The Queen had to pause so she could compose herself. “It would only be a few years before she somehow got a letter to me, announcing she’d given birth to you and to warn me that the King at the time had taken ill. He was dying and soon Ivan would be crowned king. Her days were numbered. She had learned about the curse and was asking for help. Not just for herself, but for you as well. I couldn’t do anything from a political stance, but I knew of one man who could. A man I knew still longed for the woman I called my best friend.”
Before she could go on, Sebastian cut her off. “I was six when Klaus received that letter from you, begging him to help Liliana. You played on his broken heart and knew he would do anything to save her. He left me with a friend he trusted and a promise to return as soon as he could. He would have a special job for me once he returned was what he’d told me before he left. A little girl who needed protecting from an evil king. He never returned.”
Queen Esmeralda nodded, as if she was already aware of Sebastian’s side of the story. “You mother was to meet Klaus in that cavern through the secret passage behind the painting. She was supposed to wait until your father was asleep, take you and go to meet him. Something went wrong and somehow the King and your father knew. You were taken from your room and Queen Kailani was told to watch over you that night. You were just a toddler at the time, I doubt you remember any of this.”
Ember straightened, knowing the worst of the story was coming. “What happened to my mother and Klaus?”
Queen Esmeralda sighed heavily, as if the memories still haunted her. “Guards were sent to capture Klaus in the cavern. He was by himself and outnumbered. He was held prisoneron King Ivan’s ship as he and your father took your mother to Cane Island. When they arrived, they brought both your mother and Klaus to the island. He fought so hard to get to your mother as she did to free him.”
The Queen paused, taking a moment to control her emotions before continuing on. “A witch preformed a ritual, tying Klaus’ life to your bloodline’s curse. He was transformed into a great beast. He had no control over himself as he was released once the next part of the ritual was performed. He tore your mother apart until she was nothing. The King drank her blood and the ritual was then completed. He returned home with a story of an attack on the ship with only a few casualties. One being your mother. A hatred for all pirates began that day. A war started by his lies.”
There was so much new information to process. Ember felt her head spin from trying to obtain it all at once. She had so many questions to ask, but she wasn’t sure which would be best to start with.
Touching her head, she willed the new ache to go away.
How the Queen even knew the details of what happened on that island, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. At least, not right now.
As if the Queen could read her thoughts, she had an answer ready for the question she had yet to ask. “My sister Megara was the witch to do the spell, as my ancestors have always been the witch the King chooses for this ritual. She told me every detail she remembered before I had her killed. You will need someone strong enough to do the spell. My bloodline comes from the strongest line of witches, which is why we are always chosen to perform the ritual. Only my family is strong enough to undo what has been done.”
Silence fell over them.
No one dared to ask if this meant she’d help them. Not even Sebastian. Though, after one glance his way, Ember knew he was dying to.
He’d been six when his brother left to rescue her mother. Sixwhen he’d been abandoned by his brother with only promises of returning. His brother had named him her protector when he returned with her and her mother. She was supposed to grow up with Sebastian as a pirate, free to sail wherever they wanted.
Instead, her mother had been killed and she grew up as a lady of the court locked away in the palace with Asher and Cassius. God, Asher had been only a year older than Sebastian was. He was there when all of this happened and had been old enough to remember most of it.
She couldn’t even begin to try and imagine what thoughts had to be racing through his own head at the moment.
All Ember was sure of at this second, was they needed to break this curse before it hurt anyone else. Both curses.
“What happened to Klaus? He still remains at Cane Island. I know that much, but what about the beast?” She found herself asking the Queen.
Queen Esmeralda’s eyes shifted to Sebastian again and she could have sworn pity flashed behind her cold gaze before it returned to her. “He still remains on the island as part of his curse. He is human during the day, left to suffer with his guilt. At night, he transforms back into the beast. He’s trapped there as long as your curse continues. To break one curse, you free each other.”
Sebastian had said something similar the night they met with Blu at the tavern.
Ember finally let herself glance back at Ana, sadness filling her at the fear behind her eyes. Only, it wasn’t for herself. The blonde wasn’t afraid for her own life. No, she was afraid for Sebastian’s.
“You all lied to me for days now. You knew how Nikolas was connected to me. You let me believe every lie he told me. You and your sister must have had a great laugh every night.” She said, tears swimming in her eyes as she watched the woman that she thought she was becoming friends with.
No guilt flashed in her eyes, no remorse for the lies she’d told. “It’s my job to protect him. It was nothing personal.”
Except it sure felt personal right now.
Now all the looks she received when she called Sebastian Nikolas made sense. Every time she and Nikolas had been having a moment, she always wondered what the flicker of guilt meant when she’d said his name. It was because he knew he was lying to her.
When the crew made a point of only calling him just Captain instead of Nikolas, it was them catching themselves before they made a mistake in front of her.
They all knew Sebastian was his real name.
She suddenly felt like an idiot.
“Will you help us break the curse then?” Sebastian asked.
Ember’s head whipped at the sound of his voice, her glare zeroing in on the pirate. He had to be joking, right? Everything that was just revealed to her and he’s already back to business as if it was nothing earth shattering? He truly was unbelievable.
