Serpent: Book II of the Asterian Trilogy

by Sarah Olson

  Surman or not, I was in love with him. The realization struck me as we left the ballroom and headed out with the crowds to the bonfire on the shore.

  My parents probably would never approve, but that didn’t matter as much as it had before. I had lived my life attempting to please the people of Asteria so they would accept me for who I was rather than just a bastard princess. My engagement to Thomas was a way to please them. He’d shown interest and was from a prominent family. I hadn’t even bothered to look elsewhere—our courtship made the most sense. And this romance with Roy? It didn’t make a lick of sense, but it was what I wanted. He made me feel whole. The thought of returning to Asteria without him was one I could no longer fathom.

  The bonfire rose high into the sky, its flame blending into the pink and orange of the setting sun. Some of the islanders had created circles around it, holding hands and moving together as music filled the air. Roy and I stood off to the side, watching the mesmerizing flames.

  I turned and found him watching me. "Roy," I said, my voice barely a whisper over the music. A tear slid down my cheek. "Roy, I love you." As the words came out, a feeling of relief washed over me. I never thought I would be able to truly speak them again to another man, but their simplicity felt right.

  His face changed, and I could see he was attempting to register the truth of my words.

  I took his other hand, so I was facing him, the bonfire and people fading around us. "I mean it, with all my heart," I whispered. "I love you." I rose on my toes and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

  When I pulled back, I’d never seen so much joy on his face. His smile reached those ocean-colored eyes that danced in the firelight. He took a breath and said, "Come with me."

  "Where are we going?" I laughed when he pulled me into the tree line.

  "You’ll see," he said.

  Roy led me quickly through the trees. I had to pull the skirt of the gown up to ensure it didn’t snag on a branch. The further we dove into the woods, the sounds of the islanders celebrating the Summer Solstice began to fade.

  I was gasping for breath as I worked to keep up with him.

  "Roy," I breathed, pulling my arm away and sagging against a tree.

  He turned around and smiled. "It’s right through those trees," he said, pointing in front of him in the dim light. "I promise."

  I sighed and stood again, taking his outstretched hand. We walked a couple more feet and then broke through the trees. I gasped as I took in the cove we had entered. The white sand was a pale orange in the light of the sunset. The sky was on fire and reflecting off the dark water and cliffs that surrounded us. The music from the bonfire barely drifted over the trees and blended into the gentle waves that kissed the shore. The first stars of the coming night glittered in the sky above us.

  "How did you find this place?" I asked, my eyes unsure which beauty to focus on first.

  "Richard told me about it," Roy replied. He took a breath of the salty air. "When I saw it, I knew it would be the perfect place."

  I laughed. "The perfect place for what?"

  Roy spun around and licked his lips as if he were deciding how to proceed. There was an intensity in his gaze that made it difficult to hold. "For these last couple weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the future—about us."

  I tilted my head curiously. "Continue."

  "I know you’re a princess and I’m just a Surman sailor—"

  I held up a finger. "Who used to be a friend of the Surman prince."

  Roy winced slightly. "Yes, but I’m putting that behind me, Aria. I don’t plan ever to return to Surmania—that’s not a reality for me and I’ve accepted that. For a long time, that realization seemed unbearable, at least until you came into my life. Now the only notion that haunts me is one where you are not part of it." He took a step forward. "I am completely and utterly taken by you, Aria. I love you in a way I never thought was possible."

  I forced myself to breathe.

  "I know I have nothing to offer a princess of Asteria. I don’t have a fortune or an estate—I have no title." He stepped closer and gently took my hand. "I am just a lowly quartermaster that is still wondering if he heard you correctly at the bonfire."

  I swallowed, my nerves twisting knots in my stomach.

  "I have nothing, Aria—I don’t even have a ring to tempt you with—but I have my heart." He knelt on the sand and looked deeply into my eyes. "Aria, would you accept me as I am and make me the happiest man in the world? Will you marry me?"

  As the words floated into the space between us, it felt as if the world stopped. The last rays of the sun sent strange shadows across Roy’s handsome face—his eyes holding the truth I needed. The truth that he loved me for me, not for my title or wealth, as many others would have. He had fallen for me when I was just Norah.

  It was almost ridiculous to think that only a few months ago I had been asked the same question by another, and yet, here I was ready to try it all again with Roy. Except, this time it would be different. This time there were no pressures of court on my shoulders attempting to dictate my life—the poor bastard princess that had to watch her siblings become greater than she. This time it was just Roy and I alone realizing that the love we shared had grown into something more than just ourselves—that something was pulling us together and creating a bond that was indestructible.

  "Yes," I whispered. "With all my heart, I will marry you."

  Roy sprung up from the ground and spun me around, sending a spray of sand into the air. I threw my head back, and he joined me in laughter—laughter that felt like freedom and tasted like adventure.

  When he settled me back onto my feet, he held me close with one arm and caressed my cheek with his hand.

  "I love you, Aria," he said quietly. "And I am making a vow right now that no matter what happens and what we face, I will never stop proving that love to you." He leaned down and crushed his mouth against mine.

