She did understand, but it didn’t mean she agreed with him.
Theo was her cousin on her father’s side, and had deemed himself her protector whenever he would come to visit from Maitland with his mother. He was named after her father since his own father had abandoned his mother when she was pregnant with him. Her father had been there for his sister and took care of them when he could. He was the boy who’d won the affections of her deceased friend Malia. The boy she wasn’t allowed to be with publicly.
Ember wondered if he knew the sacrifice that she’d done because of his friend’s envy? Theo and Asher were around the same age and had once been good friends. Thick as thieves, they were. Wherever you found one of them, the other wasn’t far behind. Theo always took Asher’s side and vice versa.
Which was why she couldn’t trust him now.
“I don’t want your help, Theo. I’m not a little girl anymore. I can protect myself.” She snarled, her grip around the bars between them tightening.
Her hands felt warm, too warm to be normal. She was afraid at what she’d see if she looked at them. So she resisted the urge to do so and kept her eyes locked on Theo.
A heavy hand dropped on Theo’ shoulder, startling the cousins as they both leaned back and turned their attention to the new arrival.
Her father.
Ember felt her blood run cold, the heat in her hands now ice as she took a step back from the door of the cage. She’d been wondering if her father would make an appearance tonight. It wasn’t like him not to gloat over his success. She was
beginning to wonder if Asher had left him behind to keep an eye on the kingdom.
Her head lowered, her eyes only raising to meet his for a moment. “Father,”
She felt like the cowering little girl she’d been the last time she’d seen him. If she could have sunk into herself, she gladly would have done so. With a brief glance, she saw how Sebastian had tensed, his eyes flickering between them tensely. This wasn’t just her father, but the man who took his brother from him.
Her gaze returned to her father, but not fast enough she realized as his turned toward the pirate captain. A disgusted scoff was the only
acknowledge he gave Sebastian before he turned his glare back to her. “I couldn’t believe it when I got Asher’s letter, telling me of how you were growing too comfortable with this lot, but look at you. If I didn’t recognize those very eyes you share with your mother? I wouldn’t have known this pirate wench was my once beautiful daughter.” He said, his eyes scanning her over with a look of disgust.
So, that explained how they’d known where to find them. Asher had sent her father a letter, no doubt on that day they’d spent preparing at Stellara. It was strange to think she almost did the same thing except to tell Cassius she was safe. Even though she wanted to get word to him, she hadn’t because it would put everyone else in danger. Asher had betrayed them the moment he was free to do so.
A grunt of pain alerted her that Sebastian was moving across the cage he shared with the others. “Call her a wench one more time. See what happens. She was drowning in that prison you call a palace. She was meant to sail on the sea just like her mother wanted to.”
Bad. Very, very, bad choice of words to say to her father.
Her father turned his attention on the pirate captain, a blazing hatred burning his eyes as he gave him a once over. Realization seemed to dawn on him. “I know why you looked so familiar now. That pirate scum who killed my wife was your brother. I understand now. You took her, changed her into this trash just to settle a score with me.” He said, his eyes shifting from Ember to Sebastian.
He was sticking by his old story, a story she knew the truth about now.
Sebastian looked ready to defend his brother with his dying breath, but Ember beat him to it. “Klaus didn’t kill my mother. He was trying to save her and me from you and King Ivan. I know the truth now, father. You had your witch curse Klaus and let him kill my mother to complete the curse. You’ll let Asher do the same to me once he’s crowned.”
Her father wasn’t nearly as stunned as she was by how she’d spoken to him. That was something she never would have been able to do before meeting Sebastian. If she could be thankful for one thing from him, it was the courage to do that.
Before she could move, his hand reached through the bars and grabbed her hair from the roots, slamming her against the metal as he tipped her head back. She heard Sebastian’s shouts, but she didn’t dare look his way again. “You don’t know anything, daughter. When we return home, believe me when I say things will not be the same as they were. This little adventure of yours will cost you greatly. I hope your fantasy with that scum pirate was worth it because nothing like this will ever happen again.” He snarled lowly as he tightened his grip on her hair just enough to cause her pain.
Tears threatened to fall, but she wouldn’t give him that power over her. “You will never own me again, father. I won’t stop fighting. Ever.”
Silence fell over them, but her eyes never drifted away from her father’s glare. She refused to show weakness again in front of him. She was not going to let him win. The stares from the others around them were hot, but she didn’t dare break the glare she was locked in with her father.
Suddenly a roar broke the silence before the sound of shouting erupted as guards started running all over in different directions. Her father broke the stare first as he shifted his gaze towards the woods. Letting out a breath, Ember took a big step back as soon as his grip on her was loose enough.
Theo and her father shared a look before he motioned him to go find out what was happening. Ember’s eyes followed him, watching as he yanked another soldier aside with hurried questions. Her eyes shifted to the other cage, her gaze meeting Sebastian's. They both knew something had happened. Klaus was trying to get inside whatever barrier the witch had put around them. It was only a matter of time before he got in and destroyed everyone inside.
