by Ashley Nixon
“So what is your suggestion? Leave it alone?” Barren asked, becoming more and more irritated. “Because my brother is after this stone, and if he does not die getting there, he will be the invincible one, and if you think Tetherion has no honor, my brother actually succeeded in killing my father.”
“I know that well,” Devon said. “I would not suggest leaving such a thing in existence. I would say destroy it.”
“But it cannot be destroyed,” Barren said desperately. “It is dark magic!”
“Anything made can be unmade,” said Devon. “You just have to know how to do it.”
Barren’s shoulders fell, and he felt defeated and tired. After all he’d gone through just to get to this man, he found that he was bitter and rather useless. He’d only succeeded in making him question Tetherion’s motives—which made his head swim with more than dizziness.
“If you promise me that stone will be destroyed, I’ll help you,” Devon’s voice was low, but it was sincere, and Barren could finally sense a little bit of sympathy.
“So you do remember?”
“Not exactly,” the pirate shook his head. “But after the haze, there is a memory I possess—the strongest one I have of your father.” Devon extended his arm. On his forearm, lines of black marked his skin.
It was a drawing, and from Barren’s point-of-view, it looked like a tree, engulfing another tree. The bigger one branched into a ‘V’, and its limbs curled. Nestled at its center, the smaller tree was abstract—a line with curved limbs, and at random, three black dots that mimicked berries. “Your father marked me with this. He called it a map, but I know you won’t likely read it easily. I believe it to be a map to Sysara and the other Lyrics. If you can figure out how to read it, I think you’ll find the bloodstone.”
“But you are not sure?”
“No, but it seems you have few options.”
“You remember nothing before my father’s death,” Barren said, “and neither do I. What happened to our memories?”
“I am afraid your father is responsible for that,” a voice came from behind them. Barren and Devon whirled around to face Em. She was pale. The blush of pink that had been upon her cheeks was gone, and there was a sadness to her eyes that carried an overwhelming amount of guilt and grief—very different from her stone-like composure in Estrellas.
“Your memories were taken from you—anything that involved the Lyrics, anything that involved the bloodstone. I was responsible for seeing it through. I gave a draught to Devon, Christopher Lee and to myself. Your father could not destroy the bloodstone, so he thought he would, instead, erase the memory of it. The only problem is that the fix was temporary, and the memories are coming back.”
Barren took a moment to register what she’d said, realizing now why she’d shown such pity for him when he’d told her he wanted answers—because she was responsible for the absence of his memories—of everyone’s memories.
“You gave it to Christopher Lee? Do you remember why?”
“In his younger years, he was a member of Jess’s crew…his involvement with the bloodstone, though, I am unsure of.”
That didn’t sound right—hadn’t Larkin said Christopher Lee fought Jess during the Ore Wars? As admiral of a ship?
“Right, you took the poison.” Barren paused, running his fingers through his hair. All this loyalty to his father—it seemed suicidal.
“I am sorry Barren,” Em said quietly.
“I know,” he replied without looking at either of them. He was piecing information together. Jess gave Devon a map after his memory was already gone. There was a purpose for that, even if Barren didn’t understand it at the moment. But what role had Christopher Lee played, and did he even remember it himself?
“Barren, though it may be hard for you to believe, nothing your father did was ever in vain.”
At the moment, that was very hard to believe.
Larkin opened her eyes. There were bars all around her, and an ugly yellow light flooded her body. She sat up slightly. Though there was a bench across from her, she woke up on the floor. Strange that all the time she’d been with Barren, she hadn’t spent a single minute in the brig. Thunder boomed outside, and she could feel the floor sway as the Orient’s anger became more and more apparent.
Her head throbbed with pain and tears immediately spilled down her face. When her father had found her in the cells of Estrellas, she’d been conflicted. After she’d killed Cas, she wanted to feel safe, but knowing that Barren was near made her afraid for his life—and she’d been right to fear. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to push the memories of his torture from her head. Why hadn’t they just arrested him? Didn’t it make more sense to take him into their custody? To return him to Maris? But they didn’t. They’d beat him within an inch of his life and left him for dead, just like all those prisoners in Estrellas. She hoped he was alive. She hoped Leaf had found him and healed him.
Footsteps sounded somewhere in the darkness, and she lay down again, stifling her tears. She tired to remain still and act as if she were asleep. Her heart raced, not wanting to face whoever was coming. The thud of boots crossed the floor toward her, and she heard the groan of her cell door as it opened and closed. Then there was nothing. The silence strained, and Larkin could feel the tension grow thick from the other body occupying her space.
“I know you are awake.”
William’s voice was different. He had always been awkward and distant, but now he sounded tired and his voice was dead. Larkin opened her eyes and looked up at him. He stood at her head, studying her face. When he saw she had acknowledged him, he headed for the bench. Larkin moved away from him quickly, putting as much distance between them as possible. She shivered under his stare, and suddenly her pain was replaced by fear.
“Where are we?”
“We are on a ship heading for Cape Oceaniana,” replied William. “It is your father’s hope that Barren will follow us there.”
