Nightblood

by Elly Blake

  He gave her the full dose of his charming grin. “Me neither.”

  She grimaced. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  TWENTY-ONE

  MY CABIN DOOR SHUT WITH A SNAP.

  I spun around, heart thumping, holding my shirt to my chest, ready to blast whoever had barged in when I was only half-dressed.

  “Oh, it’s you.” Now my pulse leaped for a different reason. We hadn’t had a moment alone since the unfortunate incident in Liddy’s tavern. Once our little group had returned to the ship, I’d come straight to my cabin to change out of my princess gear into a black tunic and leggings. We’d already set sail. The island where Marella was being held was only a few hours north, so we would arrive shortly after nightfall.

  Arcus said nothing, just stood there, eyes hooded, his face an unreadable mask.

  I took a breath, not encouraged by his harsh expression. I was half tempted to drop my shirt. That might shock some warmth into his impassive features. But it didn’t seem like the time.

  “Turn around,” I told him.

  He turned to face the door. I whipped the shirt on, pulling my hair from the collar and letting it tumble down my back. I could still feel leftover pins from my elaborate hairstyle cutting into my scalp. I started to remove them as I said, “All right.”

  He turned to face me again. Silent. His lips tightened, and something flickered in his eyes. I waited.

  Finally, I couldn’t stand it. “If your plan is to stare me into begging for forgiveness, I’d like to remind you that I can be just as stubborn as you.”

  “That’s all you have to say?” His voice and face were unyielding.

  “No. Not if you’re speaking to me. If you’re just planning to stare daggers, then yes. That’s all I have to say.”

  His lips twisted. “What the blazes was that display in the tavern?”

  “Necessity?”

  “You knew I was watching through the window. You saw me.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Did that enhance the experience for you?” I didn’t appreciate the sneer in his tone.

  “No, it did not.”

  “Why don’t I believe you?”

  I shrugged. “Because you’re jealous and it’s making you unreasonable?”

  “Jealous? Jealous doesn’t do this feeling justice. Try furious.”

  My muscles tightened, readying for flight. I wasn’t scared, but I certainly wouldn’t mind running from this conversation. “At me?”

  “At…” He jerked a hand through the air. “Circumstances… if I’m forced to be rational. But partly you.”

  “What part is me?”

  He leaned against the door, crossing his arms. After a long exhalation, he said in a more even tone, “Please explain what happened. I couldn’t hear most of what you were saying.”

  “Kai had to convince his moneylender friend that he was betrothed to me. Otherwise, he was going to end up married to her or dead. She insisted on a kiss to prove that he wanted the marriage. We did our best to be… convincing.”

  “I could almost feel sorry for this pirate woman. The look on her face as she watched you…” He took a breath. “I knew how she felt.”

  That made me feel worse, both for him and for her. I hadn’t thought she’d had any real feelings for Kai. Maybe I was wrong. Still, it wasn’t her I was concerned about.

  “I’m very sorry you had to see that.” I hoped he could hear that I meant every word. “It was one of the most awkward things I’ve ever had to do, if that helps at all. We both just wanted it over with.”

  “That’s not how it looked!”

  I spread my hands. “Kai is an excellent performer.”

  His nostrils flared. “Do you know how hard it was not to smash my way through that window? I wanted to rip him away from you and…” His fists clenched and unclenched. He cleared his throat, his jaw hard. “It’s probably best I steer clear of the prince for a while.”

  “He’s probably thinking the same thing.”

  “Did he know I was watching?”

  “Er… yes. I told him.”

  His eyes narrowed. “That explains why I had a perfect angle for every excruciating moment!”

  I winced. I wouldn’t put it past Kai to enjoy torturing the Frost King when he had the chance. Especially after their altercation in the arena.

  “I’m sure he’s…” I almost said sorry but it was too far from the truth. He probably wasn’t sorry at all. So I just shrugged. “Kai is Kai. I can’t control him.”

  He uncrossed his arms, taking a step closer. “This whole situation is driving me mad. I don’t know how to deal with it.”

  “You think any of us does?”

