“I’m so worried about him.” With a frustrated sigh, she dropped the mop to the floor and pressed herself up against the railing to stare out at the churning waves. The sea was a bright, clear blue today, a match to the crystalline sky. The color of home.
“Thane is strong.”
Eislyn pushed off the railing, her hands fisted. “But where is he, Vreis? Despite what you think, he wouldn’t have just left. Something must have happened to him. He got attacked, taken, or even…”Killed.She closed her eyes.
“If he didn’t leave, then Lorcan and Reyna will find him,” Vreis insisted. “He might be trapped somewhere. He isn’t dead. He can’t be.”
Eislyn glanced up at her warrior, searching his eyes. She saw now what he refused to say aloud. He was just as scared as she was. He refused to consider the idea that Thane might be dead because it was too painful for him to think. So, he had to believe that Thane was out there somewhere, hidden in the grasslands, waiting to be found. Or even with the sea fae.
“Oy! Princess!” A small, bright-eyed fae named Maeli rushed across the deck, the wood creaking beneath his thick leather boots. His golden hair was tied up into a tight bun on the top of his head, bouncing as he bustled toward her. “You must get below decks immediately.”
“What?” Alarmed, she glanced at Vreis. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“There’s another ship approaching, passing close enough to see you on board,” he said quickly. “It looks like a merchant ship, but merchants can be known for being cut-throat. Anything for a bit of money. We’re taking down our Sea Court sigil just in case.”
Vreis narrowed his eyes. “This is a merchant ship.Youare merchants.”
Maeli flicked up his eyes, smiling devilishly. “Yes, so you see, we understand how merchants think. They will size us up, hoping to find something amiss.”
Eislyn wrung her hands. “Can we not adjust course? Sail far out of their line of sight?”
“We could,” Maeli admitted. “But they would find that suspect. No doubt word is out now. Aengus will be looking for you. If the passing ship thinks we’re hiding you…”
“But if I’m nowhere to be seen, might they not realize I am just below decks? How has this not been a problem until now?” She was almost shouting her words, but she realized she was not truly angry at Maeli. Nor should she be. Her anger should be directed at someone far more deserving. The Grand Alderman of the Air Court.
“We have passed no other ships thus far, Princess,” Maeli said with a small bow. “Now, please. They will be upon us soon.”
“Yes, alright. I’m sorry.” Heart hammering, she twisted on her heels and rushed toward the stairwell. Vreis followed quickly behind, after murmuring a few words to the fae. Down and down they went, hurrying into the hold beneath the cabins. It was a dark and dreary place and crammed with barrels, wooden boxes, and dust. A rat scurried by her feet, and she bit back a scream.
The boat creaked as it slowed to a stop. Eislyn could feel the shudder, even if she could not see it for herself.
“What are they doing?” she whispered to Vreis.
“The other ship likely asked them to stop,” he murmured. “They’ll have agreed to avoid arising suspicion.”
“But why would a merchant ship ask another to stop?” she hissed.
He frowned. “They wouldn’t.”
“What are you saying? It’s one of Aengus’s ships?”
“Unlikely. The ship was seen approaching from the north. It could be one of your father’s few ships.”
“Well, if it’s one of my father’s ships, then why in the name of the Dagda am I hiding in the dust?” She turned toward the ladder, but Vreis caught her hand. His palm was warm and rough and strong.
“I said it was unlikely one of Aengus’s. Not that it was impossible. The Air Court could have been keeping a few ships in the northern waters all this time, waiting for the precise moment they would be needed.” His smile was grim. “I could see Imogen using this tactic. She might have believed the alliance with the Ice Court would turn sour. Or, more likely, the former High King himself. He never wanted an alliance. He yearned for an empire instead.”
Eislyn’s heart pounded. “And Aengus might have known of these hidden ships. He could have sent a bird ahead, alerting them of my escape.”
“Perhaps.”
“So, then they will search this ship for me,” she hissed, her heart pounding so hard she could scarcely stand the overwhelming beat of it. “We’re not safe, not down here.”
Vreis nodded, glancing around. “We’ll need to hide you in the hatch.”
The warrior stepped aside and tugged open a compartment hidden in the floor. Eislyn had not even known it was there. The door had been carefully obscured by the floorboards, so that a seam could not even be seen.
“This ship is a smuggler’s ship,” she announced. It was clear as day now. She should have seen it before. The ragtag crew. Their wild and reckless nights. Their knowledge of how best to avoid being spotted by other ships. They had done this before. She could not help but wonder who else they had stolen across the Mag Mell Sea.
