The King's Sword: League of Rulers, Book 2

Chapter 1

Sabine gulped down another cup of water, wanting to clear the giplig from her system. She couldn’t believe she’d been kidnapped in the middle of the masquerade ball. She handed the cup back to her captor who was sitting on a chair beside the bed. So far, she’d gathered she was on a ship but had no idea what time of day it was or how much time had passed since she’d been taken.

“You and King Rainer are married?” the man asked, his pale green eyes narrowing, as if he didn’t quite believe what she’d said.

She nodded, recognizing him. He was part of the Avoni delegation, which meant he was most likely an assassin.

He ran his hands through his hair and cursed. “Maybe I should take you back to Lynk,” he muttered.

“I think that a wise idea,” Sabine replied with false bravado. Her mother’s words came back to her: I’d rather die than be at the mercy of my enemy. I pray you never find yourself in that situation. It is a fate worse than death. She shivered. To make it through this ordeal, she’d have to be strong.

“When did the two of you marry?” he asked, resting his elbows on his thighs.

“Why does it matter to you?” she countered, shifting on the bed.

“I suppose it doesn’t.” He mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. “And you’ve probably been crowned as well.”

“I have. You can release me at the next port. I’ll return unharmed to the palace. Hopefully, my husband won’t wage a war against your kingdom for stealing me.”

“You don’t understand.” The assassin sighed.

As far as kidnappings went, she hadn’t expected him to be so passive. Not that she was complaining. “I understand perfectly. You kidnapped me to prevent the marriage from taking place.” She held up her hand revealing her wedding ring with the Lynk crest etched on it. “Just because we don’t have the League’s approval or you don’t want Lynk uniting with Bakley doesn’t give you the right to kidnap someone.” She tried to remember what he’d said on the balcony that day he’d warned her about things not being what they seem.

The man withdrew a letter and handed it to her. “Maybe this will help explain.”

Sabine took the letter, examining it. The Bakley seal was on it and intact. “Where’d you get this?” Cold fear slithered through her like a snake crossing a garden path.

“Just read it.” He stood and started pacing in the small cabin.

With shaking hands, she broke the seal and saw the familiar handwriting of her father.

Sabine—

We haven’t received any correspondence from you and are becoming quite concerned. Your mother is worried. Our spies are reporting conflicting stories. I fear Lynk may have had something to do with the missing Bakley children. Please be careful. We’re sending Otto north to try and get in contact with you. Be safe.

All my love,

Your Father

She turned it over, but nothing more had been written. She’d sent several letters to her family, and they should have received them by now. Since they hadn’t, she wondered if someone had intercepted them or if they’d never been sent. “Why do you have this?” She was no longer part of Bakley now. The fact that her father had written to her about this was very concerning. It reinforced that not all was as it seemed.

“Your brother, Otto, gave it to me to deliver to you.”

“Why are you only giving it to me now?” He’d had plenty of chances at the palace to do so. She examined the letter again. This was definitely her father’s handwriting and seal.

“Otto asked me to check on you while I was in Lynk. He said to get you out if you were in danger.” The assassin stopped pacing and turned to face her. “I’m sorry I had to go to such extreme measures to get you out of there, but you’d be dead by now if I hadn’t taken you.”

The ship rocked up and down, making odd creaking noises as it did so. Sabine closed her eyes, not feeling quite right. When she opened them again, she found the assassin watching her. “I was in danger,” she admitted. “That is one of the reasons King Rainer and I married—to try and keep me safe from the Avoni assassin trying to kill me.”

The man resumed pacing. He rubbed the back of his neck, not looking her way. He appeared to be about her age, eighteen or so, with dark red hair and penetrating light green eyes. “I thought I spotted someone…” His voice trailed off and he eyed her sidelong.

She lifted her brows, curious what he had to say about one of his fellow countrymen trying to kill her. When he looked away, she shifted her weight, trying to sit up more on the hard bed. The butterfly wings of her dress dug into her back. The layer upon layer of fabric for the skirt made it hard to tell where the edge of the bed even was.