  Nothing was holding him back now—no prying eyes of Richard’s family, no looming shadow of Ethelyn, just he and I. He lowered me carefully onto the sand, and I ignored the passing thought of ruining Rebecca’s gown. His hands roved up and down my sides as he lowered himself on top of me, his lips traveling down my neck.

  I ran my hands down his back, pulling him against me, suddenly desperate for more. I closed my eyes against the last sun’s rays as his mouth traveled further down than I would have ever let Thomas. But I wouldn’t push him away or ask him to stop because I didn’t want to. Roy was mine, and I was his. I had never felt more certain of anything in my life than that simple fact.

  Roy jerked back all too soon; his breathing ragged and slumped onto the sand beside me. "You make it very difficult to remain a gentleman," he teased as I tried to recover from the sudden lack of his touch.

  I laughed, not trusting myself to speak. I stared up at the darkening sky and the stars that twinkled above us for a moment—my breathing slowing to the sound of the lazy waves caressing the seashore. I turned on my side and placed my head on his chest.

  "Many would say that my running away was a mistake," I said, my mind finally able to make coherent thoughts again. "I suppose in a way it was but in another way, it was almost like fate."

  "You believe in fate?" he asked.

  I turned my head so I could gaze back up at the stars. "I used to think that it was just something from stories and legends but now I’m not so sure."

  "Because if you hadn’t run, you would’ve never met me."

  I laughed. "If I hadn’t been stuck on a ship with you, I would’ve never fallen for you."

  "In that case, thank you fate!" Roy called out into the sky.

  I giggled, and Roy joined me in laughter.

  When we grew silent, I said, "Thank you."

  "For what?" he asked.

  "For making me feel alive again."

  Roy stroked my hair. "It’s you I should be thanking for that."

  I turned my head so I could look up at him. "Then I gu
ess we saved each other."

  We lay in the sand stargazing for a while, the music from the Summer Solstice drifting over the forest towards us. My eyes began to drift closed when Roy suddenly sat up.

  "What is it?" I asked, my body becoming alert.

  "Something’s not right," Roy said. He pulled me up from the sand, all the while intently scanning our surroundings. He sniffed the air. "Do you smell that?"

  I brushed some of the sand off the gown and raised my nose to the air. "The smoke?" I asked. "It’s just the bonfire."

  Roy shook his head. "We shouldn’t be able to smell it so strongly."

  We stood in silence, listening to the island around us. That was when we heard the distant screams.

  "Roy," I gasped.

  "Stay here!" he commanded bolting towards the forest.

  "I’m coming with you!" I yelled, picking up my skirt and running after him.

  Roy didn’t argue as I followed him into the forest. We tore through the dense trees as quickly as we could, the smell of smoke growing stronger and the screaming growing louder with every step. The screaming of men and women in a panic that raised the hair on my neck.

  Roy skidded to a halt when we cleared the forest.

  I stared at the chaos before us.

  The part of the village closest to the shore was burning. People ran as if they were trying to escape something rather than put out the blaze. That’s when I spotted the brutish men armed to the teeth attacking the villagers.

  "Pirates," Roy said, his voice filled with fear and anger.

  I began running towards the flames, my mind unconcerned with my own safety when Roy grabbed my arm and yanked me back. "What are you doing?" he yelled.

  "We have to find Ethelyn," I screamed.

  "She can take care of herself!"

  "And what of the girls?" I begged. "What about Regina and Vivien? We have to find them and get them to the cave."

  "I’m sure Richard—" Roy began.

  "We don’t know that!"

  Roy rubbed his face and looked at the burning village. There were already bodies littered across the ground as islanders tried to fight back.

  "This way," he said, pulling me with him.

  We ducked into the shadows of the trees as we ran toward the tree line closest to the village. People were running through the streets, trying to escape the fire and the pirates. Roy and I darted to one of the buildings. He pressed himself against it, and I followed suit as we inched our way toward the street.

  I glanced at the droves of panicked people when I spotted a little girl standing in the midst of the chaos, tears streaming down her face blurring the lines of her pink and gold face paint.

  "Vivien!" I yelled. Before Roy could stop me, I darted into the street trying not to think of the sickening sounds of metal against metal that rang through the air. "Vivien!" I swung the young girl into my arms and ran back to the side of the building.

  I hadn’t noticed we’d been followed until Roy jumped around us and sank a knife into the gut of a pirate.

  I would have frozen in terror as the man slumped to the ground if it weren’t for the crying girl in my arms. I set her down facing away from the dead pirate. "Where’s Regina?" I asked her.

  Vivien shook her head, her face red from crying. "I—I don’t know," she whimpered. "I went to get a cookie, and she stayed by the f—f—fire."

  "The bonfire," I said, to Roy, watching as he pulled a sword out of the dead man’s hands.

  He gave me a sharp nod, his eyes lit with something deadly I’d only seen on the ship that horrible day with Hashim. Roy glanced around the corner once more, then came over, and knelt beside us. "Take her to the cave as fast as you can," he said. "I’ll find Regina."

