They both stood in the doorway, staring at the small cot in the corner that took up most of the space available. “I’ll take the floor.” Asterious made a move toward the room but then stopped and backed out. “The floor in the galley. We shouldn’t be in this small of a space together.”
The prince turned to leave without another word.
She wanted to call for Nocthar so she wouldn’t be alone in the room. It reminded her too much of being tucked away in the depths of her home as a child, confined to the walls of that too small house and never allowed to interact with the world outside it. But she knew it was safer here, and for Nocthar to be up there. He could watch the entire harbor and warn them far faster than Brenn could.
She laid down her bow and emptied the contents of the bag she carried—a few bits of dried flatbread and berries, a new dagger she’d been gifted from one of the nomads in Zera’s caravan since she’d lost hers to Wryan. And a flask of fresh water. She took a long, drawn-out sip, knowing she should conserve it but too parched to care.
Then she lowered herself down onto the cramped cot that was secured with rope tied to metal rings in the wall. She tried to sleep, but couldn’t stop thinking of the scars on Asterious’ body, and the mark on her own. She refused to believe it was some sort of binding rune—that she bore the stamp of anything other than herself, anything tying her life to something she could not see. She survived because she chose to, not because her destiny was anchored by something else.
Flee to where shadows hide the light…and when you find it, guard it with your life.
Shehad chosen the Shadow Woods, she told herself. It just so happened that they chose her back.
Her eyes grew heavy as her thoughts wandered, and she snuggled deep into the fur-lined cloak she was now using as a blanket, still wrapped in her coat. The gentle bobbing of the boat rocked her to sleep far more quickly than she expected. And she slept until the sound of sails unfurling and hefty boots treading the deck stirred her awake.
49
Reasons
Asterious
He didn’t sleep at all. Partly because of the cold, but mostly because he didn’t trust Brenn or Veylan, and he never took his eyes off the hatch in case they decided to sneak down to Caramyn’s quarters. But he knew he’d have to rest eventually.
When an hour had passed, he emerged from the hatch and found Brenn tying down some rigging. He rubbed his hands together to warm them in the frozen morning air as he approached him.
“Ah, Your Highness, did you enjoy your nap?” Brenn spat out his mockery without even turning his back. “I do sincerelyapologize that there’s no one here to bring you hot breakfast on a silver platter.”
Damn,this man was certainly going to be a pain.
Asterious ignored the comment, despite imagining slamming Brenn’s head into the railing. “I came to ensure we’re still departing as planned.” He scanned the deck and the helm. “I don’t see the captain.”
“Keep your crown on. He’s coming.”
“He’d better be.” Asterious grumbled, glancing at the captain’s door before taking a step closer to the ropes Brenn was rearranging and tugging on. “Need a hand with that?”
Brenn stopped his work and straightened to face Asterious with a hand still on the rigging. “Do you know anything about sailing? Have you ever even left the comforts of your castle long enough to have the slightest idea of what it’s like out on these waters? You’ll be most helpful by just staying out of the way.”
“Have I angered you in some way, Brenn?” Asterious practically spat out his name, stepping forward.
“Only a bit,” Brenn snarled back. “It’s not easy for me to accept that I’m helping the son of the man responsible for imprisoning my entire village—my family—behind the Veil.”
“And I’m sorry for it. But that wasn’t my doing.” Asterious held his threatening gaze on Brenn, shifting his jaw as he leaned forward ever so slightly.
“Then will it be your undoing?” Brenn cocked his head, squinting from the rising sun’s light that illuminated his wind-chapped face beneath his hood. “If you rule, are you going to break down that damn Veil and let the witches and the druids and the creatures your father despised return to these lands without persecution?”
Asterious was silent as he focused on the frost coating the ropes beside Brenn.
“That’s exactly what I thought.” Brenn shook his head and went back to working the tethers. Asterious watched him, startled when he caught him moving his hand over the ropes, and sending them to work tying and untying themselves, weaving through the rigging as needed as his eyes glowed gold. He’d never seen Spellbound druid magic before, but it was fascinating and unsettling all at once.
“You think I don’t want to free those people? Of course I do. And I plan to, once I know how.” Asterious said sternly, turning his back to the chilling wind. “But no one knows how to break the Veil. And even if I figure it out, there could be dire consequences. It’s a giant living force of pure Shadow magic—breaking it could be catastrophic. So, I can’t make promises of something I don’t understand yet. These things take time.”
“You can’t make promises because you don’t actually care.” Brenn secured a knot with his hands, his eyes returned to their normal brown color, and then he brushed past the prince to the other side of the ship.
Asterious wasn’t in the mood to argue. This fool was just that—a fool, and a bitter one to which he had nothing to prove. Nothing to gain from indulging in his petty spite. But he had everything to gain by making sure they arrived back to Magoth in one piece. He leaned against the hull, blowing out a huff to see the vapor crystallize in the air as he replayed the intriguing display of magic he just witnessed.
Just as his thoughts shifted to her, Caramyn emerged from the hatch, huddled in her coat and cloak. She smiled at him softly, then looked up and down at the masts. “Are we still leaving?”
“Your friend says we are. But if we’re still at this dock in five minutes, I’m taking the damn wheel myself.”
