“I heard you talking about killing the sovereign.”
Adela narrowed her eyes slightly. Nerves pulled on the muscles around Eira’s spine, making her sit a little taller. Without warning, the pirate queen burst out laughing. She roared so hard with amusement that it nearly rattled the rigging. By the time she managed to calm herself, she was wheezing and wiping tears from her eyes.
Eira sat patiently, waiting for Adela to compose herself. The pirate queen was no doubt someone who didn’t appreciate being interrupted. Especially not when she was putting on quite the display.
“I wondered when it would finally come out. But after all these years, I was beginning to think it never would. And if the truth were to come to light, my bet was on his son Aldrik. I heard he was a real chip off the block. Took after his father with all his anger, and lust for power.” There was a dreamy quality to her words as her gaze softened and Adela stared at a time long since passed. Eira had heard many things about the emperor. But at worst the critiques seemed lukewarm. Most people liked Emperor Aldrik and regarded him as a just ruler. Though she doubted that Adela would want to hear such an assessment. “Butto think, what did me in after all these years was a mere girl. Not that it matters now.”
“Did you actually do it?” Eira asked softly. “Were you behind the Mad King? Did you kill Emperor Tiberus Solaris?” She’d heard Tiberus was killed by the Mad King, but Adela seemed to have a hand in everything. Eira would hardly be surprised at this point if history had been told wrong.
“Tiberus?” Adela laughed once more and Eira was waiting yet again for her to compose herself. “No, the sovereign I killed was his father, your current Emperor Aldrik’s grandfather, the final Solaris king, King Romulin.”
She was so calm about admitting to committing regicide, so matter-of-fact, that Eira stared without any kind of reaction for at least a minute. “The final Solaris king before Emperor Tiberus died of illness.”
“I heard that was the official statement from the Solaris crown.” Adela shifted and placed both feet on the floor. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned her cane, placing it between her knees and leaning forward. “It would have looked very bad for the royal family to admit that their only heir had fallen helplessly in love with the Pirate Queen Adela, and she’d used that love to slip right under his nose and murder his father.”
Eira slowly pieced together a probable story in her mind—what she knew of history, and what Adela was telling her. Emperor Tiberus Solaris was the first Emperor Solaris. He had declared himself such upon ascending the throne following his father’s—the last Solaris king, Romulin’s—sudden death. Tiberus didn’t marry for years following, an oddity for a ruler. But if he was nursing a wounded heart, a betrayal from a former lover who killed his father…
“I grew close to Tiberus. Close enough for him to show me all the hidden passages of the castle—including one that connected his royal wing with the Tower of Sorcerers. Close enough for himto tell me where they kept the royal jewels. Do you have any idea the kind of ship Solaris gold could buy over seventy years ago?”
“One like theStormfrost, I would imagine,” Eira said softly.
“Not quite; a little early for myStormfrost. But you’re thinking along the right lines.” Adela smirked. “Now, tell me more of these echoes.”
“What is it that you want to know?” Eira remained cautious about giving any more information than she absolutely had to.
“Everything,” Adela said with a smile.
So much for trying to be coy. But Eira relented without a fuss. In part because she wanted to stay in the good graces of the pirate queen. But also because, in a way, it seemed fair. Adela’s journals had helped her survive with magics Eira would’ve never even considered on her own. Eira had never thought about awarding Adela a repayment as a result of her accidental help, but Eira supposed Adela was owed one, in a way.
By the time she left the cabin, any supposed debt was undeniably paid. Eira had shared everything she could think of about the echoes and answered all of Adela’s many questions. For her part, the pirate queen seemed pleased enough to allow her to live another day. Saying, as Eira was escorted away by Crow, “I look forward to speaking with you tomorrow, so I think I shall keep you alive, for now.”
The next day was back to the journals. There wasn’t even the slightest mention of the echoes. Eira thought about asking if Adela had already tried to listen for unintentional echoes but ultimately decided against it. There was no world in which Adela would tell her. And Eira could assume that the pirate queen would figure out and use that skill soon enough. Eira had to becautious, and warn her friends to watch their tongues at the first opportunity.
Though, the thought of her friends made her unable to think of anything but them. “My friends, are?—”
“They are fine.” Adela rested her chin in her palm with a look of amusement. “As they have been the entire time. I hear your Groundbreaker is particularly useful with her skills. Many Groundbreakers struggle with rope—all the little fibers, man-manipulated materials…but I hear she can manage them with little trouble.”
“Alyss is very talented.” Eira couldn’t stop the slight softening of her voice.
“No harm will befall them…yet.”
“Such an ominous, lingering ‘yet’ that you keep reminding me of,” Eira muttered.
“I am a rather ominous person.” Adela had a wicked smile but it didn’t strike the fear in Eira that it might have at one time. On the whole of their interactions, the pirate queen had been more of an aloof or prickly scholar than pirate…or queen.
So long as Eira ignored the kidnapping and captivity that left her stomach roaring and back aching.
“Now, show me something else you studied and how you utilized the magic…”
Eira did as she was told yet again. Their conversations had begun to focus on the subtle ways Eira had used the magic differently than Adela. She had begun to feel like she was a sounding board for new sorcery ideas and applications.
As the final journal closed for the day, Adela tapped her cane on the floor. “Good work. For your diligent assistance today I will let you live until tomorrow night.”
“Your generosity knows no bounds.” Eira stood as the door opened. Crow was waiting, as usual.
“Don’t forget it.” Adela smirked and Eira was brought back to the hold that was now painfully familiar.
That night, as she gnawed on her rations—which had improved somewhat in quality—and stared up at the stars, Eira decided that Adela was a lesser evil than the Pillars. The food was consistent, though still not great, there was the whisper of fresh air when the breezes were strong, and she could see the sun and stars.