Theo jogged back only a few minutes later, his gaze only meeting Ember for a moment before he stopped at her father’s side. “Something’s wrong with Megara’s spell to keep the beast out of the campsite. The beast, he’s trying to break inside.” Theo said, his eyes roaming over the group in front of him.
Her father grabbed Theo’ shirt, shoving him around as if he weighted nothing. “Guard the cages. Kill the pirates if they try to escape. Do not let my daughter leave.”
As soon as the order was given, her father was running toward the closest tent, no doubt where his witch Megara was hiding. Megara was the name of the witch Queen Esmeralda said helped her father perform the ritual that cursed Klaus and killed her mother. She’d said she had her killed, but
apparently that wasn’t true either.
Ember wondered if Ophelia knew the witch that she’d felt on the other ship was her thought to be dead aunt. If she didn’t, she’d be in for one hell of a surprise if she woke up again after tonight.
She pulled her attention from her father and shifted it to her cousin, who had just said only minutes ago how he wanted to help her. She grabbed the bars that stood between them, her eyes wide as she tried to ignore the twisting feeling in her stomach. “Theo! Theo, if you really want to help me, let us go. That beast out there? He has no control over his actions. The monster has complete control and he’s hungry. When he gets inside this camp, because he will get inside, we are defenseless stuck inside these cages. We can’t hide or defend ourselves. My father and Asher are offering us up like pigs on a slaughter.” She said, trying her best to convince him to help them.
The confliction on his face was there. He didn’t care about the pirates, but he did care about her. She knew, whether he took Asher’s side or hers, that much was true. He was a soldier though, and defying orders was something he had trouble with. Even for her.
“I can’t do that, Ember. I have my orders.” He said, his eyes pleading with her to forgive him.
“Screw your orders, Theo! If you don’t let us out? We are
all going to die. Do you think Malia was thinking about orders when she gave up her life to save Cassius? I can assure you, she didn’t. Her friends were in danger and she did what she could to help. Please, just give us a fighting chance. That’s all I’m asking for. Please, Theo.” She begged as the world around them seemed to shake.
Something had hit the barrier, she realized.
Klaus was throwing rocks and what looked like trees against the barrier to try and create a hole big enough to fit inside of. Her eyes widened as she watched a tree fly out from the forest and crash against the invisible barrier around them. As it fell off the side of the dome, Ember could just barely see the golden crack that had been created. It wouldn’t be long now until the entire thing disappeared.
Theo held out for another moment, his feet bouncing as he debated his options. Bringing up Malia wasn’t fair of her to do, but she knew his grief would be the key in getting him to help them. She could see the struggle going on behind his eyes and if they weren’t in danger of being killed by an actual beast, she might have felt bad for putting him that position and using Malia to put him in it.
Just when she was going to give up hope, she saw the moment he made his decision. Though it wasn’t exactly clear what he had decided.
Her cousin pulled away from her cage, and for a sinking moment she feared he was going to leave them, but he crossed the space between cages in two big steps, his eyes going right for Sebastian. “Can you promise me you can protect her?” He asked, his voice firm as he waited for an answer.
Sebastian didn’t even look her way before he spoke. “She doesn’t need me to protect her, but if it means you’ll let us out then yes. I can protect her.”
Ember felt her breath catch in her throat, her eyes flickering between the two men as she tried to figure out what was happening.
Theo sighed, his eyes closing before he nodded. His fingers dug into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. As his eyes opened, they scanned the frantic guards rushing around them. No one was paying them any attention, but it was still a risk he couldn’t take. “You need to make it look
convincing. I got too close to the cage, taunting you with the keys. You grab my shirt and slam my head against the bars before grabbing the keys. You get out and then you get her out. You run like hell and don’t stop until you find somewhere safe.
Understood?” He said lowly as he took a step closer to the cage. His eyes shifted to a stunned Ember, flashing her a small grin.
She returned it with a grateful smile of her own, nodding her head. “Thank you, Theo.”
“Don’t thank me yet, cousin.” He said sadly before turning to Sebastian. “Do it now.”
Sebastian paused, wondering if this could have been a trick. Ember was half tempted to agree, but she knew Theo. He wouldn’t trick her, but then again, she would have said the same thing about Asher only yesterday. Sebastian glanced her way, the look she knew meant he was asking her what to do.
“We have to trust him, Sebastian. We don’t have a choice.” She said, nodding her head as she gave him the go ahead.
With a nod, he turned back to Theo and flashed him a grin. “Thanks a lot. I owe you one, Lethorne.”
Theo returned the smirk with a grin of his own. “I plan on cashing in on that favor sometime down the line, Smoak. Just don’t break my nose.”
Sebastian merely chuckled, nodding his head before he reached out his hand. He grabbed a hold of Theo’ shirt, yanking him back too quick for Ember to see. Her eyes widened as she heard the smack of Theo’ face bouncing off the metal before he dropped back into the sand with a thud.