  I gulped at the thought of him leaving us alone, but there was nothing I could do. I had to keep Vivien safe. "If you see Ethelyn, tell her I’m all right."

  He nodded, and I stood, holding tightly to Vivien’s hand.

  "Be careful," I whispered.

  Roy placed a hand around the back of my neck and roughly pulled me into a swift kiss. "Take care of her," he said, against my lips.

  "I will."

  A muscle ticked his jaw, and he took a step back. "Go."

  I took a breath and then pulled Vivien into the forest after me. I stopped once to look through the trees at Roy and saw him making sure we weren’t followed before darting into the street.

  Vivien and I ran as fast as we could. The underbrush tore at our gowns as we stumbled in the dark. The cave was in between Richard’s home and the village. He had shown me where it was just in case something like this happened, but coming from this direction, I was uncertain if we were going the right way. I stopped in a clearing, my eyes searching for something familiar, but everything looked the same in the dim moonlight.

  "Are we lost?" Vivien asked.

  "I—" The faint sound of trickling water reached my ears. "This way."

  We moved quickly through the clearing and almost ran straight into the fresh spring I had gone to many times since coming to the islands.

  Vivien tugged on my hand. "It’s this way, Aria."

  I followed her until we hit the nearly invisible path that led to the cave.

  The terrifying sounds of the village were far behind us now as we stepped into the eerie silence of the cave. I felt along the wall with Vivien trailing behind me, all the while telling myself that there was nothing in the darkness that would hurt us. I stumbled into a soft mattress that had been set on the ground and slid down onto it, pulling Vivien beside me. The darkness was an inky black, and my eyes strained to see around us. A lantern was too dangerous, and I didn’t want to rifle around the cave blindly looking for one.

  The sounds of the forest seeped into the cave as Vivien sidled up next to me, her small frame trembling.

  "What do we do now?" she whispered.

  I thought of Roy running into the street. Ethelyn frantically searching for me. Regina lost in the scramble. I closed my eyes. "Now, we wait."

  Chapter 33

  James

  T HE HALLS OF THE CASTLE BUSTLED with servants making the final preparations for the Summer Solstice. It had only been a few days since I returned empty-handed, and already I was expected to celebrate with the kingdom. I wanted to cancel the feast, but Layla had taken the decision out of my hands. Aria was still missing, but that didn’t mean everything in the kingdom could stop. The Summer Solstice had been an important celebration throughout the land before Luther and Layla had made sure to bring it back along with the Winter Solstice.

  I sidestepped a maid barreling down the hall, arms full of linens, and took the stairs that led to Layla’s study. The two guards posted in the hall bowed as I passed, one opening the door for me. I stepped into the large study to find Layla’s back to me. She was standing by the open windows that overlooked the wall and out towards the Northern Mountains. Her delicately braided hair shifted in the breeze, brushing the exposed part of her back. The long dark orange and gold patterned gown swished as she turned to me, a letter in her hands.

  "Penton said you needed to see me," I said, reading the grim expression on her face.

  "We have a problem." She approached me and held the letter out. "I just received this from Prince Nazir."

  I took it from her hands, but she continued before I could read it. "They have learned of an alias Prince Rostam has been using. Roy Halding, sound familiar?"

  It did, but I was uncertain of where I’d seen it.

  When I said nothing, she walked to her desk and picked up the folded parchment Prince Nazir had given me in Malan. "He’s the quartermaster of the Enigma; the same ship Aria boarded when she left Malan."

  And the same ship that had yet to make port in Asteria.

  I crumpled the letter in my hand as the news sunk in.

  "What are we going to do?" Layla asked.

  I shook my head. "There’s nothing we can do but wait."

  "She’s safe as long as he doesn’t le
arn who she is, right?" Layla asked, worry seeping into her voice.

  "I don’t know. What are the chances that she would choose that ship?" I asked myself more than Layla.

  "You don’t think she knew it was him . . . " Layla trailed off.

  "How would she have known? She’s never met him." I ran a hand through my hair.

  This potentially complicated everything, and I didn’t have to voice it to know Layla was thinking the same thing. The repercussions of word spreading that Aria and Prince Rostam were in any way amicable with each other would fuel the growing unrest between Asteria and Surmania. Not to mention the risk Aria had put herself in by being on the same ship with him. Prince Rostam was no fool, and if they’d managed to become friends, he would figure out who she was, and it was impossible to know what his intentions would be. He was a murderer and a traitor to the Surman throne and would know that any positive association with a princess of Asteria could be used to his advantage. Perhaps he would even attempt to convince her of his innocence and use her as his voice.

  I shook the thought from my head. Aria wasn’t a puppet.

  "If she has been using an alias herself, he may never know," Layla said.

  I could see she hated the way she was forced to think as a queen—I did as well. As much as we wanted to put our children first, we always had to keep our eyes focused on the larger picture.

  "This stays here," I said, quietly. "No word of it to the advisors or the Council."

  Layla nodded. "I know."

  I opened the door and sent one of the guards to find Tristan.

  Layla was gazing out the window again, her hands clenched together. "I need her home, James. I need this all to end."