Chapter 5
Iyana
Iyana sat in the bathing tub, taking advantage of this small luxury, as she wasn’t sure when she would be able to take another bath. She trailed her fingers through the warm water. The lavender and eucalyptus oil she’d added to the bath calmed her nerves, albeit only slightly.
The thought of leaving this ship filled her with dread.
A sense of calm washed over her, warm like the water she was soaking in.
Iyana pushed it away, back towards Emmeric.
She didn’t want calm or happy just yet. Instead, she’d rather wallow in a numb darkness, trying to shove aside any unpleasant emotions that might rear their ugly head.
Emmeric meant well, and she understood that, which was why she hadn’t said anything about it.
Ever since Emmeric had poured her stored magic back into her, she was more aware of his presence than ever.
Like, at the moment, Iyana could sense him sitting outside the bathing room doors with his back against the wall, waiting for her to be done.
It was the only amount of privacy she was afforded.
In the past, she would have spoken to him about his stifling, protective nature, but now Iyana actually appreciated having him nearby.
If he were to leave their rooms while she was in the bath, she knew she’d immediately dress and seek him out.
It was a conundrum—she didn’t want to talk to anybody, yet she was terrified of being alone.
That first night, she’d asked him to stay, and he had promised he wouldn’t leave her by herself; so far, he’d held to that promise.
As the water cooled, Iyana used her fire to heat it again, not quite willing to face Emmeric.
He’d want to talk to her. He had been trying to get her to open up to him since they’d been on the ship.
But the journey was a blur of seasickness and nightmares, creating a combination that made her even more averse to discussing what had happened with Altair.
Eventually, she could no longer justify staying in the bath once her skin had become wrinkled beyond recognition. Iyana dried herself off with a luxurious, fluffy towel, not trusting herself to use her magic for the job. She’d hate to singe off her eyebrows.
“What do you need, Iyana?” Emmeric asked gently as soon as she walked out the door.
Without a word, she pushed past him and trudged to the bed.
It was a gigantic bed that could fit four people, but she slept alone in it while Emmeric slept nearby in a chair.
She couldn’t help but notice the way he’d rub and stretch his neck every morning.
Iyana knew he wasn’t comfortable, but she wasn’t brave enough to invite him to sleep in the bed.
Try as she might, it was impossible to ignore the emotions Emmeric had been experiencing since everything had happened—fear, helplessness, longing, and…
love. She knew how Em felt about her, and she didn’t want to lead him on or get his hopes up that something could happen between them.
Iyana was finding it hard to fully trust anyone now. Even her friends. After Altair…
The star had played her expertly, and she had fallen for him every step of the way.
Emmeric had tried to warn her, multiple times, and she’d brushed him off, or outright shouted at him.
She’d been incredulous that Emmeric had refused to trust the star—but she should have been listening to him the entire time.
Iyana wished he’d simply tell her ‘I told you so.’ But because he refused to, it made her feel even more wretched.
She deserved it. Because of her choices, now all of Arinem could be in danger—no longer from a despotic emperor, but from a multitude of powerful beings.
Because of her, humanity was doomed to fall back into slavery.
Because of her, Talon had died. She had put that haunted look into both his and Zane’s eyes.
Iyana didn’t know if her friend would ever fully recover, returning to his typical jovial and optimistic self.
There was no way she could ever forgive herself for that.
“Hey,” Emmeric soothed, sitting on the edge of the bed next to her.
Iyana rolled onto her side, facing away from him.
She’d been trying to keep her emotions under lock and key, preferring to reside in a dark numbness, but sometimes they would slip free.
Emmeric knew she was feeling guilty, and she hated that he was the one trying to comfort her when she was the reason he’d almost lost his lifelong best friend.
If anything, he should hate her; he should be cursing her name; he should refuse to ever see her again.
Hells, she hated herself.
Emmeric sighed. “Mouse,” he started, but then words seemed to fail him as he simply stroked her hair in silence.
He cleared his throat multiple times, as if he was about to say something, but then he sighed again.
His fingers brushed lightly across her jaw before he disappeared into the bathing room.
