My sword quivered in my hand. I tried not to let despair overwhelm me. We were at least a day behind them still, and we had nothing but ghosts of rumors to lead us in the right direction. Gathering the kind of intel we would need could take days. Days on top of the weeks they had been on that ship already.
“Can I kill him now?” I asked Locke.
“Go ahead.” He gave me a sharp nod.
“Wait,” Gunther said. “No killing. I know the way.”
We all gaped at him.
“How?” I finally found my voice.
He looked away, then opened his mouth.
Locke cut him off. “Time for that later. Where do we dock?”
Gunther’s sigh of relief had my brow furrowing.
Jayce shrugged. “Dead center, then walk straight toward the gate.”
There was no question as to which gate he was referring to. The towering structure was visible before we could even make out the buildings.
Nell stood at the bow, hair whipping in the scorching wind. Her face was a mask of grief.
“What is it?” I asked her.
She hadn’t said much of consequence on our journey or shown much emotion. Nell was like Addie in that, but where Addie hid her feelings behind a mask of arrogance, Nell’s was more a mask of nonchalance.
“The Ever Falls,” she replied. “It was Addie’s dream to get here. I can’t help but wonder if she lived to see them. And if she did, what would crossing them in these circumstances do to her?” She turned to pierce me with her emerald gaze.
I shook my head. I didn’t know, either.
“We’ll worry about that when we find her,” Locke interrupted us. His face softened a fraction of a degree when he looked at Nell. “You know her strength as well as I do, Ms. Silbeque. She will carry on from this, as she does.” The brief window into Locke’s feelings closed when he reverted to his normal stony persona. “Time to get moving.”
Is he saying that for Nell’s benefit or his own? I had seen Addie’s steely core firsthand, but everyone had a breaking point. I knew that better than anyone. We needed to catch up to them.
Nell cleared her face and nodded. The sun was high in the sky, unencumbered by a single cloud. It might have been a nice change if it weren’t for random gusts of fiery wind nearly knocking us off our feet.
Together, Locke, Gunther, and I wrestled the ship into the dock while Jayce stood around uselessly. Nell nimbly jumped onto the dock to tie us to the mooring.
Before Jayce could follow, Locke secured his hands with rope and made a makeshift leash. I snickered at Jayce’s long-suffering expression, which only made him scowl harder.
“How am I supposed to get on the dock this way?” he whined.
“It’s that or drown, so I suppose you’ll find a way,” Locke replied.
Sadly, Jayce did manage the leap, though he winced on impact. I handed down the bags to Locke and Gunther, including the mesh crate that housed my tiny enemy. Shensi hissed when I picked it up like even that level of contact was unacceptable.
“Yeah, I’m not too fond of you, either,” I muttered. She reminded me too much of her owner and the unlikelihood that Addie was still alive.
When everything of note was unloaded, I hesitated a moment. I had taken my jacket off and left it on the deck bench earlier, muttering something about the heat. That wasn’t the issue, though. If anything, it would have served as protection from the gales sending bits of debris every which way.
The real issue was whether I still wanted to wear it, given my newfound knowledge. In the end, I couldn’t force myself to leave it behind. Without stopping to consider the implications of that thought, I grabbed my father’s jacket and leapt onto the deck.
It was a short, uninhabited walk to the alleyway where Gunther advised us to turn. I looked at him askance. There was no way he had been here since before we had found him, and he was a child then, on an island hundreds of miles northeast of this one.
Besides, it made no sense that we were going further into the island. I expected us to rent a boat to take us to a faraway bridge. If Locke or Nell was feeling as dubious as I was, they kept it to themselves. Even Jayce was uncharacteristically silent.
Gunther stopped at a downtrodden building that looked no different from those around it but for the newness of the door.
“You’ll have to listen for them,” he said to me.
I nodded, and he knocked. There was no response. He looked at me expectantly, and I shook my head. He knocked again, and I tilted my ear closer to the door. Not so much as a shuffle drifted through the solid wood.
