“They are not for her but for those who have spirited her away from my father’s home in the dead of night.”
“Oh,” the ferryman said, his tone easing out of suspicion. “Well … I don’t want any trouble.”
“Aye, and you shan’t have it. We’ll need passage again in the morn.”
“Very well. Good day to you.”
Commander Von climbed the shore and brushed his hair out of his eyes, glancing at Lucenna. He gave her a slight nod in greeting as he moved on. Part of her wanted to cast a truth spell on him and probe into his matters further. What he said sounded true, but she also sensed lies.
“Leaving so soon?” the ferryman asked her as he turned his boat around so the bow pointed outward.
“Yes, I tended to my business here.”
“Fine that. Come aboard.” He sat at his place by the stern with his back to her, lifting his oar.
Lucenna took a step toward the shore when the Commander whispered behind her, “I’m sorry, lass.”
A blow burst in the back of her skull, stealing all feeling in her legs. The world skewed, and the ground rushed to meet her.
Then—black.
Chapter 35
Cassiel
Cassiel sat by a large fountain, watching the spurt of water trickle over the tiers. Tiny water sprites swam around in the basin, peeking at him from beneath the lily pads with marble-like black eyes. They leaped and dove out, their teal forms arcing through the air before splashing into the pools again.
By luck, he had found a garden courtyard away from the commotion of the market and the suffocating crowd. It set him on edge to be around so many humans. Here it was much quieter and empty. A perfect place to think.
Dyna.
She made him restless. He tried to ignore it, but the more he did, the more he was aware of her. Often, he found himself studying her little quirks. Like the way she bounced on her toes when she was anxious or excited. How she bit her lip in concentration. And the light brightening her eyes with a childlike wonder when she experienced new things. Inexplicably, he found it endearing, which unnerved him to think that way about anyone. Let alone a human.
She also impressed him. How was she able to find happiness within her tragic life when he couldn’t? The more he questioned himself about her, the more frustrated he became. It was a waste of energy to ask things he couldn’t answer.
A tingle hummed in his chest, and he knew Dyna was near. She and Zev emerged from one of the four streets on each side of the courtyard. Her eyes found his, and he allowed himself to peruse her new appearance.
Sections of her hair were braided in a crown along her hairline, pulling the tresses back from her slender neck. The emerald satin dress hugged her waist and bust, drawing attention to curves he had not noticed before. Silver embroidery shimmered on the collar and the long bell sleeves.
Cassiel’s fingers twisted tightly around the drawstring of the large burlap sack on his lap. “Took you long enough,” he said, conveying annoyance he didn’t feel.
Zev frowned. “I would have rather you’d waited. It was difficult to locate your scent among so many. Where did you go?”
“I went to find the merchant traders. I secured our spots on the next caravan leaving the city tomorrow afternoon …” Cassiel trailed off when he took notice of their grim expressions. “What happened?”
Zev rubbed his face. “The witch may have cast a spell on Dyna.”
He stilled. “What spell?”
“Didn’t say. One moment she was there, then she vanished.”
“I told you nothing good would come of it!” Cassiel took her arms, looking her over for any injuries or changes. “Did it hurt?”
“No,” she said, her eyes widening.
“Did she utter any incantations? Did she say anything at all?”
Dyna looked away. “No.”
“Perhaps it was only an act to frighten you. Witches speak their curses. But why did you stop to talk to a witch?”
“I wondered if perhaps she sold Stardust …”
Cassiel stared at her. She had tried to find Stardust for him? Why? He didn’t ask her to do that.
“We should go before we have no lodging for the night,” Zev told them.
They continued deeper in Corron and came upon the first tavern. The taproom was rowdy with patrons, their titter, and chatter filling Cassiel’s ears. The heavy scent of grease and sweat mingled in the air. They shouldn’t bother with this place. All the rooms were surely let.
“I’ll inquire about room and board,” Zev said before Cassiel could say so, and he wrestled his way through the swarm.
