by K.N. Lee
Mortified, Rowen’s jaw hung. Did it not work?
“Did you… just try to bewitch me?”
“Gavin, listen. I didn’t mean it.”
“Bloody hell,” he said, and Rowen realized that she’d wounded him. Not physically, but emotionally.
Maybe he trusted her more than she trusted him.
Gavin took a step away from her and rubbed his cheeks. Without removing his gaze, he left her room and shook his head.
Alone once more, Rowen fell to the floor.
It didn’t work.
She covered her mouth. How could she be so foolish? She thought back to the only time she had attempted her power of persuasion on Gavin.
He’d been asleep.
“Stupid, foolish girl,” she mumbled. Nothing would calm the pain in her belly. Nothing would erase the fact that now the captain would know that she lied about not having any abilities.
Rowen’s head hung. “Just my luck.”
Chapter 22
LUNCH ARRIVED, AND Rowen was tired of waiting. If Gavin was going to go and tell on her, she wanted to be there to defend and explain herself.
Instead of accepting the plate of the same old bread and cheese, she moved it aside and gave him a firm look.
“Take me Captain Elian,” she ordered.
Logan scratched his hair. “I don’t know about that, miss. Captain would surely have my hide. You’re supposed to stay in your cabin. Everyone knows that.”
Rowen took him by the hand. Her power surged from her palm and into his, silencing his protests.
Again, she spoke. This time, through clenched teeth. “Take me to the captain.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Logan said. “This way.”
The fact that she couldn’t use her power on Gavin left her more vulnerable than she was before. She had no way of knowing if it would work on the captain or Siddhe if she needed to protect herself. But, the waiting and uncertainty was almost as bad as nearly freezing to death in Withrae Prison.
The narrow hallway was stifling, and the sound of shouting pirates above did little to erase her fears. The farther they walked, the more Rowen started to wonder if the captain intentionally wanted her as far from him as possible. She followed Logan up a few stairs and to another level of the ship.
When they arrived, Logan lingered, watching Rowen as if waiting for another order.
Sighing, she gently placed her hand to his cheek. “Go back to work.”
He nodded. “Right. Back to work.”
Rowen bottled her fear, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.
Instead of a voice coming from the other side, the door opened almost immediately.
Rowen gulped.
There stood Siddhe, the same look of disdain and distrust on her beautiful face.
She grabbed Rowen by the front of her dress. “What are you doing here?”
Glancing around her, Rowen looked to Captain Elian who sat at his desk. Gavin stood next to the desk, a look of surprise on his face as he looked from Siddhe to Rowen.
“I’ve come to see the captain. I’ve had another prophecy. I know how to help you get what you seek.”
“Prophecy?” Elian’s brows rose and he stood from his seat. “Let her go, Siddhe.”
Siddhe pushed Rowen back and stepped aside. “This better be good,” she murmured, looking Rowen up and down.
“Rowen,” Elian said, his voice suspiciously tender. “Sit down, dear.”
Rowen walked to the empty chair before his desk covered in open maps. She sat down and folded her hands in her lap. It was clear that whatever he sought was important to him, and this might be the leverage she needed to gain an edge on him.
She just couldn’t tell him the true prophecy. Images of their dead bodies flashed before her eyes, turning her blood cold as the icicles that used to form outside her prison window.
Elian settled back in his seat. He nodded to her. “Go on, Rowen. Tell us what you saw. Don’t leave out any detail.”
Rowen started to speak, then snapped her mouth shut. She shot a nervous look at Gavin.
Damnation. She forgot to think of a fake prophecy.
“Uh,” she fumbled, searching her mind for something of substance.
“Take your time,” Elian said, calmly.
His soft voice eased her nerves but did nothing to help her think of a credible prophecy.
“Well,” Rowen said, trying to buy herself time. She placed her hands on the table and smoothed the map before her. “You see. The images are a bit cloudy.”
“Lying little whore,” Siddhe growled.
