Chapter Twenty-Five
Asher
T he captain had a preference for the ostentatious. She was bold with her gestures, which her crew called signs. Every move she made was flamboyant and entertaining. Mia seemed to greatly dislike her, preferring to stay below deck rather than remain in Perdita Harligold’s presence. It made me like the merchant even more.
She was currently waving her hands in dismissal at one of her crewmates that tried to stop her from scaling the ropes that tied the sails in place. It was hilarious, watching her be both a terrifying and ridiculous sailor. The seasickness that still tortured me was worth such a sight.
Absently, I used my fingers to trace the spaces my scars had been. I kept inventory, reminding myself of the story once etched on my skin.
Wrath remained silent at my side, his head resting on the edge of the boat as he watched the rolling waves. He had taken to only correcting me when I thought something he viewed as particularly idiotic. Still, he remained, usually only visiting when I thought of my time with Bellamy. Like a reminder that my brain was capable of deceiving me.
When my eyes moved back to the place the captain had been, I found nothing but rope and open sky. She was gone, nowhere to be seen. How had she moved so quickly? Was she alright?
“Excuse me!” I yelled to the blonde who had been with Captain Harligold in the apothecary, where we sadly were not able to get any useful poisons. Bek was her name. She turned from her spot on the deck, smiling wickedly as she made her way to me. “Where did your captain go? Is she safe?”
“I am not sure, let me see. Are you safe, Captain?” Her hands moved with such speed I was not quite sure how on Alemthian anyone could understand the signs. Looking over my shoulder, I spotted her. Perdita flashed me a coy smile from her spot mere inches away. I leapt back, surprised and slightly unsettled by her nearness. She offered a couple sharp moves of her hands and a wink my way. “She says she is more than fine.”
“Well that is good. I just wanted to make sure since I saw you upon the masts and then you were gone.” How had she done that?
The two of them chuckled, Captain Harligold’s nearly silent.
“You underestimate Harligold’s speed. She is not the most notorious… merchant to sail these waters for nothing. Onto more important things though.”
“What important things would that be?” I asked, wiping my hands down my skirts as I pushed back my shoulders. I would stand tall, even if they might push me off their ship in retribution for whatever wrongs I had committed against them.
Once more, the captain began signing, a smile on her face the entire time.
“She says that she wants to know more about you. Go sit with her. She has ink and paper, you need no one else for whatever it is the two of you will discuss.” Bek abruptly turned, patting Perdita on the shoulder and then whistling as she strolled away.
“Well then, I guess it is just me and you. Should we paint our nails and eat sweets as we gossip about all the fucked up things that happened throughout our lives?” I asked the captain, leaning against the ledge of her ship. She smirked in answer before pivoting and walking away, waving a hand over her shoulder for me to follow.
My steps against the dark wood were drowned out by the sound of breaking waves. I felt my stomach roll and my mouth water, nausea threatening me with each jolt of the ship. But soon we were at the railing that brought us not below deck, but above to a second level. We took the steps quickly, stopping at the sight of a door with the word “captain” engraved in swirling gold script. Fancy, for a merchant. Neither of the other two ships I had been on had that.
We stepped through, and I was met with the most brazen quarters I had ever seen. Gold littered the space. Not just on the furniture either, but actual coins in wooden chests mingling with gems so large they made my breath hitch. When Captain Harligold finally turned around, I spoke.
“I have never claimed myself to be a genius—in fact I think I am an idiot more often than not—but something is telling me you are not a merchant.” She stared at my lips, shaking her head with a breathy chuckle when I finished speaking. And then she sat down, pulling paper, a pot of ink, and a golden quill from the top drawer of her wooden desk against the wall. Making my way to her, I was met with the distinct scent of…Lian.
Yes, I could have sworn that it was the smell of spring blooms and crisp air that invaded my senses.
The scratching of quill to paper stole my focus, and my eyes darted over Perdita’s shoulder as she wrote.
You are far less scary than the stories claim you to be.
I laughed, my head falling forward. When she pressed the quill into my hand and pulled another wooden chair towards me, I gladly accepted. But as she placed a fresh sheet of paper before me, I found I had a better idea.
Oh, you have not seen anything yet, Captain.
Glee consumed me like fire upon wood as she visibly tensed, her body rigid and the faintest taste of sweet fear upon my tongue.
You can talk back, you know. It is hard at first, but if you focus on me, on shouting those thoughts of yours into the void, I promise I will hear you.
There was something odd about her mind. Bleak and foreboding despite the brilliance of her aura. She was bright and exotic on the outside, like someone who had traveled so many places they became something entirely new. A star that fell across galaxies.