Is he mistaken?
“Don’t look at me like that, Clark. I know this is the right place.” He fished a lockpick set out of his pocket.
I looked at Locke, who shrugged. Hopefully, this wasn’t the home of an unsuspecting stranger. It was only seconds before the lock clicked and the door swung open.
The smell hit me first. All four of my companions wore knowing expressions, even Nell. Apparently, there wasn’t a person here unfamiliar with the odor of a corpse. Even Shensi scrambled in her bag.
Locke held an arm out to stop Gunther from entering. He took a few cautious steps in, then motioned for us to follow. Two bodies were in an adjacent room. Locke knelt next to the closest one. He examined the neat stab wound and lifted the eyelids.
“He was killed less than a day ago,” Locke said. “There are no defense wounds.”
Dread pooled in my stomach. The casual brutality was unsurprising coming from the Court. It should have been a relief to know we were close behind them, but all I could think about was Addie in the hands of the same men who had done this. Whatever Xavier’s role in all of this, at least he could protect himself. Addie was tiny and untrained. Bile rose in my throat.
“Why kill them?” Gunther asked. “They’re black market. They speak the language of money, and I’m sure the Court could afford to pay.”
Jayce let out another of his grating guffaws. “Are you serious? Practicality, that’s why. Dead men tell no tales, and all. This is why you guys are always a step behind. Never willing to do what needs to be done.”
None of us responded to that.
I don’t think we wanted to think too hard about whether or not he was right.
The Protector
When news broke that the general had died in the explosion, Xavier’s first thought was that it was up to him to keep his family together now.
A week later, Father was implicated in the act, and soldiers came to interrogate the boys as the accomplices. They broke down the door to an empty house while the brothers watched from a distance. They had realized just in time what was happening and enacted the protocols they’d put in place when Father was alive.
“Always have a way out,” he’d said. And this was one of the first times they’d ever had to use it. So they hid in one of the other safe houses while the soldiers tore apart the place they’d been living in the day before. It wasn’t home to them. It was just a building. Home was wherever their family was. And Xav was proud he’d been able to keep the rest of his family safe, for now.
Xavier had just turned sixteen. In his village, that would have been a full year past adulthood. That knowledge and years of training helped to counter the dread pooling in his stomach when he realized just how difficult keeping the three of them alive might prove to be.
Chapter Eight
ADELAIDE
My thoughts had been too preoccupied on the way here for me to ponder what awaited us on the other side of the world. Even if there had been time to form expectations, I don’t think it ever would have occurred to me that this place, the home of the barbarians who invaded our world, this place which had been cloaked in mystery and intrigue my entire life, would turn out to be so… unintimidating.
These people didn’t look like monsters. In fact, most of them appeared to be starving. There were exactly two classes of people. If they weren’t thin-faced and haunted-looking, they were fat
and dripping with wealth, like the shopkeepers visible behind their vast windows.
Those who weren’t wearing rags wore pants and corsets or buttoned-down shirts, and nearly every affluent person wore goggles. That made sense with the wind whipping constantly.
Either the Court of Yomi wasn’t the rarity here that it had been in Ceithre, or this was an island used to unusual sights and resolved not to question them. Three men in creepy masks, two men in everyday wear, one of them carrying a clearly weakened girl, yet we didn’t even get a double take. I had already decided against calling for help, having seen the ruthlessness of the Court of Yomi. They would neatly murder anyone who attempted to shield me, and I refused to let that happen. After seeing this crowd, though, I realized I had nothing to worry about. I doubted one of them would have stepped in to save me.
I glared at my entourage. Escaping on my own was out of the question, what with Xav carrying me and the large men surrounding us. I put a cautious hand on my thus-far useless necklace. I didn’t want to blow the whole island up, but couldn’t it cause a diversion or something for me? I could have sworn it heated, but likely it was only warm from the sun. In any event, the amulet stayed resolutely unhelpful.
