Princess of Death

by Cortney Pearson

  “Who will you choose?” Cali asked when it was all over.

  A dark glint slid into Undine’s violet eyes. Darren watched from his place beside Vera, who had her bottom lip trapped in her teeth as her newborn son slept in her arms. The babe had been wiped clean, but still needed a bath.

  With deliberate steps, Undine approached Vera.

  Vera’s face bloomed into a rosebud of panic. “No. No!”

  “He will be mine either way, whether you hand him to me willingly or not.”

  “But—but you can’t do that!” Cali’s entire frame went suddenly cold. She assumed Undine would select someone full grown, someone she could train. She never imagined the witch would take the child! Vera had no one else—her family was all dead! Cali couldn’t allow the sea witch to take the babe.

  But it was too late. She already had agreed to it.

  The room began to sway, adding to the quivering sickness in her stomach. How could she have done this? Darren’s disgusted glare in her direction asked the same question. Cali couldn’t bear that expression.

  The air wavered, blurring the sight of Undine bending over Vera and rising with the babe in her arms. The walls began to peel away. In place of stone grew fragile sunlight, watercolored blue skies, and restless water. The walls began to transform into wood, shrinking in some places and growing in others.

  Darren pried at the sea witch’s arm, attempting to reclaim the child, but was knocked back with nothing more than a look of fierce outrage. He slammed into the stone wall, away from the women, away from Cali.

  And soon, the wind plucked Cali away, out on the open sea, with the distant ringing of Vera’s poignant screams in her ears.

  Chapter 26

  Cali had condemned Vera the moment she’d entered the room. She never should have gone at all. She should have listened when Darren asked her to leave.

  But this was for her people. And Vera had heard the promises Undine made. The child would be reared to rule Zara. He would be just and fair—and he would have magic.

  A male heir with magic. Males hadn’t been born to royal lines in over two hundred years.

  And now here she was, stranded on a vessel of her own without any idea how to sail besides the brief lesson Bae had given her. She’d been less concerned about sailing as she’d been about the location of his hands around her. That did her no good now.

  Her vessel was slightly larger than the Lady Bold Bae had taken her out in. It was sleeker, more innovative, with a long, narrow hull, low topsides varnished with teak and mahogany. A small pair of doors led into what Cali could only assume was some kind of sleeping quarters. And its sail was crisp, triangular, and the color of deep magenta, reminding Cali of a sunset.

  The shimmering darkness of the boundary wavered before her, reaching to the sky with solid hands. It was a painting on the horizon, scripted with thorny branched trees as black as metal, and scurrying with animals dashing among the underbrush beneath the dark trees’ shade within. The surface of the flat scenery across the boundary glistened like metallic liquid, reflecting the sea’s movements and bouncing shards of colored light back onto it like a thousand tainted rainbows.

  It had been so long since she’d seen the boundary with her own eyes, and she couldn’t help feeling fascinated by it. If Undine had the power to manipulate lives and make unbreakable bargains, why couldn’t she close the rift in her homeland herself?

  She’d said something about her magic depleting. Soraya’s magic had limitations, too. Again, Cali wondered what restrictions there were on Undine Daray’s magic.

  Along with the mirror image of her newly claimed vessel, the larger imprint of Captain Kelsey’s ship was reflected. Determination skidded through her veins. Cali headed for the tiller and sat on its side, taking it in her right hand.

  It fought against her grip, but she angled it carefully and directed the spade rudder to the right. The vessel immediately responded. The shift in direction caught the wind, and she was spearing forward across the water, all kinds of nerves racing through her. How would she stop once she got close enough?

  A starburst of glowing, golden light dazzled from the Lady’s Bane, blinding Cali momentarily so she had to secure the rudder and shield her eyes. The light was alive with fury, with glitter and exploding sparks of hatred. Cali could almost sense the dark cast within herself, the way it made her feel its anger. She tightened her fist on the tiller.

  Captain Kelsey had to have hurt Soraya. He’d done something to force her to use her power to take down the boundary. What other explanation was there? He’d threatened despicable things before towing Soraya away. It enraged Cali. She had to get to her cousin.

