“Why is Adela here?” Lavette asked. “Last I heard, she was sailing far to the north. West? Regardless, she hadn’t been sighted around Meru—or Solaris—for decades.”
“You keep close tabs on the pirate queen?” Eira asked.
“I am an aspiring representative of the republic, should they choose me,” Lavette said calmly. “It is my duty to prove my worth to my people through identifying threats to them and ensuring their safety. Qwint has mostly avoided Adela’s ire and I would hope to keep it that way.”
“Right.”
“What about Ducot? Did Adela…” Noelle couldn’t finish. “Is he all right?”
“He is.” Eira nodded. “He…”
“Then I will get this off of me and they will know my wrath.” Noelle slipped out of Eira’s hold to fight with the shackle around her wrist. “I will?—”
Eira stilled her friend with a hand over Noelle’s. “He’s one of them.”
“What?” She inhaled sharply, going still. Eira could almost feel the numbness overtaking Noelle’s body. She watched as every bit of the woman relaxed with shock.
“He’s a pirate. One of Adela’s.”
“You’re lying.” Noelle forced laughter. “Good joke, Eira, but now isn’t the time.”
“I’m not joking. He’s always been one.”
“It’s time to stop.” Noelle had a warning note to her tone.
Eira’s stomach twisted, almost making her sick. Luckily, it had been a long time since she last ate, long enough that nausea wasn’t a threat. “His parents were pirates.”
“They were killed by Ulvarth,” Noelle countered.
So Ducot had told Noelle as much, too. “Yes, they were, but they were outside the Twilight Forest when it happened because they didn’t risk going back into the city when working for Adela.”
“Eira, stop.”
“Rebec invited him to go back to the Court of Shadows, but he already had Adela’s crew to return to. He went to the court later, on Adela’s orders.”
“I won’t have you sullying his good name.”
“Noelle, I’m only telling the truth,” Eira said softly. Regret slowly gripped onto her with an icy touch thatalmostfelt like her magic returning. This should have been Ducot’s truth to share. But what else could she have told them? It seemed far more cruel to allow Noelle to steep in worry and fear of the unknown surrounding his wellbeing. And, given how hard Noelle was taking things, it was probably for the best that Eira was giving her the brunt of the news; then she would have timeto process. Hopefully by the time she saw Ducot next, level heads would prevail. “Listen, Ducot is?—”
“You’re lying!” Noelle lunged for her. Eira tipped back, Noelle on top of her, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking. “Stop, stop saying lies about him; I won’t stand for it!”
“Noelle, enough!” Alyss moved for her.
Cullen tried to move as well, but fell back down with a hiss. His body still wasn’t healed enough to be jerked around.
“If Ducot was a pirate, he would’ve told me. He would’ve! He knows…” Noelle stilled, pressing her eyelids shut. She drew a quivering breath. “He knows how much he meant to me. He wouldn’t have lied to me. He knew I…I couldn’t handle another betrayal.”
“He didn’t lie,” Eira said softly. She gave a small motion to Alyss, holding up her hand in a signal to hold off from ripping Noelle away. “He didn’t,” she insisted. “He just didn’t tell the whole truth.”
Noelle opened her eyes—they were now red and shining—and glared down at Eira. “If he kept this from me, it’s as good as a lie and he’s as good as dead.”
The woman eased away, allowing Eira to sit. Noelle stared at nothing, and they all gave her a moment of space and silence to process. The last time Eira had seen Noelle this fiery was when she had been telling off Adam in the Tower. The last man she had held affections for had also betrayed her trust.
Eira resisted reaching out to Noelle. Telling her that she understood. That she, too, had been plagued with awful choices in men that always ended badly. She wanted to tell Noelle it wasn’t her fault. And maybe there would be time in the future to say all those things…someday. But now wasn’t that time. So Eira kept silent.
“It’s all right.” Alyss leaned forward, reaching out to Noelle’s shoulder.
Noelle slapped her hand away. “Don’t placate me. You’re always trying to make peace. You ever think that sometimes weshouldn’tsit quietly? That sometimes we should speak up? We should rage, and throw things, and be just as violent as all the people trying to hurt us!”