The assassin’s head turned her way as he tracked her movements. “Are you strong enough to stand yet?”

She had no idea. A sheen of sweat broke out over her forehead and she shivered, suddenly cold. It had to be residual effects from the giplig.

He came over to her, taking hold of her elbow and helping her to her feet. “If you’re going to be ill, you need to do it over the side of the ship and not in its only cabin.” He led her out of the room and up a dark, narrow stairwell.

Her foot kept getting caught on the hem of her dress, making it difficult to climb the steps with the ship’s constant movement.

When she stepped onto the deck, crisp air greeted her along with another wave of nausea. She ran to the rail and vomited over the side. When she finished, she slid down and wrapped her arms around her legs. Thankfully, it was night and she didn’t have to deal with the bright light of the sun. If only the ship would stop moving so much.

“Do you get seasick often?” the man asked, squatting beside her.

Sabine didn’t know why he acted like he cared. “I have no idea.” She’d never been on a ship before. But if this was what it felt like to sail, she’d never step foot on one again. She rubbed her tired face and looked about. The boat was smaller than she expected. And then she remembered him saying the cabin below was the only one. “Where is the rest of the Avoni delegation?” And what about the crew? Not only did she not see another person, but there was no way a dozen people could even fit on this ship.

“I presume back at the Lynk palace.” His brows pulled together. “The Avoni delegation has nothing to do with you being here. I acted on my own, independently of them.”

When she had snuck into the suite the delegation was staying in, she recalled seeing their bags packed as if they were ready to leave directly after the masquerade. “Wait,” she said, “I’m alone on this ship with you?”

“Yes.”

Another bout of nausea hit her and she groaned, leaning her cheek against her knees, trying to soothe her shaking body to no avail. As the large sail whipped in the wind, a metal piece attached to a rope kept clinking against the mast. She had no idea how one person could sail this ship without having someone else help. Maybe this man was more pirate than assassin. But she remembered him jumping from the roof above her bedchamber onto her balcony. Then when he’d left, he’d scaled the side of the palace. It seemed this assassin-pirate had many talents.

The ship hit a larger swell. Perhaps it would be better to look at her surroundings rather than be curled up on the deck. Reaching above her, she gripped the railing and pulled herself up. She couldn’t afford to be vulnerable or ill right now. Not when water surrounded the ship in every direction for as far as she could see in the moonlight. “Where are you taking me?”

“To meet your brother, Otto.”

She eyed this strange man, trying to determine if he was lying to her or not. “Why?”

“Because he wants to make sure you’re okay.”

“But why you?”

“He asked me to.”

“You’re from Avoni.” And her brother lived in Bakley. She had no idea how this man knew her brother. Maybe he was going to demand her brother pay for her safe return. Or maybe her brother had hired him, especially since there was an Avoni assassin after her.

He shrugged. “Your brother asked. I agreed. It’s as simple as that.”

Sabine assumed there had to be more to it.

“It’s late. Do you want to sleep below deck in the bed?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I feel better up here, out in the open.”

He stood and turned toward the stairwell.

“What’s your name?” Sabine asked.

“Evander.” He descended the steps without another word.

* * *

Sabine barely slept from not only the rocking of the ship, but trying to figure out what, exactly, was going on. Her family had been trying to get letters to her, but it seemed they were being intercepted. And now she was on a boat on her way to see her brother. She’d never been kidnapped before, and so far, the ordeal wasn’t what she had expected.

When morning came and the assassin-pirate finally decided to make an appearance, Sabine watched him carefully.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he adjusted the sail.

“Better,” she said.

He opened a box off to the side, pulling out two loaves of bread and handing one of them to her.

Her stomach growled. She had no idea when she’d eaten last. Lifting the bread, she tore off a bite. “I’m not sure what you find so amusing,” she grumbled, irritated that he was watching her eat. She wasn’t a barn animal.

