“The elders demand a sacrifice to prove your loyalty,” the aged voice spoke again.
The general shook his head once, firmly. “I maintain that the girl is our best chance at controlling the amulet.”
“Not the girl.” Jayce sounded eager now. “Why would we ask you to sacrifice a girl you barely know?”
“That’s quite enough interruptions. I would hate to think you are as insubordinate as your father.” The mask had turned toward Jayce but swiveled back to my father. “You may choose from among your sons.”
The blood drained completely from my father’s face. He fought for composure, something I had never witnessed from him. “Absolutely not.”
“Then the Court will take all four of them as sacrifices. The portents only said that you would be our leader, not in what capacity. You can lead from the brig as well as from the deck, Master.”
Xav, Gunther, and I could fight to our deaths and still only take out a quarter of these men. There were at least sixty here, and that would leave Addie with no protection. I exchanged wary looks with each of them.
“I’ll be your sacrifice,” Xav said. “Just let the others go.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Xav.” I scoffed. “We aren’t just going to let you sacrifice yourself for us. I’m the one who started all of this. I should go.”
“Clark, no,” Addie’s eyes met mine, wide with fear.
I hated to put that expression on her face, but what I had said was true. This was my doing.
Father still hadn’t spoken.
“You two always forget about me,” Gunther broke in.
No. Suddenly, I found it hard to breathe.
“Father,” Gunther continued, “you know I’m the only one who won’t fight you, won’t make this harder than it has to be. These two idiots can’t help themselves. They’ll go down swinging, cause problems. I’m your only real choice. You know it.” He glanced at Xavier and me. “You can tell by their faces that they know it. And I certainly know it.” Gunther stood calmly, like he hadn’t just asked us to all witness him die.
Father looked between his sons. He had to know there was no way in hell Xav and I would stand by while he hurt our little brother.
“Fine. If you’re so convinced the girl is of no use,” he walked closer to Addie, pulling out an unusual knife. It was bronze, and the tip of the blade was the same swirling blue of Addie’s necklace. I lunged for him, but the masked men jumped to his defense and there were far too many of them. Finally, I stopped fighting so I could see why Addie wasn’t. She stood there, calmly. My girl who never took anything lying down wasn’t so much as glaring.
Her hand was on the amulet, her face a mask of concentration. A shaky beam shot from it. Like before, I noticed a subtle silence, like the crystal had stolen the sound from the air, before I heard a cry from Jayce. Pride swelled in my chest, even under the dismal circumstances.
My father darted behind her and cut the chain of her necklace with one neat swipe of his hand. All this time, all we had wanted was the necklace separated from Addie without killing her in the process. So simple, so quick, and just when she needed it for protection. He pocketed the amulet. Here, I hadn’t thought it was possible to be angrier with the man.
I lunged for him. The general’s strange knife went to her throat, and I froze. Addie had her heiress face on, but I saw her swallow against the blade before she spoke.
“Don’t let them use me as a bargaining chip, Clark. Fight, and —” She was cut off by the blade pressing further into her skin. Rivulets of blood ran down her neck, and she squeezed her eyes shut, likely to keep me from seeing the pain sparking in them.
“Restrain them,” he ordered.
Xav was cursing my father, but he didn’t fight. Not with a knife to Addie’s throat.
How had everything gone so wrong?
Men were surrounding Jayce on the floor, trying to tend to his wounds. Hopefully, they were unsuccessful, and he would actually die from his injuries this time. The man had the survival instincts of a cockroach.
Men wrestled us to the floor, tying our hands behind us. Addie’s eyes had opened again, and they were burning into me.
“Fight,” she mouthed. Then what looked like, “Leave me here, and go.”
I shook my head. I didn’t know what her life was worth to my father, but I believed there was a piece of him left that would never hurt the boys he had worked so hard to save. Especially not Gunther. Memories of him cradling the frail boy onto our ship, agonizing over his care, going so far as to raise his voice to the doctor who said Gunther would never recover.