“He is alive?” The amount of hope in her voice made William’s brows knit together and fury ignite his eyes.
“That is what the twins tell me.”
“The twins?” Larkin gazed at William in disbelief, trying to find any indication that he was lying.
“What? You mean you didn’t know? Oh, they have provided some very beneficial information. Through them, we’ve been able to track Barren for quite some time, and it proved even more valuable after the king attempted to outsmart my attempts to locate the bloodstone.”
Larkin was quiet while William spoke. How could the twins be traitors? They were Barren’s cousins. They had joined his crew willingly, and sailed with him for the past few months. Why would they go through the trouble....unless the whole purpose was to trap Barren? Now that she thought about it, the twins were always quiet and reserved. They both sort of just faded into the background. They were also the ones who were always sent as lookouts, right before attacks like the one on the Cliffs. Now the twins were sailing with Barren, and he was ignorant of his cousins’ betrayal. She needed to warn him—but how? By the time Barren found her at Cape Oceaniana, it would be too late. And what did this mean for Tetherion? Was he ignorant, too?
“You were with my brother a very short while to be so dedicated to him.”
“I can sympathize with his situation,” said Larkin. “Though I do not always agree with his decisions.”
“So you haven’t forgotten his crimes against Maris? Because Barren is a pirate and he deserves death for his deeds.” He spoke steadily, and Larkin could feel a lump rise in her throat.
“You are a murderer, but no one calls for your death.”
She watched, expecting William’s face to change—for his jaw to tighten, his eyes to grow darker, narrower...but he gave no hint of anger, and for some reason, that was even more frightening.
“What happened to you two?” she asked, her voice low—a whisper in the silence of the brig.
William looked away from her, his face turned into the shad
ow. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought he was hiding something—his faltering composure, maybe? She watched the rest of his body, searching for signs of his mood, but he was a master at self-possession.
“There is no affection between us,” said William at last. “It ended the day I killed our father. He was the link we shared, the only source of brotherly love. I have no wish to recall what once was.”
“What about your mother?”
William’s brows rose, but he didn’t look at Larkin. His eyes became distant, endless pools of black. “She is like a distant dream,” he whispered. “She was beauty, she was power. I thought she would live forever.”
“So you remember her?”
“I remember the way I felt when Jess told me she was dead. Barren did not understand. He was…unaffected. Though, why shouldn’t he be? He had everything—Jess’s affection…Jess’s attention. He never did any wrong,” he paused. “You see…Barren…Barren only understood my heartache once he lost his father.”
“What are you saying?”
“Jess killed my mother,” said William, his lips barely moved. “You should understand. You of all people—he killed your mother, too!”
Larkin was very quiet as the impact of what William said hit her. “What?”
“I know you’ve wondered where you came from—who she was. She was a Lyric, just like my mother. She died trying to destroy the bloodstone.”
Larkin felt both relieved and empty at the same time. Suddenly her mother had an identity; she was like Barren’s mother, she was a sorceress, a powerful but dead being—and Jess Reed had taken her. Larkin cringed at the last thought: it didn’t sound right and it didn’t feel right.
“How do you know this?”
“Your father, why else do you think he and Jess became enemies?”
Larkin never knew they had been friends. “What do you mean, became?”
“Your father and Jess were once friends, but after Kenna’s death, Lee swore he would have his revenge.”
“But…that doesn’t make any sense, they could not have been friends….”
“One thing has never changed about your father—he has always been a traitor.”
Larkin kept her lips pressed tight, but she wondered why Tetherion had not spoken of this before—surely he had known that her father was once on Jess’s side.
“Now you have been told the truth, and must understand my wish to kill Barren.”
“I do not.”
“What?”
“I do not understand your wish to kill Barren.” Larkin’s eyes were dark with disdain for William’s assumptions. “And what you have given me is little evidence in support of your crime.”
“What evidence do I need other than your mother’s death?” spat William.
“That is not Barren’s crime,” Larkin glared at William, and her breath came in deliberate drafts.
“You have been brainwashed,” William attempted to shake off her comments.
“No!” Larkin’s voice was severe. “I have not been brainwashed! I have been free to think, to come to my own conclusions about others! And I do not believe for a second that Barren Reed is deserving of death.”
William’s jaw was clenched so tightly, Larkin wondered if he was going to speak. “You forget one thing, Larkin Lee—you still have to marry me.”
“I will not,” her voice rang with promise and silence followed as William processed what she said. He was used to her over speaking, but not about their marriage—it had been arranged by her father, and she never defied him.
“What did you say?”
“I will not marry you,” Larkin’s voice rose, defiant and strong.
“I see my brother has had more of an effect on you than I thought.”
“He has done nothing to sway my opinion of you,” Larkin’s voice stung the air. “I have always thought unfavorably of you, and even your brother but—”
“But what? What has he done that I have not?”
“He’s sorry,” she said desperately. Somehow, she knew William would not understand. “I believe his pain, and while I do not agree with his decisions, there is something about him worth holding on to. Worth giving a chance to.”
“So you would see to it that a man who did nothing but wreak havoc on the coast of your home, be given more of your favor than me?”
