35
A change of song
I felt my heart leap as Calico’s hand rested on Prince Edmond’s shoulder, his rings clashing on his armor.
The prince looked slightly taken aback, his smile faltering for a moment before he regained his composure.
“A change of partners, Your Highness ?” Calico said, his voice low, but the possessiveness in it was unmistakable and a little unsettling. His earlier carefree demeanor seemed to be replaced with something darker, more intense. It wasn’t just the alcohol or jealousy; something deeper had shifted.
The prince raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed, but he kept his polite demeanor. “This is not a tavern, sailor. The lady is with me,” he said, his voice firm yet civil.
Calico didn’t flinch. His hand stayed on the prince’s shoulder, a subtle challenge in his eyes .
“The lady can decide that for herself,” he said, his tone soft but unmistakably assertive. He glanced at me, his gaze flickering between my eyes and lips, daring me to make a choice.
I swallowed hard, caught between the mission and the growing tension between the two men. This could go very wrong for the crew.
The weight of the medallion beneath the prince’s armor was practically burning a hole in my thoughts. We needed it—I needed to follow the plan—but Calico’s behavior and that strange reaction to my alias made me hesitate.
I looked up at the prince, my lips curling into a diplomatic smile. “Perhaps one more dance with this gentleman, Your Highness. Before the tour. I can’t wait to see the palace.”
The prince’s smile tightened, but he didn’t object. “As you wish, my lady.” He glanced at Calico with a mix of annoyance and curiosity, but he released my waist. “I’ll wait near the gardens.”
Calico smirked victoriously as the prince stepped aside, but I could sense that the situation was far from settled. As soon as we were alone in the middle of the dance floor, the music swelling around us, Calico wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close.
“You have no idea how close I am to dragging you out of here,” he whispered in my ear, his voice low and husky. The warmth of his words like small breath of wind that ran through my entire body. His fingers dug into my waist slightly as they moved to the rhythm of the music .
“Calico,” I whispered back, my voice both a warning and a plea. “What are you doing?”
“What has he offered you?” he asked, “I know how he can be, whatever it is, I'll try to double it. Hell, triple it. I will steal every last piece of art left in the Four Kingdoms even if it's the last thing I do. Don't go with him.”
My heart stopped.
“You don’t know what you’re saying, what have you drunk?” I whispered, trying to make sense of his words. “Where is Alastair, he was supposed to be with you.”
“Let’s get out of here, love.” He sounded lost, dizzy, sad even.
“We need the medallion.”
His eyes, darkened with frustration, locked onto mines. “I don’t give a damn about that piece of gold. Have you drunk from any of the glasses?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Do you have the dagger?” he whispered in my ear. “The one I gave you, do you still have it?”
A strange fear gripped my chest at the sound of his voice. What was he even saying?
I nodded, not knowing what else to say or do. The music surrounded us, soft and graceful.
“Good,” he said, slowly stepping back. “Very good…” Calico’s hand remained loosely on my waist, though his grip was starting to falter. At first, I thought he was just leading me into a slower step, but when I felt his hand drift away I looked up—and immediately, my stomach dropped .
Calico’s face had gone pale, his olive skin now an unsettling shade of white. His brows slick with sweat, and his eyes, normally sharp and full of life, were distant and glazed. He swayed, his posture faltering as If his legs could barely support him.
“Calico?” I muttered, gripping his arm more tightly to keep him from falling. I glanced around the ballroom, trying not to panic, but my heart was racing. No one seemed to notice yet. The crowd was too caught up in their own conversations, their own dances.
“Captain,” I whispered urgently, trying to pull him gently towards the column at the edge of the ballroom.
His movements were sluggish, as if he were barely aware of what was happening. And I kept my face calm, although inside I was screaming.
We reached the column, and I pressed him against it, holding him upright as best I could. My heart pounded in my chest as I kept one arm around his waist, trying to steady him while my other hand moved to his face. He was mumbling incoherently, his eyes fluttering shut.
“No, no. Open your eyes,” I begged, reaching up and cupping his face in both hands, trying to keep him from slipping away. “Open your eyes, Captain. Look at me.” His head lolled to the side, and panic gripped me as I forced his face straight again, my fingers brushing his clammy skin. “Calico!” I hissed, my heart racing.
I gently pried his eyes open with my fingers—and what I saw made my blood run cold. Dark veins, like creeping shadows, spread from the corners of his eyes, swirling like smoke beneath his skin. His pupils were dilated, almost overtaken by the darkness creeping into his irises.
“No, no, no…” I gasped, my heart hammering as I shook him gently, desperately trying to keep him conscious.
“Lady Love…” he muttered. “I’m sorry, Lady Love…”
I glanced around the room, searching for anyone, any of the crew. Someone had to help him, someone had to—
And then, across the room, I saw Alastair weaving through the crowd. Relief washed over me as I sought his eyes, and I beckoned him over with urgency. When he finally reached us, I didn’t waste a second. “Alastair, something’s wrong. He’s—he’s not well. I don’t know what happened. You need to get him out of here, he needs a medic, some of your potions, anything,” I whispered frantically.
