Chapter 32
CHAPTER 32
N eve held her breath in anticipation.
Eleksi stood by her like a lethal shadow. She knew he’d be ready with his dagger to attack Davron at the slightest hint of trouble. As much as she wanted to avoid violence, Eleksi’s presence did reassure her. Davron’s snarl was ferocious and his size was imposing.
The prince didn’t move, save for his dark eyes examining each of them in turn.
“Your eyes,” he said gruffly to Neve, when his gaze returned to her. “You have my uncle’s eyes.”
Her heart twinged. “So I’ve heard.”
It was peculiar that other people could see her resemblance to Leonid, yet she could not. When she’d encountered him in the drawing room at the palace, she hadn’t had the chance to look at him properly. Were they similar in any other ways?
“He and my mother, uh—” She faltered. Obviously he knew how babies were made. “She kept me a secret, including from him. But Meliohr found out and sent an assassin to kill me. The assassin did not complete his mission.”
Davron grunted. “If you are hard to kill, you are indeed my blood.” He lowered the sword slightly, although stopped short of sheathing it. “And who are the rest of you?”
Jarin stepped forward. “You and I have met before, a long time ago.” He hesitated, seeming unsure if he should extend his hand in greeting. After all, Davron still gripped the sword. He ended up keeping his hand by his side. “My name is Jarin. Malakai and Levissina were my parents.”
What little color remained in Davron’s face drained from it.
“You,” he said in a hoarse voice. “I have been looking for you for a long time.”
Deep and unreadable emotions passed over his heavily scarred features.
To Neve’s intense relief, he sheathed the sword. He closed the distance between him and the pirate, and they stood face to face.
“I am sorry,” said Davron.
Jarin’s eyebrows flew up in surprise. “No. For what? I’m sorry.”
The prince was bewildered. “For what?”
“My mother cursed you.”
“That is not your sin. I lament what happened to your father. And your mother, for that matter. I was there when she passed.”
“You are gracious beyond words.” Jarin inclined his head. “This is my paramour, Riella.”
The siren smiled at Davron, who eyed her warily.
“Are you?—”
“My legs are courtesy of a sorcerer,” she said matter-of-factly. She gestured at her legs, which were clothed in olive green trousers. “I am indeed a siren.”
A loud, disembodied gasp echoed through the cavern. Neve looked around, her pulse increasing. Were they being ambushed?
From behind a craggy rock formation emerged a very pretty brunette woman. She wore a yellow dress, tattered at the hem, but she appeared otherwise untouched by violence. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene before her.
“ Amelie ,” said Davron, sighing at her in exasperation. “I said not to come out unless I tell you it’s safe.”
Neve gave a short laugh of disbelief. Amelie was alive?
The Velandian picked her way over the wet pebbles on slippered feet. She clutched an ornate silver rose in her hand. Davron rushed forward to meet her, offering his arm.
But Amelie only had eyes for the siren. She gazed at Riella with open excitement, her brown eyes shining. Riella seemed pleased, if a little nonplussed.
“I do apologize,” said Amelie, giggling. “I’m staring. It’s most rude of me. Only, I have always wanted to meet a siren. During our passage, I searched the ocean, hoping to glimpse one.”
“They will have left you alone,” said Riella, smiling, “because you were not a slave ship. Nor, presumably, befouling the ocean with waste.”
At this, Amelie and Davron exchanged dark looks.
“I fear that is not entirely true,” said Davron. “I disposed of several bodies in the sea. The assassin and his men.”
“You killed a Spider King?” asked Eleksi in a neutral voice.
Neve couldn’t tell if he was condemning Davron, or impressed. She glanced down and noticed Eleksi wasn’t wearing his spider ring.
The prince nodded, his scarred face twitching, as if recalling a bad memory. “He posed as the captain. Came for us at night.”
“I’m sorry.” Eleksi paused. “I am a Spider King. I was sent to kill Neve.”
Davron blinked several times. He looked at Neve, then back to Eleksi. “Well. That is certainly a story I should like to hear.”
Neve exhaled a long sigh. “And I am a sorceress. I usually reside at Starlight Gardens. Since Meliohr identified me, I’ve been on the run, as has Eleksi. We returned to Klatos to help you reclaim the throne.”
Davron held up one hand. “Hold on. No. That’s not why I am here. I came by request of my uncle. Or at least, what I thought was his request. I assume Meliohr was behind the invitation.”
“She intercepted Leonid’s letters,” said Neve. “There are many in the palace who are still loyal to your family. But also, those who support Meliohr.”
“ Our family,” said Davron, looking at Neve expectantly. “Blood is blood. It knows not the laws of men. You are one of us.”
It took a moment for his words to sink in. Davron was accepting her as kin. At this realization, her face flushed.
Amelie gave her a kind smile.
“Alright,” replied the sorceress, equal parts abashed and touched. “Please, go on.”
“I knew my uncle was sick. I came here to say goodbye to him and to visit my homeland after a ten-year absence. Never did I plan on taking the throne.”
“You may not have planned it,” said Neve, “but it’s what the kingdom needs from you, I’m afraid. And the throne is rightfully yours.”
Davron gave a chagrined expression. “You remind me of my father and his talks about duty.” He sighed. “First, let’s focus on our immediate survival. For one, how will we get out of this cave?”
“We have to wait until the storm passes,” said Riella. “Perhaps we could make a fire and warm up in the meantime.”
