36. With Risk Comes Reward
With Risk Comes Reward
SYORAN
Scrubbing my skin in a pail of saltwater, the deep maroon hue tainting it mirrored my reflection in mockery.
The lavender soap Lionel had snagged for me upon my arrival permeated my senses but failed to waft away the scent of death.
Suds stained with blackened scarlet, images of my best friend’s lifelessness assaulted my mind.
It was another instance, another failure in protecting Caspian and upholding all I vowed as his second.
“Fuck!” The shout erupted from me like a cannon as I upturned the shiny bucket.
Ellira’s essence spilled, coating the planks in a thick layer of my negligence. Derailed by my sudden outburst, crewmates paused to exchange uncertain expressions. Mouths opened, but before a single utterance could be offered, they were interrupted.
“We have a ship to steer! Man your posts or so help the gods, the wrath I will strike you down with will outweigh any punishment they could offer!” Mahogany irises flaring, Lionel’s brown locks swayed as he rushed to my side once more, the men around us working to obey his demand. “Captain.”
“Don’t.” I snarled, shoving myself up from where I sat. “You know damn well who deserves that title, and it certainly isn’t me.”
“Syoran, I understand your concern. Believe me, all of us are worried about Caspian’s health, but we have a godsdamned ship to sail, and we need someone”—Lionel gestured toward the sterncastle deck—“behind that wheel spouting off orders. And, based on rank, that person is you, Kao.”
“Give it to Sapphira, our renowned navigator; she is more than sufficient—”
“At betraying our captain,” Lionel hissed, his timber sharpening. “You damn well know the crew will not accept that. Before her treachery? Sure. But she has lost the trust of our men, myself included, and there is no way in hell that I will allow her to play the role of thief any longer.”
My lips parted, but the smooth utterance that came did not belong to me. “Problem?”
Unbuttoned to mid-chest, the fresh white linen clashed with black breeches.
Seafoam irises ignited with a glint of protectiveness; Kael’s dark brows furrowed to hood his enchanting glare.
Unable to help myself, my greedy eyes wandered, admiring the tautness of the belt wrapped around his waist and how it accentuated his soft curves.
Finding his throat, my thoughts became muddled with desire, but I paused as I landed on three newly added necklaces that nestled against his hair-laden sternum.
The first rested higher than the others, accented by a small, organic-shaped charm that caught the moonlight.
Below it was a fine gold chain with a round coin pendant, the textured medallion sparking recognition.
Crafted from dark beads, the longest contrasted beautifully against its counterparts, adding a hint of bohemian beauty.
Not giving Lionel the chance to retort, I asked, “Where did you get those?”
Features lifting with a hint of mischief, Kael chuckled. “Why? Do they look familiar?”
Yes and no. “Kael.”
“Don’t devour him with your wrath,” the melodic voice crooned.
Ignis rounded the corner, still clad in his cropped gothic jacket and paired trousers.
The once single chain dangling from his right hip had been paired with another.
Shifting in tandem with his stride, they brushed against one another, clinking with a sense of elegance and regality.
With a ruby choker snug against his neck, the addition of a red-diamond necklace solidified my wavering recognition.
Meeting his all-white stare, I exhaled heavily. “How in Ysalyne’s name did you not only locate the lock boxes but access them?”
The corners of his mouth upturned as he craned his head to the side, white strands falling over his shoulder. “Need I remind you of the creature I am, Captain?”
“You act as if we just have Fae strolling the streets of our lands, capable of enlightening us about their intricacies.”
“They’re thieves,” Kael interjected. “From livestock and treasure to names, memories, and even human children.”
Lionel pinned me with exasperation. “We’re just freely allowing an untrustworthy being to wander our decks.”
“If I were untrustworthy,” Ignis hummed, “would I have flat-out told you?”
“But you didn’t.” Folding his arms over his chest, Lionel challenged the otherworldly creature. “You suggested it.”