“Prince Cassiel.” Dyna’s soft voice was almost lost in the clamor. She kept her gaze trained on the floor. “I’m sorry to have inconvenienced you. Your coin would have been better suited to replace your tunic.”
He frowned. “I’m not upset about that.”
“But I have upset you.”
He didn’t know how to answer her without it being a lie. He was not angry with her, but with himself.
Dyna lifted her head. The lanterns above lit her hair in a soft crimson glow. “You were placed in a burdensome position to have healed me.”
A flush surged up his neck to his face. “It’s not a matter of concern,” he said too sharply.
“All right …”
A nervous flutter wormed between them. He was not sure if it came from him or her, or both.
After a long silence, Cassiel cleared his throat and handed her the burlap sack he carried. “Here, this is for you.”
“For me?” Dyna peered inside. It contained a set of knee-high leather boots. The soft leather was a rich sienna color with brass flourishes. “You bought me shoes?”
Cassiel shrugged like he hadn’t searched for the best peddler in the city. “Your slippers won’t last much longer on our journey.”
He reached in his coat and handed her another paper package. A small smile pulled on the edges of her mouth when she opened it and pulled out a silvery caplet made of crushed velvet. The bond hummed with her happiness, but also sadness.
“I don’t know how to thank you.”
“There is no need. It does not compare to your old cloak. Hopefully, it will do.” He’d tried to find something similar but, no one in Corron sold anything near its quality. “How did you get a hold of an enchanted cloak?”
“It once belonged to my father and his father before him.”
Cassiel looked away at his twinge of shame for having thrown it in the dirt. He made her abandon it in Lykos.
Dyna took his hand. “It’s all right.”
A lump formed in his throat. Had she felt him? He tugged his hand away. “How, uh, how is your shoulder?”
“It’s perfect.”
“Good.”
Dyna faced forward, this time with a real smile. She moved closer to the foyer, bouncing on her toes to look over the crowd for Zev. Cassiel stayed by the door, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed as he watched her, ignoring the tingle her touch left on his skin.
Their Blood Bond was establishing much quicker than he had thought. Dyna’s presence and her emotions coursed through him constantly. Her short bursts of confusion could only mean she felt him too.
He tried to control his own emotions, but having them out on display filled him with a jumble of them. It was bad enough that he had hers to deal with too. He attempted to put space between them, to shoulder her aside as he had before, but when he did, her responding sadness flooded him with guilt.
It was exasperating. He didn’t have time for trivial things such as feelings, but he couldn’t shake off the chaotic ones raging inside of him. It was a mixture of anxiety for breaking another Celestial law, an exhilaration that his blood worked, and disgrace for what he had done to her.
Dyna was his Blood Bonded. The significance wasn’t lost on him.
And saving her had also answered a question he had always wondered about his impure blood. He healed a human. That
must mean his blood was divine enough to slay the Shadow. She didn’t need to risk her life crossing Urn. He could keep her safe.
Cassiel pressed on his temples. But what of the map?
He finally had a chance to reach Mount Ida. He needed Dyna to get there. Was it worth risking her life for his aim? A darker thought rose above the rest: he may not find what he searched for on that island.
“Redheads are always the ripe ones, yeah?”
Cassiel glanced at a table set by the wide windows near the entry where a group of four men sat and drank. They were laughing, spouting vulgarities, and all had their eyes pinned on Dyna.
“Fine tartlet, that one,” said a bearded man in a cocked hat. “I wouldn’t mind having a go with her in the heather.”
A dark-skinned man with a red rag tied around his head laughed and tossed back a swig. “That one looks highborn, Garik. She’d never pay a gobshite bastard like you any mind.”
Garik laughed and said to a skinny man with a nest of ginger hair beside him, “Aye, that’s what this smug twat said about the last trollop to warm me bed.”
A larger man, burly and flat-nosed, cackled loudly. “Aye, you’re always rutting the lassies. How do you manage it with your ugly arse?”
