Isla pulled me to a small table in the corner, sheltered from onlookers with red drapery on one side and a small tree on the other. My friend crossed one strong leg over the other and took a long swig of water before nibbling on the crusty edge of the O-shaped round roll. My eyes drifted to her thin neck before catching her eye.
“I’m fine, Lyvia,” she murmured, painting the kind of smile on her face only friends knew was fake.
I resisted the urge to call her on the lie. Whatever trauma she endured last fall on Kayj lingered with her.
“You, on the other hand…” She raised a thick, ebony brow. “Tell me what’s going on in your head.”
I let out a sigh and shook my head, brushing a pile of old crumbs to the floor.
“I have too many thoughts and questions in my mind, Isles. And I can’t seem to focus on any one of them. Those creatures in the sea… The Embodied and what they will do to our world… What Bayne claimed he saw in the Waters of the Ascendiel…”
Heat gathered behind my eyes, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep tears from forming. I’d shared my eavesdropping with Isla as soon as we’d had a moment of privacy. She tossed the crusty bread onto the plate with a clank and crossed her arms.
“I don’t believe it,” she piped in, shaking her head. “Bayne was spooked when he returned from the Waters of Ascendiel last summer. If he believes he saw himself battling the Obscura, if he believesyouhad anything to do with it, it explains his choice to bind himself to Queen Antares. His power has been amplified after his soulbinding. We always expected that was the case with his parents.”
I nodded. We had discussed all of this already, but it didn’t make me feel any better.
“I’m sure it’s why he never explained it to me,” she continued, chewing on the inside of her lip. “I was so mad at him.”
Warmth swelled in my chest, and I slid my hand into Isla’s.
“Come to me with accusations like that againstmyfriend? That she will be the downfall of our realm? I would have slapped some sense into him.” She turned to me and winked.
My lips tugged up. “I love you,” I murmured, giving her hand a squeeze.
“Love you back, Sister.” She rocked her small shoulder into my arm. “But that wasn’t what I was asking about.” She leaned in and jerked her head to the doors of the tavern where a group of people gathered.
My gaze slid to the tall man in the sea blue coat, his face hidden by the brim of his black hat. A crowd formed around him as he stepped inside the tavern, faces lighting up in surprise and delight as the patrons spotted the pirate lord. Hands reached out to grasp his shoulder or pat him on the back as the crowd grew, and people from the opposite ends of the space moved to get a closer look at Lord Astraeus.
My brows furrowed.
“I don’t understand,” I murmured. “I thought the Votruvian Islands were supposed to be a vicious, unlawful place.” I couldn’t help but think of Morwyn. She’d never told me which island she was from, but she spoke of Votruvia with such hatred.
Isla uncrossed her arms and tore the soft chunk of bread away from the crust with her teeth.
“From what I’ve gathered from our dear pirate’s crew…” She paused, chewing slowly and sliding her eyes back to mine. “Kellan has flipped this island since his rise to Lord ofMarisarma. Apparently, he took the place of his father at a young age. He was eighteen when they branded him.”
My breath slowed, some dozing part of my mind stirring. Why did this sound familiar?
“They said he gifted the Marisarma estate to his mother to be used as a hospital of sorts and house the orphans left behind by the ashen raids from Kayj and those who could escape from the islands run by the other pirates. He’s been quietly planning their demise since.”
I nodded, remembering his betrayal of three of the other pirate lords last summer off the coast of the Death Dunes when he’d attacked theCenturion.
“He’s dispatched some of the captains in his fleet to begin working on the other islands. But there’s still one pirate lord left. Lord Haro. The most dangerous, they say.” Her eyes slid back to where Kellan stood, shaking hands with men and women and accepting a mug of ale from a familiar red-headed beauty.
Naomi’s face lit up as Kellan smiled at her, and a twisting formed in my gut. I pulled my gaze away and caught Isla staring at me. A smile played on her lips.
“I can see the way you look at him, Lyv,” she said softly. “The way he looks at you. Something has happened between you.”
A dryness formed in my throat, and I snatched Isla’s water, taking a swift swig and avoiding her eyes. I shook my head.
“I don’t know what is happening between us,” I said quietly, unable to look at her. “And I feel… I don’t know what I feel.”
“There is a reason you went after him,” Isla continued gently. “I think you know how you feel, and you’re not sure you can accept it. Don’t punish yourself for making that choice.”
Bayne’s words replayed in my mind.You left your family and friends behind… Left us behind immediately after our realm was attacked.Guilt tightened my stomach.
“I left you all,” I murmured, shame snaking its way up my chest. “I’msosorry. And how can I feel something for someone I barely know? How could I have just risked everything for someone Ihatednot that long ago?”