I had walked in on him watching over Gunther in his sleep, wringing his hands through his closely-clipped hair, afraid to touch Gunther for fear of exacerbating one of his many wounds. No one was that good at pretending. He loved Gunther as much as he was capable of loving anyone, so I had to believe he had a way out of this.
Gunther spoke in the same reasonable, calm tone with which he had offered himself up. “Let her go, Father. I will come willingly, but don’t hurt Addie.”
Addie’s mask was faltering in her fear. Her eyes darted from my father to Gunther and back to me. My breaths were coming faster, my own fear creeping in. Whether or not Gunther was in danger, Addie certainly was. I didn’t know what had gone on between my father and Xav, or how much he blamed me for. Someone could still die here today. Someone I — I looked at Addie before finishing the thought in my head. It seemed ridiculous to deny in the midst of the unspeakable situation we were in.
Someone I love.
When Xavier and I were restrained, the general removed his blade from Addie’s neck. He moved to stand in front of us, staring at the mask of the man who had spoken earlier rather than his sons.
“Very well, Gunther. I accept your sacrifice.”
Panic surged in my chest. He had to be bluffing. Hadn’t I just been thinking what an excellent bluffer he was?
“No!” I didn’t realize I had said the word aloud until he turned to me, still not quite looking at me. His gaze was fixed somewhere over my head.
“I warned you, Clark. I told you to stay out of this, just like I told Xavier. But you never could leave well enough alone. Now, maybe you’ll finally hear me when I say, stay out of this.”
Blood was roaring in my ears. I could hardly focus on the words, only the sentiment resounding in my ears.
My fault, my fault, my fault.
Distantly, I registered something about a promise to return the three of us safely to the ship when it was over. But that wasn’t right. There were four of us.
Over. The word echoed. No. I looked at Gunther, eyes pleading.
“Gunther, tell him no. Tell him you changed your mind.”
“I’m supposed to protect you both. Let him take me, Gunther.” Xavier was begging, tears running unashamedly down his face.
But Gunther didn’t fight. He walked to where father was standing in an empty spot in this middle of the masked men. Addie was fighting and screaming now, but a man was holding her down. A heavier wave of fear flashed across her face.
The man’s words drifted over to me. “Finally, you’ll pay for what you did to my brother.”
“You will not touch the girl,” my father’s voice boomed. “This sacrifice, their safe passage. That is the arrangement.”
I would not be grateful to him, not now. The man didn’t argue, but he squeezed her tighter. Rage burned through me, and I bucked against my restraints, needing to get to Gunther, to Addie. Xavier was doing much the same next to me. The men who tied us had done their job well, though. We were on our knees, and the ropes securing our wrists and ankles weren’t budging.
I returned my gaze to Gunther, desolation permeating every part of my soul. His eyes were bleak, but he made a sign to Xavier and me, one of the first signs we had come up with.
It’s okay.
“It’s not okay!” I shouted, my voice hoarse. My own cheeks were wet. If my father had a plan, he was hiding it wel
l.
Then the man we had all called Father plunged the knife into Gunther’s abdomen.
Time froze for a moment. The tangible absence of sound made me wonder if the crystal had been activated after all. Silent snapshots imprinted on my brain.
Blood gurgled from my youngest brother’s pale lips before he collapsed to the ground, the peaceful expression from a moment ago replaced by shock and agony.
Xavier’s lips were moving, his face a mask of the unbridled horror I felt rising up in myself.
The general — no, Master Yomi — wore a face of stone. He looked away from the fallen boy, the boy he had rescued and called son and promised to love and protect. He didn’t so much as bother to face the carnage he had created.
Addie sobbed, the tears she was usually so ashamed of cascading in a waterfall down her face while she slumped in the arms of the despicable man restraining her.
And I sat motionless, helpless to do anything to save my brother.
