I gritted my teeth. “Just get us to shore!” I shouted over the cacophony of noise. “Preferablynotdead.”
I was already soaked to the bone, my clothes clinging to me and my hair tangled around my neck. My shoes squelched as I plodded over the wood planks.
What had we gotten ourselves into?
Anxiety and irritation swelled in my gut as I glanced at the enigma out in the waters. All those dead creatures, this sudden storm, right as we reached the kingdom…something wasn’t right.
Ihatednot having answers. I hated not knowing what awaited us on those distant shores.
And I hated being wet.
Welcome to Mysthelm, indeed.
10
Thorne
Leaning against my carriage, I crossed one ankle over the other and watched the oncoming vessel as it pulled into the dock. Green and gold sails billowed from the mast, with holes poking through the fabric. It wasn’t a surprise to see they were battered, considering the size of the storm that had blown through the shores of the North Territory.
Such a strong tempest was unusual for the heart of summer. We’d seen it forming out on the horizon, and before we knew it, it gained in speed and ferocity and practically tore the Port of North Pine apart. Now we had to welcome the empress and her crew with barely enough space to bring their ship in.
I’d gathered as many workers as I could to clear the path and get the worst of the wreckage out of the way in the hours since, but, of course, Galen was nowhere to be found.
This stormshouldn’thave left the port in shambles. Our structures should’ve been sound enough to survive. The fishermen and dock workers here had been begging the crown for support to rebuild the old foundations, and now I saw why.
Galen had been putting off responding to their requests, either because he hadn’t evenseenthem or had let them get lost in his stacks of reports. My hands clenched involuntarily at my sides.How long would these people have to spend repairing the docks, something that should have been fixed long ago?
Shaking off my mounting annoyance with a sigh, I uncrossed my legs and stood straighter. Now that the Veridian ship was closer, I could see the hull was worse for wear. Barnacles and seaweed were plastered to the front, but considering they’dbeen on a multi-day journey, some weathering and damage were bound to happen on the open sea.
That wasn’t what caught my eye.
Streaks of dark red painted the wood, as if blood had been smeared across its length.
I snapped to attention and strode from the carriage to the steps of the dock, where crewmembers were guiding the ship in. Galen was going to befuriousif something happened to his would-be fiancée.
I was so focused on reaching the Veridian ship that I didn’t see a small group of servants crossing my path. I bumped into one of the maids before coming to my senses.
“Oh! I’m so sorry, Your Grace, I didn’t see?—”
“No, no, it’s completely my fault,” I said to the young woman, gripping her hands to steady her. “Did I hurt you?”
A blush crept up her cheeks as her eyelashes fluttered under my gaze. Shewasrather attractive. The kind of woman I would have been drawn to in the old days with Galen. Shoulder-length brown hair tied into a loose braid, a long, slender neck, light eyes hidden behind thick lashes. I flashed her a smile, and the blush deepened.
“Of course not, Your Grace. I’m perfectly fine.” She slipped into a curtsy and gave me a coy grin as I removed my hands. Once upon a time, I would have forsaken my responsibilities and followed her back to whatever household she served. I would have snuck her away for the night to go dancing in the taverns. I would have forgotten her name by the morning as my father berated me over my raging hangover.
But those days were behind me.
I raised her hand and placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles. “Have a good day,” I said, allowing her and the others to pass. My eyes lingered on her curves before making my way to the ship once more.
Stepping onto the raised platform, I saw deckhands lowering the gangway, followed by several figures descending from the main deck of the ship. First came two Veridian guards wearing silver uniforms with swords strapped to their waists. Then an elderly female with graying hair held together in a bun. She looked tired but smiled at a deckhand as he helped her down the gangway.
I heard the next person before I saw her.
“Emperor’s tits, I don’t need your help, Captain—I got wet, not stabbed. Thank you, though,” the voice said right as a mass of drenched blonde hair appeared from the deck. The sound would have been melodic, if it wasn’t laced with irritation.
She turned her head forward, her eyes drinking in the sight like a predator assessing its surroundings. Cunning, wary, powerful.
And very pissed-off.