“It’s not often I have a butterfly on my ship,” he said with a wink.

She rolled her eyes, wondering what he’d done with her mask. Her dress had been so beautiful the night of the masquerade. That dreadful night when she discovered Lottie was responsible for hiring the assassin to kill Alina and Sabine.

They hit a particularly rough swell, and she knocked her head against the side of the boat.

“Hold on,” Evander called out as he ran to adjust the sails.

Glancing at the sky again, Sabine took note of the dark clouds rolling in. It was going to rain. And when it did, being on this ship would be even more awful.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll be disembarking shortly.”

“We’ve arrived in Avoni?” she asked. She must have been given a strong dose of giplig which caused her to sleep for a few days if they were there already.

“Not quite,” he said as he walked past her and started tying a loose rope around the mast. The sail swung to the other side, and the boat turned.

Sabine stood and gazed out at the water, spotting the shoreline not too far off. Relief filled her. Was this strange man, this assassin-pirate, really taking her to her brother? She remained there for several quiet minutes, contemplating her options.

Hearing a noise, she glanced over her shoulder and noticed Evander coming up from below deck. He’d changed his clothes from solid black to dark brown, his shirt a lighter shade than his pants. The change in colors made him look less intimidating than before, especially with the top button undone. He handed her a bundle of clothes. “I need you to change into these.”

Sabine took them from him. “Why?”

“We’re going into port. Wearing that dress will garner the wrong sort of attention.”

Thunder boomed through the sky.

She hesitated.

“The choice is yours. Change and come with me, or tell them who you are and return to King Rainer.” He turned and went below deck, giving her some privacy to change.

Sabine quickly considered her options. If this man was lying to get her to comply, they’d disembark and he’d take her to a dungeon, toss her in, and torture her. She’d be used as a bargaining chip. However, if he was telling her the truth, he’d take her to see Otto where she’d possibly learn something of importance.

The urge to scream in frustration inundated her. As much as she wanted to return to the palace and avenge her sister’s death—which would be much easier now that she knew Lottie was the culprit—she also wanted to find out if what this man said was true. If her family had been trying to get information to her, and someone in the palace had been preventing it, she needed to know.

Sabine started pacing. The last thing she wanted to do was return to Lynk if there was another danger she didn’t know about. The best course of action would be to disembark with Evander and if things didn’t look or feel right, she’d leave him and go to the palace.

She quickly removed her outfit and pulled on the brown pants and matching tunic. Dressed in the scratchy, generic clothes, she picked up the beautiful butterfly dress, trying to decide what to do with it. Since she’d never wear it again, she tossed it over the side of the ship. It landed on the water, floating for a few seconds before it began to slowly sink, disappearing from sight.

“Now that you’re dressed appropriately,” Evander said, joining her on the deck, “I need your help getting this ship into port.”

Folding her arms, she looked at him. “I’ve never sailed before.” And if he’d managed to make it to Lynk on his own, he could figure out how to get into port on his own.

“I just need you to steer the ship.” He pointed at the wheel. “Keep us heading toward that red building due south.”

The idea of steering this vessel excited her. Smiling, she went over and took hold of the wheel, feeling the smooth wood beneath her hands. Once she spotted the building Evander had pointed out, she made sure to keep the ship headed that direction. The wind blew against her face, tossing her hair back.

As they got closer to the shoreline, there were dozens and dozens of boats she had to navigate around. While she steered, Evander pulled in all the sails except for one of the smaller ones. The ship slowed and cut through the water at a much smoother pace.

When Evander came over and took control of the wheel, Sabine moved to the front of the ship, watching the other boats and the people aboard them. Some had cages of fish, others crates of goods. Evander steered the ship to one of the docks that jutted out from the shoreline. Once in a slip, he dropped anchor.