A sound that was more animal than human tore from my throat. Time started moving again, but it was too fast, too loud.
Xavier was making some headway with his restraints, for all the good it did us now.
“Subdue them, then take them across,” the murderer finally spoke.
All I could do was stare, unmoving, at Gunther’s crumpled form. There was a sharp pain to the back of my head, and the world went black.
The Princess
“I’m not having this conversation again,” Nell sighed in exasperation.
If SuEllen thought Nell didn’t realize what her aunt was doing, finding subtle ways to leave her in charge, like when she had left for Picaro Island, she was mistaken. There had been little to manage, but the crew had looked to Nell like they wanted her to step up and do…something.
That was precisely what she didn’t want. Controlling others’ lives already came too naturally for her, and she had made a tremendous mess of things with Addie.
“You cannot avoid this discussion forever, PeNelope. But fine, if you don’t want to act like a leader, go swab the decks. You can’t get much less queenly than that.” Her aunt’s gorgeous face was flushed with fury. “Perhaps while you’re there, you can consider the kind of queen you want to be, and whether it’s the kind that bamboozles their friends into lifelong commitments.” SuEllen tugged at her own wrist, which she always kept covered these days.
“That’s easy enough, Auntie,” Nell responded, steadfastly not thinking about how she had violated Addie’s trust. Her best friend was so incredibly guarded and stubborn, and Nell knew Clark could make her happy. She had looked over and seen the two standing there with that invisible barrier between them, and the idea had just come to her. It had seemed like a good one, at the time.
Nell forced her focus back to the conversation at hand. “I don’t want to be any kind of queen, ever. There, I’ve thought about it.” She paused for a moment before adding bitterly, “And HiLa knows if I did, the people would revolt anyway. So, it’s rather a moot point. If you want someone to take back the throne so badly, do it yourself.”
“You’re acting like a child. I know you are better than this.”
“You don’t know me at all, Auntie. Not anymore.” Tears burned at Nell’s eyes when she saw the sorrow that crossed the captain’s face.
But SuEllen didn’t rise to the bait.
“I will always know you. I know your heart, and I know that if you choose, you could be exactly the queen your people need. No, you will not rule as your mother did or her mother before her. You will surpass them all. I see that, and so will the people.”
Nell stood, mouth agape. Then, she closed it firmly and shook her head.
“You don’t know how much I wish that were true, Auntie. I’ll go start on the decks.” She left before her aunt could respond, not ready to hear anything else the woman had to say. Nell would never be queen. It was better that way.
Chapter Thirty-Four
ADELAIDE
The ship left as quickly as it had come.
Clark and Xavier were still knocked out. It was a small mercy, but not one I could believe was intentional. Not from that man. I kept watch over them through eyes that were burning from the salty tears that refused to stop falling.
Gunther is gone. Dead. Just like Amelie. Just like my mother.
I would never understand how the man who had wrought so much destruction had managed to foster the goodness in the three boys he raised. And none more so than Gunther. Gunther, who had suffered so much and emerged with nothing but kindness to show for it.
Gunther, who had called me sister and meant it. I sobbed harder, trying to get my emotions under control before his brothers woke up.
Shensi had followed us into the sick bay, meowing like she knew that one of the few people she consented to like had left this world. I couldn’t force my numb fingers to pick her up, so Nell was holding her now.
I glanced sharply at Nell, something belatedly occurring to me. “The gel. You survived, and even that monster Jayce. He could still be alive. We have to go after them!” Even I could hear the desperation in my tone.
Her face reflected none of the hope I felt. Just bleak, unending sorrow.
“Addie,” Nell stopped, choking on a sob of her own. “It isn’t possible. The Elixis wasn’t common in Levelia; it wasn’t even on the market yet. It was an experiment. I had one tiny tube, and the person who made it died in the coup. I’m sorry.”
I didn’t care. “We still have to go after them. Whether he’s…” I stopped, unable to even speak the words. “They deserve a body to mourn.”
