“No, not me,” I agreed. “The humans will never answer to a fae, especially not one who got their king into this mess to begin with. Where’s his heir?”
“Gone. Also missing.”
“The captain of his guard.”
“Missing.”
I blew out a breath. “Let me guess, his second in command is also missing.”
“Exactly,” Val said. “That’s why no one knows what to do.”
“For fuck’s sake.” On wobbly legs, I forced myself to stand. Dozens of other soaked men and women huddled around the deck of the ship. “We need to find a lord or a lady. Or one of the king’s distant relatives. It doesn’t matter how little authority they have normally. We just need someone willing to take control and make the call.”
“And what call is that?”
“The king and his carefully laid plans are gone. We cannot linger. We cannot turn back. We will find someone who will order these ships to sail straight for Aesir. Fuck anyone who tries to stop us.”
* * *
It turned out there were a few lords and ladies on board. Alastair herded them into the bridge, where the captain of the ship watched with one skeptical brow raised. He’d informed us that no lord worth his salt would agree with leaving the king behind. And so I informed him that the king was likely dead. That hadn’t gone down very well.
A lady named Vera with short golden hair stood at the front of their noble party. She wore breeches the color of sand and a pale blue blouse that curtained her small frame. But despite her petite stature, she had a commanding sense about her. I wouldn’t have chosen her as a leader by picking her out of a crowd, but now that we stood face-to-face, I knew she was the right one for the job.
“I understand you’re our guests,” Lady Vera started, but I quickly cut her off.
“Not guests. Ambassadors from Aesir. We journeyed to Talaven to make an offer of an alliance to your kingdom, which your late king accepted.”
“You speak of him as if he’s dead. Can you produce a body?”
Alastair snorted. Gritting my teeth, I elbowed him in the side. I’d asked him to stay in the mess hall while I took care of the situation. But he’d conjured one of his shit-eating grins and had decided it would be more entertaining to watch me bicker with human lords.
“There are many bodies in the sea, but we can’t collect them without risking another attack from that beast,” I argued.
She lifted her thin, dainty nose. “Then you cannot be certain he’s dead.”
“We can’t stay here,” I said, my voice growing hard. “I know you were safe on this ship during the attack, so you don’t understand the gravity of the situation. But I was there.” I motioned to Val, to Alastair. “They were there. And they can tell you we’re lucky to have survived. The beast tore a hole in the ship and then dragged it into the depths of the sea. The only things left are a few floating planks of wood. Dozens drowned. Hundreds, even. If the beast attacks again,you’re all going to die. As a lady, I understand you don’t want to fight, but—”
“Do not lecture me.” She snapped her fingers, and a couple of warriors strode in from the hallway outside the bridge. They handed her a very impressive-looking sword. I arched my brow as she crossed one ankle over the other and leaned against the weapon, like it was an oversized cane. Quirking a smile at the look on my face, she said. “Don’t always judge a lady by her title. Some of us like to don pretty clothesandfight.”
“Apologies,” I said. “I meant no offense. I merely wanted to ensure you understand the gravity of the situation.”
“I understand the gravity. I have spent many hours with the king, listening to him ramble on and on and on about the visions. It became quite the focal point of my life for a long while. He seemed certain I would need to know about it one day.”
“Ah.” I smiled in relief. “Then surely you must see why we should move on. Aesir needs us to fight for them.”
“Us?” she asked sharply.
“Well, yes, I am on this ship with you.”
“The thing is, Niamh…” She paused, cocking her head. “Is it all right if I call you Niamh? Or do you like to go by the King’s Shadow?”
“I don’t care what you fucking call me, as long as you get this ship moving to Aesir.”
Alastair chuckled. Once again, I elbowed him in the side. Vera didn’t strike me as a woman who liked to be laughed at.
“Very well,” Vera said, ignoring me. “I like the name Niamh. It’s very unique, at least for us in Talaven. I don’t think I’d ever heard it before you arrived on our doorstep. And I would have remembered it, seeing how beautiful I think it sounds. Do you see where I’m going with this?”
I sighed. I knew. Because the king had made it more than clear. “None of the visions showed me coming to Talaven.”