  “Deep breath,” Cali told herself. She concentrated, trying to remember what Bae had said, and guided her vessel toward the golden light.

  Soraya stood at the hull, her feet braced on the railing, her hands outstretched toward the vast, mirrorlike boundary. Wind whipped her hair back. Her face was in deep concentration. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her skin was flayed open with golden lines as light burst from within her. It trickled in streams toward her hands where she projected her power toward the boundary.

  Similar cracks were slithering across the boundary’s surface. Emerald-green poison, dark magic embodied, emitted like smoke from those cracks. Cali wondered if the smoke contained the darkness, the source of the disease. Would it spread now and kill them all? Maybe Captain Kelsey had anticipated this. He’d had all those phials of the cure in his quarters. Maybe he’d distributed the cure to his men, to ensure they wouldn’t fall prey to it once the boundary crumbled.

  That meant Bae was okay. And as long as Soraya displayed her power, the finfolk wouldn’t venture anywhere near, though more than once Cali glimpsed sight of an unfriendly fin spoking up through the seafoam.

  She stood and worked the ropes with surprising ease, amazed at the surety of her hands. It was as though they already knew what to do to slow the vessel. If she could somehow get to Soraya without Kelsey noticing… But already sailors were leaning over the sides, pointing her out.

  Cali didn’t waste any more time.

  “Soraya,” she cried, cupping her hands around her mouth. “Soraya!”

  Movement began to stir on the Lady’s Bane’s deck. Men rustled, hurrying to get their captain’s attention. Cali was glad he’d left his fleet of ships at Lunae Lumen’s coastline instead of bringing them along. Her small vessel was unequipped for battle.

  “Soraya,” she called again.

  Bae appeared, hoisting himself onto the railing down from Soraya and holding on to the rigging. With his dark hair escaping from its tie at the nape of his neck, he looked windswept and daring, his steady hands and ready scowl making him appear every inch the rascal. Cali’s stomach cinched. She wasn’t sure how, but Cali felt like she could sense what he was feeling. His confusion. His anticipation. And the warning creeping from his shadowed eyes even from this distance.

  She kept eye contact with him, willing him to understand. She had to do this.

  “Soraya,” Cali shouted again.

  Soraya’s concentration broke. The tornado of light swirling around her dimmed, weakening, and she lowered her hands. Her face was a mask of shock. Her mouth moved, but Cali couldn’t hear the words.

  “Come on, Soraya,” Cali yelled, raising her voice as loud as she could. “Jump! Come with me.”

  She still didn’t know much about sailing, but she was fairly certain her vessel would travel much faster than a larger ship like theirs. Shouts rang out among the crew. Bullets erupted from pistols and revolvers, directed at Cali. She leapt down, hearing them hit her sail and the topsides of her ship.

  “Help me,” Cali cried, praying Undine could somehow hear. Her thoughts raced. She wasn’t sure what to do. This had all happened so quickly. She hadn’t planned on getting her own vessel. She hadn’t planned anything, really.

  But she couldn’t have survived, have come back, only to die now.

  M
en’s screams joined the chorus of gunshots. The bullets stopped pelting her sails. Cali rose to her knees on the deck of her boat and gasped.

  Soraya had turned on the crew. Hands flailed out in a stopping motion, she blasted golden explosions of magic toward the sailors. It streaked through the air, taking down those with guns, sending some of them to the depths of the frothing sea.

  Captain Kelsey advanced toward Soraya, but she directed her magic at him. Kelsey ducked to miss a snaking streak, leaving it to strike the central mast with its imperial sails directly. Fire licked its way up those crimson sails.

  “It’s now or never,” Cali said. She was as close to the boundary as she’d ever get. Cali dug the pearl from the folds of her skirt, gave it one last glance, and then cast it to the fumes emitting from the boundary.

  The pearl struck like thunder. Its impact knocked Cali onto the deck of her ship. It crackled across the glass surface, but instead of shattering it, the surface began to rumble, cracks sealing once more, cutting off the sickly green haze. It was healing itself.

