The Fate of Crowns: The Complete Trilogy: A YA Epic Fantasy Boxset

by Rebecca L. Garcia

  I blinked twice, looking at Hawk. My lips tightened, my smile taut. “I need safe passage from the kingdom. It’s top secret. I will, of course, pay for discretion.”

  His men, who remained standing behind his stool, snorted in unison. I stared up, looking at each of their faces in turn. “I can afford it,” I said with promise. “I’m the daughter of a merchant.”

  Hawk’s gaze trickled over my features. I could feel beads of sweat forming on my forehead. “I can tell,” he whispered, looking at my cloak. “I expect you will pay us well. Where is it you would like us to take you?”

  I looked around nervously, then lowered my voice to a whisper. “Berovia.”

  “She’s mad!” one of the men shouted, capturing the attention of the others behind them.

  Hawk slammed his fist on the table. “Enough, Jameson.” He growled. “Stand down.”

  My heart raced faster. I tapped my foot against the ground, sucking in a deep breath. “One hundred gold coins.”

  “You’ll have to do better than that.”

  I cast my eyes down to the brown fabric of my bag, then sighed. “What is it you want?”

  “What do you have?”

  I opened it, nervous to let him near it. I gripped my staff with my other hand, ready to fight if necessary.

  Hawk hooked a finger, pulling the string, opening it to the jewels, gold, and dagger. He peered inside, and a smile crept over his face. “That dagger and fifty gold coins, or no deal.”

  I clenched my jaw. The dagger was all I had left of André. It was priceless, but then, so was a trip to Berovia. “What about jewels instead? The dagger, you see, it has sentimental value.”

  “No.” He was blunt and honest, which I guessed I could appreciate in any other situation. “You want us to take you over mer-filled waters, risk my crew’s life, for one hundred gold coins only?”

  I licked my lips. “About that, you’ll also need to stay there until I can return home.”

  His eyebrows rose up his forehead. “Then my offer changes to the dagger and one hundred and fifty gold coins.”

  We both knew the dagger was worth ten times that. Normally I wouldn’t care to barter, but I didn’t have much with me, and I had to be frugal with what I had. I rubbed my fingers against my forehead, bringing a finger back to my temple and circling it. I was desperate for a good night’s sleep, a meal, and safety. I apologized to André in my head for selling his gift. My heart broke as I agreed. “The dagger and one hundred gold coins.”

  He paused, then drummed his fingers against the tabletop. After a minute, he took out his pipe, took a puff, and extended his hand. “You have yourself a deal, Miss Smith.”

  I stopped at a table before exiting the tavern. The mercenaries were ahead of me, already moving through the doorway. Don looked up at me. “Be careful with those men.”

  “I can handle myself,” I said, not expecting the concern they’d shown. I pulled three gold coins out of my bag, which was three weeks of money for them, and placed them in front of Don and the fisherman. This should pay for drinks and food for you…” I looked around them. “And all your friends. You never saw me here,” I said, swallowing hard to remove the lump in my throat. “Okay?”

  He beamed. “We never saw you here.”

  The shaggy-faced man nodded slowly. “Be safe.”

  “Th-thank you,” I stammered as my damp clothes pulled the warmth from my body. I pulled my hood over my face and followed Hawk and the others into the bustling morning.

  ***

  My eyes traced over the barnacles gripping the side of the ship as I walked toward the deck. A man with a bucket next to him scrubbed the stairwell clean. I ran my hand along the rope, hissing when it burned my palm. The spars creaked in the wind, and the wet boards rotted at the sides. I jumped down and treaded over them carefully, hoping the captain would pour some of the money they earned into repairs for the ship. One man, with a leathery face and deep wrinkles, scratched his tangled gray beard, then looked at me.

  I inhaled deeply as Hawk explained their mission to the crew, for those who hadn’t been in the tavern. The day had lightened slightly as it ran into mid-morning, but the sun was hidden behind thick cloud cover, keeping the sky a dove gray.

