Glancing over her shoulder, she turned a corner. The distraction cost her, and her body slammed into something solid, knocking her onto her back.
“Hey, watch it!” a man yelled.
She’d run into a farmer’s cart hauling tomatoes. The back hatch fell open at the impact, and the small red vegetables tumbled over the road. Maya jumped to her feet and backtracked to take a different street.
As she rounded the corner, she rushed straight into the arms of her pursuers. She resisted, but in a matter of seconds they had her restrained and marching off toward the governor’s castle.
The doors of the prison swung open and she was marched down a damp hallway to her cell. She guessed she should be glad they hadn’t killed her on the spot. Unlocking a cell, the guards threw her inside. The cell clanked as it closed, and the prison door slammed shut moments later.
When she lifted her head, she found Khal standing against the wall, her mother huddled in a corner.
“Where’s Jade?” she asked.
Khal only shook his head.
Dead.
Maya winced and felt a hole in her heart. Jade had been her first recruit to the Revenant. Her loss would take years to get over—provided Maya had years.
Hinges squeaked as the prison doors opened once more. No doubt it was her executioner come to haul her before the governor.
Maya turned and saw Callum with arms crossed and a satisfied smile on his face.
Maya shook and gasped for breath. A quick glance around the room revealed that she was in her chambers aboard the Wave Wraith. Taking a death breath, she rubbed her temples. She wasn’t in a Berxlian prison. It had been a dream.
What about Khal, Jade, and her mother? Where were they? She tried to remember, but the pain in her head was too great. That, at least, was real.
Kicking her legs over the edge of her bed, she hopped off and stumbled to the deck. The door flew open and light flooded into the room.
Maya held up her arm to shield her eyes as she heard Farrow say, “Easy, easy.” He and another one of the crew knelt beside her and helped her stand, then walked her back to her bed. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she said stubbornly. “Where’s Khal and the others?”
“I—I don’t know,” Farrow said. “They didn’t make it out of Berxley before the doors closed.
Her memory came back to her in painful flashes. She winced and placed her head in her hand. Berxley had set a trap and they’d fallen for it. She must have overexerted herself in an attempt to save them, and then blacked out.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Farrow asked.
“I remember,” she said soft and slow. Realizing her family was in danger, she cleared her head and blurted out, “Turn around! Turn around now, we have to save them!”
“Shh,” Farrow said. “You don’t understand.”
“No, you don’t understand,” she said, trying to stand. “I want this ship turned around now. We’re going to rescue them.”
Farrow sighed. “We don’t even know if they’re alive, and besides, it’s too far. We’re less than an hour from Kent City.”
“What!” she exclaimed. “Did you say Kent? How long was I out?”
“Almost two days,” Farrow answered.
Maya nearly swooned, but Farrow caught her and steadied her.
“You need to take it easy,” he said. “I was worried you weren’t going to wake in time. By all reports, this meeting isn’t going to go any better than the last one. We need you out there, so rest up, and meet me on the quarterdeck in an hour if you can.”
Aden and Sylas returned with good news. About a quarter of the way down the main harbor road was a small schooner, a ship called the Water Lance, tucked away between two massive galleys. The larger ships were tall enough that it would be unlikely the group would be seen unless one of the sailors looked directly over the edge.
The bad news was that a crew of at least ten men currently occupied the schooner. They’d need to evacuate the ship if they wanted to take it without raising the alarm.
A klaxon blared, signaling that time was running out. The longer they hung around the more likely they would be discovered. They would just have to figure it out as they went.
“Time to go,” Khate said as she charged headlong down the hill toward the harbor.
She slowed and came to halt just before leaving the shelter of the city streets. Peering around the corner, she checked to make sure the coast was clear. Not seeing anyone, she waved her companions forward.
Khate stuck her hands behind her back, as did Bryn and PD, pretending once again to be prisoners just in case they were discovered. This time, though, they didn’t bother with the restraints. They didn’t need to make it through a close inspection, and if it came to that, they were in trouble anyway.
They passed ship after ship. A few crewmen on a couple of the vessels glanced in their direction, but they were auxiliary staff, not soldiers.
So far so good.
Finally, the Water Lance came into view. Khate’s first thought was that she was a marked improvement over the River Raider. If nothing else came of this, she wouldn’t feel so bad about Bryn losing his ship. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about Kaeden. His death would forever rest solely upon Khate’s shoulders.
They turned and walked down the pier leading to the schooner.
“Hey,” someone called from behind.
Khate glanced back.
“Can I help you with something?” the man said. “That’s my ship.”
Bryn said, “Oh, I, uh—” then he spun and ran, heading for the ship.
Khate swore and raced after him, the others in tow.
“Hey!” the man shouted. “Guards!”
So much for not being discovered.
Khate leapt up the gangplank in long strides.
The bosun looked up from his parchment and said, “What’s going—”
Khate grabbed him by the collar and tossed him off the ship. The man screamed as he tumbled down the gangplank.
PD jumped out of the way to avoid being taken with him. “A little warning next time.”