  The sailors on the Lady’s Bane hit the deck from the repercussive impact, then gawked in wonder on hands and knees. Cali couldn’t miss Captain Kelsey’s wide-eyed, red-cheeked rage. He shouted something Cali couldn’t hear.

  “Jump, Soraya! Now!”

  Taking their distraction as the opening she needed, Soraya swan dived into the sea. Her body angled in a graceful streamline, plunging into the water. Cali searched beneath the seats of her boat, finding a round of rope. She hurried to untangle it, then launched one end in the direction Soraya leapt.

  Cali held tightly to her end of the rope, scanning the waters. Finfolk fins swarmed closer now that Soraya’s light had gone out. They gouged through the waves with feral determination. Scaly claws penetrated the Lady’s Bane’s sides, and the finfolk climbed faster than Cali had seen, tearing at the wood, not stopping until they reached the deck.

  The sailors’ attention shifted in an instant. Soon, their cutlasses, harpoons, and bullets were directed at the finfolk targeting their ship. Targeting Bae.

  A terrible battle ensued within moments. Sailors fought for their lives, while finfolk fought to reach Bae. The creatures were losing, being flung from the Lady’s Bane’s sides, only to have more climb onto its decks in their places.

  Guilt wracked Cali’s chest, but there was little she could do. Soraya emerged from the water, gasping for breath and swimming toward Cali’s boat. Cali held out a hand, hefting her on board.

  Screams wailed from the Lady’s Bane. Orange flames lapped at the tall masts, creating an enormous rush of heat in the air. Sailors tossed water on the flaming sails, others battled attacking finfolk, and Cali secured the ropes, hurrying to get a grip on the tiller.

  Soraya coughed and sputtered, keeping her head down as she dripped with sea water.

  “Get us out of here,” she said.

  Bullet holes had penetrated her smaller sails, but her mainsail was still intact. Cali was able to snatch a gust of wind, and she guided the tiller, turning her boat around. Away from the flames. Away from the finfolk and the cries and shouts of panicked men. Away from Bae, though a final glance told her he’d paused long enough to watch them depart.

  Chapter 27

  They didn’t return to the palace.

  Cali moored the ship at a place Soraya called Gull Bay, down the shoreline from the Coral Cliffs where Soraya’s tiered palace heralded the sea, among the cluster of smaller fishing vessels, praying they’d blend in. She half suspected the boat Undine had given her would vanish and she and Soraya would find themselves sleeping in the sea, but when she awoke the next morning, the whitewashed palace impaling the sky was still visible. They were anchored along Lunae Lumen’s shores.

  Cali had insisted they head for Soraya’s home, to arrive before the Kelseys—assuming they made it back. But Soraya had declined. Captain Kelsey would head there first. And with the kingdom signed over to him, with the staff now more loyal to him than they were to her, Soraya was sure they didn’t stand a chance other than to become his prisoners again.

  She was probably right. And so here they were.

  Every time Cali closed her eyes, she saw the look Bae had given her. She saw the finfolk climbing their way onto his ship. And she saw how she must have looked, sailing off and abandoning him to them.

  Guilt ate at her during the entire journey. She couldn’t shake it, no matter how hard she tried.

  She hadn’t saved him the way he’d saved her.

  Soraya was still sleeping, so Cali climbed the ladder out of the lower cabin, needing air. Needing to think. The morning air was humid, tacking moisture onto her skin the instant she emerged. She sat near the stern. Stared at the rising sun and the light it flecked onto the cobalt blue ocean’s surface, remembering a different venture on a boat like this one. A venture with a brutally winsome pirate who was ten sides of charming and twelve types of scandalous, and with those odds he’d managed to weave his way around her heart.

  Who knew she would have developed feelings for him? That she’d have her own vessel and become something of a pirate herself? She’d decided to name her vessel the Sunset, the first memory the ship had reminded her of.

  Her stomach grumbled. She rubbed it away, wondering what to do. Several ideas had crossed her mind since she’d awoken on the rocking boat. Whatever happened, they needed a plan.

  It was time to talk to Soraya.

