by LJ Andrews
“It will only place your father under scrutiny,” Tucker said. “Kale is skilled in many areas and no doubt will find adequate employment in another field.”
Geni threw her napkin on the table and burst to her feet. “Not with the same regard as an admiral. You should have thought more on my feelings about this and what I want in life. too, Kale Tucker.”
Without letting him respond, Geni stormed back to the house, slamming the door behind her.
“She means the same salary as an admiral,” Jenna snipped.
“That’ll do, Jenna,” Tucker warned.
“Sorry,” she said quickly. “Kale, are you all right?”
“I’d better go speak with her,” he said, following Geni inside the house.
Nova released a long breath, relieved the tense argument was over. She grew restless as she gazed into the bright skies. The clouds fluttered lazily off the horizon like smooth cream spread. It was time.
“Captain Tucker,” she said, “I am truly grateful for your hospitality and helping bring us away from the crew. But I believe it’s time for me to keep on my original journey.”
“Nova, you can’t go,” Jenna protested.
“I can’t stay when there are people I love depending on me.” She smiled and scrunched her nose at little Theo. “When you discovered Kale was alive, tell me, did you ever have a day when you didn’t think about him?”
Jenna pursed her lips but shook her head.
“I’ll be leavin’ with her,” Briggs said. “We’ll keep ye updated on our movements if ye’d like.”
Jenna nodded as she pulled Theo against her, allowing the comfort of his chubby arms to soothe her disappointment.
“We would appreciate that,” said Captain Tucker.
“You know Raine and I will be joining them as well,” Atlas said.
“Yes, but remember, when your journey is done, all of you are welcome in this house as long as you’d like. It’s been refreshing having guests, and perhaps a little excitement each day.” Tucker chuckled.
“Thank you for all you’ve done,” Nova said, reaching her hand for Tucker’s. “I’m going to gather my things.”
She lay the gray dress along the bed. Jenna didn’t believe in wearing black to funerals, so Nova had settled on the rain cloud color to satisfy the pain inside. Glancing in the mirror, she studied her pinned curls, her creamy skin. For a moment, it was nice to pretend it all wasn’t about to change. Even wearing her faded dusty pants felt odd after living the life of a lady for days. She reached into the dresser and carefully unwrapped the dagger.
Nova shuddered when her hand clasped the jeweled hilt as the surge of power seared her body. She smiled, darkly, reveling in the power. Nothing would stop her on her way; she would make certain no one would come between her and her family the way Smythe had. If anyone tried, she wouldn’t be the timid Nova she’d once been. The leather hat fit perfectly over her long curls as she basked in her appearance. She was a pirate once again.
A quiet knock came to the door. Jenna stood in the hall with Theo on her hip.
“Oh,” Jenna said taking in Nova’s appearance. The dagger hung on her hip and gleamed dangerously as Theo flapped his arms for Nova to take him. “I didn’t think you’d be leaving so soon.”
“I wish I could stay. Your family has been wonderful, but I must go.”
“You’ll come back to us though?” Jenna said, wiping a tear from her cheek.
Nova sighed, taking Theo gently so she could hold the child once more. “I don’t know, Jenna. I think my presence creates more of an upset in your brother’s life than it does good.”
“Don’t let Geni run you out. Kale has been tense and short since she arrived. If that’s the brother I’m destined to have if he marries her, then please come around all you want and upset his life a bit.”
Nova smiled. “I care for Kale, but I’m not the best thing for him. For the unforeseeable future, it is dangerous for him to be with me. I hope he can find happiness with Geni. He has a way of bringing out the good in people.”
Jenna shifted her weight, taking Theo back. “I admit, I don’t want him to go. I agree it will be dangerous, but please remember Nova, you are welcome here by more than just Kale. Please come back to us. We love you, even if my brother is too proud to show it, I know how he truly feels.”
Nova’s heart pounded heavily. “I should go,” she lamented.
Jenna moved aside so she could pass. Briggs and Atlas were already on the front lawn speaking with Captain Tucker.