“No.”
Ember’s eyes widened as they shifted toward the Queen.
Did she just say no?
Chapter 21
Ember felt like the water had splashed over her as the feeling of dread hit her fully. Had that really happened? After giving them this entire story about her mother’s death had the Queen still said no to helping them? Queen Esmeralda had a chance to avenge her friend and save her daughter. Yet she still said no? Ember couldn’t process that
information along with everything else she’d heard tonight.
Ember squeezed her eyes shut, her head lowering as she tried to hide her tears. She did not want to show weakness in front of Queen
Esmeralda, but she couldn’t push her emotions down any longer. Her fists felt warm as they hung clenched at her side, her nails starting to dig into the palms of her hands. Her heart felt ready to explode with sadness and anger.
To her surprise, it wasn’t Nikolas who broke the silence this time.
It was Asher.
“What do you mean no? Your Highness, you can stop this madness. You can save another life. Her life. You said Liliana was your best friend. Save her daughter. You have the power to do it. You must save her life.” He pleaded, begging the Queen to just do something that could tip the scales in their favor.
The Queen’s sudden movement startled the group as she stood. Her anger made them all flinch back. “I must do nothing. You’d do well not to forget your place, bastard prince. You are no king. You do not order me to do anything.”
Asher said nothing more. He just nodded his head in understanding.
Her cold glare turned to Ember then. “I said I cannot help you. F
rom a political stance, I can do nothing to help you just as my mother could not help yours. My youngest daughter, on the other hand, is free to do as she wishes.”
Her gaze shifted toward a doorway behind her. As if summoned by the darkness, the Princess appeared from the shadows.
The girl was no older than Ember and her group. Her beauty had no proper word to describe it. Her caramel skin was a few shades lighter than her mother’s, but she shared the same cold blue- gray eyes as she did. While the Queen’s hair was a darker gray, this Princess had a stark white color. It was twisted into two braids hanging off either shoulder.
The dress she wore was a beautiful shade of lavender. It hugged her shape in a way she knew Ari would be jealous of. On top of her head sat a tiara that matched her mother’s larger crown. There was no mistaking this woman as anything other than the Princess of Stellara.
The young woman approached her mother’s throne and leaned over to kiss the Queen’s cheek with a daughterly kind of affection. As she straightened, her eyes scanned around the room curiously. She was trying to make sense of what was going on and who they all were, no doubt.
Asher seemed to snap out of his trance as he lowered to a knee and bowed his head in respect for the Princess. “Princess Ophelia,”
Ophelia.
She’d read about this Princess. While she was the youngest of Queen Esmeralda’s daughters, she was heir to her throne. Her sister had refused the throne. It was a massive scandal she and Malia had gossiped about late at night. Ophelia was kind to her people and stories of her kindness had traveled across the seas to Iron Kress. She was another match that had been brought to the King’s attention for Cassius. They both cared for the people of their kingdoms and wanted the best for them.
They were a good match, if she was being honest with herself.
Now that she saw Ophelia’s beauty and felt the power simmering around her, she could see why the King considered the match over her own with Cassius.
Ophelia’s gaze locked in on her curiously, tilting her head as she studied her. “You are Liliana’s daughter. We were supposed to be the best of friends if fate had been kinder to us. It seems we now have new roles to play.”
Ember’s entire body tensed as the words left the other woman’s mouth. She wasn’t sure how to respond to what she’d said.
In another life, Ophelia would have been right. They could have grown up as friends. Maybe even best friends. Fate had been unkind to her instead and taken that happy life and turned it into this mess.
“It would seem we do. Does this mean you’ll help me break my curse?” She asked warily, trying to be cautious of how she asked for her help.
Ophelia’s gaze searched the faces in the room again, her eyes narrowed until she landed on her again. “I will.” She said with a nod.
With a wave of her hand, the Queen motioned for the guards to release Ana and Nikolas. Ember had nearly forgotten that they were still restrained and on their knees. If she was being honest, she wasn’t sure if she cared if they were uncomfortable. They’d lied to her and probably laughed at her behind her back. They deserved whatever discomfort they had after kneeling for so long.
Ana rubbed her sore wrists as she climbed to her feet, muttering something too soft for Ember’s ears to pick up. Nikolas was doing the same, but his gaze was locked on Ember. She refused to meet it, not wanting to see whatever he was trying to say to her through their gazes.
She didn’t want to hear it.
Her attention turned toward the Queen as the older woman cleared her throat. “You don’t have much time left to break the curse. Ophelia’s magic will only be strong enough to break the curse on the night of the black moon. That is when you need to do the ritual. No sooner or later than that. Do you all understand?”
The seriousness in her voice told the group how dire this was.
The Queen’s attention turned to the pirate captain. “Do you have the rest of the items needed for the ritual? The black moon is only a week away. The trip to Cane Island will take up most of that time, possibly less if you have no other issues.”
Ember finally let herself really look to Nik …. Sebastian then. Remembering what to call him was going to take some time, she realized bitterly. She couldn’t worry about that right now though. There were more pressing issues at hand.