  “Down here, Miss Smith,” Hawk said, placing his hand on my back. I was escorted to my room, which was small and damp, but at least it had a bed. The blankets looked itchy, but I no longer cared. “Thank you,” I muttered and closed my eyes. They stung, begging for sleep.

  “We’ll set sail within the hour,” he declared, then climbed the ladder and closed the door behind him.

  I placed the drawstring bag on the bed and got in. I lodged it between myself and the wall and shivered.

  With a moment to breath, my mind wandered to the issues I’d have to deal with once queen. The illegal trade coming out of Magaelor, as Cedric had shown when he’d acquired a pixie from under our noses, proved problematic, and there was the most imminent threat, which loomed in a dark cloud of uncertainty over Imperia and the rest of the kingdom. King Xenos in Berovia was fanning the flames of a war Magaelor could not afford. We had neither the numbers nor the weapons to go against such a large kingdom. How had my father been so foolish as to send people across the sea, thinking the solis king wouldn’t find out?

  With Edgar on the throne, it would be only a matter of time until the true religion would be torn from my people. Edgar would try to change it, inflict his beliefs on the kingdom, but our spiritual connection was sacred. Our cities were built over the bones of our ancestors. Their spirits guided us, holding our people together, and sourcing the magic that protected us. I couldn’t let him take it away.

  It was why I had to succeed in my plan. There was no room for failure. Pulling the blankets over myself and keeping one hand firmly clutched around my gold, I drifted in and out of consciousness, listening to the sounds of the sea, feeling the rocking caress of waves.

  TWO

  Blood-curdling screams startled me awake. I jumped to my feet, my staff in hand. Hawk threw open the door, his hair and clothes drenched. “Stay in here!” he ordered and slammed it shut again. I heard it lock. Panic coursed through me. Scratching and hissing on the deck were louder than the crashing waves. It had to be the mer, back again to drag sailors into the dark depths for food.

  It was dark outside, from what I could tell from the gaps in the boards above my head. I wasn’t sure when we’d set sail. I’d been asleep all day, it seemed. I ran my hands along my face, breathing faster with each panicked scream from above. I was responsible for them. They were taking me to Berovia, and I had put them in danger. I ran up the steps to the door, reaching for the lock. I scoffed at the feeble attempt to keep me inside. Pointing my staff at the padlock, I cast a spell to destroy the metal. It shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.

  A spray of sea water hit me, and I toppled to the right as I emerged onto deck. I grabbed onto a wood pole and gripped into splintered wood to steady myself.

  Since being attacked by these creatures twice, although I did want to know why I had been spared, I’d learned spells that could paralyze them, if only for a moment. They were inside books in Blaise’s library, and I wouldn’t be caught off guard again. Although the time had come for what I’d practiced in quiet moments, using them in real life was different. One small mistake could cost another their life.

  One man fought a merman off with his sword, wounding it enough for him to cast a spell from his staff, which made the creature unable to breathe at all. The creature grasped at the deck, his long talons scratching against the panels. Another mercenary used a sleeping spell, one I knew well, on a merwoman, but its effects weren’t as strong as they would be on another sorcerer. The mercreatures eyes changed from black to dark green when she awoke from her ten-second slumber and found a sword through her torso. It wouldn’t be enough to kill her but would weaken her temporarily.

  They tried to flip her overboard, but she pulled the blade out, snarled, and san
k her needlelike teeth into the neck of one of the crew. When the merwoman pushed the man to the ground after biting him, she looked at me and faltered for a moment. She moved toward me, using her hands against the deck to reach me, and I pointed my staff at her.

  She hissed. “You will come with me.”

  There was no way I was going anywhere with those things. Holding onto the bone handle with one hand and gripping the ash wood with the other, I whispered the spell and felt my ancestors with me as magic left me in strong waves. Wisps of lights illuminated around me. I could only see them for a second, but they were there—the dead, aiding me to save the lives of our people.

  Calmly, I turned on my heel and pointed my staff toward the other mercreature. Recalling the second incantation I had learned, one not meant for mer but any creature of the sea, I said the words, focusing my mind on the intent.

