Chapter 1
Eiri
Noneof this would have happened if I’d just let that soldier die.
It wasn’t the first time that thought had crossed Eiri’s mind, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. He’d never meant to be the spark that set a revolution ablaze. When asked, he’d told everyone that he couldn’t just sit idly by while Vonyers, the so-called Prince of Canjir, killed a soldier in cold blood. That wasn’t the Canjiri way. They were raiders, not murderers.
From the moment they’d left the port, nothing about the raid on Teleth had been right. Instead of slipping in, taking the bare minimum, and slipping out like they’d done for a hundred years, Vonyers and his thugs started looting the town. They’d attacked civilians, set fire to storehouses, and even started killing soldiers, rather than evade or incapacitate them. Vonyers hadn’t even noticed when the Vaetreans started setting their boats on fire, too caught up in his bloodlust. Eiri had only done what was necessary to protect his people, he’d assured everyone who asked. He wasn’t a traitor. He hadn’t wanted to hurt the new king’s son.
The truth, though, was more pragmatic.
Eiri hated Vonyers, and the feeling was mutual. Honestly, itwouldn’t have been a surprise if the original plan had been to strand Eiri and those loyal to him in Teleth. When Vonyers and his thugs started attacking and killing civilians, Eiri saw his opportunity and didn’t hesitate to take it. In the chaos, catching Vonyers off-guard had been too easy. He’d managed to corner what looked like a Vaetrean specialist, the legal mercenaries of the continent countries’ militaries, and left his back exposed while he gloated. It was eerily easy to run him through and leave his body on the docks while those smart enough to flee did exactly that. The soldier Vonyers had cornered had no bearing on the decision, but he made a useful cover story after the fact.
They hadn’t even gotten any supplies, which made the entire trip useless. Instead, they’d lost six boats, over a dozen raiders, and King Viyeri’s heir. As expected, the instant the story came out, the king had called for Eiri’s head. Instead, the noble houses of Canjir used Eiri as a figurehead and turned on their king, sending the island into a brief but bloody civil war. Only the increased threat of Vaetreas invading while they were splintered quelled the fighting.
Now, King Viyeri was dead, the island was under the rule of an elected council, and that somehow meant that Eiri was getting married.
He ignored the gentle knock on the door, his attention fixed on the window next to him. It wasn’tthathigh up. The odds of breaking a leg if he jumped were fairly small. Even if he did, he just needed it to hold up long enough for him to get to his skiff. No one could touch him once he was on the water.
“Eiri, whatever you’re thinking, know that Mother will have thought of it first. You won’t get far.”
Of course they’d send his sister after him. The one person he had no defenses against. With a weary sigh, he put aside his escape plans and let her into his room.
Like him, Akari was short and lean. Her hair was a rich black, though, where years of salt and sun had bleached his to a muddled reddish black. Despite living their lives by the water, they were both fair-skinned and prone to burning if they didn’t wear protective salves, something they’d inherited from their mother. Unlike their mother, Akari was sweet, one of those people who brightened a room simply by being in it. It wasn’t a trait Eiri shared.
“She can’t have thought of everything. You could distract her long enough for me to get to the docks,” he suggested, flopping down onto the small couch near the window.
“Eiri, you’re going to wrinkle your outfit!” She nudged him until he sat up straighter, ignoring his groan. “Besides, she and the council locked down the docks. No one can leave until the ceremonies are complete.”
Right. Because he wasn’t the only one getting married today.
After they deposed the king, the new council needed allies. Political marriages were old-fashioned but effective, and Eiri wasn’t the only one suddenly roped into creating an alliance. Ten years younger than Eiri and with her eighteenth birthday still months away, Akari’s age spared her from the same fate. Privately, though, Eiri thought his mother would have found another excuse to avoid giving her away to a loveless marriage.
Every council member with a suitable marriage candidate had forced their children into it and now there would be a mass handfasting ceremony in the great hall. From there, he and the other unwilling volunteers would soon be shipped off to the homes of their betrothed, where a larger ceremony would take place to finalize the marriages.
“She won’t even tell me who I’m getting betrothed to,” he groaned. “That means she knows I’m going to be furious and would try even harder to escape.”
“Maybe it won’t be that bad. Maybe you’ll fall in love,” Akari offered. At his flat look, she slumped down on the couch. “At least you’ll get to see the world beyond the island. Maybe you’ll go somewhere that has actual trees and lakes and grass.”
Eiri couldn’t blame her for sounding so wistful. According to the old stories, Canjir had once been a thriving country covered in plant life and greenery, with farms and pastures everywhere. No one had known that the soil was so fertile because it had been created by a volcano. No, their people had learned that the hard way, when a long-dormant mountain exploded and destroyed their way of life in just two days.
“Maybe once I’m married and settled, you can come visit? I don’t know where I’ll end up, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“Really?” Her eyes lit up with excitement and Eiri didn’t have it in him to crush her dreams with the reality of his situation. The likelihood of falling in love with his spouse was slim, especially if he was unlucky enough to be paired with a Vaetrean. He’d settle for evenlikingthe person. Most likely, his betrothed would be a woman, which would suit him fine. There was less chance of physical attraction, since his preference ran to men. It would make things simpler if he and his betrothed could be friends and not have to worry about physical complications.
“Really,” he said, keeping his thoughts to himself. “Nearly every kingdom has entered into some kind of arrangement. Maybe Mother betrothed me to someone from Caranyvik or Kargha. That would be nice.” It was also highly unlikely, given her reluctance to tell him anything about his impending marriage.
“Kargha is another island, though,” she pointed out.
“True, but I’ve heard it’s beautiful. It’d be nice to see a flourishing island for a change. And it’s the biggesttrade port in the world. Nearly every ship crossing the Barenden Sea stops there on the journey, so we’d get to meet people from all over.”
“I hope you’ll get that lucky. Even Gavarria would be a good place to live now that the war is over and the country is peaceful. I’ve read that half of it is covered with by a massive forest. I can’t imagine so many trees!”
“Me, either.” Eiri realized he was smiling, which was likely why their mother had sent Akari after him. It was impossible not to be affected by her endless optimism.
Akari had been an unexpected surprise, born when Eiri was already ten years old. Even at that age, he’d vowed to protect her from the harsher realities of their world. Eighteen years later, it was one of the few vows he’d been able to keep. Akari knew life in Canjir was difficult, but she’d never experienced the true effects of it. She’d never been at the docks when a raiding ship came home, their people hurt and bleeding, all for a few bags of grain or a crate of vegetables. She’d never felt the burn of humiliation while haggling with a Vaetrean vendor, forced to buy the bare essentials at triple the price others would pay because they had no other choice.
“Eiri?”
