Chapter 21
Other Royalty
ALASTAIR
“And to which gods do I owe the grace?”
The king lifted his chin, his soulless gaze attempting to devour my soul. “Perhaps the dark goddess, she was the one who ordered you back with such urgency.” He hunted for a break in my composure but came up empty-handed, even as I stood before him alone.
I’d elected to leave my crew docked on the shores of Darswyth for many reasons, the biggest being that none of them knew the entirety of my truth.
Caspian and I initially crossed paths as cellmates, forced to listen to one another’s tortured screams, familiarizing ourselves with the scent of the other’s blood and piss, and fighting to survive while the leashes of the crown coiled around our throats.
We were both hounds to the king, nothing more than dispensable men whom he happily abused.
Even though Caspian had forgotten about the king’s ownership of him, I never had and never would.
It was an aspect of life that would haunt me forever, but I would never break beneath them—the crown and the otherworldly entities they did business with.
They were deities capable of summoning me and my crew’s return on short notice, as well as the most renowned puppet of the king.
Though his men would remember the swift venture back, mine would not.
And that was a secret I was forced to harbor.
Holding his incessant stare, I lifted my chin toward the man who warmed the space beside his throne without addressing him directly—Malrik. “My crew and I witnessed an altercation occurring between your esteemed right-hand and another pirate.”
The king’s brow lifted as he looked out of the corner of his eye to the man I’d referenced. It was an expression that contained a level of knowing, yet there was an underlying flash of question, as if the information I’d provided hadn’t been shared with him.
“And how does any of that serve as a benefit for me or the crown, Alastair?”
The way he said my name made my skin crawl, polluting my essence with each syllable that rolled off his tongue. It’d been whispered against my skin as he tainted my flesh, and he used it as a weapon to coerce the one I once considered my best friend to oblige his every beck and call.
Flicking my tongue against my canine, its sharpened point cut through it with ease. The undeniable tang of copper followed, and I swallowed my life force as a means to keep myself from vomiting. “Perhaps because it was with none other than Caspian Vayne, my Grace.”
The name of the man who’d betrayed me without so much as batting an eye seemed to hold far more value than a chest filled to the brim with gold ever could, the king perking up as soon as it fled my lips. It was the reaction I’d expected as soon as I stepped into his throne room.
Caspian had become impossible to pin down, roaming the seas freely while the Royal Guard failed to find the king’s most valuable treasure. That was, unless he desired to be found.
But I was about to steal the breath from Caspian’s lungs and deprive him of the joy that came with exploring the vast waters without the weight of expectation—just as he’d done to me.
I didn’t give a fuck anymore. I wanted him to suffer, and I wouldn’t stop until Caspian Vayne became a shell of who he once was.
“Oh?”
Nodding, I finally pulled my attention away from the king, finding Malrik’s glower settled on me.
My lips curled into a sneer, my tongue clicking against the roof of my mouth as I leaned against the black pillar beside me with an indifference that only seemed to piss him off more.
“It’s a shame the man you are supposed to trust to protect your lands, to protect you, failed to inform you of Vayne’s appearance on an offshore isle a little over 2,200 knots east of Wraelira. ”
“You fucking—”
The king cut Malrik off before he could continue. “Of what benefit does that boy have in exploring an undocumented land outside of our jurisdiction?”
“Not a damn clue.” Shrugging, I gestured toward the man who, like me, had followed Caspian into uncharted territory.
“Perhaps Mr. Ravelle would be so kind as to inform us of his decision not only to chase him, but to set foot on such an island without so much as considering the repercussions it could have had for your reign.”
My manipulative nature settled, and the king shifted to look at Malrik. “Well? Do you wish to explain yourself, or shall I order for your head?”
“M-My Lord, this is all a misunderstanding.”
“What is there to be misunderstood?” I interrupted, my jaw feathering as I continued to prod, testing the waters with only one aim.
“As far as I’m concerned, your decision to sail into an unknown region and engage in conflict while representing the crown puts us at potential risk for war. Does it not?”
