by Ann Fisher
Janek ran a hand through his hair. “If Caden and I had arrived at the capital just a few weeks earlier we might have been able to turn the tide toward revolt, but we were delayed.”
Jamie snorted. “They spent three months in a Barisian prison before they managed an escape.”
Janek gave his friend a quelling look. “By the time we reached Ghadria, Serat was already sitting on the throne.”
It was the worst possible news for Erys. With any other emperor, there was a chance he’d forget about the small island at the edge of the empire while he secured his hold on the throne, but Serat would never let Erys go. As soon as he was able, he’d come for the heartstones. This time there would be legions of soldiers on their shores. Serat wouldn’t care if he had to burn the whole island down to find what he wanted. He would come to punish them all.
“No wonder they were chasing you,” she said to Janek. Serat had never liked Janek much, and now he would see him as a greater threat. “You should have told me sooner.”
Janek had placed her entire crew in danger by withholding that information.
He opened his hands. “I’m telling you now. Remember, I did not seek you out. If I could have kept you out of this, I would have done so. I tried…” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. All that is important is that there are no more secrets between us.”
Dani laughed at that, and Lorel felt a guilty flush rise to her cheeks. She had to tell him about Conri, but she had no intention of doing it now.
Janek took her reaction for anger. His voice softened. “Mira is as innocent in all of this as you. She was never involved in the politics of the empire, and she’s little more than a child.”
Turning away from the plea in Janek’s eyes, Lorel looked back at the pursuing ship to give herself a chance to think. He couldn’t be asking her to attempt a rescue. They were in enough danger as it was. The mage aboard the Charmoc wouldn’t let them go, not while the rightful heir to the imperial throne was sitting in their hold.
She leaned against the rail for support as much as balance. The Order’s ship was a bare speck on the horizon. Even as she watched, it disappeared completely from sight.
Drawing in a deep breath, she pushed away from the railing and turned to Kenna. “Put as much distance as you can between us and the Order’s ship.” She took Janek’s arm. “You, come with me. We need to talk.”
6
The cabin felt stuffy and small with Janek standing in the center of the room taking up more space than any one person had a right to. Lorel walked directly to the window to ratchet it open. If the window had been big enough, she might have considered throwing herself out of it.
The rightful heir to the Ghadrian empire was aboard her ship. Two years ago, she’d have slit the prince’s throat without a second thought and dumped him overboard, Janek with him.
And now…
Now what was she going to do?
While they were on deck, someone had brought dinner to her quarters. A heavy iron pot sat on the table inside an open crate with a loaf of bread beside it. The bread was likely stale by now as they’d have picked it up in Cassar, but it was still a nice touch. What was even more tempting was the flask of wine, Naivan red from Cinn’s private stash.
To buy time to think, Lorel walked to the table, lifted the flask from the crate, and held it aloft. “Something to drink?”
“Please.” Janek smiled at her attempt at hospitality.
She poured him a healthy serving, passed him the cup, and then unpacked the rest of the food. The cook had assumed she’d be dining with the prisoner. There were two cups, two wooden bowls, and a pair of hand-carved spoons. The utensils were crude. Cinn believed in dining as her crew did. It wasn’t because they couldn’t craft finer things in Erys, but the Raven was a working ship. It surely wasn’t as luxurious as what Janek would be used to.
When the table was set, she downed half her glass of wine in one swallow and waved a hand toward the crate. “It’s only fish stew—snapper, onions and potatoes. Stasa is a good cook. She has a barrel up on the quarterdeck where she grows her own spices. Dani objected to that, but Cinn overruled her…”
She trailed off when Janek took a step in her direction. He leaned past her to take a bowl of stew. She stayed where she was, frozen in place as his warmth and scent surrounded her. His hip bumped against her side, and his heavy arm brushed hers as he served himself. “I’m sure it will be delicious. I haven’t eaten a real meal since we left Ghadria three days ago.”
When he stepped aside, it felt as if he released her from a spell. She ducked her head, hoping he didn’t notice the effect he had on her. Idle hope, the Janek she knew noticed everything. He’d use that reaction against her if he could.
She ladled stew into her own bowl, and shooed Culan from her chair before seating herself across from where Janek stood. The crate was between them, and he moved to take the chair right next to her so his view was unimpeded.
Janek took a bite of the fish and made a soft sound of appreciation in the back of his throat, a little hum that he probably didn’t even notice. She noticed. She remembered that sound. It called up images of bare skin and firelight, clenched muscle and calloused hands.
Oblivious to the turn of her thoughts, Janek ate his dinner with the enthusiasm of a starving man. He’d always been a fast eater, neat but fast. He’d told her once that it was a legacy of his days as a soldier in the emperor’s army. As he reached for the bread, he asked her, “How long have you known about Caden?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Is that his name? Caden? I only knew him as Kamar.”
“Cadenseal Asila Irillean. Caden is what his family calls him.”
He tore off a hunk of bread and offered it to her. She shook her head and poked at the flaking fillet in her bowl. “I just pieced it together up there. I should have realized it sooner, but then who’d have thought to look for the imperial prince on Erys?”