Alastair’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he snapped into action. He moved to Calico’s side, gripping his arm to help support his weight. “Let’s go. You get the medallion and get out when you finish, Ela and Raaq will be at the door,” Alastair muttered under his breath, already half-dragging Calico towards the near exit. I watched, frozen, as they moved through the ballroom, my heart still racing. What was wrong with him?
As they disappeared into the shadows, I took a deep breath, trying to calm the panic that threatened to overwhelm me. But before I could collect my thoughts, I stumbled back into a body.
I spun around, an apology ready on my lips—until I saw the face in front of me, unmasked .
Diego.
I barely had a moment to react before I was yanked back by a familiar grip. His hand closed around mine with a force that left no room for argument, and before I could protest, he was leading me to the center of the dance floor.
My mind raced. Diego was here, in front of me.
“May I have this dance, Pink Arrow ?” Diego’s voice cut through the fog of confusion clouding my thoughts.
I blinked up at him, stunned, barely able to process his words. Diego. In front of me.
I tried to pull away, but his grip was iron. The ballroom spun around me, although it wasn’t the music that disoriented me—it was his presence, his familiarity, and the sheer wrongness of it all. I couldn’t breathe.
“It was very easy to follow the trail of arrows you have been leaving,” he said, pulling me closer, his voice dropping low. “Killing sea serpents, mermaids… Hearing what the sailors sing about The Pink Arrow of the sea…” His breath was hot against my ear. “Almost as if you wanted me to find you.”
I shook my head, still too shocked to speak.
“That is what you wanted, isn’t it? For me to take you back. Are you done playing pirates?” His words cut through me like a knife, each one sharper than the last.
“How did you—” I started, my voice weak, but Diego didn’t let me finish. His arm tightened around my waist, drawing me in until there was barely any space between us .
“Of all the bastards you’ve danced with tonight, there’s only one who could recognize you from miles away, even with your face covered.” His thumb brushed over my mouth, sending a wave of disgust through me. “There’s only one who has kissed these lips.”
“Get away from me.” I shoved at his chest, the anger finally breaking through the shock. But Diego had always been stronger. He caught my wrist, pulling me back into his hold.
“Don’t you want to dance?” he whispered mockingly. “Let’s dance. Isn’t that what you’ve been doing since you set foot in here? Dancing with anyone who comes near you?”
I shook my head, trying to pull away, but his grip tightened, his eyes dark with something I hadn’t seen in him before.
“You’ve been playing a very dangerous game, Donna,” he continued, his voice threatening. “The Gods should have stayed where they were buried.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” I hissed, my eyes darting around the ballroom, searching for anyone who might see us. Looking for the crew. “Let me go.”
Diego leaned in closer, his voice barely above a whisper, “Don’t play dumb. The role of the little lamb being led to the slaughter doesn’t work on me. Not anymore.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice trembling as I glanced around again, my heart pounding with fear. I couldn’t find anyone. Not even Coco.
Diego’s grip on my wrist tightened painfully. “Don’t fret. Your filthy pirates will have the grand exist they deserve. ”
Suddenly, the sharp ring of unsheathing swords filled the air, followed by the sound of screaming.
Chaos erupted in the ballroom as guests fled in panic, knocking over the tables and crashing into one another. The smell of smoke filled my nostrils, and I whirled around, trying to spot my crew amidst the confusion.
The sight hit me like a wave—Ela was fighting at the door, her movements swift and lethal, her sword flashing as she cut down anyone in her way.
Alastair was running, supporting Calico’s weight as they headed for the exit. My heart leapt into my throat as I watched them. I thought they were already out of the palace.
I screamed, “Ela!” But my voice was swallowed by the chaos, the noise of clashing swords and cries for help.
Ela’s eyes met mine from across the room, her expression frozen in shock and fear. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but I saw it before she could—someone was charging at her from behind. My breath caught in my throat, and I screamed again, “Behind you!”
Ela whirled around just in time, slashing through her attacker with brutal efficiency, but more enemies were swarming her. I could barely see Alastair through the smoke, still running, still carrying Calico towards safety.
“Go!” I screamed again, my voice cracking with desperation. “Run! Get to the ship! Go!”
Ela hesitated, her mask slipping from her face, and for a split second, I saw the terror in her eyes. She called out to me, her voice a plea, but I shook my head, the words tearing from my throat. “Get out! Please! Go!”
Diego’s grip tightened around me, pulling my arms behind my back and dragging me further from the chaos. I fought against him, my body thrashing with everything I had left, but his hold was unyielding. He was leading me away, deeper into the castle, while the fighting grew fainter and fainter.
I caught one last glimpse of Ela as she disappeared into the fray, her sword flashing, but then the crowd swallowed her up. My heart broke as I realized I might never see them again.
My crew. The family I had found.
“I will kill you!” I screamed, kicking at Diego, but he just yanked me harder, pulling me down a dark, narrow staircase.
“I begged you to not come near me. I told you I would kill you. I swear I will.” My breath came in ragged gasps as we descended, the sounds of the battle above fading into distant echoes.
Finally, we stopped in front of a door. Diego shoved it open, and I stumbled inside.
The room was dimly lit, but I could see him, standing at the center, watching me with a smug grin.
Prince Edmond.
He raised a glass to me, smirking.
“Have a seat, Gods whisperer.”