Chapter 20 Make a Dramatic Exit
(Featuring Purple Flames and Public Panic)
Arabella
At first light, we stepped out of the portal nexus into an open courtyard on top of a hill. Salt air and smoke filled my lungs, and I saw the white stone buildings and gray tiled roofs of Azroth’s Claw. The city where Kaz had beheaded his father at that infamous dinner table.
As I took it in, Kazimir’s mouth curved in that particular smile he reserved for things he’d conquered. “You should see it at night. The harbor lights look like fallen stars.”
The city was everything Solandris wasn’t—raw, violent, beautiful.
Where my homeland suffocated under golden perfection, this place breathed chaos.
Ships of all sizes bobbed in the water, their flags bright splashes of color against the cream sails and deep blue sea.
The entire city clung to the cliffs overlooking the harbor.
Controlling this port gave Kaz enormous leverage over the Western Realms. Nothing moved between the Shattered Sea and the inland kingdoms without his say-so, including Syndicate trade, unless it was willing to go far to the south of the continent.
“It’s different than I imagined,” I said softly.
Kazimir came to stand beside me, his shoulder brushing mine. “What did you imagine? Blood in the streets? Public executions?”
“No. Just… less alive.” I gestured toward the bustling marketplace visible in the distance. “It looks thriving.”
“It is. I make sure of it.” There was a note of pride in his voice. “The port trade has tripled since I took control.”
“From your father.”
His expression darkened momentarily. “Yes.”
I wanted to ask what it felt like to return to the place where he’d become the Scourge of Azroth. But this wasn’t the time, not with an audience.
“Can we stop? Just for an hour?” I knew we couldn’t, but I wanted to walk those twisting streets, taste the foreign spices I could smell even from here, maybe burn down a corrupt merchant’s stall or two.
“Soon.” Kaz’s gloved hand found mine. “When this business with the Alchemist is done, I’ll show you every shadow and secret. The night markets where they sell poisons alongside pastries. The cliff gardens where my father’s witches grew their most dangerous plants.”
I squeezed his hand. “I’d love that.”
Griffin hovered nearby. “Did you know that most portal networks have a 0.03 percent chance of depositing you in the wrong century? I once ended up—”
“Griffin,” Kazimir’s voice cut through the enchanter’s rambling. “Not now.”
Behind us, Sebastian made a sound like a dying cat. “The boat, the boat, we’ll miss the boat! My stomach wishes to revolt!”
“You’re getting worse!” Griffin pushed his spectacles high onto his nose. “That’s interesting. Yesterday you managed most conversations normally. What’s wrong?”
Thorne’s laugh sounded like gravel in a meat grinder. “Stress.”
“This isn’t the time for jest—I barely got dressed—I mean—” Sebastian groaned. The dark circles under his eyes suggested he’d been up all night. “Sunset. Harvest. Damn the bone witch to darkest rest!”
Kaz’s shadows darkened the path at our feet. “I can already tell this is a mistake.”
“Sorry,” Sebastian muttered. “I didn’t want to be tardy.”
Thorne just shook his head and continued down the path toward the docks, probably questioning every life choice that had led him to babysitting this particular circus.
I caught Sebastian staring back at the horizon as though he could see Skyspire from here.
Sebastian’s hesitation yesterday had bothered me. But what if it had something to do with Vex? He’d asked if she was coming, after all.
The alternative—that it had anything to do with me—was uncomfortably close to that precipice feeling I’d gotten in the kitchen. Better to believe he’d wanted to stay behind for a silver-haired reason than examine why his wistful look had made my chest tight.
I leaned in to Kaz and lowered my voice. “Do you think there’s something between Sebastian and Vex?”
He scowled. “I’ve had other things on my mind. Their secretive looks haven’t been a priority.”
I grabbed his arm. “There’ve been secretive looks?”
He squeezed his eyes shut. “No. I don’t know. I don’t want to know, Arabella.”
“You’re not interested in what happens to your oldest friend?”
He scoffed. “I’m interested in what happens to her, as in I don’t want to see Vex killed when one of Griffin’s experiments runs amok, nor would I want to see her fall off the battlements—unless I throw her myself.
But I’m not interested in her relationship status or who is dating who or turning the citadel into the main setting for a long romance scroll with spin-offs. ”
“Well, we don’t always get what we want.
” I looped my arm in his as we continued walking, ignoring another scowl.
“Just because you found a companion who tolerates all your eccentricities doesn’t mean that others don’t deserve a chance at that kind of happiness, if that’s what they want.