“Look, I call it conditioned borrowing. If you aren’t a walking, talking cunt, then I will happily return your treasure to where it belongs after I am finished with my time enjoying it.”
Our boatswain started to retaliate, but I cut him off. “Whatever. Honestly, treasure is the last thing I give a fuck about at this moment. Besides, it’s not mine; it’s Caspian’s, so it’s his wrath you will face, and I can promise you it is the last thing you want to experience.”
The absence of guilt on Ignis’ face seemed to highlight the lines it cast across Kael’s. He nipped the inside of his cheek and ran his tongue across his lips before redirecting the conversation. “Where can we offer aid?”
Casting my gaze to the crew, they worked with the practiced rhythm of men who had spent their lives at sea.
Boots thudded across the weathered planks, further punctuated by the snap of canvas, the groan of timber, and the coaxing crash of Ellira’s waters.
Moonlight washed the black sails in silver as rough hands hauled on lines, ropes creaking through the blocks.
Others scrambled into the rigging, loosening one sail and reefing the other to catch the wind.
With no one manning the great wheel to make deliberate corrections, their fluidity became reliant on each other, and the calm breeze Ellira seemed to grant us.
The trust they granted one another brought forth a sense of sentiment, the realization that, even amid desolation and uncertainty, our crew was capable of anything.
We’d bonded through tumultuous storms, narrow passings with Elaros, and the wrath of a woman more than capable of a reckoning, but nothing had chipped away at our connection.
We stood through hardship and loss as a well-oiled machine, a brotherhood, a family, and there was no chance in the gods’ names that we would let down the man who brought us together.
Which meant we would have to take the war to them.
Turning back to the three surrounding me, I met Lionel’s questioning irises with a command. “Get behind that wheel.”
“I am the senior on these decks and have responsibilities to—”
I fisted his shirt, ripping him toward me. “I said get behind the fucking helm, Lionel. Get your mate to provide supervision, but, as your captain, I am ordering you to steer this godsdamned ship.”
He blinked as if not expecting the sharpness of my utterance. “Y-Yes, captain.”
As I loosened my hold, his unwillingness to test my dwindling patience showed in the way he pivoted, rushing toward his second to rattle off the shift in roles. With him preoccupied, my attention settled on Kael and Ignis.
“Like Parran, are you capable of teleportation?” I posed to the Fae.
He nodded.
“Great. Hopefully you’re as attentive as they are, because I expect what I say to you now will be repeated to Alastair in perfect clarity. Understood?”
“Yeah, wholly. Though I don’t abide by the rules of mere human—”
“Is. That. Fucking. Understood?” I growled, fingers curling at my sides with the temptation to throw him overboard.
“Yes.” Kael settled a hand on Ignis’ chest to fend off his rebuttal, and I couldn’t help but clench my jaw at the sight. “He understands.”
“Perfect.” Swallowing my desired reply, I offered them both a once-over before continuing, “We are returning to Serevalen.”
It was Kael’s turn to retaliate with venom. “What?”
“Hm,” Ignis hummed in challenge, testing hierarchy. “The former prince sounds rather put-off by—”
The distance between us closed as I drove two knuckles into his sternum.
Forcing my way past Kael, I shoved Ignis flush against the wooden partition beside the stairs to the quarterdeck.
Positioning myself inches from him, my lips drew back in a potent sneer.
“I have warranted you respect for your connection to the gods, but what you will not do is disrespect me on the ship I command. If you wish to oppose another, take yourself to the Scarlet Tempest, for I’m sure Alastair would love your company. ”
Where I expected a snarky response, it caught me off guard when Ignis peered at me with satisfaction. Not the kind that insinuated mockery for the crack in my demeanor, but the kind that suggested he’d been… waiting for it.
Rewarding me with an open-mouthed grin, Ignis’ chest rumbled with a relieved laugh. “There you are, Syoran Kao. I was beginning to wonder how long it would take.”
“What?” Kael interrupted, confusion prevalent in his timbre. “What is that supposed to mean?”