My body finally got fatigued from the effort of holding my head up to look around, so I resigned myself to my fate and let my head loll onto Xavier’s arm. He glanced down with a grim, downturned mouth, but as usual, made no comment. I missed his stupid brother’s stupid running commentary, even if most of it had turned out to be lies.
The sound of footsteps on wood told me we had hit the docks. Then a louder, growling noise made me lift my head. I thought I was too tired for emotions like surprise, but my jaw dropped. The ships. A few were tall boats with huge cream-colored balloons on top.
What could those balloons possibly do?
Then there was all that noise. Back home, the docks were loud with men yelling instructions back and forth and the lapping of the waves against the boats, but that was about it. Here, many of the small boats themselves made a roaring sound before they took off in a dark gray puff of smoke. Each boat seemed to have a name, also. In Ceithre, they just had a number assigned to them. Here, the larger ships bore serious names like Titan or women’s names, but many of the smaller ones were cleverly named things like The Seaductress.
A ghost of a smile passed my lips before Xavier shifted my weight. The movement reminded me of my current predicament. He breathed calmly, still unaffected from the exertion of carting me across the world.
The general strode onto a ship named Arbiter that closely resembled the one we had just left. I tensed in Xavier’s arms when I saw who the other occupants of the ship would be. Before, the crew had been ordinary seamen. This time, everyone from the deck-swabbers to the captain wore Court of Yomi masks.
“Watch her. I have some things to attend to. Then I’ll get the key to put her back in the brig,” the older Noble told his son before heading to the upper captain’s deck. The masked men accompanying us scattered about the ship. I forced down the tears that stung at the back or my eyes. Of course, I had assumed I would be going back to a cell, but now that the time was upon me, I could hardly stomach the thought of being without sunshine again for who knew how long.
“I can stand,” I said to Xavier, too tired to insert the appropriate amount of venom into my tone. I wasn’t sure how true my statement was, but I wanted to enjoy what little freedom I would get here.
Xavier looked startled, as though he had forgotten I was in his arms. He set me down near a shorter barrel, and I rested my weight against it. The men were busying themselves by loading cargo or readying the ship for departure. Still, Xavier towered over me, standing near enough to catch me if I decided to run away. Or more likely, if I fell over.
He wasn’t facing me, but he kept glancing at me from the corner of his eye with an unreadable expression. Several times, he opened his mouth to say something, then shook his head. The gesture reminded me of Clark, and an unexpected pang went through me.
Surely, I don’t miss the cocky bastard. I had felt safe with him, once, but was that even true anymore, now that I knew who he was? It hardly matters now.
More masked men boarded the ship in two groups of six. I was surprised the general hadn’t come back for me yet, but I wasn’t complaining about my last precious moments of open air. Xavier was interrupted before he could get out whatever it was he was going to say.
“Master Yomi needs you in his cabin. I’ll stay with the girl.” The voice was unfamiliar, and the men would wear their masks until the ship took off.
Xavier’s brows furrowed. He looked at the men on deck, then at me. “I’ll be right back,” he said before turning around.
I didn’t respond. One monster is much like the others.
Even in my head, those words sounded false. I forced myself not to look at Xavier’s retreating back, not to associate the man who had put me in this position with any kind of protection.
A few moments passed before another masked man approached us, key in hand.
“I’m here to escort the girl to her cell.” This voice was skin-crawling and tortuously familiar. Jethro. Had Noble really given him the key to my cell? I looked around, but of course, there was nowhere to go.
“No.” The word escaped my lips unbidden.
“Now, now. I know you don’t want to go back to the brig, but we have orders.” This was from the unfamiliar voice. He didn’t sound cruel, only condescending.
“That’s fine. I’ll go, but you take me,” I pleaded.