After he tied the ship to the dock, he went below deck, leaving Sabine alone. She stood there realizing she could easily run away from her kidnapper if she wanted to. It almost made her believe that Evander was telling her the truth about meeting up with her brother.

He returned a few minutes later carrying two bags and handing one of them to her. “We’re in another kingdom,” he said. “Make sure you stick close to me. Try not to use my name. And don’t look anyone in the eyes or stare.”

“Why would I stare?” she asked as she followed Evander off the ship.

“Given your upbringing, this seaside town is going to be a bit shocking to you. I just don’t want you to stare all wide-eyed at some commoner and offend him or her.” They made their way from the dock to the shoreline.

“My upbringing?” This assassin-pirate better not be implying what she thought he was implying.

“You know, being a pampered royal.” He looked sidelong at her. “You were born a princess, raised in a royal household, never had to lift a finger, and now you’re the queen of another kingdom. You’re totally spoiled.”

“I am not.” She folded her arms as they headed along the road that paralleled the shoreline. He knew nothing about her or the sacrifices she’d had to make. Being born a princess didn’t mean she had an easy life. Unlike him. He could go anywhere he wanted, do anything he wanted, and marry anyone he wanted. He was the spoiled one, not her.

Most of the people they passed had darker skin and hair. What little conversation she managed to overhear sounded like they were speaking the same language she did, only with a thick accent.

“Let me ask you this,” Evander said as he slid his arm casually around her shoulders. “Have you ever wandered around a seaside town such as this one before?”

“Of course not.”

“And is my arm making you uncomfortable?”

It was but she didn’t have to tell him that. Instead she asked, “Why is your arm on me?”

“I don’t want you to get bumped and lose your way.” He steered them down the street on the right.

Sabine gaped at the crowded market area straight ahead where dozens and dozens of carts were lined up with people selling all sorts of goods.

“Keep moving,” Evander said, pulling her along. “Remember, foreign kingdom. Don’t want to attract attention.” He looked pointedly at her.

She forced herself to keep walking, taking it all in. There were carts with beaded jewelry, food, candles, and swaths of fabric. The pungent smells of exotic food and the noise of people haggling prices were different from what she was used to.

Evander led the way down another street, taking them away from the market.

“Do we have to go already?” She wanted to spend time looking at everything.

“Yes.” He glanced around. “It’s not safe here.”

Several of the nearby wooden buildings had missing windows. A few of the people they passed wore clothing that had holes or tears. Some faces were smeared with dirt.

If it wasn’t safe, then he should have chosen a better place to meet her brother. “Where are we?”

“We’re in Nisk.”

Nisk?That meant he’d sailed the boat from the ocean into Skyfall River.

The road they were on led them straight out of town. The surrounding land was mostly low rolling hills with brown brush covering them. It was actually quite ugly.

“How far do we have to go?” she asked.

“Not too far.” Evander removed his arm from her shoulders, and the two of them walked in silence.

A bout of nausea hit her. She stopped and bent over.

Evander turned and faced her. “Are you pregnant?”

She almost laughed and told him she hadn’t shared her husband’s bed. However, she thought better of it. “No.” She stood and pushed the loose strands of her hair from her face. “I feel like we are moving up and down even though I’m on solid ground.”

“I forgot you don’t like sailing.” He turned and resumed walking.

“It’s not that I don’t like it,” she said, hurrying after him. “I just don’t like feeling this way.”

“You’ll get over it.” He reached into his bag and pulled out a small root. “Chew on this. It’ll help.”

It had an odd smell but she took it anyway, breaking off a piece and putting it in her mouth.

She didn’t see anything around for miles other than the town they’d just left. “Are we going the right way?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“Are you certain?”

“Yes.”

“We couldn’t have sailed closer to our destination?”

He mumbled something under his breath.

“What did you say?”

“I said women. You’re all the same. Always questioning everything us men do, and you’re never able to be quiet for more than two minutes.” He picked up the pace.

Sabine had to practically jog to keep up with him. “You must not have any sisters, and clearly you’re not married.”