Patch was quick to grab the keys as they left his hand and went to work on unlocking the cage. Reid and Ari covered him, ready to strike as soon as they were free. Ana hurried to pick up a startled James, ready to run with him as quick as she could. Ember planned on staying close to them, knowing she wouldn’t be able to defend herself and James if the guards, or worse the beast, were to catch up to them.
Reid would have to help Sebastian given his injury, leaving Patch and Ari to cover them. A part of her was tempted to bring Theo with them, but if anyone could convince her father of his innocence in releasing them? It was Theo. He would be fine. He’d wake up with a headache and find somewhere safe to get to. She couldn’t believe anything else about the matter.
The second the cage’s door popped open, a whispered ‘yes’ slipping out from Patch as he pushed it open just enough for them to squeeze through without drawing attention to themselves. Ari snatched the keys from him as she moved over to Ember’s cage. The two women only locked stares for a moment before Ari went to work on unlocking the cage. “Were you the one to kill him?” Ember asked, her voice quiet as she watched her.
Ari paused only for a moment, her eyes flickering up briefly before she tried a different key. “This is definitely not the time for questions.” She snarled, but her refusal to meet her eyes again gave her the answer she wanted.
Ari had been the one to kill Cassius.
With a small pop, the door came open. Ember’s glare burned as she slipped out from the cage. Ari actually had the decency to look guilty. “I’m sorry, Ember.” She said, and if Ember had more time to think she knew she’d see that Ari was being honest with her. The anger coursing through her kept her from caring.
“You’re dead to me.” She snarled before shoved past her and went to Ana and James.
As the group moved, trying to keep to the shadows as much as they could, another vibration shook the ground underneath them. Looking up, Ember saw a rock rolling off the side of the dome above them. Another crack marked where it had hit.
Reid noticed the same thing. “As soon as that barrier drops, all hell will break loose. We have no weapons and no way to escape the island. We’re dead men walking.”
It wasn’t something any of them wanted to hear, but Ember knew each one of them had been thinking it.
They were in some serious trouble.
Chapter 33
The group had managed to make it to one of the tents without being caught. It gave them a moment to come up with a plan of action. The barrier wasn’t going to last much longer and without a solid idea of where to go? They were just waiting to be captured again. Even just sitting there for a few minutes to come up with a plan left them vulnerable.
Sebastian, Ari, and Reid were all trying to decide where they would go. With such a large group and with multiple people of said group unable to run on their own, the odds of them pulling this off was slim to none.
James was silent in Ana’s arms, but the fear in his eyes as he kept watch told Ember and Ana that he was terrified. Patch stood close to them. He’d picked up a gun that one of the guard’s had dropped in their scrambling and held it close as he kept an eye open. He was their only line of defense if someone was to spot them.
Ember’s eyes lifted, her gaze catching hold of Sebastian’s. She hated him for his part in Cassius’ death. She wanted to blame him so badly, but what she knew that her head wasn’t agreeing with what she felt in her heart. At this point, she just hoped they both lived long enough to figure out where they stood now.
He broke the stare first as Ari swatted his arm to get his attention.
They were getting nowhere and they were quickly running out of borrowed time they already didn’t have.
“If we run for the trees, we leave ourselves out in the open trying to get there. There’s no cover from here to the trees. Even if we made it into the woods, we’d have to worry about Klaus. We don’t know how much control he has over the beast or vice versa. With Sebastian unable to fight, let alone run on his own, we’d be picked off faster than I can snap my fingers.” Ari said, her voice low to keep anyone outside of their group from hearing them.
Sebastian shook his head, his eyes darting past the tent to the line of trees. “Klaus is still my brother. He knows me. He’d be able to stop himself.”
Reid and Ari shared a look that told Ember just what they were thin
king. With a brief glance to Ana, she stood and moved over to the trio. Her hand shook before she placed it on Sebastian’s arm. “You were a little boy when he last saw you, Sebastian. He doesn’t know what you look like now. He loved my mother and he killed her without any hesitation. I don’t think he has control over the beast. Not very much anyway, if he does.” She said, knowing they needed someone to cave if they were going to agree on a plan of action.
When he didn’t argue with her, she turned to the other two and let her hand drop from his arm. Ari was watching curiously. She was trying to read what thoughts were running through Ember’s head. “I think we should split into two groups. Ari’s right. There’s too many of us not to notice and they expect us to stick together. I think we should split into two groups and make a run for the trees. There’s a waterfall deeper in the trees. I found it when I was looking for food. We can meet there. I’ll give you the directions before we split up. Patch can go with James, Ari, and Reid. I’ll go with Ana and Sebastian.”
It didn’t surprise her when Ari voiced her complaints first. “I’m not leaving my sister of some stuck-up rich girl and a man who can barely stay on his feet. Patch and Reid can get James and Sebastian, I’ll go with you and Ana.”
The idea of having to trust Ari with her life did not sit well with her. With a glance to Reid and Sebastian, they felt the same way. They didn’t trust the girls to be alone with each other, especially not when the stakes were this high. Ari and her eyes met, their words falling silent, but the look behind their stare said everything. They had come up with another plan.
The Black Moon's Curse (The Stellara Trilogy Book 1) Page 28