Rowen began to speak again, and let out an ear-shattering cry as Siddhe stabbed a sharp knife into her hand, pinning it to the table.
The pain shot into her hand like fire.
Elian shot to his feet. “Siddhe!”
Gavin rushed to help Rowen free her hand.
Hysterical and in greater pain than she’d ever experienced, tears poured from Rowen’s eyes.
“You! You bitch!” Rowen shouted, no longer caring about her regal upbringing.
The sight of her own flood pooling onto the Elian’s maps made her lose all composure. Through a film of tears, she looked to Gavin who stood there, unsure of what to do.
“Help me!”
“Why did you do that?” Elian asked Siddhe, raking a hand through his blond hair. “You’ve ruined my maps!”
Siddhe stepped to him until they were face to face. “She’s a blasted fake! You should be thanking me.” She looked to Rowen and burst out laughing. “She deserves worse!”
“Bad call,” Gavin said, his brows furrowing as he tried to remove the blade from the table.
Rowen cried out. Every inch the knife moved sent her closer to passing out from the pain.
“Move,” Elian said, shoving Gavin aside. Without a second thought, he snatched the knife from the desk and threw it across the room, sending it straight into the wood of the door.
Rowen pulled her hand away and cradled it to her chest. Sobbing, she shot a glare at Siddhe. “You’re insane!”
With a growl, Elian snatched the map from the table. “You’ll pay for this with your hide,” he said to Siddhe.
“You can try,” Siddhe shot back.
Rowen looked to Elian and came to her feet. Freezing, her eyes went to the map that was half blank, and half finished. Her eyes widened as she took a closer look.
Her blood.
It trailed along the blank side of the map, creating images, symbols, and letters from a language she’d never seen.
Together, she and Elian raised the eyes to one another, their mouths open with shock.
“Bloody hell,” Gavin said, blinking. “How’d she do that?”
The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at Rowen.
“She can’t,” Elian replied, looking at Rowen with curious eyes. He tilted his head. “Only the blood of a prophet from my family line can do such a thing.”
Rowen shook her head. Despite the mind-numbing pain, Rowen couldn’t take her eyes from the map as her blood filled in the drawings. When she dared to lift her eyes back to Elian’s an odd half-smile rested on his lips.
“Daughter?”
Before Rowen could utter another word, a loud explosion sent them all to the floor as the ship rocked and shook.
Chapter 23
ROWEN GASPED AS the ship rocked and threw them all into the far wall.
“What’s happening?” she asked with a wince as she landed on her wounded hand.
“I can take a guess,” Siddhe said, scrambling to her feet. She glared at Elian. “What do you want to bet it’s the Withraen Navy?”
“Damn,” Elian growled. “We have to protect the ship.”
Siddhe and Elian ran from the cabin, leaving Rowen and Gavin to collect themselves.
“Are you okay?” Gavin asked, helping Rowen to her feet.
Rowen groaned. “I could be better.” She wobbled on her feet as the ship rocked and swayed. “Look
s like they’ve come for me.”
“Well, there’s not exactly anywhere to run from here.”
She turned to him. “Help me escape,” she pleaded. “What do you have to lose? Get me a boat and help me get off this ship.”
Gavin inhaled. “Rowen. I want to help you. Believe me. But, I don’t know what I can do to help you.”
Rowen winced as she held her wounded hand to her chest. She took Gavin’s hand with her other, and pulled him from the cabin.
As she did so, she took another look at the map. Something told her that she couldn’t leave it behind. If anything, it could be a bargaining chip. So, she grabbed it from the floor and stuffed it into her dress.
They ran from the cabin and into the hall. Rowen froze at hearing the roar of yells and canons on deck. This was going to be dangerous. But, she was ready. After Siddhe stabbed her in the hand, she didn’t want to spend one more minute around her.
Then, there was the fact that Elian called her daughter.
That gave her pause.
What did he mean by that?