Jethro grabbed my arm. “I told you this one was a pain. I’ve got my orders. I’ll take her.”
To his credit, the other man hesitated. Hope swelled in my chest.
“Is there a problem with the Master’s orders?” Jethro asked.
“No, sir,” the other man said, spinning on his heel before he could be accused of mutiny.
My heart sank in my chest. I looked around for Xavier, though I wasn’t sure why. He had already proven his devotion to following his father’s rule. It was a moot point, though. He was nowhere to be found.
I pulled away, but Jethro’s beefy arm closed around my frail body and practically carried me to the deck stairs.
“Get off me,” I spat. Then, I stumbled on a step, and if he had ever needed an excuse to haul me down the stairs, he had one now. Panic gripped me with cold fingers. I was shaking now, still fighting him, but it was no use. I was half his size and hadn’t kept a meal down in weeks. We passed a few men on the way down who had already removed their masks, but they didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow. I was just a prisoner to them, and he was a man doing his job.
But I knew better. I knew he had been waiting for an opportunity like this one. I kicked at him.
“Stop that,” he said, shaking me like the helpless rag doll I was. He dragged me down another set of stairs, and then we were in the brig. Alone.
I tried to calm my frantically-beating heart, to form some coherent thoughts. Locke had attempted to teach me self-defense more than once. He was holding both of my hands, so I needed to use my feet. Instep was out with the solid boots he was wearing. I could go for the groin, and then hope my adrenaline was enough to outrun him.
Jethro manhandled me into an open cell, then shut the door after us.
No, no, no.
He pushed me against the wall.
“I told you I’d find a way to get to you behind those bars, didn’t I?” His sour breath warmed my face, and I fought down the bile in my throat.
I called him the foulest name I could think of.
“Now, now. Let’s see if we can put that filthy mouth of yours to another use.” He shoved me to my knees, shifting one hand to a fist in my hair, the other going to his belt. I used my now-free arm to punch him as hard as I could in his groin. It was clumsier than I would have liked, but he released my hair with a grunt and stumbled back.
I darted for the cell door and went to heave it open when he yanked me back
by my hair.
“Oh, you’ll pay for that.”
Jethro shoved me, and my head hit the back wall with a solid thunk. No sooner had I blinked away the stars in my vision before I was thrown again, this time to the floor. Jethro followed, the acrid smell of his shirt burning my nostrils. There was nothing left in my stomach to throw up, but I was racked with waves of nausea, my head pounding.
One thought resounded in my head with startling clarity.
No one is coming to save me.
My entire life, there had always been someone standing between me and danger. Amelie, my parents, Locke, and even Clark had stepped in on my behalf more than once, but this time, there was no one. And I was powerless to stop this.
The amulet pressed against my neck under his weight. I willed it to do something, anything. Warmth bloomed against my skin. I knew I wasn’t imagining it this time, but the cursed thing remained resolutely unhelpful.
I choked back a sob. I would not go down like this. He was stronger than I was, but there had to be something. I tuned out the vile things he was saying, focusing on my surroundings. Sharp pain dug into my hip bone, like the point of a… a dagger. Of course. The men on board didn’t wear swords, but I should have guessed he would have a dagger.
His weight was pressing on me, and I knew I only had seconds before I might wish I was dead. I maneuvered my arm out from under him. He didn’t stop me, likely not concerned I was any kind of a threat at this point. He was very nearly right. Whatever minuscule well of strength I had tapped into was just about drained now, but I told myself I could do this.
I only had one shot. I dove my hand into his waistband and pulled out the blade.
“Wha—?” His eyes widened in surprise, but before he could still my hand, I brought the dagger up and plunged it into the side of his neck. Blood spewed hot and thick onto me. His weight slackened, presenting me with a new problem. I shoved at his bulk, but he didn’t budge. The life was leaving his eyes. My relief at that was fleeting, because I couldn’t breathe.
The Tempest Sea Page 6
