ever witnessed.

  Based on the evenly-spaced sailor’s rations I had been allotted, I assumed that conversation had taken place roughly three days ago. No one had spoken to me in that time aside from my two rotating guards, Xavier and a man whose name I hadn’t yet learned. It was a hard call which of the two was more despicable. The nameless man wore his cruelty for everyone to see, but Xavier’s callous betrayal and disregard for my life proved him no better.

  And what of my father’s disregard for my safety? I tried not to think about the order he had given his Red Sons, about the mounting pile of evidence that suggested he was yet another villain in this tale. Some tiny, naive part of me still wanted to believe he had gone against my wishes and ordered my capture that day to keep me safe, but even I knew that was a stretch.

  When I allowed any thoughts of that day to creep into my mind, I was powerless to stop the raging torrent. I thought about Clark, who had neglected to mention that it was his father had murdered my loved ones, whose brother had kidnapped me and was currently guarding my cell. Clark, who had turned his back on the enemy and wasted precious seconds to keep me safe.

  Or did he do it to keep the amulet from my father’s men? That didn’t seem right, but I just didn’t know anymore.

  And Nell, with her murky motives and questionable decisions, but whom I loved nonetheless.

  Nell.

  The sight of my best friend’s impaled body haunted me every time I closed my eyes. I squeezed back tears and forced that horrific day from my mind. It was just one more thing I couldn’t afford to think about now.

  I distracted myself from my thoughts by needling at Xavier. “I’m flattered you consider me such a threat, a quarter your size and locked in an iron cage.”

  “You know I’m just following orders.” Xavier’s tone held no inflection, no remorse. Not that I had been expecting any.

  “Of course you are, Xavy. That’s all you know how to do.” I laced my tone with condescension and was pleased to see his shoulders tense in response. It was only fair that I make him as miserable in this dank, rat-infested brig as I was.

  He was saved from answering by the heavy sound of footsteps. Subconsciously, I skittered back as much as the cramped cell would allow, nearly knocking over my chamber pot in the process. I scolded myself for the instinctive reaction. It was bad enough I was filthy and barefoot, my dress in tatters from snagging on the rough planks of my cell. Though, to be fair, the barefoot part was my own doing. I had thrown both of my shoes at Xavier the first time he had come to guard my cell.

  Nevertheless, I would not be cowed by a man who didn’t even have the means to unlock my cell door.

  He can’t get to me in here. I reminded myself of that regularly throughout his shift, the only time I was grateful for the solid iron bars that separated me from freedom.

  Xavier glanced back at the sound of my movement. He turned to look his replacement up and down, then back at me. His brow was furrowed, and I thought I caught a glimpse of concern flash behind his eyes. He seemed to be considering something before he turned his attention back to the newcomer.

  “I can stay on for a while, Jethro,” Xavier told the other guard, straightening to his full height.

  Now I had a name for the creep. Jethro was good-sized, but nowhere near Xavier’s mass. Still, he didn’t falter.
r />   “I have orders,” Jethro responded.

  Xavier gave me a last look before nodding to himself and leaving.

  What was that all about? I refused to consider that he might have been trying to help. Not after everything he had done.

  Unlike Xavier, Jethro rarely turned his back to me. I wished he would. Instead, he stood facing me, running his hands along the bars of my cell. Also, in contrast to Xavier, he was rarely silent. I sat with my back straight against the wall, chin high, face bland. I crossed my legs and pulled my skirts to cover every inch of skin, bracing myself for the long night ahead.

  “I like when you sit with your legs like that, like you’re opening them just for me.” Jethro leered.

  I focused on keeping every muscle in my face impassive, though my insides were crawling. I refused to move.

  His words have no effect on me.

  “I’m sure it’s not a sight you’re familiar with, what with your face looking the way it does,” I shot back at him when I had control of my tone.

  His expression turned hard. I hadn’t been joking about his face. He had a wide nose and small, cruel eyes beneath his curly black hair. The look in them now made me wish I could turn my back on him, but I was as far away from the bars of my tiny prison as I could get. Turning would put me closer to him. I cringed inwardly at the thought and forced myself to meet his vicious gaze.