“They’re headed into the Tempest Sea, and we don’t have the necklace to navigate it.”
“There has to be another way.” I watched her face closely, so I didn’t miss the look that flashed across her eyes. “There is a way.”
She composed her face and opened her mouth, but I cut her off.
“Don’t bother lying to me, Nell. Aren’t we past that at last?”
Apprehension entered her eyes. “Fine. Yes. Auntie’s crystal is more powerful than mine. It can track the necklace at short ranges. It reacts to another crystal’s proximity, glows a little. But it’s dangerous, Addie. If we lose them at all, we will all die in the Tempest Sea.”
“So, we don’t lose them. He would do it for you.” And I would do it for him and for Clark. I didn’t know what this loss would do to Clark, but I knew it wasn’t something he would come back from.
“And what about the rest of the crew?”
“They’re warriors, and they want to get home. We were planning on going there anyway. This feels like a win for them.”
“You expect me to just make that decision on behalf of a ship full of people?”
“Are you joking?” I exploded. “You play god with my life all the time and now you want to grow a sense of morality about other people’s choices? These boys have been through hell, and they already lost one family member. You know what that’s like as well as I do.” I stood up, moving toward her. “Your people want to go home, and this is a chance for them to do that. And if there is even the tiniest chance that Gunther is still alive, are you telling me you’re not going to take it?”
Nell’s face grew thoughtful, and she bit her lip, one of the few signs of uncertainty I had ever seen her display. I pressed my advantage, anger and desperation fueling my words.
“You owe me, Nell, for getting me kidnapped and nearly killed, for tricking me into a lifelong commitment. I’m calling in your debt to me. The only thing you have to do is convince the captain, and I know you will be able to.” I didn’t know any such thing, but I hoped like hell. SuEllen was a hard woman, but it was clear she loved Nell.
“Actually, I don’t,” Nell murmured, looking toward the door.
Fury flashed through my veins. Before I could express any of it, Nell stood abruptly.
“Follow me. These guys aren’t waking up any time soon.”
She was probably right, but I hesi
tated to leave Clark. Then again, I wanted a plan in place by the time he awoke. I kissed his forehead and squeezed his hand before following Nell out of the sick bay.
She raced up the stairs to the top deck. Locke and SuEllen were already standing there in heated conversation, but one look at Nell’s face stilled SuEllen.
“We have to follow them,” Nell said. “Your crystal can track them if we leave now.”
“Into the Tempest Sea? Absolutely not.”
“I’m not asking.”
The captain’s eyes widened. I stared at Nell, the pieces coming together in my mind.
“You’ve made your choice, then?” the captain asked.
“Come now, Auntie. Let’s not pretend I ever had a choice.” Nell’s voice was determined, but her eyes were bleak. I wondered at what exactly I had just forced her to agree to. “I’ll announce it now,” Nell said.
“And I’ll stand at your side.” SuEllen’s features shone with pride, though her niece looked close to vomiting.
Nell walked to the deck railing. The captain stood back and to her left.
“Levelians,” Nell called in a voice that carried.
Every crew member froze in their tracks and turned to face her with expectant faces. Whatever she was about to announce, they weren’t terribly surprised.
“Ten years ago, my uncle came like a thief in the night to take from us everything we held dear. In one night, he took from us our families, our friends, and our home.”
The profound sadness overtaking the ship felt right in the wake of losing Gunther. I let it wash over me, let myself grieve with the women on board.
“Today,” Nell continued in a stronger voice, “we have the chance to take it all back. It will not be easy. It will not be safe. And we will never get back the years that he took from us. But if you are willing to follow our enemies into the heart of the Tempest Sea, we will reclaim our home. And we will claim vengeance. I will claim vengeance.” Cheers went up around the ship, but she wasn’t finished yet. “Your queen has returned, and together, we will take back what is ours.”
The Tempest Sea Page 25