“Glad to see you’re well,” the captain said with a tight smile.
“No thanks to you,” I snapped. “Mind telling me what’s going on? Why have you let us out? You plan on tossing us overboard now?”
“We’re a few hours from the shores of Talaven, and once we arrive, we’ll take you straight to our king.”
“That makes little sense. If you’re taking us to him, why’d you trap us in that damn cabin?”
He gazed at me with deep, impenetrable eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line. And then he spoke. “I do not trust you. There was a plan to take at least a hundred humans to safety. You must understand why I would be wary when that plan changed. Now we’re to take two fae and one human to speak with our king about a comet in the sky? It’s all very odd.”
“There are only three of us,” I countered. “What, exactly, did you think we would do?”
“At least two of you might have powers that could sink this ship. Maybe three. The girl there could be a half fae and lucky enough to have inherited an elite power. One can never be too careful,” he said evenly. “Now, I don’t know why you would want to attack us, but I didn’t want to find out. That cabin down there was lined in iron. If you’d tried to use your powers against us, nothing would have happened.”
I barked out a laugh as bitter irony twisted around me like chains. “Oh, if I had elite powers, I would incinerate you right now.”
“Lucky for me, you don’t. We’ve been watching and listening. You may be strong fighters, but you can’t burn down this ship. So you may take in some fresh air until we dock.”
I narrowed my gaze and stalked toward him, but he pulled his sword half from his scabbard in warning. “Careful.”
“We came to you in peace. To ally with your people.”
“Against the threat of that comet?” He released his grip on his sword and pointed up at the sky. It was broad daylight now, and the comet was nothing more than a faint streak of white against the cloudy blue. But it was larger now than it had been two weeks ago. “Against the return of the gods?”
Shock went through me. It must have reflected on my face because the captain gave me a grim smile. “That’s right. We know about the comet and the gods. And we know that you fae are the ones who brought them back.”
* * *
The bastards put us in iron chains when we left the ship. The three of us were locked together once more, our shoulders jostling, our legs knocking into each other. Down on the docks of Clearwater, one of Talaven’s coastal towns, humans stopped whatever they were doing to stare. I supposed we made quite the sight with Alastair’s hulking form dwarfing everyone around us. I was trapped by his side with my wicked facial scar. And then there was Val—oh, Val. Her eyes flamed with an anger that burned as brightly as her hair.
Just beyond the docks, a gorgeous city glimmered beneath the soft heat of the sun. Here, it was what the humans called springtime, the season between the cold winter months and the humid heat of summer. Even with all the dirt-packed streets and the buildings crafted from timber and wood, the city was abundant with blooming flowers that perfumed the air. Only a short wooden wall circled the city, and there were no battlements or fortifications in sight.
The human captain said very little as he led us through the streets, past a bustling market square, and down a dirt road, where a wagon waited beyond the town’s wall. Our captors threw the three of us inside the cramped wagon lined with bars, and then we were off again, the ground jolting my skull every time it hit a rut or a stray rock.
As the hours crept along, the realm passed us by. There were farm fields and tiny villages here and there, but most of the landscape was unremarkable, except to Val. She had never seen the world beyond the chasm, let alone past the sea.
She pressed her face against the bars, gazing out with rapturous attention, no doubt drinking in every detail she could. It was difficult not to smile. Even though we were prisoners, Val could still appreciate this moment when a brand new world was spread out before her. I supposed that was a human thing—perhaps aTeinehuman thing. Their lives had been marked with an end point since birth. Under Oberon’s rule, they had precisely one hundred years. No doubt they celebrated each and every one of them.
And now, I thought sadly, Val would likely have far fewer than that. Oberon had been a bastard and an idiot. He’d unwittingly caused the doom he’d tried to prevent. But one hundred years…that was a long time for a mortal. I wished I could give those years back to Val.
The wagon jostled as it slowed. I twisted my head to see Moonstone growing larger in the distance. This city was much more like I’d expected. An onyx stone wall topped with battlements stretched around roads packed tightly with buildings, all leading up a hill to a towering, glittering castle hewn from tiger-eye stones. The fabled gemstones only found in the mortal realm were the strongest material of which to craft a building, specifically a castle. The only issue, of course, was in its rarity. It was only found deep within the earth, and mining the gemstones was a dangerous proposition. Many humans had died in in the effort.
Still, the mortal kings of old had persisted long enough to build the capital’s castle. And as I gazed up at it, I could see why. Power seemed to ripple across the surface of it—waves of magic that could protect anyone who stood within.
“That’s incredible,” Val breathed.
Alastair grunted. “Might be more incredible if we weren’t”—he tipped back his head and shouted his next words—“fucking prisoners!”
Poor Alastair. He liked to puff out his chest and shout obscenities when he was scared. That, or he’d joke around so no one would guess the truth, but I knew him better than I knew my own damn self. He’d been a prisoner of war during Kalen’s battles against Oberon. For months, he’d been stuck inside the enemy’s cages. The things he’d seen…He’d never told us, but his eyes had looked haunted for decades. And I knew being inside this cage must be bringing it all to the surface.
Val shot Alastair a smile, shoved away from the bars, and leaned against the opposite side of the cage. “They won’t be able to hear you over the rattling of the wagon.”
“Fucking mortal ears,” he muttered.
“Here,” Val said, digging into her pocket. She pulled out a tiny piece of dried pooka meat. How long had she had that thing tucked away in there? “Hungry?”
“Famished.” Alastair grabbed the meat and stuffed it into his mouth. He grew silent as he chewed, glowering at the city that drew ever closer.
Val cut her eyes my way, and I smiled gratefully. She didn’t know about Alastair’s past, but she must have sensed there was something more behind his words.
