“Thank you for your help, Ashavee.” I barely hear her response as I rush out of the room.
It doesn’t surprise me that the Outlanders would ransack a ship. They’re known for their lawlessness and violent means of getting what they want. The day I left my kingdom to become a soldier, I encountered three Outlanders. I never allowed myself to think about what would have happened if Leif hadn’t come to my rescue. It wouldn’t have been good. The Outlanders don’t live by any law and consequences for their actions are far and few between. My story ended well, but the same can’t be said for whoever owned the map.
Perhaps my life as Micah’s heir made me oblivious to the harsh truth beyond Lucent’s walls. Other than the battles between Lucent and Stigian, the five kingdoms seemed peaceful. I didn’t spare much thought about the dire circumstances the Allaji were creating for themselves or the driving force behind the Outlanders’ lawlessness. I was clearly blissful in my ignorance, and now that I know better. It feels like destruction is inevitable. It is a snowball racing downhill, growing and picking up speed as it heads right for me and my kingdom. I must stop it before it buries the people I love and we can’t dig ourselves out.
I enter my room, and Ulric glances back at me from his perch, staring out the window. A line of blood stains his shirt. His wound has split openagain. He returns his attention to the scene below as I shut the door.
“Not everyone on the ground is a shifter,” he says, his voice gravelly from lack of use.
After setting my finds from the storage room on the table, I step to his side. “No, the Allaji conduct business with Outlanders. They get many of the goods they need to survive from their pillaging. In exchange, the Allaji allow them the opportunity to mine the caves throughout the kingdom. The shifters find no real value in precious stones, but they’re a greatbargaining tool for the Outlanders. After they’re done drinking and fucking, they’ll board their ships and either head for the mainland or in search of other vessels to steal from.”
“It figures that two vile groups of beings would be allies,” he says.
I understand the disgust he feels. I’ve spent my fair share of time simmering in it. Both the Outlanders and the Allaji are at fault for their current situations. One didn’t want to live by the rules of a kingdom, so they have no land of their own. The other has depleted all their resources by overindulgence and a refusal to tend to their land. I feel sorry for neither of them.
Wrapping my fingers around Ulric’s bicep, I say, “Let me clean up your back and help you into a fresh shirt.”
I guide him to a chair at the table before retrieving a damp cloth from the washroom. When I return, he’s shirtless and slouched forward. His wound is an irritated bright pink smeared in blood. I wipe along the newest mark that runs from his right shoulder blade to just above his trousers. His back flexes at the gentle touch as he sucks air in between his teeth.
I cringe and say, “It’s looking better, but you’re slowing the process by not resting.”
“It’s hard to relax when I’m tormented by the memories of what happens outside these walls,” he says with a sharp edge to his tone. The crease between his brows deepens, speaking of the hurt inflicted upon him.
“I know. I can’t stop thinking about it either,” I say.
“The things happening within these walls aren’t much better,” he murmurs.
I fall silent as I work the salve into his skin. Images I’ve locked into the furthest recesses of my mind struggle to break free. The horrors Ulric and I endured the other day are minimal to the barbaric punishments Zek has dealt within his throne room. I’ve sat idle as he has ordered the torture of my people,fearful that a single outburst will only fuel more of his cruelty. It wasn’t for my sake that I said nothing as he ordered the whipping, severing of limbs, and other brutalities. It was fear for the countless others he could use for his sick entertainment if I reacted. If I showed no emotion, he would have no joy in watching my heart splinter into millions of unrepairable shards. And that’s exactly what has happened over and over again.
“Choose a shirt,” I say, placing the lid on the salve.
Ulric grabs the tan tunic on top of the pile. The rolled parchment underneath falls to the floor, and the leather strap breaks free, revealing the map inside. “What is this?” he asks, picking it up.
“Have you ever heard of the Cruel King’s Stone?” I ask, studying the smeared lines from over his shoulder.
“Aye. It is an old folktale mothers and fathers tell their children when they want a moment of silence. They send the wee ones out on a fool’s errand to find the stone. I spent many days hunting in the countryside for it.”
“It seems even adults believe in its existence. This map was stolen from a Stigian ship. Do you think it really exists?”
He scoffs and sets the paper on the table. Pulling his shirt over his head, he says, “Like I said, it’s a fool’s errand. You would be better off searching for a way out of here.”
I roll the map and secure it with the leather again. Although both he and Ashavee have said the legend was a children’s story, something stirs inside me each time I look at the map. I don’t have a desire to possess the stone rumored to be the most powerful. Far from it. The last thing I want is the responsibility of judging who is worthy of their power and who is not. Yet the legend awakens an inexplicable hope within me. If something this powerful is really hidden in this world then something or someone can save my kingdom.
“In all seriousness, we need to find a way out of here, Elle,” Ulric says, pulling me from my ridiculous thoughts.
I glance out the window, watching the people below continue on with their lives like nothing is out of sorts. “Haven’t you wondered why the Outlanders remain on the ground and not up here? There’s only one way to come and go from this place, and that is with the help of a shifter. Even if you and I tie some sheets together and repel down the trees—which sounds terrifying, by the way—one of those animals on the ground is going to eat us. Since you’re the injured one, they’ll catch you first and when your bony ass doesn’t satisfy them, they’re coming for me.”
He chuckles and says, “Good. Then you’ll have a chance of getting to Kyron and stopping him before he does something stupid.”
I snap my attention back to him. “If we escape, we do it together.”
We stare one another down. He is serious about sacrificing himself if he must. I refuse to leave this island without him. Neither of us is willing to budge on our position.
His eyes narrow, and his tone is hard as steel as he says, “Then use whatever means possible to find a way out of here. Because if you don’t, I will start ripping the sheets apart and feed myself to the wolves for you. I swore an oath to protect my kingdom and its ruler. You may not be queen, but you’re vital to my king.”
“I’m trying,” I say with a sigh.
“You need to try harder, Elle.”