Iyana pushed down the small sense of hurt before he could sense it. This was good. Maybe if she distanced herself enough from him, he would eventually give up on her.
The next morning, they all woke early and packed their meager belongings. Iyana stood on the foredeck with the others, shivering in the biting cold. While they were gone, winter had arrived in earnest.
Zane had already instructed the captain that the entire crew was to stay onboard the ship until further instructions were given. If the emperor had a plan to deal with them—other than murder—he had not divulged that information.
Although the sun was barely above the horizon, the docks were already bustling with activity.
Shouts of fishmongers and newsboys rang through the space.
After the eerie silence of the Dead Lands and Iyana’s self-isolation on the ship, the noise was deafening.
She instantly felt overwhelmed—her breathing quickened and her heart raced.
Emmeric grabbed her hand, interlacing their fingers, and squeezed gently. Leaning over, he murmured directly into her ear, “Breathe, Mouse. I’ve got you.”
Iyana managed to suck down a shaky breath and accepted the calming feelings Emmeric was feeding her. She’d need all her wits about her today. Shoving away his help out of pettiness would do her no favors.
“Is that…” Talon asked, trailing off. Iyana peered down the dock to see a gnarled old man hustling towards them as hurriedly as he could. Which wasn’t very fast due to his stooped posture.
“It’s Roq,” Emmeric said.
“Who?” Zane asked, confused. Iyana sometimes forgot he hadn’t been with them for the entire journey.
“The captain who sailed us to the Dead Lands,” Talon answered. “Oh, shit. He doesn’t seem happy.” Tal was right. As he came closer, the old captain’s face was screwed up in an impressive scowl, so that his empty eye socket was almost completely shut.
“We were supposed to bring his rowboat back in the condition he gave it to us,” Kaz reminded them all.
“What?” Zane asked, before hurrying on. “Actually, nevermind. This works out perfectly.” Before they could question what he meant, Roq had reached their party and was shaking his fist at them.
“You bunch of rapscallions, I shoulda never trusted you with me boat,” he growled at them. Roq peered around at each of them. “Where is that tall man with the coin? I expect payment for the loss of me property!” Iyana winced at the mention of Altair.
Zane stepped forward with his hands raised. “Captain Roq, correct?”
“Yes,” he said cautiously, squinting his one good eye at Zane. “And who are you, boy? You wasn’t with them when we crossed the Aptua.”
“You’re right, I wasn’t. But I apologize for the loss of your rowboat. Allow me to make it up to you by offering you my ship.” Zane gestured behind him, where they could see the crew standing on the deck, watching the interaction.
If it was possible, Roq squinted even more. “But that be a royal vessel.”
“It is.”
“And who are you, boy, to give that ship to me?”
“A royal,” Zane said with a smirk—the crown prince of ill repute coming out to play.
Roq looked him over again, noting the expensive clothing and well-kept appearance along with the fabled dark hair and emerald-green eyes.
Zane swaggered past the speechless captain, clapping him on the shoulder and leaning in close.
“Do me a favor, captain, and keep that crew occupied for the next week.”
“Yes, Your Highness. O’ course I can do that.”
“Good man.” He patted Roq’s shoulder again. “And it’s Your Majesty now.”
Zane strutted down the deck as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
The rest of them glanced at each other, all of them obviously having forgotten that he had been raised as a royal by a ruthless man.
They’d spent too much time with him outside of the empire and had dismissed this side of him.
They quickly followed him towards the wharf, attempting to copy his indifferent attitude.
Iyana marveled as, within the hour, Emperor Zane secured them a covered wagon, recovered Ryunn and Pryn from the stables, and had stopped by Curth’s jail to inform them of the criminals in the brig of the royal ship.
The constable promised to collect them right away and hold them until Zane could decide what to do with them.
He told nobody else about his ascension to the throne or Uther’s death, but between Roq and the imprisoned men, the word would soon circulate.
She surmised all of Curth would know there was a new emperor within a few days, and the news would be carried to other towns by merchants alongside their normal wares.