inevitablepub

by Lani Woodland

  James stood at the stern of the ship, staring out at the water. His chiseled features stole my breath as I remembered his earlier caress. With his broad shoulders and perfect posture he looked every inch the prince he was. Even the wind dancing through his wheat-colored hair added to his regal aura. The breeze carried his familiar scent, cloves and leather. Without thought, my body moved in his direction.

  When he turned toward me, his smile warmed my heart, and a matching smile stretched across my face. James was perfection—inside and out.

  Straight above us the sun beat down and calm seas stretched away into the horizon. The salty ocean smell filled my nose as the sea spray beat against the sides of the ship. I inhaled deeply and smiled as the feeling of freedom pushed my worries away.

  What a perfect day this was going to be.

  As I passed, the crew bowed their heads and murmured, “Emmía.” I hated the reverence in their voices when they pronounced my official title. To them, I was beyond a mere human. They saw me as the sacred vessel of the precious liquid that kept the Kingdom of Orea from starvation, not a seventeen-year-old girl. I understood their awe, but I felt undeserving. I hadn’t earned their respect—I’d been born into it. They forgot that I was mortal, a being of flesh and bone who just happened to carry the earth-nourishing blood in my veins. Really, outside of my family, only James understood I was still a person.

  “Emmía.”

  “Call me Jade, please,” I said trying to catch the eye of the young man who had spoken my title.

  “Emmía,” he repeated. His eyes never rose to mine, his head still bowed.

  I forced a smile at him as I passed.

  James took a few steps to meet me. “Jade, I didn’t expect you up so soon.”

  He took my arm and led me towards the side of the deck. As we passed, the sailors swabbing the deck ducked their heads and scrubbed harder. An officer who was shouting orders to a crewman high in the rigging stopped and threw his shoulders back, straightening his posture. James paused and tilted his head toward the man’s shoes, where a scuff mark streaked the toe. The officer paled and lifted his shoe, rubbing it on the back on his trousers before dropping it again. James nodded at the now gleaming shoe before moving on, and I tried to hide my smile at his need for cleanliness and order, even here on a ship.

  The crew stayed a respectful distance away as we settled on the railing at the stern. James glanced over his shoulder and his brow furrowed.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked.

  He started to say something and then stopped. When he spoke again I knew he’d changed what he meant to say. “No, I’m just thinking about your wedding tomorrow.” He took a deep breath. “If you get married, you’ll be his.”

  A sour taste spread in my mouth. “I’ll never be his. I love you.”

  The bold words were out before I could think, and my hand immediately clutched my medallion. Tomorrow that same sentence would be a betrayal of vows and my necklace would surely have fallen off, but today it seemed I still had the freedom to express the yearnings of my heart.

  “I love you too.” The right side of James’s mouth lifted and he took possession of my hand. Our gazes locked, pink tinged his cheeks, and my stomach tingled like a thousand soap bubbles popped inside it. Those words had never actually been spoken between us before, though they’d been implied in every action, every stolen moment.

  His smile fell suddenly. “I love you, too,” he repeated. This time, the words sounded more like a sigh as he stared off into the sea. “My father planned for me to marry soon—some girl I’ve never met. He never cared that my heart belonged to you.”

  “I wish . . . so many things.” I brushed my hand against his shoulder. “I wish you were born first. You’d be a wonderful king. The people would love your warmth, your mercy.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve never had the desire to rule. August will be a fine king.”

  I bit my lip to keep from responding. In some ways, I knew his brother better than he did.

  James laughed suddenly, shaking his head. “Doesn’t matter now, does it? We’re here. On an adventure.”

  “Our perfect day,” I said.

  James leaned in close, his mouth grazing my ear, his breath warming the side of my cheek. “I know it’s wrong for me to love you, but I can’t help myself.”

  I turned my head to see his brilliant smile, our lips only inches apart. So close I could almost taste him. I leaned toward him.

  And then his warmth was gone. He jerked back and released my hand. Rejection slapped me across the face and I swiveled forward, studying the ocean.

  I knew why he didn’t kiss me. Though our words were safe enough today, our actions—a single kiss—might condemn us, making our medallions fall off. And if we returned to port without our medallions, we’d both be scheduled for execution. Even our titles couldn’t save us from the consequences of breaking one of the Edicts.

  I focused on the ocean, the way the turquoise waters lapped around the boat, the cries of the birds in the sky, and the feel of the wind on my face. We were the only vessel for miles, alone in the stretch of sea.

  I pushed back a windblown tendril of hair from my face. “Earlier, did you see a flash of silver and feel the ship rock?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

  His eyes met mine briefly before skittering away. “A large wave hit us, but I didn’t see any flash.”

  I was about to tell him about the bird that had somehow managed to get into my room, but James looked back over his shoulder.

  “Are you all right, James?”

  “Yes, of course,” he said too quickly for me to believe.

  I took a deep breath and asked a question that had been bothering me for a few days. “You haven’t seemed yourself for almost a week. I was afraid you were angry with me.”

  His eyes slid closed. “I was never angry with you Jade. Not at all. Please don’t think that.”

  “You were avoiding me.”

  “I was,” he admitted.

  “Why?”

  “It all became too real, the upcoming wedding and . . . everything.”

  “That makes sense.” I swallowed. “I was afraid you were tired of my company.”