Khate didn’t bother responding, as the rest of the crew snapped to attention and brandished weapons. She ducked under the lazy swing of a sword and rose with an uppercut that sent the man stumbling backward. As he hit the deck, his sword flew free and skittered to a halt at PD’s feet.
The next crewman came at her with a lunge. She dodged, punching him in the face, then grabbed his shoulders and kneed him in the groin.
Before she could catch her breath, a third man ran at her swinging his blade high. At the last second, she dropped to the deck. The man tripped on her prone form and face-planted on the wood.
Flipping over, she grabbed his ankle and twisted. The man howled in pain at the very audible snap that followed.
By that point, the man she’d kneed was beginning to rise. Standing, she kicked him hard and he fell back down, groaning and grabbing his stomach.
A row of soldiers proceeded down the pier, marching toward the ship.
“We need to leave,” Khate called out, hoping Bryn would hear her, wherever he was.
“Already ahead of you,” Bryn said.
Khate looked up to find Bryn at the helm.
“Help PD weigh anchor,” he said. “Then I need you up in the nest.”
Khate nodded and made for the bow. Stepping over the bodies of the crew—some who were dead and others who would be in a matter of moments—she came alongside PD, grabbed the rope, and pulled.
Water splashed as the anchor rose up into the air.
By now, two soldiers were already making their way up the gangplank. The ship lurched forward, knocking them off balance and sending them into the ocean.
As they pulled away, the gangplank came loose and fell from the ship. The soldiers halted, turned, and ran back down the pier. They split off into two directions and started boarding the nearby galleys.
The
Water Lance broke free from the harbor and sailed out into open ocean, leaving Kent behind. Behind her, a door leading below deck opened and a man came out. “Why are we—?”
PD grabbed his collar and tossed him off the boat. He screamed as he soared through the air and was silenced when the ocean swallowed him whole.
Not wasting another second, Khate grabbed ahold of the rope shroud and climbed up into the tiny crow’s nest. She didn’t have a spyglass, but luckily one had been left in the nest. Picking it up, she looked out at the sea ahead.
Nothing on the horizon.
Khate swung around and watched as not three, not four, but five galleys pulled out and gave chase.
“We’ve got a problem!” Khate called.
“What?” Bryn asked.
A loud boom echoed on the wind, followed by a splash fifty feet to their right and rear.
“That.”
“Thanks,” Bryn responded, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Khate continued to monitor their pursuit. She wasn’t sure how they were going to make it out of this one. She hoped the schooner was faster, but they had no real way of telling. The larger ships certainly weighed a lot more with all their cannons and necessary crew for operation, but they also had more sails for propulsion.
Pulling out the soul stone, Khate held it up to the light and said, “Xyrth, if you can hear me, we could really use your help right now.”
The stone flared and pulsed, then a teal mist escaped from it, swirled around Khate, and rushed into her skin.
What just happened, Khate wondered.
I answered your prayer, Xyrth said in her mind.
Khate jolted, dropped the stone, and fell out of the crow’s nest. Khate grabbed for a rope as she fell, her momentum abruptly halting as she felt her shoulder dislocate. Grunting through clenched teeth, she held on long enough to get a grip with her other hand.
She pulled herself back up into the nest using only the one hand, then, with a quick tug, she relocated her shoulder, howling again as it popped into place. Kneeling down, she picked up the stone and stuck it back in her pocket.
“Who are you?” Khate asked. “Where are you?”
“Are you all right, lass?” Bryn shouted.
“I’m fine!” she yelled down.
I’m Xyrth and I am part of you now.
“Come again?” she asked.
“I didn’t say anything,” Bryn answered.
Khate didn’t answer him. She was losing it. She knew getting older made you senile, but she thought she had a good thirty years more before that would happen.
You’re not going crazy, Xyrth said. You called, I answered.
“Oh, gods,” Khate said.
Correct, Xyrth answered.
“What?” Bryn asked.
Another explosion, and another cannonball impacted the water, this one only about twenty feet away to the port side.
“Iket’s bones!” Bryn said. “A little warning next time. How’s it coming, lass, are we losing them?”
Khate picked the spyglass up again. They hadn’t gotten any farther away. In fact, if Khate wasn’t mistaken, the galleys actually seemed to be gaining on them.
“Uh, does this thing go any faster?” Khate asked.
“I’m doing the best I can,” Aden said, manning the rigging. “I could use another four people at a minimum.”
“Can’t help you there,” Bryn said.
A third boom filled the air, and the resulting splash was so close water flew onto the deck.
If you’re really Xyrth, lend me your power, Khate said. Please, get us out of this mess.
It doesn’t work that way, Xyrth said. Do you even know what my power does?
No. You’re the god of war, Khate said. I imagine you destroy stuff. Blowing up those galleys would be really nice.
My stone is called the Soul Mirror, he explained. I can duplicate the powers of the other gods when I’m near one of them.
Okay, so duplicate away, Khate said.
I can’t, there’s no one—wait, Xyrth said. I can feel power coming at us from the front.
“Huh?” Khate asked aloud as she spun, looking out to the sea ahead.
“What is it?” Bryn called up to her.