“Why, it’s simple. Women like men who tell them the truth. To that sweet thing there, I’ll say, ‘Miss, I’m a seafaring man needing a place to berth my ship, and the dock between your thighs looks a lovely place to moor.’”
Rage blazed through Cassiel as their infuriating laughter rang in his head. Namir was wrong. Good clothing didn’t divert the wrong attention. Men were vile regardless of how one was dressed.
They quieted with his approach, and he loomed over Garik. “Attempt it, and you’ll have no ship to berth.”
The men stared at him for a second then burst with hysterical laughter. They laughed so hard tears welled in their eyes, a couple smacking the table.
Garik’s mouth twisted in a mocking sneer. “You shouldn’t spit out threats you can’t keep, boy.”
Cassiel clenched his fists. The insufferable man might learn he was very capable of keeping threats.
“Cassiel,” Dyna came to his side. She hadn’t heard their conversation but must have sensed his fury. It was burning through him, heating his head. Her wary gaze flickered to the snickering men leering at her. She took his arm and tried to pull him away. “Let’s wait by the door.”
Garik smirked and took a drink. “Ah, so she is with you, then. My apologies. You’ve done well for yourself, boy. Fine tartlet she is. Too fine for the likes of you. I can see why you wouldn’t want to share.”
Cassiel ground his teeth. He itched to wipe that nasty grin off the whoremonger’s face.
“Come on,” Dyna pulled on him harder, and he allowed her to turn him around. “We don’t want any trouble,” she said to the men. “Good day.”
“Aye, good day it is, love,” Garik replied as his eyes dragged up her body. “Might we make it a good night as well? I bet you taste quite sweet.”
“Mind your damn tongue!” Cassiel shouted.
“Believe me, boy, one night with me and she won’t mind my tongue at all.”
His companions roared with laughter.
Cassiel slammed his fist into Garik’s face. The blow tossed him out of his seat, sending him crashing to the floor. Garik scrambled to his feet and tackled him backward into a table, knocking tankards and plates to the floor. He got a punch in before Cassiel hit him with an uppercut then kicked him back. He rolled off the table, blocked the man’s next swing, and delivered a powerful hook to his gut. Gasping, Garik dropped to his knees. Cassiel grabbed Garik’s coat and lost himself to the feel of his fist bashing the man’s face bloody. In the feel of bone cracking against bone.
Dyna screamed his name.
It was the only warning before Cassiel turned to the large man coming at him with a dagger. Zev dove between them in a rapid blur. He caught the knife-wielding hand and crushed it in his fist. The resulting sound could only be described as branches snapping in half. The man’s agonizing scream cut off as Zev’s shoulder rammed into his ribs, throwing him over his back, and sending him crashing through a window.
All bystanders gasped, backing away from Zev. He growled at Garik’s remaining companions, his eyes flashing yellow. The men quickly gathered Garik and rushed out of the tavern.
Cassiel smirked. “Thank you.”
Zev nodded. “Care to explain?”
“I would rather not.”
Zev would most likely rip out their throats if he heard what they said about Dyna. Cassiel found her shocked face in the crowd.
She rushed to his side. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, all things considered.”
She wiped the droplet of blood on his nose. “You’re bleeding.”
“It has already healed,” he murmured. “We must go before the Azure Guard arrives.” He pulled out a small pouch of gold coins from his pocket and tossed it to the innkeeper gaping in dismay at the broken window. “For the damages.”
Then he strode out the establishment. Dyna and Zev followed him from tavern to tavern across Corron in search of lodging. Twilight fell when they stopped at the remaining inn embedded in the hills. Mold tainted the poor stone structure. The crooked roof tiles held on by mere will. A corroded wooden sign squeaked on its loose hinges as it flapped in the wind above the door. Ironically, etched on it were the words The Last Resort.
The hum of activity from within proved the establishment was in full service. They found the taproom was lively but not crowded, and most of the patrons were men of the Azure Guard. Cassiel told them to wait by the door then made his way to the bar.