Jarin showed them a dry, sandy clearing sheltered by the rock formations. He and Eleksi gathered driftwood and stray coconut husks while Riella lit the fire by striking the blade of her dagger against a piece of flint. Within moments, a spark flew into the wood and created flames.
Amelie kneeled to warm her hands, stowing the silver rose carefully in her pocket.
“What’s that rose?” asked Neve in curiosity, crouching next to her.
“Oh!” Amelie withdrew it and went to grab the bud. She seemed to think twice, glancing around at the men and handing it to Neve instead. “There’s a Sirenstone inside. It becomes a sword that harms only men and demons. It was gifted to Davron’s mother by the sirens.”
Riella looked at the artifact in fascination. “Queen Petra, correct? She was beloved by sirens.”
Amelie and Riella began chatting about the lives of sirens. Neve stared into the fire, resting her mind by allowing herself to be lightly hypnotized by the dancing flames. The storm continued to howl, although the waves crashed with less force now.
The men stood, conversing in stilted voices. Before long, they’d found common ground by discussing how best to breach the palace.
“Stealth,” said Eleksi as if the answer was obvious.
“We scale the towers with rope,” insisted Jarin.
“I shall announce myself at the front gate and fight any guard who challenges me,” said Davron with a rumbling growl. “That palace is my family home and they’ll not keep me out.”
“Royal guards, we can manage,” said Eleksi. “But Meliohr has the command of the Spider Kings. All of them.”
Davron grunted. “How did she manage that?”
“Gold,” said Jarin simply.
“I have gold,” said Davron. “Shall we filch the assassins from her?”
“It’ll take a lot of gold,” said Neve, looking up from the fire.
He shrugged. “I have a lot. The bulk of the Nikolaou holdings is in the Fortuna Vaults in Klatos.”
Eleksi nodded thoughtfully. “That might work.”
“We’d have to find a way to access the vaults without the palace hearing of it,” said Davron, scratching his head. “If Meliohr learns that I survived the voyage and am taking the Spider Kings from her, she will abandon restraint and butcher Leonid where he stands.”
Neve shuddered, despite the glowing warmth of the fire. “She’d have nothing to lose.”
“Aye. Garstangs are brutal when cornered,” said Davron.
“Right now, she’s trying to maintain the illusion she’s a benevolent queen,” said Jarin. “That’s all that keeps Leonid alive.”
“I dearly wish to see him.” The prince’s dark eyes fell to Neve. “And I daresay I am not the only one.”
She bit her lip. “I do wish to meet him, but I don’t hold much hope for such an encounter. His mind has been damaged.”
Perhaps it was best to keep her conversations with her father in her imagination, where she couldn’t be hurt by anything he might say or do.
“I believe I can help with the vault,” said Jarin, folding his tanned arms. “One of the bankers is former Dark Tide Clan. A lad who wields a quill better than a sword, yet possesses the heart of a pirate.”
“Excellent,” replied Davron, then addressed Eleksi. “Can you get us an audience with your leader?”
“We don’t have a leader,” replied the assassin. “We have a network. But I can make contact with a fixer who doesn’t know my face. They’ll spread the word of their new allegiance, once we’ve paid.”
Davron raised his heavy brows, a scar through one. “They’ll change sides, just like that?”
“Yes.” Eleksi touched his thumb where he usually wore the spider ring. “Because we aren’t on a side. We simply do our jobs. Well, except me.” He looked at Neve, the corner of his mouth lifting in a half smile.
Neve recalled Zyke’s detached determination when he’d attempted to assassinate her in the forest. Eleksi had been equally without hesitation when he threw a blade into Zyke’s neck. The Spider Kings were so effective not only because of their agility and fighting skills—the brutal simplicity of their code was integral, as well.
“Alright,” said Davon. “Then we begin there. With assassins on our side, we stand a better chance against Meliohr’s royal guard. And we have the element of surprise, because Amelie and I will be presumed dead. Murdered, or lost at sea in the storm.”
The sorceress wasn’t convinced Meliohr would accept this conclusion so easily, but she said nothing. That Davron and Amelie were alive and trusted Neve was enough for now. The pair had already been through an ordeal, and were preparing to reclaim his ancestral home. Some optimistic delusion might be necessary to keep spirits from plummeting.
It occurred to Neve that perhaps Davron was downplaying the risk for Amelie’s benefit. The Velandian’s face became pinched with worry whenever he wasn’t looking at her. This couldn’t have been the introduction to his homeland that he’d hoped to give her.
Neve wandered away from the group to collect more driftwood, and Eleksi accompanied her. His dense auric field suggested that he was deep in complex thought. He showed none of his turmoil on his face, though. His handsome features were as cool and enigmatic as ever.
Wistfully, she thought of the glorious yet brief time they’d spent alone with each other. At least she had known closeness with another person. If death came for her soon, she wouldn’t be leaving this world empty-handed.
“Putting your ring in your pocket was quick thinking,” she said as she picked up a tangle of coconut husk. “So that Davron wouldn’t see it and become enraged. More enraged, I should say.”
“That’s not why I took it off.” He spun a smooth piece of driftwood on his palm. “I removed it because I don’t know what I am anymore.”
She gave a small smile. “You’re Eleksi. And you can be anything you want to be.”
“Right now, what I want is to help you.” He let the driftwood fall from his hand and stood before her. “Neve, you have my dagger, but also my heart. I need you to know that. Until it stops beating.”