by LJ Andrews
“I couldn’t say,” she said, looking to Briggs for help out of the corner of her eye. Briggs sprang into action and began plodding toward them.
“Wait,” Beaumont said, wrapping a large hand around her upper arm. His eyes laughed wickedly, but his face remained in a chronic frown. “I’ve seen your picture all over town. Yes, once I look past the hair and gown, you are most certainly the she-pirate.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” she snarled.
“Enough with the act,” he snapped back, leaning closer to her face. “If you want to avoid my hangman’s noose, you will do as I say. I demand you remain at the palace, and we shall see if I find you entertaining or not.”
Nova observed the king like a cockroach waiting to be smashed. Her arms trembled as the furious power stung the tips of her fingers down to the tips of her toes. Beaumont watched her curiously. “I would not threaten me, Your Highness,” she spat.
Beaumont watched her curiously before his eyebrows lifted in surprise. “I know what you are! My cousin Insel was obsessed. I can see it in your eyes! They are as clear as if I was looking into a mirror.” The king pulled her against him and met her eyes menacingly. “You will stay, or I will kill you on the spot, and you will do my bidding. You are more than just a pirate looking for Dia and the treasure.” He laughed. “You are looking to go home!”
Nova pulled back, the guests gasping at the sudden commotion surrounding their king. Beaumont gripped the jeweled hilt of his blade against his hip as his face lit into a bright excitement at the sudden change in events.
“Guards,” he shouted. “Stop this woman and take her to the lower cells where she won’t be any trouble. My late cousin had a special place if he ever found one of you.”
Nova watched as palace soldiers closed in on her from every side. Atlas withdrew his pistol in slow motion, and Briggs wrapped his burly arms around one guard; the timing was slow, yet at the same time, everything happened in the blink of an eye. Nova’s confidence only grew as the surprise and confusion thickened around her. After the guards were only feet away, she smiled arrogantly at King Beaumont.
“I will not be going anywhere tonight.”
Nova withdrew the dagger from the tether on her lower leg as the walls of the palace shuddered. The marble pillars cracked along their natural scars of mineral and bits of the upper railings broke off onto the floor below.
Ladies screamed and rushed from the ballroom as the guards stopped short of taking her and watched the crumbling stone in fear.
“You’re more than I imagined,” Beaumont said, taking out his own blade. “I must have you.”
“You’ll have to kill me first,” Nova growled.
She swung the dagger toward the king, who blocked it with his own blade. With a dark chuckle, the king engaged his own sword and they danced with one another, but with deadly intent.
Atlas fired a warning blast at two pursuing soldiers, while Briggs wrestled on the floor with another. The walls shuddered violently as Nova slashed the dagger toward Beaumont again. The jeweled hilt felt hot in her hand, as if full of fire. Bringing the tip down hard, it finally slashed along the king’s wrist.
Beaumont cried out in pain as his skin bubbled and burned where fresh blood should be. Nova smiled; it had been so long since she’d seen the power of the dagger take the burning effect on its victim.
She stepped closer to the king, the golden floor seeming to crunch under each step as the fury inside her waged on. She reached a hand out and brushed the side of the king’s cheek while he held his burning wrist. Beaumont shrieked and fell to the floor, his face red and blistered where Nova had touched him.
She tried not to be surprised, unsure how her simple touch had injured him. Instead, she smiled down on the fallen king as she towered above. “You seem to know a great deal about Mount Dia. Tell me what is down in the archives! Tell me how to get there!”
Beaumont chuckled once more, but his eyes were no longer smiling. “Never. I’m afraid you’ll have to stay lost and trapped here in Launi for the rest of your days.”
Without a second thought, Nova wrapped her hand around his other wrist and was afraid to admit something inside enjoyed the king’s cries of pain.
“Stop!” he pleaded after a long moment of tormenting screams. “Stop, I’ll tell you!”