  I wished Morgana could be here to see this. A protective bubble reached up to the sails and around the ship. My staff trembled as I worked to keep the barrier up long enough. “Get us out of here!” I shouted at Hawk. “I can’t hold it for long.” I closed my eyes, feeling the ancestors fueling me, but with each passing minute, it weakened. My hands were shaking with the staff. I bit down on my lip, anchoring myself to the ground.

  Minutes passed, and slowly, I was draining. I couldn’t see any mer. The two I’d paralyzed had been dragged back over the side of the ship by their fellow mercreatures. My limbs screamed at me to stop, my mind screeched as all the energy left my body, but I didn’t give in. Not when so many were depending on me.

  “They’ve gone,” Hawk said, his mouth downturned. The bodies of two men were slumped against the side, their blood staining the wood.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, my voice breaking at the end. I stepped backward, until I reached the door. I tilted my head up to the starless night sky, and thanked the ancestors for aiding me.

  A spell of such magnitude had taken its toll on me. I could barely stand long enough to help clean the mess. I hurried down the steps to the bed, making it just in time to collapse.

  ***

  The sun appeared from behind white clouds, blinding me. I’d slept for almost a whole day after using the spell, and I felt rejuvenated by the time I appeared above deck. I covered my eyes, shading them with my hand, and turned around. I exhaled slowly as the sea calmed. We had crossed into Berovian waters. Hawk did a headcount. Two of the hired mercenaries had been lost to the evil creatures on our journey. Guilt lay heavily in my chest, a burden only a ruler could acquit. This trip was not for me. It was for the good of Magaelor. Every person killed did not die in vain if I made it back alive to take back the throne from Edgar. Thankfully, he couldn’t really change anything while the kingdom was in mourning. One month was all I had.

  My cousin had lived in Niferum, the dark fae kingdom, since I was born. He knew nothing of Magaelor and went against our beliefs. He was the royal who had chosen to abandon his home, turned crown prince, then king. How I hated my father for putting him in a position of power, although I presumed King Amos didn’t believe he would die anytime soon with the Ring of Immortalem on his finger. I patted the pocket of my pants, feeling the bulge of the ring.

  “Miss Smith,” Hawk said while looking out over the horizon. “We are close, but I would bet the bigger ports are under heavy guard. I think it safest if we disembark at a smaller port to the south of Woodbourne. It’s better to be cautious in these times.”

  “Do what you must,” I replied. “Thank you, Hawk.”

  He hesitated. “I should, um, have thanked you before. If you hadn’t helped us, who knows how many more we would have lost.”

  “Don’t,” I pleaded. “I know what you lost.”

  “It’s our job.”

  “Regardless.”

  “I do know who you are, Miss Smith.”

  My eyes widened. “Who would that be?” I asked, trying to keep calm.

  “To us, you will always be Miss Smith, but I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you. It’s not easy to hide your identity when your likeness is always shown.”

  I gulped. “If you were right, what would you do with the information?” I questioned, my hand tightening around my staff.

  “Nothing, of course. I could have outed you when we were still in Magaelor, but I didn’t.”

  A voice sounded in my head, resonating with my father’s views. You can’t let him live, knowing what he does. I dismissed the thought. I was not my father. I couldn’t let fear rule me.

  “If you tell a soul!”

  “No need for threats.” He growled. “The Mortis rule is beneficial to myself and my crew. You allow us to keep great wealth. We work for your father.”

  “You mean worked.”

  His brows tangled together. “I don’t follow.”

  “The king is dead,” I said, realizing we’d left before the news would have swept the kingdom.

  He looked at the ground for a second, then pulled his dark gaze back up to mine. “We must get you home.”

  “No. I… I can’t be there right now. Edgar has the throne, but once I am done with my business in Berovia, I can return.”

  “You must take your place as queen.”

  I fumbled my fingers. “I can’t yet.”

  Suspicion laced his bold features. “Why not? I was delighted to see you were still alive at the tavern and others will be too. If what you say is true and the king is dead, then you must become queen.”

  “Well, you see… I can’t. It’s complicated.”