  Cali descended into the Sunset’s cramped cabin. Her cousin was lying in the single bed, hands clustered to her chin, gazing straight in front of herself. Seeing nothing.

  She hadn’t been allowed adequate time to mourn her father. After all she’d gone through on Captain Kelsey’s boat, the despair in her face was more than understandable. Her hair was tangled on her head, and her dress was torn and filthy.

  “They’ll be back, you know.” Cali sat on the built-in bench. A board lowered out from the wall, she’d discovered, serving as a makeshift dining area, but the table was tucked away for now. The Lady’s Bane had yet to be seen, which gave them a few more days. If anyone could survive those finfolk, it would be the Kelseys.

  At least, that was what Cali told herself.

  “I know.”

  “And he will take your kingdom.”

  “I know that, too.”

  “Then we can’t let him.”

  Soraya sat up. Her cheeks were tear-streaked, and her eyes were red and swollen. “What do you propose we do? I have nothing at my disposal. He has an armada. My soldiers have all been replaced right beneath my father’s nose—I don’t know where those who were loyal to Lunae Lumen have disappeared to, and even those I thought were loyal betrayed me. I didn’t even know Roland—” Her voice broke. “I didn’t even know his allegiance was to Captain Kelsey until he came to seize me from my room, holding my dead rove in his hands.”

  Cali hadn’t heard the story, but she remembered Soraya’s giddy delight at having recently kissed Roland. How heartbreaking his betrayal must have been, but to add it to everything else that had been taken from her? Soraya’s heart must be in a thousand pieces right now, and susceptible enough to create all kinds of boundaries of her own.

  “And you’ve already sacrificed so much,” Soraya went on, wiping her eyes. “You gave up your kingdom to come here and help me.”

  “It wasn’t just for you. I did it to save everyone. The disease would have spread here.” That was what she kept telling herself, but the stark hint of treachery—it was she who’d betrayed Bae—still wedged beneath her sternum. What else could she have done?

  “We could have found a cure. You said you found one.”

  “And how long would it have lasted? The dark magic seeping from the boundary is changeable. It would be the necrosis one day, a new plague the next. We stopped it from leaking out, Soraya.” Cali had relayed the details of what happened when she returned home. How she’d summoned Undine, though she left out the detail of the sea witch stealing the babe from hi
s mother’s arms. She couldn’t bear to admit such a horrific loss, not when it had been her fault.

  So much had been her fault, in so short a time.

  “Only to return to a doomed kingdom. Now both yours and mine are lost. What hope do we have?” Soraya plummeted her head in her hands.

  This utter, tear-filled gloom wasn’t helping the situation at all. “It’s not completely doomed. We can stand up to Captain Kelsey. Bae helped me escape, Soraya. He can’t really want your kingdom. All he wants is his curse removed. And as for Zara—in Undine’s bargain, she prophesied a servant of magic would be able to save my kingdom. I believe it’s you.”

  Soraya’s eyes flickered with sheeny blue astonishment. “Me?”

  “You’re powerful, Soraya. I was astounded by the power you displayed in the throne room—but I had no idea of the amount you possessed, not until I saw you on Kelsey’s ship. If you’d kept going, you could have destroyed the boundary.”

  She was already shaking her head. “I was growing weaker. My power was waning, and I was barely making little cracks in its glass surface. I’m not the only princess with magic, Cali. The princesses of Rune, of Baldric Island—either of them could be the servant of magic Undine referred to.”

  The two girls sat in silence while the admission grew thicker between them.

  Soraya tapped her fingers together. “I still can’t believe you’ve spoken to the sea goddess face to face.”

  Cali moved closer to her, ducking to sit beside Soraya on the bed that was moored and reinforced to the wall. “She said Zara’s hope was someone who understood magic, who’d studied it. There is still a chance it’s you, Soraya, and that would give you the advantage! We can stop Captain Kelsey and save Zara.”

  “How?”

  “We start by finding those who are still loyal to Lunae Lumen.”

  Soraya sighed, pushing against the bedframe below her. “You sound so certain.”

  Cali was anything but certain. But she also wasn’t one to give up easily. “All we can do is try.”