“Told me what?” Alaric asked again.
“Shall I ask him and find out how he thinks his brother will react?” I might as fucking well with how this was playing out.
“No,” Nyx snapped, while Alaric said, “Tell me,” and Kol laughed all at the same time.
“I think Caly is my ryder.”
Alaric coughed. “What?”
I sighed, but I wasn’t repeating myself. Saying it just made it more real.
“So wait. You think my brother’s bride, the future Queen of the Twelve Kingdoms, is bonded to you?”
“Don’t say it that way,” I groaned.
Alaric scoffed. “Which way, the true way?”
“It isn’t his fault,” Kol offered.
Alaric laughed. “I didn’t say it was, but that doesn’t make him any less fucked.”
“It will be fine. Your brother will understand,” Nyx said, but I didn’t buy it.
Alaric kept laughing.
I gestured at the prince. “I told you.”
“He will have to accept it. His father will make him.” Nyx sounded so sure of himself, but Alaric’s face told me all I needed to know.
“He won’t.”
“Your father is the King, and he needs dragons and their ryders,” Nyx persisted.
“My father gives in to Arkyn’s whims easily. He will not mourn the loss of one dragon.”
“The loss?” Nyx stared at the prince. “Surely your brother will see reason. It’s just a ryder pairing, not a mating.”
I swallowed hard avoiding everyone’s eyes. Thankfully they didn’t notice.
“It won’t matter.”
“So it’s not going to go down well is what you’re saying?” Nyx clarified. As if any of us were in any doubt.
“Uh, no. It’s going down like a dragon without wings,”Alaric said with more mirth than I thought was necessary. Then, just to add insult to injury, he held his hand up in the air and whistled as it plummeted to the metaphorical ground.
SEVENTEEN
CALYTRIX
“You have to be kidding,” Alaric said, staring into the dark crate.
“I’m sorry to say I’m not,” Nyx admitted.
The prince sighed, resigned, and stepped into the other crate.
It was large enough for him to stand, just, and lie on the cot wedged along the back wall. Stacked along either side were trunks containing provisions for travel. After all, our four guardians could eat with the crew, but the crew would not know about the three stowaways in their hold, so we had to bring some basic rations for a week or so. Enough to get us to a safer port at least. Then what…I didn’t exactly know. More provisions for the next leg, or a different boat? Maybe we could abandon the wine shipment act and find a new ship to take seven unlikely crew or passengers willing to do light chores? Who knew? I think the only real plan was to get out of the Light Kingdom safely and take it from there.
The second matching crate was no larger, but contained two cots. It was going to be a tough journey. Dim fae lights glimmered in the tiny space, and Father’s court magician had spelled the crates to conceal any scent or noise other than the clink of bottles you’d expect.