Nova released his charred, blackened wrist and sat back. The king’s eyes fluttered open and shut as the pain became too much for his body to handle. He seemed ready to pass out from the torturous grip she’d held on him.
“Tell me what you know,” she shouted.
“The…Unknown. You must…. pass through…the Unknown.”
“That’s not all. What else?” she snarled and reached her hand out again.
King Beaumont shuddered away from her, gasping for breath. “All I know…all I know is you need black copper. From Regen, it will help you through. That’s all I know, I swear.”
“Lass, we must go,” Briggs said, touching her shoulder.
Nova glanced around. The room was empty apart from injured soldiers. Briggs and Atlas had fought wildly as she’d confronted the king. But more soldiers were rampaging down the halls. Their heavy boots echoed throughout the entire palace.
“Have you heard of black copper?” she asked Briggs, her heart pounding in excitement.
“Aye, lass. I know where to go. But come on—we must leave.”
“We shouldn’t leave him,” Atlas said. “He could send someone after us.”
“We aren’t murderers, boy,” Briggs snapped. “Now, if he knows what’s good for ‘im he’ll forget we was ever here.”
Beaumont breathed heavily, clutching his useless arm as the burn had spread along his hand and forearm. The king spewed hate at them, but he slowly nodded in agreement with Briggs.
“We can’t trust him,” Atlas said.
“We don’t have time. Come on,” Nova said, pulling at Atlas’s arm.
Atlas relented and quickly blasted a deafening shot at one of the lower windows, shattering the beautiful stained glass. Quickly, they leapt through the opening as the ballroom filled with armed soldiers ready to take aim.
Running through the courtyards toward the outer gate, Nova ducked the bullets whistling past their bodies.
“Head to the jungle,” Briggs shouted. “We’ll make our way to the coast, but out of range of the guns.”
Without hesitation, Nova gathered the folds of her ball gown and rushed into the lush, thick jungle surrounding the lower hill.
When the dark, heavy palm leaves opened into a clearing, they stopped. Nova rested against a thick trunk with black vines trailing up the side like beautiful, shiny serpents.
“He knew what I was,” she breathed, trying to catch her breath.
“What do you mean?” Briggs asked, clutching his chest through the burn of the escape.
“He said my eyes were like mirrors and he knew about Djinn.”
“Well, that’s what happens when you let the Djinn side take over,” Atlas said. “Your eyes get clear and bright. I wouldn’t describe it like a mirror, though. More like a crystal ball. The first time I saw it happen, something made me feel like I would do anything you asked of me. It’s pretty fascinating.”
“And no one thought to tell me until now! I would’ve tried to hide it if I had known.”
“Nova, it’s pretty hard to hide. Everything radiates strength and power when the Djinn takes over,” Atlas said in admiration. It was clear her darker side was appealing to him.
“What’s black copper, Uncle Briggs? You said you knew what he was talking about.”
Briggs cracked a twig between his hands and bit his bottom lip. “I have never seen it meself, but I heard yer pap talk about it. It be the only thing strong enough to get ye through a journey into the Unknown, according to the legend. Some say it’s cursed metal used to kill the innocent, but yer pap said it was manipulated manu, infused with some kind of ore to make it strong enough. Alls I know is it’s ill
egal to have and sold on the black market. I know of a dealer on Regen. But, lass, it’s dangerous.”
“What do you mean strong enough?” she asked. “Strong enough for what?”
Briggs swallowed hard and looked into the dense twisting trees in the dark jungle. “Strong enough to kill the monsters waitin’ for us in the Unknown.”
Chapter 9
Missing
From the clearing, it was easy to see the palace in the morning light. Briggs snored loudly beneath a shady palm while Nova scanned the jungle looking for the safest path to the coast. She’d hardly slept, and something deep inside her chest weighed heavily like an anchor tethering her to the ground. It wasn’t clear what, but she knew something was wrong, somewhere.