“That was exactly the point of us hiding on Erys.” He took a sip of his wine, regarding her over the rim of his cup. When he set the cup aside, he asked, “What do you intend to do with him?”
That was an excellent question. “Caden has been under guard since he came aboard. He’s safe for the moment.”
Janek’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I thought you said you just pieced it together.”
“I knew he was important to you. He saved my life once, and I wanted to keep him alive until I knew what was going on.”
“And now?”
She resisted the urge to reassure him. “That’s even more important than ever, isn’t it?”
He regarded her a moment longer and then sighed. “All right, I can understand that. I only ask that you not blame Caden for his father’s sins. I know how you feel about the empire, but Caden had no part in the invasion of Erys. He had no seat on the council. He had no voice at court.”
“You care for him,” she said, putting that on the scale too. “You protect him as if he were your own flesh and blood. I thought he was yours.”
“He has a good heart,” Janek said, the corners of his mouth lifting in a wry smile. “The two of you would get on well together, I think. He’s nearly as idealistic as you are.”
“I’m sure I have nothing at all in common with a spoiled Ghadrian princeling.”
“You’d be surprised.”
“That’s what it was always about—you being on Erys? Everything that happened there was about you keeping Caden safe. Serat didn’t know, did he? He couldn’t have. Everything you did was to protect that secret.”
“Not everything.” Janek’s expression turned solemn. “I couldn’t let Serat discover that Caden was on Erys, and that made things…complicated at times.”
She gave up on eating the food. The soup was cooling and the broth had become oily. Her stomach was too unsettled. Pushing her bowl aside, she asked, “How did Serat not recognize the crown prince?”
He shrugged. “Serat had only met the boy once when Caden was
formally introduced to the court. Asil didn’t want his children corrupted by the hedonism of the capital so he sequestered them away in Pinalt. I always worried that Serat might see a family resemblance if he looked too closely. I told Asil it was too great a risk, but Asil believed Serat was a harmless, self-absorbed courtier.”
“Serat was frivolous and self-absorbed,” Lorel said. “But he was never harmless.”
“No.”
“And now he is emperor.” She swore under her breath. “What he did to me—”
What he’d done to Callon, to Erys, and now he was going to get away free. Better than free. He was to be rewarded for it.
“I’m sorry for what happened to you,” Janek said. “I don’t know if I ever told you that, but I am sorry that I let it go so far. More than I can possibly say.”
“I came to you as a spy. I can hardly blame you for being angry about that when you found out.”
“Angry? I suppose I was angry when I found out, as much at you as at myself.” He downed the rest of his drink and grimaced as if it tasted sour. It didn’t. It was very fine wine. Cinn would demand an accounting when she discovered its disappearance. “Despite what you were, it was wrong to let him hurt you. I should have found a way around it. I still have nightmares…”
He trailed off, his eyes haunted.
“I don’t.” She had dreams, about Janek, his hands and his body, the way he challenged her. He’d changed the way she saw and thought about everything. She examined people and situations more closely now, looking at them from every angle. She considered the world beyond the shores of Erys and planned for a future that she might never live to see. It had been easier before she met him when she could still hate all Ghadrians equally. “You shielded me from what Serat did. I don’t remember a thing.”
“No? That is some consolation.”
“You shouldn’t assume responsibility for his actions. Or for mine. I knew the risk going in.”
He fixed her with an assessing look. “You haven’t answered my question, you know. About what you plan to do with Caden.”
“Maybe because I haven’t decided what to do yet.”
He shook his head. “I don’t believe that. It seems to me that you were born knowing true north. You don’t waste time worrying over which course to take.”
“You think I’m reckless.”
He glanced at her hand on the table, at the ring of scar tissue that circled her fourth finger where Serat had cut her. “I think you’ll do the right thing, the noble thing, whatever the fuck you decide that is.”
The curse startled her. Janek was far more unsettled than his expression suggested. Good. She needed him honest. “Why shouldn't we hand him over to save ourselves?”
“Still determined to be the savior of Erys, are you?”
Her shoulders stiffened, but she forced them to relax. When he said it like that, it sounded ridiculous. She wasn’t anyone’s idea of a savior, least of all hers. But she would do whatever she could to ensure that Conri had a future. And right now she held the key to securing that future…if only she could figure out how to use it.
She didn’t want to serve Caden up to the Order.
“Serat is as likely to punish you as reward you if you try for ransom,” Janek said, as if reading her mind. “You know what he’s like. Caden is a fair man. He’s always had a firm respect for justice. If you help us, I can promise that Caden will help Erys when he’s restored to the throne.”
“When he’s restored to the throne?” She raised an eyebrow. “You expect me to trust his word?”
“I expect you to trust mine.”
She had to give Janek credit. It was a tempting prize he dangled before her—Erys free of the empire without bloodshed. She’d need to speak with Caden as well, but she didn’t really doubt that Janek would do everything within his power to keep a promise he’d made. Dani would call her a fool, but Lorel knew—knew with a bone deep certainty—that she could take Janek at his word.