She cried out as a canon blew through the ship and soared past them, crashing into the wall just feet ahead of them.
Gavin grabbed her and pulled her out of the way as shards of wood and flames flew at their faces.
Rowen could barely catch her breath as they tumbled down the hall. They rolled and tumbled into the end of the hallway and into a wall.
“Come on,” Gavin said, pulling her to her feet.
He grabbed her hand, and pulled her along. He ran much faster than her legs were willing to go. More blood dripped onto her soaking wet dress and onto the slick floor, and her mind whirled with pain. She fought through it, the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She skidded to a stop and beheld the open hole where the cannon had burst through. The choppy sea awaited outside, ready to suck them all up and never let go.
There was no way the ship was going to survive a blow such as that. As she stood at the edge, she thought of jumping. Rowen was a strong swimmer, but without a clue as to how far they were from land, she turned and ran to Gavin.
Once they reached the stairs that led up deck, Gavin slowed his pace and proceeded cautiously.
“What’s going on up there?”
“Wait here,” he said, holding his finger up to her lips to quiet her.
Rowen looked past him and her lips parted as she caught a glimpse of the sky for the first time in days. Arrows shot through the air, and to her utter terror, a large shining red dragon flew ahead and blew fire at the ship’s sails. The flames’ reach was incredible, striking with expert precision at every sail and pirate in its path.
Rowen groaned, almost losing her courage. Getting around him would be a challenge.
“Bloody hell,” Gavin said. He looked back at her with a lifted brow. “Sure you want to try your luck on the sea alone?”
Rowen chewed her bottom lip and shrugged. “I’d rather that than to drown or be burnt alive.”
That was all he needed to hear, and he made a run for the deck. Rowen mustered all of her courage and made a run to catch up. If they got separated, she didn’t know what she would do.
The scene above deck was much worse than she expected. Her heart raced as she watched Withraen soldiers board the ship. Captain Elian—armed with a sword—was up top, shouting orders and fighting soldiers as fiercely as she’d seen any swordsman in the arenas of Withrae. He’d taken off his cloak, revealing strong arms and strange scars on his neck that she hadn’t noticed before.
A loud battle cry caught Rowen’s attention and she turned to see Siddhe fighting a group of uniformed soldiers. Her skin glowed and glittered like the sea under moonlight, and Rowen couldn’t take her eyes off of her.
Siddhe was ruthless on deck, with two swords and a strength that matched the Dragon men. The other crew mates fought at her side. This was the first time she’d seen the other pirates in action, and to her surprise, they fought fiercely against the Dragons. Blood squirted from severed heads, and chopped off limbs, and the tide turned.
The Withraen soldiers were done fighting as men.
Terror struck Rowen’s heart, and the hairs on her neck stood on end as the soldiers began to transform, into dragons of all sizes and colors.
The fair fight no longer existed. This was now an extermination. She gasped as she watched Siddhe jumped off the side of the ship and into the sea.
Rowen sucked in a breath as Gavin shook her. “This way,” he said and turned the corner.
She followed, careful to keep cover against the side of the ship. Gavin led her to the boats and relief washed over her. She glanced over her shoulder for one last look at Elian and the others.
The humans wouldn’t have a chance now that most of the Dragons shifted to their bestial form. She let out a loud scream as she and Gavin ran into a uniformed Withraen soldier, one of the last to shift. A wide smile came to his face as he realized who she was.
“You, prince killer,” he said, licking his teeth. “Get over here before I have to come and get you.”
Panicking, Rowen slapped a hand onto his face. She slapped much harder than she intended to, but fear gave her strength.
“Protect us,” she ordered, clenching her teeth at the amount of energy she had to use on the burly Dragon. It rushed up from her belly and filled her arms and hands with a coolness that made a puff of cold air escape her lips. She was amazed by how different the sensation was for everyone.