Nova took a deep breath trying to shake the unnerving concern not for herself, but strangely for the Tucker family, and Kale in particular. Since leaving, she hadn’t allowed herself much time to think about him. But as the cheery sunrise awakened the royal island with beautiful rays of orange and pink light, she allowed her thoughts to drift to his perfect smile and knowing eyes.
“Have you been awake long?” Atlas whispered from behind her.
Her muscles seemed heavy and fatigued as her body shifted in his direction. He leaned against a thick tree trunk, his muscular arms folded across his chest. Nova found the way he let his hair hang free over his broad shoulders surprisingly attractive.
Atlas was with her. They’d come so far since that terrible night aboard the Star’s Vengeance; she could almost see herself putting the past behind them and returning to one another—almost. He encouraged her to submit to the power, and it thrilled her to know he wanted to experience the strength of the Djinn power inside. Yet, something held her back. She cursed the weight inside of her pulling her away from what was right before her eyes.
“I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to find an escape route to the coast. It would seem we need to set a course to Regen.”
“Are you ready to do this?” he asked, looking ahead at the rising sun.
“Are you having second thoughts?”
Atlas turned and faced her, a fire in his eyes she hadn’t seen for so long. “I’ve never been so sure of something, Nova. To see you turn into this…this amazing force has been the greatest adventure of my life.”
Atlas stepped closer, bringing his palm to the side of her face. Nova held her breath, trying desperately to shake the irritating load pulling her away—it was ruining the moment.
“But what if I didn’t have Djinn power?” she asked, turning her head toward the sunrise again.
Atlas lowered his hand, his face turned up in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“Would you still take this adventure with me if I was just…Nova?”
“I don’t understand. The Djinn power is part of you. That’s what makes you Nova. Don’t you agree?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Sometimes I wish I had my mother’s tea again.”
Atlas chuckled. “I’m not sure what you mean?”
Nova smiled and wrapped her fingers in his. “The tea my mother used to give me to keep the Djinn side locked away. Sometimes I wish I could go back to just being Nova, not a Djinn, just Nova. But if that were to be, I wonder if the adventure wouldn’t seem so appealing.”
Atlas rubbed his thumb over her hand. “You should know the answer to that. I cared for you long before either of us knew of the Djinn. But I won’t deny how drawn I am to your strength, Nova. It’s as if you’re whole when you accept it in.”
Nova smiled, but couldn’t help feeling that if she lost the power, Atlas’s affection might die with it.
“Did I miss a mornin’ meeting?” Briggs said gruffly, scratching his round belly.
Nova chuckled. “No, just a little trouble sleeping. I think King Beaumont may have taken our threat to heart. I haven’t seen or heard any patrols leave the palace. We should leave for the coast, and pray our ship is still there. Who are we looking for once we get to Regen?”
“I don’t like this, lass. Yer pap and mother would murder me, yes, flat out murder me, if they knew what I was plannin’ with ye.”
“Uncle Briggs,” Nova said sternly. “I am not the child you told stories to anymore. My family is split, and I refuse to give up until we are safely back together. Now, I know you were once the first mate of the Scarlet Moon, so answer me this: would Varick Willock allow his crew to quit if so much was at stake?”
“That is entirely different,” Briggs argued.
“Would the crew of the Scarlet Moon give up?” she insisted.
“Nay, lass. The captain I sailed under would press on if so much were at stake.”
“Then please help me. My father gave me his persistence and my mother gave me her power, and I will find them.”
Briggs held up his hand. “All right young Miss, but this be somethin’ ye haven’t ever faced. Be ready to see horrors out there in them skies. We be goin’ where we can’t turn back.”
The words struck Nova like a hammer slamming against a nail. She knew Briggs spoke true and if she turned down this road, there would be no coming back.
“I understand,” she replied solemnly.
“Right then, let’s get to the coast before that good-for-nothin’ king changes his mind and sics the dogs on us.”