“Another ship,” Khate said, still looking through the spyglass. Her eyes were drawn to the flag—Shadowhold’s flag containing the royal seal. This was a political vessel. “I—It’s the queen.”
“I’m sorry, I must have misheard you,” Bryn said. “Did you say queen or clean?”
“It’s Shadowhold!” she yelled down. “We have to warn them.”
“With what?” Aden shouted. “It’s either us or them. Perhaps if we’re lucky Kent won’t fire on the queen. If we can get on the other side of her, we may be able to avoid pursuit.”
“It’s worth a shot,” Bryn said. “Full speed ahead, boys.”
22
“What’s going on?” Maya asked, stepping onto the quarterdeck.
“I don’t know,” Farrow said. “Kent appears to be firing on their own ship.”
“Shouldn’t we be turning around?” she asked.
“No point. They’ll be on us in a minute or two,” Farrow answered.
“At least get out of the way!” Maya exclaimed.
“What do you think I’m trying to do!” he said. “The fleeing vessel keeps adjusting with our new trajectory.”
“Let’s hope Kent sees our flag and doesn’t decide to blast us out of the water anyway,” Maya said.
Maya ran over to the rail and tried to get a good look at the schooner headed toward them. It seemed to be operating on a skeleton crew of no more than four or five. As the ship drew closer she saw the captain at the helm, the first mate manning the rigging, and another crewman dumping supplies overboard.
There was a fourth crewman in the crow’s nest. It was Khal. Maya did a double take. No, not Khal—this was a woman. Maya’s eyes met the woman’s, and a second later the whole ship vanished.
The Wave Wraith careened to the left and Maya stumbled back, struggling to keep her balance.
“What was that for?” Maya snapped at Farrow.
Ignoring her question, he asked, “Did you see that? The ship just disappeared.”
“Never mind that one,” Maya said. “Keep your eyes on the hostile ships ahead of us.”
Stepping back to the stern, Maya dipped into the Soul Sight. She held her eyes shut and cautiously opened them, fearing another headache with the use of her magic, but there was no pain. Unfortunately, there was also no ship.
It didn’t make any sense to Maya, but a lot of things hadn’t been very clear in the last few days. One thing she knew above all else: the kingdom was falling apart and only she could keep it together.
As luck would have it, with the disappearance of the smaller ship, the galleys stopped firing, though they did not correct their course and continued heading straight for the Wave Wraith. Farrow held the ship steady as two galleys pulled up alongside and wedged them in.
“All travel to and from Kent is closed,” the captain of the portside ship shouted across the water. “Turn around now.”
“No,” Maya replied.
“Then stand back and prepare to be boarded,” the man said.
“You’ll do nothing of the sort,” Maya said. “Your queen desires an audience with General Kosta. You will take me to him. Now.”
“I’m sorry,” the captain said, shaking his head. “The general has expressly forbidden you in particular from his island.”
“His island?” Maya blustered. “What’s your name, Captain?”
“Casar Bastian,” he replied.
“Well, Captain Bastian, I have information that Kosta needs to hear,” Maya said.
“The general isn’t interested in anything you have to say,” Bastian said.
Maya gritted her teeth and tightened her fist. Tapping into her power, she turned the sky as black as the night, lightning arcing through the clouds above.
&nbs
p; “If he values his life and the lives of everyone in this kingdom, he will hear me,” Maya proclaimed, her voice booming across the ship.
“I’m sorry, but—”
Maya snapped her finger and a bolt of lightning struck the main mast of the captain’s vessel, setting it alight.
The captain jumped in fright, and then said, “All right, all right! I’ll take you to him!”
A smile spread across Maya’s face and she dropped the illusion. The sky returned to a clear blue and the fire vanished.
“Allow me to turn about and I’ll escort you into port,” Bastian said.
Maya half bowed and motioned with her hand for the captain to lead the way. The two boats disengaged, allowing the Wave Wraith to float free once more.
“You sure you trust this guy?” Farrow asked.
“No,” Maya said. “We never thought getting an audience with Kosta would be easy. I may not have killed his brother, but it was my people that did.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Farrow said.
“You and me both,” Maya whispered so only she could hear.
The five galleys circled around the Wave Wraith, leading her into Kent. As they drew nearer, the ships didn’t turn toward the city, but instead held course and headed north along the coast to the other side of the wall.
“By the gods,” Maya said.
As the sun rose steadily higher into the sky the devastation of Kent was on full display. The entire harbor was a blackened mess: docks half gone, ship masts rising up from the water, buildings turned to rubble, and smoke still billowing into the sky.
“What happened here?” Farrow wondered.
Aralith was in worse shape than she could have imagined. All this because her father was dead? It didn’t make any sense. Why would the people revolt? Why would whole provinces abdicate? It was a change in leadership, not an invasion—and one for the better if truth be told.
I fear there is more at work here than we realize, Merva said. Stay alert.
She wished she knew what was going on with the elves. If these people had some sense of the threat that now loomed over their heads or a timeline of when the elves would mobilize, perhaps then she’d have more bargaining power with Kosta.
Soul Shade (Soul Stones Book 2) Page 16