The items Blu had told him about were still a mystery to her. Nikolas or Sebastian, whatever he preferred to be called, hadn’t trusted her with the information. Yet again another secret he’d kept from her. It made her wonder what else he’d kept from her since they met.
The pirate captain nodded, his eyes flickering to her briefly. “Everything besides my brother. We’ll make it there in time, Your Majesty. We’ll head out as soon as possible. My crew is already restocking the ship as we speak. After a day’s rest, we’ll be back on course to Cane Island.”
The Queen simply nodded her head. “Very well. Return to the party, enjoy the food and music. I have a feeling it’ll be a long while before some of you are able to again. Guards, show the pirates back to the ballroom. I wish to speak with my daughter privately.”
Ember didn’t want to be dismissed by the Queen. She had so many more questions about her mother she wanted to ask. Queen Esmeralda knew her. She truly knew her and she could tell her things about her that her father refused to, or as she was realizing now might not have ever known about her.
A guard grabbed her elbow, trying to lead her out of the throne room, but she refused to budge. “Wait! Wait, I have questions. I have questions aabout my mother. Please,”
Queen Esmeralda just looked at her with pity behind her cold eyes.
“Please,” Ember begged. “Please,”
The Queen stepped down from her throne and made slow steps toward her. Tears burned Ember’s eyes as she struggled against the guard’s hold on her arm. In her mind she just kept pleading, begging, her to answer some of her questions about her mother
Both Asher and Sebastian froze as they watched. Ana had already been led out into the hallway. Queen Esmeralda stopped in front of her, her hand reaching up and cupping Ember’s cheek. Her hand was freezing, only confirming Ember’s earlier thoughts about this woman.
“Please,” Her voice was barely a whisper now.
The Queen’s thumb stroked her cheek, wiping away a traitor tear. “Child, I could spend hours telling you stories from my girlhood with your mother. I truly wish I could, but neither I nor you have that kind of time. Perhaps when this is over, but not tonight. I am sorry for the pain in your heart. I am, but you need to let that pain go before it consumes you.”
Ember felt her body shake as soon as the Queen released her. Her knees wobbled, threatening to cave under her weight. Everything she had learned tonight, all the twists and lies she’d been told. It was hitting her and she just felt shocked.
Queen Esmeralda motioned to someone before she turned to return to her daughter. She didn’t spare Ember another glance as they disappeared into the shadows Ophelia had first come out from.
She could distantly hear her name being called, but she ignored it.
A pair of arms wrapped around her, taking on her weight as her knees no longer could hold it. Her hands shook as she held onto the person, a sob releasing itself from her throat. It felt as if she lost everything. Her home, her father, the safety they had given her. It was all gone as the lies came to light. It felt like she’d lost h er mother all over again.
“Don’t you dare touch her. You’ve done enough. Just go.” Asher snarled.
He was the one holding her, she realized.
Sebastian hadn’t left though. “You’re one to talk. I’m not leaving her alone with you.”
She could feelAsher’s body tense around her. If Sebastian didn’t leave soon and give up on furthering this fight between them? Asher was going to fight back. That battle would not end well for either party. Regardless of how she felt for either man right now, she couldn’t handle seeing another person hurt.
> “Just go, Ni-Sebastian. Please, just go.”
Her eyes lifted in time to see the hurt clear on his expression. Whether it was the way she’d spit out his name like it was poison on her lips, or the fact that she’d asked him to leave at all, she couldn’t be sure which had hurt him more. She wasn’t sure if she cared enough to find out. That being said, she couldn’t stomach seeing any more of the hurt on his face. Not after the hurt he’d caused her first. Her eyes lowered, refusing to meet his again.
Sebastian held out another few seconds before he nodded and followed the guards back to the ballroom. Asher just held onto Ember, letting her have a moment to process everything she’d found out tonight. He was being the friend she needed and she was so happy he was here right now. She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to bounce back without him.
Asher’s hand rubbed circles into her back, his cheek pressed against the top of her head as his other arm wrapped around her. “I know you got thrown a lot of information tonight, but I need you to collect yourself. You can’t break and crumble right now, Ember. Not when we’re so close to figuring this mess out. Just breathe and shake it off. Hold your chin up and take my hand. We’ll walk back into that ballroom together. It’s us against the world. Just as it’s always been.”
His knuckle moved to sit under her chin, nudging it up as he tried to get her attention back on him. “I’m sorry for how I treated you yesterday. We can get through this as all long as we’re together. Come on, take my hand.”
Her gaze dropped to his offered hand, debating if she should take it or not.
Finally, much to his relief, she placed her smaller hand in his.
Emberlyn raised her chin up and stood.
Part II
Cane Islands
Chapter 22
Only three days had passed since the catastrophe that was Queen Esmeralda’s party in the magnificent city of Stellara. They had used the day after the party to restock and prepare for their long journey to Cane Island.
Ember mostly kept to herself, but Ophelia had made an attempt to coax her into spending time with her once she was done with her chores on the ship for the day. Doing the meaningless tasks worked in her favor. It made it so there was less of a chance she’d have to see the twins or Sebastian.
The Black Moon's Curse (The Stellara Trilogy Book 1) Page 18