I pulled back, giving Ignis the space to slip free, but he remained where I’d pinned him. His all-white eyes moved between us, and he shrugged. “Perhaps it's time to find out? Though it would be rude of us to continue interrupting our captain, wouldn’t it, Kaelivan?”
Cheeks reddening, Kael nodded. “Yeah, I… I, uh. What were you saying, Syoran?”
Combing through my thoughts, I tried but failed to understand the nuance of Ignis’ question, instead opting to explain the suggestion that had angered the former prince.
“If we move forward with our route to secure the four remaining artifacts, we will be followed by the king’s men or Sorva’s hellish creatures.
In my eyes, the destruction left behind and the lives lost aren’t worth the risk, nor is the chance they might gain insight into the locations Ignis has provided. ”
“So we go back to Serevalen to what?” Kael asked as he folded his arms over his chest. “As far as I’m aware—though correct me if you saw differently—the Capital has been overthrown by all you’re wishing to avoid.”
“Yes,” I agreed, “but that is where the wickedness resides. If we plant ourselves on King Marellan’s doorstep, the reckoning that has been nipping at our heels returns to its home.”
“Or we throw ourselves right back into my father’s fucking arms and hand over the three who have reconnected with their respective gods.”
“There is risk, yes.” Holding his wicked seafoam stare, I prayed to whoever was listening to help Kael recognize that, no matter where we went, I would ensure he was not harmed as he had been.
“But if we set foot in the other villages, we are bringing their damnation with us. And sure, maybe the attacks continue amid it all, but I am willing to bet Alastair’s luck that Sorva will keep her fiends on our asses. ”
“Their focus has never been the surrounding land,” Ignis chimed in, his gaze finding Kael.
“The Others, and your father included, have been chasing the Children of the Damned, the Divari, for centuries.” Turning to look at me, the Fae smiled.
“Syoran is right. The sooner we move in, the sooner their reactivity will dwindle. While we may not have all five lineages uncovered, we have the two leaders of the pack.”
“Rohen and Caspian,” Kael muttered under his breath.
Ignis dipped his chin in confirmation. “And the armies their parents command.”
“Is Caspian able to wield his abilities though?” I questioned.
“Yes,” Ignis smirked. “Rohen’s nearness eats away at the bind Sorva holds over him, which is a big contributor to the state we found him in.
And while her proximity does strain his humanity and threaten his aliveness, it also snaps the chains of restriction that have kept him in place.
The depth of power lingering beneath Caspian’s skin is insurmountable, which is a large reason Sorva elected to imprison him. ”
“And you’re okay with that?” Kael posed, his brows knitting together in concern as he held my gaze. “You’re okay with putting Caspian at that extent of risk? Sacrificing his life when it is already dwindling?”
“No,” I practically whispered, my attention darting to the horizon.
“But in a realm caving to corruption and faltering beneath the asphyxiating hands of pestilence, what other choice do we have? I have faith in Caspian’s strength and all he is capable of, just as I trust that the gods, but more specifically Elaros, will protect him.
Do I harbor doubts? Sure. But I am no longer willing to cower in the face of adversity and continue running from the very beings who threaten to damn us all. ”
“With reward comes risk,” Ignis added without an ounce of uncertainty blanketing his tone, “and I can confirm there is a reason Alastair and Caspian have remained drawn to one another, as the God of War and Luck just so has a love-hate relationship with the God of Death. If it provides any reassurance, the two of them work together more often than not, for war brings death, and the desire to eradicate souls drives war.”
“And you’re wanting to bring war to their doorstep?” Kael asked.
I nodded. “I’d rather take it to them than to the innocents in the surrounding principalities, for far too much has already been lost.”
There was a brief second of pause before the former prince and soon-to-be king dipped his chin. “Then I suppose we will see to it that my people learn what all the Divari are capable of, as well as who will guide them when all of this finally ends.”
The apparent yearning for desolation in his eyes earned a smile from me. “Let there be war.”