Chapter 1 #2
The archivist looked at her, the stairs, and then back to her.
“You want me to carry you?”
“Yes. Everyone else I know is in the middle of trying to kill someone.”
Colum’s gaze slid to Eric.
“Or is an asshole,” she added.
“That’s true enough,” Colum said.
Eric leaned back against the wall and started thumping his head against the stone. Good. Maybe he’d give himself a brain injury.
“Sure, but I’ll give it a go.” Colum reached for her.
Xavier, Colum’s new husband, had followed him and now lunged, grabbing Colum’s arm. “You’ll drop her.”
“Probably I wouldn’t.” Colum’s head cocked as he studied her like she was furniture he was trying to move.
Iacob, sensing a more immediate threat to her person than the gun, abruptly released Keanu, only to be stopped by Regina’s gun at the back of his head as she demanded he hand over the knife.
Nikolett swallowed the urge to scream, looking at Xavier. “You. Help me. Please.”
He arched a dark brow but gently took her crutches, passing them to Colum. Colum had to stop and shove his phone in his pocket. The screen was lit up…was he on a call?
Before she could get distracted by that, Xavier gently lifted her. Nikolett had to take a few steadying breaths as the shift in position made her leg throb.
“I didn’t realize he’d forced you to stay too,” Xavier murmured, so low only she could hear. “It sets a bad precedent.”
Nikolett looked at the man who’d been raised to be the next admiral of France.
He never would be, first because he clearly didn’t want the job, and second because Colum had to live in Dublin.
Xavier would split his time between Ireland and France.
That was acceptable for a finance minister but not for the admiral.
But Xavier had been raised to understand the politics of both his territory and the Masters’ Admiralty.
“It does,” she agreed, using the same quiet tone. “This turned into a farce, even with the guns and knives, so it’s not too bad.”
“No one was really going to shoot or cut,” Xavier agreed, then smirked slightly. “Iacob and Keanu might have ended up fucking…”
Nikolett snorted. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought there was a different kind of tension.”
Xavier reached the bottom of the stairs, and for a moment they were alone, Colum having gotten distracted halfway down as he studied one of the stones in the stairwell. Nikolett leaned against the wall, waiting for her crutches.
“If he’d refused to let you go,” Xavier said softly, “it could have started a civil war.”
Nikolett swallowed hard. Stuck in that bed, she’d thought the same thing but tried to convince herself she was wrong.
“Your territory would try to rescue you. Others would align with you, out of loyalty to you or to ensure the fleet admiral didn’t think he could do to them what he was doing to you.”
She nodded, but didn’t speak.
“Some would align with him out of loyalty.”
Now, she cleared her throat. “England, Rome, and Castille are loyal to him. Ottoman would possibly side with him, but it would be to weaken my territory, not out of loyalty for the fleet admiral.”
“Kalmar,” Xavier added. “It’s his home territory, and my mother says Alma still feels guilty they forced Eric to be fleet admiral.”
“And France?” she asked softly.
“France would fight to keep from ceding power.” Xavier smiled slightly. “And because you tipped the scales when it came to finding a way for Colum to be with me. With us.”
“I had selfish motivations, but I appreciate France’s friendship,” she said carefully. “Four territories for sure, maybe five, would side with him. The rest with me.” Nikolett felt sick. “It would tear us apart.”
“I don’t think the fleet admiral would dare to hold any of the other admirals prisoner.”
“I’m very aware of that, and there’s only one solution.”
Colum jogged down the final steps, eyes bright. “I think that stone is removable.”
Xavier grabbed her crutches, passing them over without looking away from Colum.
Nikolett started for the door as Colum said something about secret compartments. She was very aware that she couldn’t actually get far on her own, but she needed to be out of the castle.
Xavier’s hand on her arm stopped her. “You have a solution?”
There was a way to stop her broken, chaotic relationship with Eric from plunging the entire Masters’ Admiralty into war.
“Yes. I do.”
Xavier arched one brow and nodded.
Iacob was jogging down the stairs, his worried gaze trained on her. Regina was behind him, but walking rather than running, and Nikolett thought she saw regret on the other woman’s face.
“Can you keep a secret?” Nikolett asked.
Xavier nodded.
“Even from Colum?”
Xavier pursed his lips. “This is something you don’t want him to tell Eric.”
She nodded.
“Then I will keep your secret, at least for now.”
Her plan wouldn’t be secret for long. All she really needed was to get off the Isle of Man, then it really wouldn’t matter if Eric knew or not.
Nikolett leaned in, keeping her voice low. “What Eric and I have? It ends now.” She pulled back just enough that Xavier could see her cold smile. “Because I’m getting married.”