“I gave you a chance, and I was willing to marry you despite the fact that I would never love you, but what I hated about you then, isn’t what I hate about you now. I shudder to think what I would have faced had I not been kidnapped!”
“And what, may I ask, makes you think you won’t be my wife now that I have you back?”
Larkin glared at William as he moved out of the cell and into the shadow.
“If it is your wish to live in fear of your life, then take me as your bride. It’s your gamble.”
“I would not be so eager,” said William, closing the rusted door to her cell. “But I know whose heart yours has turned to, and before I see you with my brother, I would see you dead.”
She listened as William’s footsteps thudded over the wood and a door shut somewhere in the distance. She shivered; she felt cold and exhausted, both mentally and physically. She never expected to learn about her mother in such a manner. In fact, she had never expected to learn about her mother at all. Why had her father felt it was necessary to keep such a secret? And why had Tetherion avoided this piece of information? He didn’t seem to be on William and Lee’s side, but things weren’t adding up on Barren’s either.
Outside, Larkin heard water and wind crashing against the hull. The massive ship groaned beneath the fury of the Orient. From where she was, she could hear cries erupting on deck; chaos ensued above. Part of her felt that this was revenge, revenge for the pain and the abuse William and Christopher had inflicted—she knew the Orient worked in that way. Or maybe she was angry that they were trespassing on her waters. Barren had said if the Orient did not want them to pass, they would all die.
As Larkin sat there, she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, examining the bruises and the long red marks across her skin—evidence of her fight with Cas. Her heart pulled tight and she withheld the waves of tears threatening her eyes. She did not want to die here, not with William and not with her father.
Another wave crashed into the hull and she fell to the wooden floor, ignoring the pain accosting her. She lay very still, closing her eyes as tears spilled down her flushed cheeks. In this moment, she could only think of one person. One person who had saved her life over and over again, and she wished he were here now.
Barren felt silly as he looked in the mirror. The Elves had brought him clothes to change into and now he wore brown leggings and a green tunic. He much preferred his clothes, though they were less than acceptable—caked with blood and mud from Estrellas. They would probably need to be burned.
A knock sounded at the door, and Leaf entered his room, presenting a mug filled with steaming tea.
“Drink this before you head out tonight,” he said. “Your limbs won’t get sore from standing.”
Barren took the drink and put it to his lips. He blew on the hot liquid before taking a sip.
“Cove told me you want to go to Cape Oceaniana in hopes of rescuing Larkin.”
Barren did not say anything; instead he turned from the Elf and walked toward the row of windows in his room. He’d forgotten he’d told Cove that. “What if she does not want to come back? Have you prepared yourself for that reality?”
“Yes, Leaf,” he said, irritated. “It’s not about coming back to me. It’s about her freedom.”
“Is that what you’re telling yourself now?”
“Believe what you want,” Barren looked at his friend, and the Elf raised his brows, partly amused, partly as a challenge.
“I didn’t think to warn you not to fall in love with your brother’s fiancée…that would have been the worst luck, after all.”
Barren scowled
, but Leaf only smirked and then nodded to the drink still in Barren’s hands. “Finish that or you’ll regret it.”
The Elf retreated then. Barren had half a mind to throw the mug at him, but instead he sipped the hot liquid, knowing full well that Leaf wasn’t lying about regretting it later. When he’d finished the mixture, he made sure his knives were concealed. It was probably frowned upon to bring weapons to this gathering, but Barren never liked being unarmed. He left his room. Though the huge windows outside his room would allow anyone inside, he locked his door. He’d felt uncomfortable ever since he woke up this morning.
Tonight, he planned to confront Lord Alder about the bloodstone whenever and wherever he could. It would probably be a mistake, but he knew the King of the Elves would not allow a private audience with him, so Barren was going to have to manage with whatever he could get—even if that meant leaving Aurum tonight, and possibly facing Leaf’s disappointment.
Barren headed down the hall. At night, Aurum took on an ethereal feeling. Candles and lanterns illuminated the halls in a way that made them glow, and while it was dark outside, the sky was filled with stars and a full moon, causing silver to blanket everything. Entering the great hall, he was met with the same otherworldly feel. It was well known that the Elves were beautiful, and having so many in one room, all dressed in fine silk and shimmery robes, made him forget for a moment how untrustworthy they could be. Without a doubt, Barren knew every last one of these elegant and willowy creatures was deadly. Sure, their skills varied: some were better with bows, others with swords, but most liked to use their hands because weapons made too much noise. That simple bit of knowledge, which Barren had learned directly from Leaf, always made him feel that the Elves were far more brutal than the world actually knew.
Barren kept close to the windows. Being in tight spaces made him uncomfortable, and the fact that he was half-Elf in a room of full-bloods, didn’t make him feel any better. He sifted through the faces in the crowd, seeking members of his crew. He hadn’t seen everyone yet—the twins, for instance, had gone to the shore. Barren imagined they’d felt very uncomfortable in the Elvish kingdom considering their mother had been from Aurum and ran away when they were young, giving way to a strained relationship between humans and Elves.