“You speak as if I had my men draw up the royal emblem amongst our sails.”
“Royal emblem or not, any logical being knows a royal ship when they see one.”
“You sailed those waters too, Seridean.” Malrik spat, his agitation molding into building rage.
“Yes, as a pirate. A criminal. Not the king’s most renowned.” My brow lifted, and I folded my arms over my chest and pushed myself from my perch. “I do not bear the weight of royal tethers. You do.”
“Is that what you tell yourself?” Malrik crooned, his query digging into an infected and festering wound.
“Let’s be frank here, Ace. You are nothing more than a lapdog to the crown, only valuable to the king because of your prior relation with Caspian.
If it were not for your friendship, you would’ve been dead a long time ago. ”
His words struck me far harsher than any whip could, and I reacted without thinking.
Curling my fingers around one of the hilts of the numerous blades resting on my hip, I freed it from its sheath, throwing it toward the dais.
Its metallic texture gleamed amidst the shadows as it found its mark, sinking into Malrik’s shoulder to completion.
“Ah, fuck!”
My lips parted, and I went to speak, but the blooming presence of a bone-chilling cold halted me.
Its iciness coiled around every inch of my body, paralyzing me down to the very marrow of my bones.
Hands slithered over my skin, and while the touch was smooth, it ignited every warning bell in my subconscious.
Something isn’t right.
A feminine voice, equally chilling as it was harmonious, flooded the space. “He’s a feisty one, isn’t he?” Snaking around me, her lengthened fingernails danced across my skin before she fully stepped into view.
Ancient carvings covered every inch of her ashen skin, wrapping her in languages from other realms. Countless earrings adorned her pointed ears, their length coming to rest just above her shaven head.
Beside them, horns protruded from her forehead, curling back to wrap around her skull.
The silk cloak she wore did little to conceal her body, her pebbled nipples visible beneath the sheer fabric.
Unable to move, I shifted my attention. Watching, the king slid from his throne to his knees, bowing to the woman standing before him. With his gaze downcast, he kissed the ground, Malrik wasting no time removing my dagger from his flesh to do the same.
“Goddess Sorva.” Head pressed to the dais, the king remained motionless, every action clipped to perfection as if he were…afraid. “To what do we owe the pleasure of a visit from a powerful god such as yourself?”
Her forked tongue jutted out between her onyx lips, lapping across them with irrefutable hunger. “Oh, the lovely obedient King Marellan. It is always a blessing to surprise you with visitation, for you never disappoint with your cowering devotion to us.”
“O-Of course, our Beloved Other.”
Other?
As in The Others? The gods and goddesses many stopped worshipping? The ones who damned those once higher who’d loved humanity more than their own essence?
Purring, she turned, her glowing ember gaze burrowing into my soul.
“You would be correct, you gorgeous, radiant beam of light.” After answering my internalized curiosity, she dipped her head to the side.
Stepping toward me, her taloned fingers danced across my waistline before traveling up my abdomen and toward my chest. “Though you are unfamiliar, the scent of corruption that wafts from you is intoxicating, and you’re more than pleasing to the eye.
Tell me, which of the Damned were you born from? ”
“I wasn’t—”
Before I could utter a reply that felt too natural, Malrik interrupted. “With all due respect, Sorva, we were in the middle of discussing rather pertinent things.”
“Something more important than the very gods you kneel before?” A sinister snicker tumbled from her as her gaze lifted, irises beaming with a far more vibrant hue.
“I do not believe there is anything more valuable than the allegiance the Others offer you and this kingdom. Though if you disagree, I am more than pleased to inform my four counterparts otherwise.”
“No,” the king blurted, shaking his head near-desperately. “I-I mean, what Malrik is referencing is of importance. We were discussing Caspian Vayne.”
She froze where she stood; her sharpened canines making an appearance as her lips curled into a sneer. “What of my little pet?”
There was something in her demeanor, in the very way she shifted at the suggestion of the man I would have once sacrificed myself for, that made my heart sink.
