Hayle moved toward the boy, who quickly crab-walked backwards until he hovered over the only girl protectively. Burns marred both their skin, as well as open wounds that were actively bleeding, next to some older, festering ones.
Fucking Goddess.What had this poor kidendured?
Squatting down in front of the boy, Hayle softened his face. “You don’t know me, but my name is Hayle Taeme. I’m an Heir to the Third Line. You brothers want me to get you out and takeyou somewhere safe. You don’t have to go home. You don’t have to go back to Fortaare. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, except get the fuck off this boat, okay?”
The boy’s hands trembled, but he met Hayle’s eyes with stubborn determination. Finally, he nodded. “They come too,” he croaked out, his throat sounding like it was wounded. Fuck, we’d need to find a healer sooner rather than later.
“I wouldneverleave them behind. But we need to go,” Hayle said quietly.
Powell nodded again, turning to look at the girl. He was completely uncaring about his nudity, and I knew that it wasn’t confidence, but a debasement so comprehensive that the idea of shame had fled from his consciousness.
He was protective of the girl, though, hiding her nudity from us. Vox pulled off his shirt and tossed it to Hayle, who passed it to Powell. “For your friend.”
Vox cleared his throat. “We need to gonow.”
Powell dragged the shirt over the girl, and they both stood up on shaky legs. The girl was worse off, and I could see the bottoms of her feet had been burned. Vox ground his jaw, and I saw death in his eyes. The chances of this being a low-profile extraction had just disappeared.
Hayle leaned closer. “I can carry her, if she’ll allow it?” He looked between the two of them.
Powell whispered to the girl, who whimpered softly. After a moment, she nodded.
Hayle made himself smaller, whispering something I could only just hear. “You’re very brave. This will be all over soon. My wife is on the boat. She’ll take care of your injuries.” He looked over at me, anger burning so hot in his eyes, I knew he was seconds from beasting out. “And then we are going to sink this whole ship—and everyone on it—to the bottom of the lake, until they’re nothing more than fish food. I promise it.”
The girl held herself rigid as Hayle scooped her into his arms.
“Get them out of here. Vox and I are going to pay a little visit to his brother.” I could see Vox was now practically vibrating with rage. Nodding, Hayle left, with Powell and the third prisoner behind him.
For the next ten minutes, Vox and I went level by level of this Goddess-forsaken vessel. I sifted through the shit, being the voice of judgment to every single soul we came across. There was no hiding from the Second Line. The crew were split pretty evenly between those who’d reveled in the cruelty, and those who’d had no choice.
Those who’d enjoyed the spectacle were rendered unconscious. Those who were there under duress were bound and gagged, placed in one of the life vessels.
The partygoers, though—they received no such trial. Every single one died by either my hand or Vox’s. They would go down with the ship to live with the bottom-dwellers forever.
Finally, we made it to the surface party. These people were so oblivious, completely unaware that fate had caught up with them, and that her hand of judgment was cruel. Like a puppetmaster, I waved a hand, and everyone collapsed to the ground like I had cut their strings.
Everyone except Yaron Vylan. I guess Daddy Vylan had found his Heir a charm. But that wouldn’t save him now.
“Brother! I thought you’d be hiding away in the caves down south. What brings you to Lake Vale with a dead man?” Yaron seemed completely at ease, despite everyone around him being unconscious.
Vox rolled his eyes at his brother’s arrogance. “I had some spare time, so I thought I’d drop by and send you to the depths of the underworld, as you so deserve.”
Yaron Vylan laughed, like Vox’s words were a great joke, and that’s when I knew this man was not sane. Any pretense ofcivility had been stripped from him, if he’d ever had it in the first place. “You and what army, little brother?”
Vox smiled. It was a cold, cruel expression. He waved a hand, and the water around the boat rose up like a tidal wave. “I don’t need an army.”
Yaron’s eyes widened, but he kept up his bravado. “Look at you, keeping secrets.” He struck out with his own lashes of air, battering against the shields around us. I crept around the back of their battle, element fighting element.
Once upon a time, I could almost imagine they’d been well matched. But his humanity wasn’t the only thing Vox had been keeping a secret. His strength was a threat and a promise, as he pushed through Yaron’s shields with a dagger of water. Air pried open Yaron’s jaws, and water poured in.
Leaping forward, I slapped my hands on either side of Yaron’s head and sifted through his thoughts. Painfully. I raked the claws of my magic through his memories, searching for secrets and clues, finding countless memories of sadism and pain.
Yaron gurgled as he drowned. I grimaced as I saw conversations with the Baron of the First Line. He knew far too much. He knew about the Second Line. He’d tortured our spies and informants. He could take an educated guess at our end game.
But he was too narcissistic to believe any of the people he’d ground beneath his heel would ever rise against him. I’d be glad to watch his downfall from a front-row seat.
I shredded the final parts of Yaron’s mind, scrambling them like shaken eggs, killing him before Vox had to. No matter how evil they were, or how necessary it was, killing your blood kin tainted your soul. I’d spare Vox that darkness.
Vox looked wild as he panted, staring down at the lifeless body of his brother. I reached out to touch his arm lightly, andhe flinched. His eyes took a moment to refocus on my face, and I wondered what haunted memories he was lost in.