“Nova, what do you think?” Raine chirped, emerging from the study. She wasn’t the soft, harmless girl dressed in pastels. Raine had a flintlock pistol on her hip and wore tight gray pants that looked similar to old naval trousers. She wore a blue top that seemed to have once been attached to a skirt, but she’d since transformed it into something more fitting of an adventurer. “I’ve been planning for this day for a while. Turns out being left alone in the palace so often offered plenty of time to learn to sew.”
“You were planning to come with us even before I asked about the palace?”
“Of course. I want to help you. I wouldn’t just sit back while you went back into danger. I’m not going to cower anymore. It’s simply a bonus to take something Insel treasured so much. I can repay the years he took from me.”
“Well, then I think you look ready to sail. Thank you, Raine,” Nova said, squeezing one of her shoulders sincerely.
“I’ll be outside when you’re ready,” she said, smiling. Nova smiled when Atlas and Briggs showered the former queen in compliments about her appearance. Raine was stronger than Nova had once imagined, and it would be nice to have another woman with them.
“You were going to leave without saying good-bye?” Kale said, stepping from a shadowed reading nook.
“Kale! I didn’t see you there,” Nova said, jumping back in surprise.
“I should come, Nova,” he said, but it sounded more like he was talking himself into it than meaning the words.
“No, you shouldn’t,” she said, though it tugged against the tightening in her chest. “Kale, give life here a chance. You were happy, weren’t you? Before the Vengeance I mean?”
“I thought I was,” Kale said, leaning against the wall with a sigh. “But so much has happened now, how can I go back to the way things were?”
“Kale, as much as I don’t want to say it, I believe Geni loves you. You made a promise to marry her, and simply because I forced you on a pirate crew isn’t reason enough to break that promise.”
Kale watched her, his face dark and filled with torment. “Tell me you don’t want me to go and I’ll stay.”
Nova swallowed the lump in her throat, her mind whirling. She could hear Briggs chuckling with Atlas and Raine. They were who she’d become, not good, stalwart people like the Tuckers.
“You don’t belong with people like us,” she said pointing outside. “I need to be with someone who will help me accept what’s inside. I can’t be the lady I pretended to be here.”
“You mean someone like Atlas,” Kale said resentfully. Taking a step toward her, he reached his hand out and twirled one of her curls around his finger. “Why can’t you be both? I don’t understand why you keep thinking the fact you have a heart, and you care, and you love others is somehow a weakness. Yes, you’re powerful, you have something most people don’t understand, but you are still the girl I…the girl I know is inside. The girl who cried over an old pirate, who loves a busy little boy, who saved me.”
Nova backed against the wall when Kale stepped even closer. Their noses nearly touched, but she never dropped her eyes from him. “Right now, I can’t afford to be that girl, Kale. Stay here. I’ll be just a memory soon enough.”
Nova pushed gently toward the door, but stopped when Kale grabbed her hand. “Admit that you’ll miss me a little,” he said as his lips pulled into a small smile.
Nova scoffed. “You would love that wouldn’t you, Tucker?”
&
nbsp; “Be safe, feisty,” he said softly as she pulled away, even though it felt as if hot irons stabbed through her chest.
“Ready, lass?” Briggs asked when she tromped down the stairs. “The good captain has offered one of his old transport ships, small enough to manage, but large enough to handle rough weather.”
“Thank you, sir,” Nova said, shaking Captain Tucker’s hand.
“Be careful, my dear. You will always be a friend to the Tucker family. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
“We should get going. If we leave now, we’ll be able to arrive at the palace by tomorrow night. It will be perfect timing,” Raine said.
Atlas threw a small leather pouch over his shoulder and nodded while the others followed him down the road.
“There should be enough food and drink for several days,” Tucker called after them.
Nova turned and waved, shielding her eyes from the setting sun. Jenna was on the porch, forcing Theo to wave his floppy hand, and before she turned around her final memory of the Tucker home was Kale on the small widow’s walk above the porch, Geni clasping his hand. She clenched her jaw and whipped her head forward toward her fate. The darkness filled her soul, devouring the pain of leaving the comforts of a loving home. She was resigned to find her parents, and as she passed through the busy docks toward their vessel, Nova was empowered to do anything necessary to find them.