But inside, she was the universe itself, a mass of endless darkness that seemed to stretch on forever. Perdita had suffered in this lifetime, that much I was certain of. Her quill once more scraped against the paper, stealing my attention again.
I cannot speak.
Quirking a brow, I looked over to her, catching her hazel eyes.
Okay, I am not that big of an idiot. I realize that. But I am not asking you to speak aloud, I am telling you to think. Clearly you are capable of that seeing as you somehow tricked the king and queen into believing you a mere merchant.
My gaze flicked to the pile of what had to have been stolen coin and gems. That, or Perdita was trading in something nefarious. A crackling choke of laughter escaped her, a fist hitting the wood of her desk.
I feel as though I should be offended you have not heard of me.
Oh, I have heard of your name, though I am half convinced I imagined it all. Do you have a relative with pink hair and a nasty habit of trying to kill princesses?
Perdita stilled, her smile falling. I wanted to take back what I had said. Her name had been familiar, the image of O’Malley Harligold dead at my feet at the front of my mind. But I must have been wrong, because she shook her head, offering a weak version of the smile that had lit up her face before.
I have no family but my crew.
Well, me either really. Look at us, bonding over trauma.
Her laugh once more rang through the space, making my shoulders relax. At least I had not entirely ruined a nice conversation.
I knew I would like you, brain crusher. Maybe you can join my crew.
I fear I have a weak stomach and a fondness for comfort, or else I would take you up on that offer. Now tell me, what was it you actually wanted to speak about?
Sitting back and crossing my arms, I awaited her response. Her mind raced, images speeding by so quickly that I struggled to keep up. But again I was reminded of Lian as a fleeting memory of blue hair came and went.
I like order, Princess Asher. I am, above all else, a plotter. A planner. There is security in making sure you are prepared for everything. But finding you in that apothecary offered me little choice but to be spontaneous. I hate it. Still, I can rectify such a thing. We sail to Isle Element, where I have a feeling things will become interesting. I want your reassurance that you are on our side.
What side is that?
I quirked a brow, sitting forward slightly.
The side of those who have no say in this war.
***
Xavier found me sitting with my head tilted back against the wood of the ship not long after I left Perdita’s quarters. I felt in my gut that I had lied when I promised I was on her side. Had I not killed more innocents than I had protected recently? Still, I wanted to be that for them. A ruler that cared enough to fight for her subjects.
Perhaps I could learn, at least.
I heard and felt Xavier sit beside me, but my eyes remained closed. I did not want to speak to him or anyone, though I doubted he cared about that. I was proven right when he cleared his throat not once, not twice, but three times.
“Suffering from a cold, Your Majesty?” I asked, still keeping my eyes shut.
“Nothing these chocolate muffins cannot fix,” he responded. My eyes instantly flew open, finding the sight of two gigantic chocolate muffins on a plate that dripped what smelled like fudge. Narrowing my gaze, I glared his way.
“What is the catch?” I asked, knowing better than to think anything I was offered by him was free.
“Just conversation,” he answered with a shrug, waving the plate near my face before setting it between us and grabbing one.
He was bribing me with food.
I was embarrassed to admit it was working.
“Fine, but I do not promise to be nice.” With that, I snatched the muffin he was lifting towards his mouth, not trusting that the other was free of poison. He chuckled, shaking his head and wrapping his fingers around the other.
I wasted no time biting into it, the flavor bursting on my tongue and settling my aching stomach. Xavier remained silent for the span of one bite before he capitalized on my euphoria.
“You know, Mia used to love these.” Of course this would turn into a conversation about her. What a cohesive, united front they were presenting. I did nothing but chew, not taking the bait. “When we first officially met, she was sneaking one from the table at her introductory ball. She had worn head-to-toe gold, her dress like a rose in full bloom with layers upon layers of petals. No female had ever been as beautiful as she was in that moment. And when I tapped on her shoulder, she did not so much as look at me before telling me to go away.”
I could not stop myself from snorting at the thought. Maybe Mia had once been tolerable.
“Yes, it was funny to me too. The Mounbetton princess was known for her grace, her sophistication. Hearing her tell me to shut up with a mouth full of chocolate had been both jarring and refreshing. But Mia was half your age and just as strong-willed, and for that, she would suffer,” he said with more sadness in his tone than I had expected.
I straightened, my muffin momentarily forgotten as he continued his story.