  “You won't always be behind those bars, little girl. You think you’re safe from me, running that pretty little mouth of yours? It’s a long trip to the Ever Falls, and we’ll be finding another use for those lips before then.” Jethro’s own lips turned up.

  It was all I could do to keep my dinner down. Though I had resolved not to outwardly react, I felt the blood drain slowly from my face.

  Steady footsteps down the brig stairs stole my attention. My eyes widened in surprise. It didn’t sound like Xavier’s lumbering steps, and no one else ever came down here.

  “Ms. Kensington, I came to see how you were faring.” General Noble’s voice preceded his appearance.

  I refused to be grateful to the man for anything, but the interruption was welcome. Jethro turned around and stood up straighter, the picture of professionalism.

  “Never better, General Noble,” I lied, just as the man came into view. He was six-plus feet of hardened military man, complete with a gray beard and calculating steel-colored eyes.

  “It’s Master Yomi now,” he corrected in his cultured tone.

  “Well, if we’re being technical, I suppose I could call you Mass Murderer Noble, if you prefer.” I didn’t bother to keep the venom from my tone.

  “Would you like me to punish her for that, Sir?” Jethro asked.

  Can Noble hear the eagerness in his voice as easily as I can? I kept my expression neutral.

  “Thank you, Jethro, but that won't be necessary.” The general returned his attention to me. “I came to inform you that we should be reaching the Ever Falls in two weeks, and also to assure myself of your safety.”

  I nearly laughed out loud. Had it really been fewer than two weeks ago that I had agreed to trade my freedom, my future, my entire life, for the chance at this trip? I’d spent years poring over maps with my sister Amelie, and then five more years after her death planning the trip so I could lay the last of her ashes to rest there. Plans and schemes and promises, all brought to nothing. Here I was, getting my wish as the prisoner of the man who had ruined my life to begin with. Fate was even crueler than General Noble.

  “Don’t pretend to give a damn about my wellbeing. I suppose being two-faced runs in your little makeshift family,” I said.

  The general’s eyes tightened for a split second before the expression was gone. “On the contrary, Ms. Kensington, I care a great deal about your safety. Hila’s Tear chose you, and I believe you may be the only one who can harness its power,” he responded.

  So that’s why I’m alive. He was wrong, of course. I had seen Nell activate the amulet, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. I remained silent.

  “So, no one mistreating you, then?” the general asked.

  I forced myself not to look at Jethro.

  The general is not your ally, I told myself.

  “No one has murdered any of my family members lately, so I daresay I’m being treated quite well by comparison.”

  Noble’s eyes narrowed. “Very well, then. Prepare yourself, Ms. Kensington. We should reach Gyomatsu Island in two weeks’ time.” He left the brig as suddenly as he had entered.

  I had known we were headed there, but I hadn’t had a chance yet to wonder why we were bothering to traverse the temperamental seas to visit what amounted to little more than a tourist site. It didn’t make sense.

  I’ll just add that to the list, then.

  I settled back against the damp wood and braced myself for the sleepless night ahead, only my churning thoughts and my lecherous guard to keep me company.

  The Protector

  Xavier didn’t get his second brother for another year. Skinny, bruised, and half-dead, the boy came on board in the general’s arms. Weeks passed, and the boy didn’t speak. The general, whom Xav had eventually come to call Father, hired the best doctors money could buy. Xavier watched everything they did, trying to soak up their knowledge by osmosis. Finally, they discovered the boy couldn’t hear.

  The first time the fire-headed child had smiled was when Clark proudly announced that since the boy couldn’t talk, he would call him Gunther, after a hero in a story. After that, Clark and Xavier stayed up late hours into the night coming up with hand signals and memorizing them. Gunther never seemed to have any trouble understanding them, but the hand signals made it so he could communicate back to them. Months went by, and they developed a system that was functional most of the time, if not ideal.