He chuckled. “I have three.”

“You have three wives?” she asked, horrified by the prospect.

“No. Sisters.” He shook his head.

“Are they older or younger?” Not that she cared, but questioning him helped pass the time.

“Older.”

“I have five older siblings.” And then she remembered she didn’t. She stopped walking and closed her eyes. She missed Alina terribly. “I mean four,” she said, her voice softer as she opened her eyes. “I have four older brothers.” And no sister.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“We need to keep moving.” He glanced up at the darkening sky.

They resumed walking.

Thunder boomed, and big fat raindrops started to fall.

“We need to run,” he said.

“How far?” Sabine still didn’t see any homes or structures nearby. Just the dirt road they traveled on and ugly dry brush covering the hills all around them.

“It’s about a mile from here.”

While the boots he’d given her were rather large, she’d managed fine up to this point. “Okay.” A mile wasn’t that far, and she should be able to make it without any problems.

He nodded and took off sprinting.

Sabine jogged after him, the bag hitting her back as she ran. After about five minutes, the rain started to come down even harder, soaking through her clothes and making it difficult to see. The road turned to slick mud. She tried keeping her head down in order to see better.

After a few more minutes, Evander turned onto a narrow road. Sabine ran after him. It felt as if they’d already gone a mile and she was just about to ask him when she glanced up, spotting a nondescript wooden house not too far away, barely visible through the rain.

Sabine’s foot caught in a divot in the road and she flew forward, landing sprawled on her stomach in the mud. She’d managed to keep her head up just enough so it remained mud free.

If Evander was lying and her brother wasn’t in that house, Sabine was fairly certain she’d strangle him.

Without saying a word, Evander approached and reached down, grabbed her arms, and hoisted her to her feet. Her shirt and pants were covered with thick mud.

Sabine glared at Evander, as if falling in the mud were his fault. Somehow it had to be.

He looked at her and pinched his lips together, quickly glancing away, trying not to laugh.

As she stood there in the pouring rain, some of the mud began to wash off.

For some reason, even though Evander’s clothes were soaking wet and his hair had fallen across his forehead, he managed to look more rugged and manly while Sabine appeared to be a pathetic pig who couldn’t stay on her feet.

Huffing dramatically, she stormed past him, walking the rest of the way to the house. She climbed the steps of the porch and was about to knock when the door flew open, revealing her brother, Otto.

“What happened to you?” Otto said, looking her up and down.

She wanted to throw her arms around him, hugging him, but refrained from doing so. There was no reason for the both of them to be covered in mud.

Before she could answer, Evander joined her. “Turn,” he said, pointing behind her, cutting her reunion with Otto short.

Sabine did as he said, trying to figure out why he wanted her to look that way on the porch when she heard him stripping out of his clothes behind her. Being sure to keep her back to him, she started to shake from being drenched.

“Okay,” Otto said.

She turned back around and Evander was nowhere to be seen, but his boots and clothes were strewn on the porch. Not wanting to get water in the house, she bent over and removed her muddy boots as well. There wasn’t anything she could do about her clothes though—she wasn’t going to run through the house naked.

“Come inside,” Otto said. “We have a lot to discuss.”

Sabine stepped into a sitting room. “Who’s house is this?” she asked, closing the door behind her. A fire roared in the hearth, warming the room.

“It belongs to the League.”

Several things clicked into place. “Are you Bakley’s representative?”

He nodded. “Go and get cleaned up, then we’ll talk.”

“Is there a room I can use?”

“Upstairs, last door on the left.”

Sabine looked at Otto. It had been weeks since she’d seen him. His hair was a little longer and his cheeks were sunken in a bit more. She reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it. “It’s good to see you.” She turned and headed upstairs, her wet socks leaving marks as she went.

She entered the room Otto had indicated and closed the door. A slew of emotions overwhelmed her. She wasn’t in a dungeon, she was safe, and she was with her brother.