“Mia comes from a long line of very strong females—queens. She was raised to be the same. To be more than she could ever possibly be. That was what was expected of her. She needed to be the most cunning, beautiful, and formidable being in every room she entered. Mistakes were not acceptable, and neither was imperfection. It made for a cold life. But she loved her parents, her mother most of all. And when her mother chose me of all her suitors that night, Mia eagerly accepted my proposal. After ignoring me completely out of disinterest, she suddenly found herself engaged to me. All because she lived to please her mother.”
“That sounds miserable. One might expect that she would have chosen a different path when it came to raising a daughter of sorts,” I huffed, taking another bite of my muffin. I did not feel sorry for Mia, not when she had made the conscious choice to inflict the same pain upon me. We all had the choice to change—to be better. She chose the opposite, and for that, she deserved my wrath.
As if the emotion summoned him, Wrath’s weight suddenly bore down on my thighs. He laid there, curled up and watching me with his tail swishing, as Xavier set his muffin down and dusted off his hands.
“You know what else I remember? Holding you for the first time. Mia had hogged you, refusing to share. But I waited, and eventually you were in my arms. You were big, your rolls sporting rolls and your chins trapping drool.” I elbowed him, a chuckle slipping from my lips. He returned the amusement, rubbing his bicep where I hit him before continuing. “You were still cute though. And, Eternity above, you were so captivating. Back then, your power had not awoken, but you still seemed to steal the love and adoration of all who met you. I was not immune in the slightest; in fact, I called you my little princess even then. Your parents laughed it off, but we all knew you would one day be a princess. You were promised to our son, and everything was so perfect. I miss those days.”
Nostalgia left him sighing in serenity, but all I could do was think of how awful it had all turned out. How wicked that love for me would become. Maybe if I had been born with no power at all they would have been kinder. Or maybe they would not have cared for me at all. I would have been useless. So wonderfully useless.
What a dream.
“I am sorry we loved you wrong, Ash. But we did— do —love you. You will be an incredible queen.” I did not respond, even when his voice grew hoarse from whatever emotion flooded him. After a few minutes of silence, Xavier stood. “We will arrive any second. I am eager to show you where I grew up. Maybe we can even stir up trouble just like I once did.”
He walked away then, his smile soft and sad and so very sincere. I wished he would torture me instead. Anything other than make my heart ache with remembered fondness. With feelings of love that I had buried.
“You will regret not accepting their affection when you are left alone and broken, Strange One,” Wrath said.
I had no time to respond before one of the crew members shouted, “Welcome to Isle Element, Your Majesties!”
Standing, I was met with the sight of the isle. Like Isle Shifter, trees littered the beach and cliffs before us, but this kind of green was invasive and beautiful in the same way a rainforest at the height of fall would be. Driftwood sat lazily on the white sand, hills covered in greenery rolling beyond.
“Wow,” I whispered as the crew worked to anchor the ship and prepare the small boat that we would row to shore. A large group of fae awaited us, the dock clear but the beach full. A chill crawled up my spine, nails digging into my bones and the monster itself roaring that something was not right about this.
“Tell me, wife, do you feel as unsettled as I do?” Sterling asked as he approached my side. The two of us gripped the rail, watching with the same focus and trepidation.
“Yes, yes I do.”
“Oh good, at least I am not losing my mind,” he remarked.
“That makes one of us.”
Minutes later, they had the four of us in the boat and nearing the dock. Mia stared forward, her icy eyes scanning the waiting crowd. Xavier had his hand gripped on the pommel of his golden sword. The two of them must have felt what we did.
Golden guards appeared out of what seemed like nowhere, filing their way onto the dock. I raised a brow at Xavier, but he just waved a hand of dismissal.
Ah, so we would pretend that having what looked like a small army randomly show up on one of the isles was normal. Okay then.
“Stay close to me. Something is not right. Worse than the other two isles,” I whispered to Sterling, recalling the way Perdita had asked if I was on their side. Though I struggled to remain there, I was. Sterling was just as innocent as any of them. He needed to live. If only to brighten the world that seemed to grow darker by the day.
With a nod, he reached forward and grabbed my hand, forcing my fingers to part so he could interlace his with mine. I did not protest, too focused on the line of guards as what must have been a warden offered us a broad smile and a hand up.
Xavier went first, patting the male on the back when he was on his feet. Then went Mia, who seemed less inclined to share pleasantries with the male. I was next, and I also refrained from touching him more than necessary or even speaking to him.
I did, however, search their minds.
And what I was met with was vile hatred and the desire for violence.
They were there to kill us.
Yet, as I grabbed Sterling’s hand and pulled him behind me, no one attacked. They simply stared as we passed and headed for our carriage.
That, and they plotted in what ways they might end us all.