It seemed as if a burst of gunpowder erupted excitedly inside her heart at the thought, and if the thought weren’t completely insane, she could have sworn she heard Lurlina laugh somewhere in the distance.
Chapter 5
A New King
Nova braced herself against the rail of the small merchant ship. It had one center mast with two sails clapping in the muggy breeze. There were two ancient-looking cannons shoved aside on the lower deck serving as the sleeping quarters and brig, with a small corner made up like a galley for meals. If Smythe found them, they would be a clean target, unable to fight back, and would be obliterated in an instant.
The sky was clear but rough as they bumped along humid air currents meeting cooler wind from the Regan channels. A larger ship might slice through without struggle, but the small hull pitched and bobbed angrily through the sky. Nova clasped the rail through another furious dip, her stomach shooting to her throat. She shot a glare at Atlas, who mouthed apologies before driving the ship onward.
“Are you ready for all this?” Raine asked, resting her elbows on the rail. Her face looked pale with a tinge of green from the swaying ship.
“It’s what I’ve been trying to do for over a year—to find out the truth,” Nova said. “Are you ready to go back to Koning?”
Raine nodded, brushing her brunette braid over her shoulder. “I think it’s something I need to do. Insel was cruel and uncaring. All he wanted was an heir. Now, that I’m out of his control, I am so grateful a child was never born to that fiend. Can you imagine what a life they would lead?” Nova sighed in anger, thinking of the fallen king and his secret brutality toward his wives as Raine continued. “I wish I could’ve had half your power. I might have escaped earlier. Atlas says you have a difficult time accepting your gift.”
“I wouldn’t call it a gift,” Nova said. “It can be consuming, and not in a good way. I’m unsure what could happen if I let it in all the time.”
“You said you don’t know. What if it’s a good thing? It could complete you in a way.”
“You sound like Atlas,” Nova said.
“Well, I happen to agree with him. If this is a part of you, I think you should embrace it. Your mother seemed to handle it well.”
“I don’t think she had the power when I was being raised. I don’t know much about her past, so how is it possible to know how she handled being a Djinn?”
Raine shrugged and watched the wispy clouds float by. “Do you miss Kale?” she asked after a long pause. Nova’s throat released a surprised croak at the sudden question before quickly looking away so Raine wouldn’t see the fire in her cheeks. “What? It’s a simple question. You can’t honestly want him to marry Geni.”
“I want Kale away from this life. Pirates and a by-the-book naval officer don’t exactly fit. It’s better this way, really.”
“Nova, I owe you my life, but I have to tell you sometimes you have a habit of telling Kale what’s good for him.”
Nova raised her eyebrows and gaped at Raine. “What do you mean by that?”
“He didn’t have to come back when he helped me find my way to Silva. He could’ve escaped with me, but he went back to the pirate ship—to you. I gathered by the look on his face when we left his home, he would’ve rather come with us, but you made it clear he wasn’t welcome.”
“That’s not what I meant, Raine, and Kale knows that.”
“Does he?” Raine said calmly. “It seemed to me you made it clear to him that you would rather he stay and return to his old life. I guess my point is, a lot of people care about you and want to help you. But it’s up to you if you let us, so take the advice of a woman who was locked for three years inside a prison shaped like a palace: let people in. Life is a lot less bleak with friends surrounding you.”
Raine patted Nova’s arm gently, but her eyes were blazing with a regal power she could have only learned during her years as queen. Nova was speechless, but inside she knew Raine spoke the truth. It was too late to turn back time for Kale, but perhaps she could mend torn relationships going forward. The thought pulsed through her mind as she watched Atlas at the helm. As if sensing her eyes on him, Atlas glanced at her and smiled coyly. Nova turned away but allowed her lips to curl up into a shy smile only revealed to the face of the setting sun.