****
The air on Koning was heavy as they ran to the coast. It seemed as if the island was in a deep sleep. No one strolled the brick roads of the town. The palace shone silently, like a gilded spectral overlooking their escape.
“Are you keeping our path open?” Atlas questioned when they untethered the ship. It was still bobbing against the dock, safely waiting for them to disembark on another journey.
“What do you mean?” she whispered, leaping over the rail.
“I expected a little resistance, but everything seems to be in our favor as we try to leave. You have the power to do that. I was just impressed.”
Nova shrugged, beginning to unbutton the nape of her neckline on the silk gown. The fabric was damp from the humidity, and the hem had been torn to shreds running through the heavy trees.
“If I did this, it was unintentional. I hoped to make it safely off Koning, just as I’m sure you and Briggs were.”
Nova took a bundle of new clothes into the small cabin on the main deck to finish dressing. It calmed her to think perhaps she had twisted the events of their escape in their favor, but a biting uneasiness forced her to wonder if it had been something else allowing her to escape the royal island.
The journey to Regen Island took the better part of four days. Nova groaned when the heavy gray clouds came into view. Pulling the brim of her leather hat around her face, she mumbled under her breath when cold rain poured over her face.
Regen Island—just as muddy and wet as she remembered. The people went about their business with fur cloaks and warm wraps around their frames. Standing water pooled in the streets, but the forest surrounding the vibrant city was the greenest foliage of the entire kingdom.
“Regen is a special place,” Atlas said, once they stepped onto the docks.
“If you like dreary storm clouds every day,” she grumbled.
“It doesn’t rain every day.” He laughed, slinging a sack of belongings over his shoulder. “This is where it all began, though.”
Nova lifted an eyebrow in confusion.
“This is where we met. Seems so long ago,” he said wistfully.
Nova’s heart pattered in her chest remembering the day she stowed away on the Freedom. Atlas had concealed her, and here they were nearly two years later. So much had happened since that day. She watched a pair of naval officers strolling the streets. Atlas hadn’t been the only one she’d met that day. Turning away from the soldiers, she realized she’d partly hoped to see Kale back where they’d first lain eyes on one another.
“I suppose you’re right. Regen is where it all began,” she replied, trudging down the sopping road after Briggs.
“We shoul
d meet with the dealer first…get it out of our way,” Briggs said.
Nova nodded and followed close behind as Briggs led them around a large dress shop into a muddy alleyway. At the far end of the moss-ridden walls was an arched doorway with bars over a closed window.
“I’m gonna get killed,” Briggs mumbled, chewing on his lower lip. “This stays between us, lass. Kamali won’t never need to know.”
Nova lifted her hand, taking her oath of secrecy. “I swear, Uncle Briggs.”
“Get yer pistol ready,” he said to Atlas. Without hesitation, Atlas loaded and cocked the flintlock while keeping it concealed at his side. Taking a deep breath, Briggs tapped on the door in a notable rhythm. Single tap, double tap, double tap, pause, single tap.
He backed away from the door and waited. Nova’s stomach rolled in anticipation for who would be beyond the door. After a long, tense moment, the small window creaked open behind the bars. A pair of bloodshot eyes from endless days of strong drink watched them.
“What’s the code?” a raspy voice asked, barely above a whisper.
“Nary a devil, without first bein’ a saint.”
The window slammed shut and heavy locks released from the inside until, finally, the door groaned, allowing them to pass through.
“What does the saying mean?” Nova whispered as they stepped into a smelly, dank room.
“Means we all start right, but everyone usually succumbs to our inner darkness.”
“I always took it to be a rather bleak outcome,” a man said. His voice was hoarse yet powerful.
Nova stayed close to Briggs as he held out his hand for the man to take. “Lennon, pleasure to be seein’ ye again.”
“Gareth Briggs. What do I owe the pleasure? I was certain after out last meeting I would not have the gratification of your company.”
“Things change,” Briggs said abruptly.
“That they do,” Lennon said, puffing in a long breath of smoke from his long black pipe.