  “What’s going on?” he asked, his stare pointed.

  “I just need to take care of something.”

  “While your father just died?”

  “I know how this must look.”

  He shook his head slowly. “Indeed.”

  Silence hung between us. I took a chance, one I hoped I wouldn’t regret, but then, what choice did I have?

  “Look, my father died while I returned to Magaelor. I didn’t kill him,” I lied, “but I’m worried people will think I did. It looks too convenient, you see. We had fallen out and then I show up, alive, on the day he dies.”

  “Regicide,” he said. Wrinkles crowned his forehead. “I see. If that is believed, then you wouldn’t be allowed to return to power. They would execute you.”

  “Yes, and I’m innocent.”

  He scoffed. “Like that ever mattered to the high priest.”

  “Ah yes. Vahaga.” I frowned. He was my father’s biggest advocate and would be able to sentence me in a second if he believed I was behind Amos’s death. I took a deep breath and rubbed the back of my hand, pressing my thumb into my palm. “You seem like an intelligent man, so I will spare you any lies. If you don’t want my cousin on the throne, a man I guarantee will not let you keep the tax breaks you are accustomed to, then do not let anyone believe I was in Magaelor. You must take me to Berovia, then return me. I will, of course, ensure the crown pays you handsomely, once I am back in power. An extra two hundred gold coins. The extra would include your silence on this matter. If you do decide to speak up or attempt to bribe me once I have taken back my crown, I will have you quickly taken care of.” I heard my father in my tone, but some fear was needed. I was losing control of the situation.

  He searched my expression, then dipped his head. “We found you while visiting the shadow markets in Woodbarrow and recognized you. You were in hiding because of the recent attacks on Berovia, and we took you home. Perhaps King Xenos tried to kidnap you to bribe King Amos, but you escaped.”

  I nodded. It was an excellent plan. “You’d make a good advisor,” I stated. “Can you get the men on board with the plan and guarantee their silence?”

  He looked behind him and arched an eyebrow, a smile playing on the corner of his mouth. “These half-wits, they’ll believe it if I tell them to. Do not concern yourself with a thing. We will bring you back and place you on your throne.” He bowed, turned on his heel, and marched to the other side of the ship, leaving my line of sig
ht.

  I felt sick to my stomach watching him walk away. I’d slept well and had eaten, thanks to Hawk’s bread-and-butter breakfast, but the nausea had stemmed from my fear of the future, something I couldn’t sedate. I needed a distraction.

  I looked at the ocean and wondered how deep it really went. I remembered when I had fallen into the depths after being chased off a cliff by an anumi, and I shuddered. I had been certain I had died, but I was saved. I’d always wondered how. Even with Aquarius and Bella nearby on their ship, a mercreature should have torn me apart in seconds, but I’d only suffered a bite. Something had saved me down there. I felt it.

  The rainforest hummed in the distance as we closed in on Berovian shores. I rolled my eyes up to the blinding sky. I had missed the heat and relished in it as the sun soaked through my aching muscles, loosening them. I rolled my shoulders back and inhaled deeply. My staff dug into my hip. I’d have to hide it here. With prying eyes and a recent attack, they’d be on high alert. Such a big kingdom wasn’t used to being underhandedly attacked and having a hit on their people.

  I looked down at the map. We had sailed south of Woodbourne, but we needed to go farther east to reach the port Aquarius had taken me from, to where Birch had walked me into Woodbarrow. However, Hawk said it could be unsafe.

  People would be out for blood, I was sure. Their own, killed like that. The solis king would be under pressure to return vengeance on our kingdom. It was only a matter of time. I knew how politics worked. Even my father’s death wouldn’t appease their people. War was coming, and I had to be my kingdom’s defender.

  An eerie silence settled over the forest, which narrowed our path toward a smaller waterway. The waters turned murkier, and mosquitoes swarmed. I squashed one when I spotted it on my arm. “I don’t miss those,” I remarked. What I thought was a log moved. A dark-green tail splashed behind it as the long-snouted creature swam to the muddy banks.