” A pause. “And I’m surprised you know what a spin-off is. ”
“Thank Griffin and his stories from the Enchanted Isles,” Kaz muttered. Then he sighed. “Any interest Sebastian may have in Vex is likely one-sided. I’m not even sure Vex experiences attraction.”
“That you’ve seen anyway.” I’d never heard her talk about it, though I hadn’t known her long enough to be privy to that kind of personal information. “Come on,” I said, tugging Kaz forward. “Let’s see this ship you’ve been mysteriously vague about.”
He’d refused to give details this morning, just kept saying I’d appreciate the surprise.
As we descended toward the harbor, weaving between merchants and sailors who gave our party a wide berth, I tried to guess which vessel was ours.
The sleek warship with black sails? The triple-masted merchant vessel bristling with weapons?
“There.” Kaz pointed to… nothing. Just empty air between two piers.
“Very funny.”
“Wait for it.”
If we hadn’t been in such a hurry, I would have thought Kazimir was pulling some elaborate prank, though it wasn’t really his style. A few seconds passed with nothing happening, and then—
“Holy shit.”
A ship was descending from the clouds overhead.
The hull was dark wood that absorbed the morning light breaking over the sea.
Its twin masts were rigged with dark sails that snapped in the wind, plus some smaller third mast I didn’t understand the purpose of but assumed made it faster.
As it docked, large chains descended from the hull and tethered it with a sizzle of magic.
The whole thing bobbed gently about ten feet above the water. Crew jumped over the side to meet us.
“It flies.” It was the only thing I could say.
Kaz’s face was set in his Dark Lord mask, but a hint of humor flashed in his eyes. “The Sky Serpent. Fastest vessel in any realm, capable of sailing sea or sky.” His voice held pure masculine pride. “I took it from a pirate lord who thought he could blockade my harbor. He was wrong.”
“High. Sky. Fly. I think I’d rather die.”
We turned. Sebastian stood behind us, his face pale, one hand pressed to his stomach. I frowned. Perhaps bringing him was a bad idea. It was seeming more likely that his reluctance to go to the God Spire had more to do with seasickness than blossoming love.
Griffin, on the other hand, was practically vibrating with excitement. “Please tell me you’ll let me examine the propulsion runes!”
“You’ll sit quietly and touch nothing,” Kaz said flatly.
Griffin backed up until he was standing beside his definitely-not-explosive luggage.
A small crowd had gathered to watch our departure. The dockworkers and sailors had bowed as we passed, though I caught several of them stealing glances at me. The Dark Lord’s mysterious bride, come to see their city at last. I couldn’t wait to return for a proper introduction.
We boarded via a gangplank that materialized from thin air, and I immediately fell in love. The deck was smooth wood embedded with crystals that glowed blue, the railings carved with protective wards that hummed against my palm.
A woman with sun-bronzed skin and dark hair braided down her back met us at the gangplank—the captain by her insignia. Beside her stood a tall, broad-shouldered woman with deep brown skin and dozens of braids pulled into a thick tail.
“Lord Blackrose.” The captain’s nod was curt, professional. “I would have brought the Sky Serpent to Skyspire if I’d known you needed her.”
“It was sudden,” Kaz replied. “This gave you time to prepare.” His gaze swept the assembled crew. “Captain Brecca, get us underway.”
“Aye, my lord.” She turned to her crew without missing a beat. “Stations! Prepare for ascension!” Her first officer was already moving, barking orders that sent sailors scrambling to their posts.
The entire crew—perhaps fifteen souls in total—dispersed in a blur of movement, with only a few curious stares cast my way.
I wanted to explore, but we headed for the cabin first. It was at the stern, behind a door marked with the Blackrose crest. I’d just caught a glimpse of a small but cozy, darkly appointed space when a roar split the air.
The ship lurched, tilting at an angle that sent me stumbling into Kaz’s chest. Outside, someone screamed.
We burst onto the deck to find half the port in chaos. Sailors dove into the water. Merchants abandoned their stalls. And above us, wings spread wide, Nyx circled like an avenging dark angel.
“I told her to stay!” I shouted over the panic.
“Clearly, she didn’t listen!” Kaz was already raising his hands, prepared to defend the ship. Nyx, misinterpreting his stance as a challenge, let out another roar and released a stream of purple fire that caught the edge of a sail. The canvas caught fire instantly.
Captain Brecca was already shouting orders, her first officer directing crew members with buckets toward the flames.