  James’s gaze found mine. “No, no. It isn’t that at all, Jade. You’re the only thing keeping me sane.” He looked quickly over his shoulder before scooting closer to me. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn’t mean to—I was wrong to have abandoned you like that. I thought—I thought giving us distance would make the wedding less painful. For both of us. But then today—Oh Jade, I just discovered something . . . unsettling, and I’ve been trying to decide how best to tell you.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  James smiled, reaching out and cradling my cheek in his palm, his thumb stroking my face. I leaned into his soft touch and let his warmth seep into me. “I remember the first time I saw you. You were just a baby and you looked up at me with those beautiful eyes.”

  I grinned. “And you’ve watched over me ever since.”

  James smile fell away. “I’ve tried. I’m still trying.”

  “And you’ve done a wonderful job.” I remembered how he used to sit with me after the blood-letting ceremonies, back when I was too weak to run and play. He used to bring me presents, and tell me wonderful stories from all the places I wanted to see. “You’ve loved me for me, not for what my blood can do. I wish the same could be said for your brother.”

  “Me too.” He toyed with a loose thread on the sleeve of my dress before ripping it away. “He isn’t a bad person, but he’s not right for you. He’s too stern, unbendable. My father thinks if I married you, I’d be dancing to your tune.”

  “I’d make it a merry dance,” I teased.

  We shared an amused smile, and a comfortable silence fell between us. I leaned back on my hands and stared out at the sea, my eyes tracking a small island we were approaching.

  The island grew more visible, but I barely noticed the peb
bled beach and large stone cliffs because James twined a piece of my hair around his hand, the backs of his fingers skimming my neck.

  I cleared my throat. “I feel like we’re in one of those adventures from your stories, searching for the Isle of Grey.”

  James studied the water. “Oh yes, but unlike those unfortunate souls, we’ll find the island and with it the cure for the cursed soil.”

  My heart beat faster. “And then they’d no longer need my blood and we could marry.”

  If only any of the ships that had searched for the island had been successful. Many had left but none returned, until finally the kingdom gave up hope of ever finding the birthplace of Princess Dawn.

  As we came around the island, a sudden wind blew across the ship, bringing a thick layer of fog that settled around us, blocking out the sun.

  “Odd weather,” James said, looking again over his shoulder. “Raise the sails until the fog passes! Light the lantern. We don’t want to run into any rocks around this area.”

  “Too bad it’s dangerous,” I said. “The mist is beautiful, almost magical.”

  “Magical?” James jumped to his feet, pulling out a spyglass but instead of looking in front of the ship, he checked the area behind. He lowered it and nodded, murmuring something to himself. His grip on the spyglass tightened and his knuckles turned white.

  And suddenly I understood. “James, are you afraid someone is following us?”

  He turned toward me and shoved the glass into his jacket. “There’s something I must tell you. After the blood-letting, when I left, I went to find August and I overheard his conversation with my father.”

  The seriousness of his tone made me swallow hard. He stayed quiet for a few moments, his face darkening in a way I never thought possible, and I watched while he picked at a small piece of dust on his shoulder, not looking at me. He looked positively sick and I braced myself for whatever he was about to say.

  At last he took a deep breath and started again.

  “They were talking about the stock piled blood and how—”

  “James!” an authoritative voice called.

  James and I both turned to the sound of the voice and James gasped as August strode toward us, his face contorted in rage.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” August asked. His thin mouth frowning, his eyebrows drawn together. He glared cold eyes at my hand in James’s. “Trying to steal my fiancé, little brother?”

  “Of course not.” James paled. “What are you doing here?”

  August’s lips curled into a sneer. “Did you really think we wouldn’t notice your sudden plans for a last minute sea voyage? You’ve always cared far too much about this girl, but we never once thought you would break an Edict for her.” August shoved his brother’s shoulder hard. “You put the whole kingdom at risk by bringing her outside the barrier!”

  Outside of the barrier? What was James thinking, taking us beyond the magical wall that surrounded and protected Orea?

  “James, why would you do that?” I asked, remembering the silver flash James had dismissed.

  Both brothers ignored me, glowering at each other instead.

  “And how is your being here any less of a risk?” James asked throwing back his shoulders and standing tall. “What—did you just sneak onboard at the smallest notion of what I might have in mind?”

  “I was right.”

  “You’re the Crown Prince, August. You shouldn’t be anywhere without your guards.”

  “Don’t try to deflect this, James. I’m here to save your skin. You’re just lucky your medallion hasn’t fallen off yet, or my hands would be tied. As it is, Father’s going to be enraged. And for what? For her?”

  The look August gave me made me cower against James.

  He wrapped his arm protectively around me, taking a slight step between August and me. “Yes, for her!”

  August scoffed, looking incredulous. “You’re too soft.”

  With those three words, James lowered his head in defeat, and I realized our adventure was over. And as much as I wanted to blame August, James was the one who had been foolish enough to take me beyond the safety of the barrier. But why? As loyal as I was to the kingdom, that was nothing compared to the way James had tied his very honor to the Edicts and the throne. So what changed?

  A shout filled the air and we all spun toward it. A glimpse of color fluttered in the fog. A large ship burst through the mist heading straight for us, like a demon ready to swallow us whole. My eyes instantly recognized a ship’s ensign, but it took longer for me to understand that the gray flag with the green circle and broken golden manacles didn’t belong to an Orean vessel. This ship was an enemy advancing on us with an unnatural speed and a shiver coursed through my body. We were going to be attacked.

  I braced for impact, thinking it might ram the Iris, but somehow it managed to turn hard and come along side us.

  “What have I done?” James whispered, almost to himself.

  Then August muttered something that only confirmed what I already knew. One word—a single word that changed my world.

  “Pirates.”