“What are Caden’s odds of reclaiming the throne?”
“Long,” Janek conceded. “But you lose little by keeping him alive now. You can cut your losses at any time and drop us at the nearest port, claim ignorance of his identity if questioned.”
She refreshed his cup “How do you plan to retake the throne?”
Janek’s expression didn’t change as he took up his cup and turned it in his hands, but she could tell that he was considering exactly how much to tell her. He didn’t trust her any more than she trusted him. She tried not to take offense at that. It stung a bit, but she had spied on him, betrayed him, and even tried to kill him once. He had good reason to be wary.
“We’ve rallied the southern Houses behind Caden’s claim, but their support is contingent on Serat’s removal, and we can’t remove him without taking out the Archmage first. Demir never had the complete support of the Order, but after he executed his most vocal opponents within the Magisterium, the other mages decided it was best to keep their mouths shut. Our hope is that once Demir is dead that at least some of the mages will swear loyalty to Caden as well. The army is his. The Archmage may have replaced Asil’s generals with his own men, but he’ll never have the loyalty of the common soldiers. The eastern Houses are Serat’s most ardent supporters. We have little hope of winning any of them over. Our next step was to travel to Noregh to establish a safe base from which to work.”
Her brows rose at that. Noregh was one of Ghadria’s closest neighbors, true, but they were a secretive and unfriendly people. Traders said the king’s castle high in the mountains was a place of unimaginable wealth, but they could be lying and no one would know. Noreghs rarely allowed outsiders to cross their borders.
Janek smiled. “It sounds ambitious, I know, but King Taris was fond of Asil, and he wants to keep the Sithean pass open. Demir’s already threatened to close it once.”
“So, your plan is to stash Caden safely in Noregh while you return to Ghadria to assassinate the Archmage,” she concluded. “Does Caden know?”
Janek’s eyes widened slightly, telling her she’d guessed right, and then he shook his head. “Caden does not know, and you will not tell him. That boy wants nothing more than to rush the palace with his sword raised, alone if he has to.”
She took a sip of her wine and leaned back in her chair. “How is that different from what you’re planning? You’ll go to the palace alone to kill Serat and the Archmage.”
Janek breathed a short laugh. “The difference is that, before I deal with Serat and the Archmage, I will make certain that Caden has enough support to keep the empire from splintering into civil war once he is crowned. Only once that support is in place will I remove Serat and Demir. I’m not after revenge alone. The difficult part is not retaking the throne, it is holding it.”
She suspected he painted a rosy picture of his position in order to save Caden’s life. Janek had been a diplomat, after all. She wondered if he felt bad about misleading her. Probably as bad as she’d felt about shackling him. What a pair they made.
“I won’t sell you or the boy to Serat,” she said, believing that he’d told her the truth and feeling that she owed him the same. “I don’t know how much more help I can give you, but I can promise you that. I’d as soon cut off my own hand as lift it to help that weasel.”
Janek studied her face. “Your first mate won’t interfere with that decision?”
He was asking if she truly had the power to protect them. Sometimes it was annoying how perceptive he was. “Dani won’t mutiny over it.”
She didn’t think.
“Thank you.”
She inclined her head. She wouldn’t promise him any aid beyond sparing their lives. He might press for more later, but he was wise enough to accept what small victory he could for now.
He poured himself another glass of wine and gulped it down. When he leaned back in his chair, he seemed finally to relax.
She lifted her chin. “That wine is too fine to drink like water.”
“You did well enough at the Keep.”
“I can behave when I set my mind to it. I’m good at blending with my surroundings.”
She laughed. Did he truly think that he blended in? He raised his brows with an offended look. She lifted her cup. “Don’t worry. With me you can act the barbarian.”
He didn’t laugh with her. “With you, I can act myself.”
Her smile slipped. That was exactly the sort of thing that had made her fall for him in the first place. Made her careless. Ripped her apart when he left. He seemed to sense her discomfort and cleared his throat before looking around the small cabin. “This ship. Is it a mage-built ship? It feels…”
“Bespelled?”
“No, not exactly. I can’t put my finger on it. Alive. It feels alive.”
“I’m surprised you feel that, but I suppose with you being what you are I shouldn’t be. The Raven was built on Erys. The mast was taken from one of the sacred groves and blessed by the spirits. It’s a special ship and another reason everyone wanted Serat dead for sending his warships to destroy it. Stealing the heartstones was simply his greatest offense, not his only one.”
“Vowing to destroy the Raven won him no friends.”
“No,” she agreed.
She swallowed the last of her wine, but when she would have set her cup aside Janek leaned forward to refill it.
“Are you trying to get me drunk?”
His eyes glinted devilishly. “So I can have my wicked way with you? Yes.”
He might be telling her the truth. She wouldn’t put it past Janek to seduce her just to keep her on his side. She couldn’t very well fault him for that, could she?
Culan jumped on the table and began to lap at her abandoned stew. She stroked a hand down his back. “Legend says that when they built the Raven, the Keepers sacrificed a man and bound his spirit to the ship to watch over it forever.”