  Then finally, one day, Gunther said his first word out loud. It was a whole sentence, actually. Clark and Xavier had tried not to fight in front of him, but sometimes they slipped. They were having another of their lengthy debates about something no doubt crucial to their very existences.

  Gunther was watching their rapid-fire argument with rapt attention. He had attempted a few gestures, but they were too caught up in their argument to stop and take heed. The small boy heaved a great sigh and opened his mouth.

  “Actually, brothers, you’re both wrong.”

  Chapter Three

  CLARK

  “You said you would stay in there until I got a chance to talk to him,” Gunther sighed.

  “I got bored,” Jayce responded.

  I hate him.

  “Talk to me now, Gunther,” I said, fighting the urge to clench my teeth so Gunther could read my lips. I wasn’t sure I had ever used that tone with my younger brother. We rarely ever had cause to fight, but this crossed a line. “Explain to me why the man who tried to kill me, twice, who wanted to kill Addie, is standing in this safe house acting like he belongs here.” I was shaking with anger now. My sword was drawn, and I wasn’t even sure when I had raised it. I didn’t care.

  Next to me, Locke held his own sword in a clenched fist, like he wasn’t sure if he would need to use it. Jayce stood several paces away, nonchalantly leaning against the doorway. I calculated the time it would take for me to cover the distance and run him through with my sword. I had never actually taken a life before, but his seemed like a good one to start with.

  Gunther shifted in front of Jayce, his hands raised in a plea for peace.

  “He nearly died, Clark. His own men abandoned him, and I couldn’t just leave him for dead.”

  “Why exactly not?” I spat at him, though I knew the answer. Gunther was a gentle soul. It was usually his best quality, but this was something else entirely. Seeing the best in someone was good. Allowing a murderous psychopath into our midst? Not so much.

  “You’re angry now, but you know you wouldn’t want anyone to die.”

  If he believed that, he had a rosier outlook of me than I deserved. I declined to respond.
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br />   “More importantly,” Nell cut in, “he has information we need. Jayce wants revenge, and we want Addie back.”

  “And Xav,” Gunther said.

  “And your brother,” Nell begrudgingly added. “Both of those things involve finding the Court of Yomi, and he knows how to do that.”

  “I don’t care.” And I really didn’t at that moment. “We’ll find another way.”

  “There is no other way.” Locke’s accented baritone surprised me. “War makes strange bedfellows. You were raised by a general, boy. You should know that. I don’t know what your motives are, but I made a vow to protect Ms. Kensington’s life with my own, and I intend to keep it. If you want to wait around chasing ghosts and stewing in your righteous indignation while your brother and Ms. Kensington are in the clutches of that cult, feel free to do so. I intend to make use of this man’s information.”

  “We can’t trust him,” I said, ignoring the burning in my cheeks at his thorough chastisement.

  “I think three healthy, trained men are a match for one injured enemy.”

  Locke was right. Looking at Jayce, I could see what I had missed in my anger. He wasn’t leaning nonchalantly as much as he couldn’t stand upright, and his right arm hung limply at his side, the bulge of a bandage visible beneath his sleeve. We still couldn’t trust his information, though. I opened my mouth to say that when Locke cut me off.

  “And make no mistake, he is our enemy. I do not take well to those who try to harm Ms. Kensington.” He fixed his steely gaze on Jayce. “If I even suspect his information of being false, I will personally see to his punishment.”

  I hadn’t thought Jayce’s pasty face could pale further, but every ounce of blood drained from it at Locke’s words.

  “Understood,” he said.

  The others looked to me, waiting for my consent. I thought about the enigmatic, frustrating girl with her sharp tongue and her iron will, the alluring woman who had slept in my arms more than once. A pang went through me at the thought of her with those men. I couldn’t leave Addie in danger, not if I had the power to help her. I didn’t know what Xav was thinking, but it was clear he was in over his head. Whether he would ever admit it or even realize it, he needed our help. And as much as it physically pained me to acknowledge, Jayce appeared to be our only means of finding them.