Nodding, and slack-jaw, the soldier drew his sword. “Stay close,” he said, and without further orders, he started slicing through his soldiers as they ran toward Gavin and Rowen.
Rowen shook Gavin. “Come on! Before they kill him.”
Gavin nodded. “Impressive,” he said.
“Maybe,” Rowen said. “But, it won’t last long.”
They ran to the side of the ship where the smaller sail boats were strapped. Gavin rubbed his chin. “I don’t know how to get one of these things into the water.”
Rowen huffed and started tugging at the ropes, ignoring the pain in her hand. She pulled with all of her might. This was her last chance. She refused to return to Withrae.
Gavin sprang into action and took a knife from his boot. He started sawing at the thick ropes when the dragon flew in front of them.
Rowen gasped and backed away as flames spewed from the dragon’s mouth, burning the ropes and the boats with it. She closed her eyes against the heat and used her hands to shield her face.
The Dragon growled at them. “No escape,” he said. With a deep, rumbling chuckle, he flew away.
Cries of pain came from behind them. Rowen spun around to see that most of the crew lay lifeless on the floor, their arms and legs sprawled out in pools of blood. Her eyes went up to see Elian struggling to fight off two Dragons. He’d somehow created a shield to protect himself from the flames, and crouched low to concentrate his energy. That did nothing to protect his men.
Another canon shot into the ship and made it tilt to one side, knocking Rowen and Gavin from their feet. They caught onto the railing of the ship, and held on for their lives.
“Everything is falling apart,” Gavin said, grimacing against the pain from his wounded shoulder.
“It seems that way,” Rowen said, feeling the weight of her body pulling her down. She prayed that the ship would steady itself. Her mind raced for another escape route. Short of jumping overboard, she was stuck.
Her shoulders slumped.
She was going to die after all.
Rowen screamed as her hand slipped and sent her falling backward. Gavin gasped and reached for her, their fingers touching for a split second.
Her would spun as she fell from the ship and toward the sea.
This was it.
Death awaited, ready to claim for once and for all, when a pair of giant silver talons grabbed her by her shoulders, and lifted her into the sky.
The burning ship began the fade the higher she was taken into the sky.
Rowen’s lips parted and she looked upward at the beautiful dragon that carried her away from what she was sure wouldn’t be her last brush with death.
Chapter 24
STILL IN AWE, Rowen couldn’t take her eyes off of the magnificent dragon that saved her life. For a moment, she’d feared that it was just a soldier carrying her to the Withraen Navy’s ship. Once both ships faded into the distance, she realized that this Dragon, with its shining black onyx scales, silver talons, a silver crest on his head, and silver ribbed wings couldn’t have been a mere soldier.
It was her savior.
She took her eyes from him for a moment just to enjoy the feel of fresh air on her face. The scent of pine trees and salt water brought back many memories. The stench of the prison and the musky smell of her cabin prison were wiped clean of her flesh as she basked in the euphoria of freedom.
She closed her eyes and smiled, the sun beaming down on her face.
She made it. She wasn’t completely safe yet, but the joy of being free from the ship and the pirates overwhelmed her to the brink of tears Her smile faded as a pang of guilt struck her heart. She just hoped that Gavin had survived.
She couldn’t think of a way that he could. From the looks of it, they all seemed to be facing a bitter end.
Her legs dangled beneath her and the wind picked up as the Dragon gained speed.
When she opened her eyes, she recognized the dock ahead of them. Bustling, and lively with sailors, ships, and boats, Rowen realized that Logan was right.
This was Harrow.
This was home.
“Who are you?” Rowen shouted above the roar of wind that swept around her. “Why are you saving me?”
The Dragon glanced down at her, but kept silent.
“Aren’t you going to say something?”
They reached the port of Harrow and the Dragon flew right past it to a clearing in the woods that awaited just near the main road to the market.
Without a word, or a warning, the Dragon lowered itself to the ground, and let her go. It was all very unceremonious and disappointing, but she wasn’t going to complain.