Two days along the rough currents had churned Nova’s stomach into mushy soup sloshing around at every pitch and dip. Finally, bright sunlight pierced the peachy clouds as Briggs shouted out the shores of Koning were straight ahead.
“We’ll be pullin’ into the merchant docks soon. Raine, keep yer head down. Nova, make sure ye be actin’ the part of me daughter. No females be merchants, and if anyone recognizes ye from the last time ye came to the palace then we might as well string ourselves up,” Briggs shouted, pulling tightly against the scratchy black rigging as the graying canvas sails billowed in the wind. Raine nodded and pulled a hat down over her eyes while wrapping her long hair into a low knot at the base of her head.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Uncle Briggs,” Nova shouted back as the ship bobbed lazily into the royal port.
“Just sayin’ it as it is, lass,” he responded, shrugging.
Koning’s massive coastline seemed to force the other inferior Launi islands to bow to its strength, just as the brilliant, gilded palace did to the town center below its hillside perch. The streets were paved in bricks made of gray rock crusted with small, glittering bits of crystal which cast the royal village in a celestial glow no matter where the sun rested in the sky. Though not as grand as the royal hillside, the shops and businesses in the town were of the finest quality. Nova smirked knowing most residents of Koning Island were of noble descent or were servants of the nobles.
As the port neared the hull of the small ship, Atlas abandoned the helm and allowed the currents to nestle the ship gently against the floating, wooden dock. He wore a blue coat over his white shirt, concealing the pirate tattoo on his wrist and the pistol tied on his belt. He pulled his hair back with a leather strap, forgoing the black bandana he’d worn since he’d joined the Star’s Vengeance crew. Nova smiled when he leaned over the rail to help Briggs tie the ship to the dock.
“What? Do I have something out of place?” he asked, eyeing his coat.
“No, I just…I was just thinking you look…good,” Nova stammered.
Atlas smiled arrogantly and straightened the hem near the brass buttons. “Good enough to pass for an honest, noble merchant?”
The annoyance glassing across her diamond eyes made Atlas laugh as Nova stepped onto the docks. “Don’t get too h
igh on yourself,” she said.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Atlas teased, checking once more on the knot to ensure the boat was secure against the dock.
“All right now, ye lot, listen up and follow me lead,” Briggs barked once they were well into the town square. “There be a pub just down the lane. We’ll stay the night, much like merchants would do, and then tomorrow night Raine will take us to the palace archives. Ye said ye know a good way to get in?” He turned abruptly toward Raine.
“The only way I can think of without being seen,” she responded. “There aren’t any guarantees but if this is the best way to find the temple, then it’s worth trying.”
“I want to make somethin’ clear. We be lookin’ to find Mount Dia first. That be half the battle, but the temple is an entirely different problem,” Briggs grumbled.
“We’ll look for what we can,” Raine insisted.
Nova held her breath as she watched the bustling streets. The people of Koning were dressed in the finest apparel. Ladies strolled daintily with parasols against the warm sunlight. Their gowns rustled along the brick road, like dried grass on a summer day. Noblemen laughed deeply from their bellies while servants not much younger than Nova held dark umbrellas over their sensitive heads.
The young people were near invisible, except when a ray of sun managed to sneak past the covering over one man with a thick handlebar mustache; at that moment, the man rolled his rotund midsection and bellowed commands at the young boy, whose head was shaved and cherry red from the unforgiving light. The servant boy stiffened and held the heavy shade even straighter. His thin arms were trembling against the strain, while the master puffed a black pipe into the face of the similarly boisterous nobleman.
Nova snarled from beneath the brim of her hat, but Briggs clicked his tongue in warning not to bring attention to themselves as they left the round-eyed boy with his tyrannical master.
Swinging open the smooth, cherry wood door to the pub, a blast of fresh herbed bread and malted liquor made Nova’s mouth water. The pub, if she could even call it a pub, was clean, tame, and filled with nasally talk about jewels, class, and the finer things in life over dainty glasses of amber drinks.