It wasn’t only her ties to godhood that earned the building sense of dread, but also the fixation she seemed to harbor for him—the same obsession King Marelan had indulged in since before I could remember.
And that fucking nickname? What the hell does she want with him?
“What would one not desire with Caspian Vayne?” she whispered, her serpentine tongue flicking against my jaw before traveling down my neck. “I mean, isn’t he the man you wish dead for all he’s put you through? Isn’t that why you are here, Alastair Seridean?”
The pitch of her queries was entrancing, mind-numbing in a way that no drug or alcohol could surpass.
Each syllable contained a poison that subdued me even further, flooding my senses to the point that I’d forgotten the concern I’d felt seconds prior.
It wrapped around me, snuffing out my sanity until I became transfixed on her articulation and the manner in which she spoke, a manner that seemed to reignite my darkest desire.
Caspian’s death.
My reply tumbled from my lips as her hands continued their exploration, running up my stomach and chest before one curled around my shoulder, the other stopping just below my throat.
She leaned forward, her icy essence brushing my back as her rosy scent enveloped me further, pulling me beneath the waves of her natural tendency to subdue.
It was a feeling I knew, a feeling I’d experienced numerous times and somehow couldn’t seem to remember, no matter how much I tried.
“What if I told you,” she mewled, kissing the shell of my ear as she kept her voice soft enough that only I could hear, “that Caspian’s blood is just as valuable as Ellira’s Eyes? That he is bound with ties just as similar?”
“T-That’s impossible.”
“Oh, but is it that unlikely?” Her sharpened nails danced over my collarbones, nicking my skin.
“Why else do you believe the king and his lapdog are so adamant about keeping him leashed to the throne while hunting for Ellira’s Eyes?
Did you ever stop to consider that, perhaps, Caspian Vayne has secured one of the Eyes and infused it with the very essence of his soul? ”
Impossible.
Impossible.
Impossible.
“Oh, darling, it is not.” Retreating, she stepped from behind me, her fiery gaze settling on mine as she brought her finger to her tongue.
“Caspian’s veins contain one of the Eyes, and we, the gods and goddesses, who you humans have devoted your lives to, need him alongside the missing ruby.
The Damned wish to infiltrate things, but I hold control over Captain Vayne.
Even when they try to wrap their tendrils around him, that control remains pertinent.
” Lapping up my life force, her mouth curled, building into a malicious grin.
“And your prior connection to him, your deep-seated loathing, Alastair Seridean, may be the very key we need to find him.”
“What are you saying?” I practically whispered, my body rendered helpless beneath her presence.
“What I am saying is that you, by the decree of celestial bodies, have been elected to hunt down Caspian and either,” lifting a finger, she glanced at it and then back to me, “kill him yourself and strip him free of his life force, which you will return to me.” Gesturing toward her hand, another digit lifted.
“Or, you bring him here, and we will take care of it while granting you the capabilities of godhood.”
“And if I decline?”
“Oh, love,” she laughed, shaking her head. “This isn’t a matter that you get to decline; it is an order. So you’ll either obey and survive, or refuse and watch as we strip you of everything you’ve ever loved and your own autonomy until you crave a death we will never grant you.”
“That doesn’t sound very—”
“Godly?” she crooned, craning her head to the side.
“In your eyes, it may not be, but do not be fooled, boy. We are merciless when obeyed, but relentless when opposed. I can promise you that is something you do not wish to experience. Your ex-best friend is already coiled around my finger, even if he may not realize it, and I wouldn’t mind having your fate bound to me as well.
” Tapping her two fingers, her tongue clicked against her mouth.
“Consider this a warning, a caution my counterparts could execute me for. So consider that the last extension of charity I will grant you.”
With the finality of her words, my inability to move evaporated into nothingness. Stumbling forward, my knees collided with the ground harshly. My chest rose and fell with gasped breaths, inhales and exhales that I’d somehow forgotten about under her hold.
Swallowing once, I lifted my chin, every part of me screaming in protest over the reply that left me. “Then consider it done. I will hunt down Caspian Vayne and bring him to you.”