“Evening,” he called to the innkeeper. The wizened man grunted a nod as he wiped down the counter. “Do you have any accommodations available?”
“I have just the one, milord.”
“One? I need three beds for the night.”
“Oh, do you now? Pardon me for not meeting your expectations. I have only one room left, but it is quite posh and might be up to your refined tastes. It’s on the second floor, lots of space with a big bed and a fine down mattress, complemented with a private bath. Including a view of Loch Loden if it be to your fancy.” The innkeeper’s dull sarcasm promised the opposite. He glanced past him to Zev and Dyna. “With extra guests, it’ll cost two silvers for the night.”
Cassiel glowered at the ridiculous amount. “A room here is worth ten russets, if that.”
The innkeeper forced a smile that indicated this was not the first time he had argued about it. “Anyone having made their way to my inn means there is no other lodging in Corron to be let. High demand makes for high rates. Pay the fare or sleep on the streets. It makes no difference to me.”
Cassiel ground his teeth. Generally, he wouldn’t let someone exploit him, but he couldn’t expose Dyna to the dangers of the city at night. “You have no other quarters?”
“You’re welcome to the stable or here in the taproom.”
Cassiel sighed and let two coins clatter on the counter.
The innkeeper grinned and handed him a single iron key. “Welcome, milord. Will you be having food and drink as well?”
His mouth watered at the thought of eating and tossed him another coin. “Yes. Three meals, two with no meat, and water to drink.”
The innkeeper chuckled. “Aye, take a seat. I’ll have it brought out to ye.”
Cassiel waved to Zev and Dyna, pointing to a round table on the far end of the taproom. They made their way to it. Breadcrumbs and spilled ale littered the surface.
“They’ll serve us soon,” Cassiel said as they sat down. He slid the key across the table to Dyna. “There was only one room available. You take it. Zev and I will sleep down here.”
She looked to Zev and slightly shook her head, her wide eyes pleading.
He took the key. “I’ll stay with her tonight.”
“What?” Cassiel frowned at the announcement. It was i
nappropriate, no matter that they were blood-related.
Zev shrugged. “She’s afraid to be alone at night.”
He glanced at Dyna and her cheeks bloomed pink. Afraid to be alone? No, it was more than that. Whenever night fell, she grew more skittish, always watching their surroundings as if she expected something to jump out.
She squirmed in her seat, fidgeting with her sleeve. “Perhaps we can all share the room? We have already slept together outside under the stars. This would be the same.”
Cassiel rubbed his neck. “That is not the same at all.”
“Is it better than the alternative?” Zev asked. “Dyna will not be sleeping alone. She can’t.”
“I’m sorry, Zev,” she muttered. “I should have grown out of it by now,”
He patted her back. “It’s not your fault.”
Dyna closed her eyes, and her brow tightened. A distant fear trickled through the bond, settling over Cassiel. Cold, sharp claws grasped him, filling him with deep-set desperation and terror.
They both flinched at the sound of a heavy thud on the table. A passing barmaid had set down a flagon and mugs. Another placed three steaming bowls down next with a basket of black bread before running off to serve more patrons. At the smell of the food, Cassiel forgot their conversation. He inhaled the scent of his meal. They had served him wild rice topped with buttered mushrooms and herbs.
“It smells delicious!” Dyna said.
“It does.” Zev grinned at his plate.
Steam swirled above the sizzling lamb’s leg nestled in potatoes and carrots. The brown skin was crisp and glistened with oil and rosemary. She laughed as he ate it with relish.
Cassiel was halfway through his meal by the time Zev had devoured his. Nothing was left but the bones sucked dry. “Are you satiated?”
Zev pouted at his plate. “Not at all.”
“Then, by all means, order another meal. I paid the innkeeper far more than our stay here is worth.”
Rubbing his hands together, Zev left to do that. Cassiel took the flagon and poured himself a drink as he glanced at Dyna. She nibbled on a roll of bread, lost in thought. Sensing his stare, she looked up.
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