Chapter 2 #2
“Let her go,” I said, voice steady. “Let her go, and I won’t sing.”
A flash of fear filled the brute’s eyes. He knew what my voice could do, how it could slaughter with ease.
“We’ll disappear and you live another day,” I went on, rolling my sword in my grip. “Your choice.”
For a moment, he hesitated. Even lowered the blade slightly. For a moment my hopes soared. Until it all ended.
Celine screamed.
I wheeled around and faced the cruel sneer of Harald. He had my girl by her hair. Gods, she was so small next to him.
“Oh, you won’t be singing.” Harald Songtaker stood near the mouth of the grotto with a handful of the crewmen from the Ever Ship. “Figured you’d try to flee if we distracted you with the ship. Traitors are so predictable.”
A low hum rumbled around the cavern. Damn the gods. A hand went to my chest when the sharp bite of icy power froze my own voice. It was Harald’s gift—to take the ability of other sea fae to call upon their magic.
The only ones who seemed immune were the earth fae we’d encountered over the turns and the tiny Ever King. More proof Harald was never accepted as the true leader of the Ever and Erik Bloodsinger had the true power of the land, even if the boy did not understand it all yet.
What did it matter? I could not sing.
My greatest weapon, the ruthlessness of my voice, was taken from me.
Harald’s dark hair was tied off his brow with a blue scarf. His eyes were hardened and burned like angry fire. Like most of the bloodline in the royal house, his canines were sharper, more elongated.
Thorvald had been broad with a sea tint to his skin. Harald was shorter, sturdier, and once a decent man. Until the earth fae slaughtered his brother.
Until he met dark fae from their realms and chilled any goodness he’d held in his chest.
Harald stroked the tears on my daughter’s cheeks, a knife to her little heart. He laughed and jerked his head to the crewmen at his back. “Bring my bastard. Let him watch. See if we can break some of that weakness from his bones.”
The men behind Harald were all part of the Ever Crew. Most honorable, most brutal. Still, they were blood-bound to follow orders. Until King Erik reached at least thirteen, they would follow Harald’s command by proxy.
The Ever King was still in his tutelage, after all.
With more care than Harald likely wanted, two men from the crew walked forward with another boy between them.
Young Tait Heartwalker was smaller than Gavyn, had a blackened, swollen jaw, two fingers that were bent at odd angles, and two red-gold eyes that looked heavy with more pain than such a young boy should ever know.
One of the Ever Crew stayed by the boy and kept him away from his ruthless father.
“Watch, bastard,” Harald said. I could not recall the last time he actually spoke his son’s name. “This is how you lead.” He looked back to me. “When we got the truth from your servant that you’d defied the order to rid the Ever of your mate, I did not anticipate we’d find this little sweet.”
Celine whimpered when Harald tugged on her hair again.
I wanted her to look at me, wanted her to know I’d be with her. Yulla sobbed behind me. I’d failed them both.
“They have nothing to do with my choices, Harald,” I snapped. Gods, I hated the indifferent tone of my voice when I barreled on. “And you make assumptions about their importance to me.”
Harald scoffed. “You hid the bitch”—he jerked his chin at Yulla—“when she ought to have been slaughtered turns ago. Had a forbidden little with her. Don’t try to disregard their importance, Sewell.”
“Can any man blame me for wanting to keep a bedmate? She’s wild, satisfying. She is my plunder, and our laws allow me to keep what I’ve earned. Not even the king could take it. Thorvald desired a dead mate, well, fine for the dead king. I prefer a mate where she belongs—in my bed.”
Harald narrowed his dull eyes as though he considered I might speak true.
It was enough of a distraction, no one took note of the blade I slowly slid from my sleeve, creeping nearer to my palm.
Harald shook his head. “So, if you’re to be believed, we could use the mate. If that’s all she’s good for, that is.”
Rage, hot and wretched, burned in my blood. Any man to put a hand on my Yulla would be torn into such slight pieces, not even the Otherworld would recognize them as a whole soul.
“Ah, I don’t share what is mine, Songtaker. You should know that.”
“Hmm. What I know is the rest of us proved our loyalty and rid the Ever of useless mates after our heirs were born.” He cast a withering glare at his boy.
“Although, I’ve considered taking another to try again for something better.
The point is, Lord Sewell, you didn’t. You hid her, bedded her, kept a rare daughter from the crown.
Now you expect us to think they mean nothing? ”
The blade was cool against my palm. Another breath, another heartbeat, and I would have a clean aim for Harald’s heart. I might not survive the attack from the crew after he died, but at least the Ever would be free of his wretchedness.
The heir to the throne, I had all the faith, would bring the Ever Kingdom to a new glory.
Harald shrugged. “If they mean so little to you…”
Leather hit my palm when the blade slid out. Time seemed to slow. I raised my hand to throw the knife in the same moment Harald signaled to the man holding my Yulla at my back. Panic sliced through my heart.
The knife flew, but my distraction caused the blade to go off its mark enough that Harald sidestepped, laughing.
By the time I reeled around, the bastard had a firmer grip on the knife against Yulla’s throat.
“No!” I bellowed and raced for her.
He wrenched it over her slender neck. I saw nothing but blood, heard nothing but the splutter of her words.
I fell to my knees, catching her as she fell. “Yulla, no, no, no.” My palm pressed over the gushing wound, tears scorched over my eyes.
She looked to me, convulsing, but…she smiled.
For a small moment, a single breath, my mate, the only woman I’d ever loved, smiled. She reached a trembling hand, her fingers brushing over my lips.
Then she was gone.
The spell surrounding me shattered, and the cries and commands that had been muffled came back into focus.
My daughter screamed. Harald had her hoisted over the shoulder of one of the crewmen. I made a move to chase after her, but a heavy blow struck the side of my head, and every wretched truth of the grotto faded into black.