So much death and destruction on what was supposed to be one of the best days of my cousin's life. Viella is somewhere in the castle, thankfully safe. Ronan has been checking in on her when he can, but I know he's torn up about the turn of their day. And to add the death of his mother to the long list of tragedy is enough to draw more tears from me. I swipe the back of my hand against my eyes and feel a hand clamp down on my shoulder.
"Grieve your kin," Thrane says softly, and I'm probably imagining it, but it almost sounds like compassion. "Tomorrow, we strategize. We will get them back."
"How can you be so calm and confident?" I have to know.
"I will let you in on a little secret, Harland," he leans closer. "I fake it every day."
"What?" My eyes widen.
"I fear just as much as the next man. The difference is, I won't bend the knee to it. I will march into battle knowing I will meet my end, but I won't do it as a sniveling coward. Even if I have to fake courage, no one will attribute weakness with my name." His eyes harden, his mask firmly rooted back in place. "Call me a fool, but I don't like losing. Today is a huge loss. Tomorrow won't be."
Thrane releases me from his ironclad grip, pays his respects to my kin for the queen's passing, and disappears down the hall. If I had to guess, he's probably already strategizing how we are going to manage to rescue three people going in two different directions.
Sleep won't find me tonight. But the bottom of a whiskey bottle might.
Thirty - Seven
Shaye
Iwake up groggy and seasick. When my vision returns, I find Nyx across from me. His arms are stretched wide and his wrists are shackled with iron. His ankles are manacled to the wooden floorboards beneath him and his head is hanging. His shirt is ripped up and his signature swords crisscrossed on his back are missing.
In horror, I realize I am also shackled similarly to him on the opposite side of our holding cell.
It smells rotten and the air is thick. The smell of iron from the bloodspilledfills the humid dungeon of the ship. Other than my throbbing head, I check my body for injury but findI'mblemish free. Ican'tsay thesame forNyx.
"Nyx," I whisper, my throat raw.
Hedoesn'timmediatelystir, the slight sway of his head and shallow breathing the only indicators thathe'sstill alive. The blood pooled at his knees, staining his pants,promptsmyheart to gallop.He's hurt. But thatcan'tbe right. Nyx regenerates.There'sno way he –
A low groan hisses from his lips.
"Nyx," I whisper once more, hoping this timehe'llglance my way and when he does, I instantly wish hehadn't.
He'sbeen roughed up. His face is bruising andthere'sa gash stretching from his right temple down his jawline. His mischievous hazel eyes are bloodshot, and his left one isnearly swollenshut.
I gasp as alump formsin my throat. "Nyx." A tear slips down my cheek as I swallow my screams.
A wicked laugh hums from my right, drawing my gaze. Fury ignites in my feet and slowly rises through my body until I feel my fingertips throb. I yank my chains to no avail. As much as I want to strangle her,there'sno way I can free myself.It'sthen I notice my hair hanging down my chest –it'sbrown. Realization crashes against me. Hard.
My eyes widen propelling Vesper to laugh louder, stalking toward me likeI'mprey ripe for slaughter.
"I've been waiting a long time for this moment," Vesper coos and anunwelcome shiver crawlsdown my spine. She lifts her dagger, stained with what I can only assume is Nyx's blood, and places the blade against my cheek. I flinch, my stomach rolls in anticipation for thepainbut shedoesn'tdrag the knife down my face. She tsks, anger flashing in her red-rimmed eyes. "Fear not, little princess. Bastian forbade me from laying one harmful finger on you." Her sudden menacing grin causes my heart to race, pounding against my ribcage. "He didn't say anything about your friend."
She retrieves her dagger and drags her pointed fingernail down the center of my face. "You're probably wondering why your regenerating friend isn't healing."
"For the same reason my hair is now brown, and my magic is silent," I respond with care, not wanting to provoke her and shetakeher anger out on Nyx. "You havesugovan." The plant used in the tea to stunt my powers and change my appearance.
"You are quite clever." She nods, swiping jet black locks behind her ear.
"I know why you captured me," Iattemptto redirect the conversation, hoping she will abandon her quest to further harm Nyx.
"It doesn't take a genius to know why," she hisses back, crossing toward him.
"If you are to inflict anymore harm, do so on me," I pull at my chains. Her sinister glare pins onmeand her steps halt. "I'm the one who burned your arm." The one she still has wrapped. "I'm the one who angered you. Forced you to run around the kingdoms in pursuit of me. Punish me."
For a splitsecondI believe she will. Wickedness flashes in her gaze of all the horrific ways she would torture me, but just as quickly as the thoughts tear into her sick and twisted mind, she purges them. Her face hardens and she shakes her head.
"Like I told you before," she stomps behind Nyx, raising her knife. "I was instructed not to harm one hair on your pretty little head." Her smile coils around my lungs and squeezes. "So, he will bear your punishment instead."