  “No. Do you think that makes it easier for me? I can’t even touch you without risking—”

  My lips flattened. “What? That I’ll turn into a raging lust beast?”

  He gave me an admonishing look. “Please, stop. This is difficult enough.”

  Suddenly, I was hurt all over again. “Stop what? Talking? Fine. I’m done.”

  He opened his hands. “So that’s it? We just… don’t talk to each other? Avoid each other?”

  “You’re the one who leaped away from me as if you’d been burned. You’re the one who told me you saw a side of me—”

  “I know what I said. And you threatened me that you could turn to someone else if I pushed you away. Have you forgotten that?”

  “I can’t believe you’d bring that up now! You know the Minax pushed me to say things I didn’t really mean!”

  My throat closed. Needing space, I sat on the bed, resting my chin on my bent knees. “Please don’t hurt me by repeating those things. Just don’t.” I shut my eyes.

  A few seconds passed. I felt a light touch on my shoulder and smacked his hand away. “Don’t touch me! I’m dangerous, remember?”

  I heard him move, and then his cold breaths fell on the side of my face, as if he was kneeling next to the bed. I refused to look. I couldn’t bear to see his eyes condemn me all over again.

  “Ruby, we both said things we didn’t—”

  Just then, freezing air rushed into the room as the cabin door whooshed open and slammed shut. My head jerked up in surprise.

  Brother Thistle stood against the door, frost coating it in overlapping waves.

  “I have something to tell you both.” He cleared his throat, lifting his chin and meeting my eyes. “I have put this off too long.”

  The cabin felt too small to contain the emotion coming off Brother Thistle in blasts of cold and layers of frost, so we moved to the mess, a long room filled with scarred wooden tables. He sat in a chair at the end of a table. Arcus and I sat on benches on either side. The light from a single porthole window cast a glowing circle across the polished oak.

  “I grew worried when I saw the symbol of Eurus again after so many years.” He clutched his hands together on the table, the veins pulsing blue. “Prince Kai just told me what you’d learned from the pirate mercenary, and I knew I could keep silent no longer.”

  I resisted the urge to cover his hand with mine. The sizzle of my nervous heat meeting his fearful cold would be anything but calming.

  “The symbol of Eurus?” I prompted, though I knew.

  “A rising sun. You saw it on Marella, in your vision, and I saw it on Lord Blanding’s shoulder.”

  I nodded. “I also saw it in Brother Lack’s office in Tevros. And in another vision, I saw ships flying that flag.” The Minax stirred, perking up with satisfaction. I mentally pushed it away.

  Arcus looked at me intently, and I wondered if he realized I was referring to the dream that was so terrible I wouldn’t share it with him that night in his chamber. I kept my eyes on Brother Thistle.

  He closed his eyes. “Far too many signs to ignore, and yet I tried. I tried to deny it. I was not prepared to face the truth. The Servants have assembled.”

  “Who are these Servants?” Arcus asked.

  “I’m sorry I didn’
t tell you sooner.” Lifting a hand, he tugged down the collar of his monk’s robe on one side, revealing his upper back near his right shoulder. A symbol had been marked in raised flesh that was paler than the skin around it: a semicircle with lines coming from the curve.

  My body went rigid, my pulse picking up speed. The Minax reacted to my shock with delight, soaking up the discord. My hand flew to my chest, as if I could press it into submission. “That’s the mark of Eurus,” I whispered.

  Arcus reared back. “Why would you have that?”

  The monk’s bushy brows drew together. “I’ve spent decades trying to atone for getting this mark.”

  “Decades,” Arcus said softly, his brow furrowing.

  “It was a time of hunger and desperation,” Brother Thistle said, his eyes pleading at us to understand. “My mother and I had just returned to Tempesia and discovered that our noble relatives had disowned us because of her marriage to a commoner from Sudesia.” He waved a hand. “We had no money and few prospects.”

  There was a tremor in his hands as he spoke.

  “What did you do?” I asked, trying not to pass judgment until I’d heard the whole story.

  “A group called the Servants of Eurus was recruiting among the poorest of the poor. Their ideals seemed laudable on the surface: a secret collective of like-minded souls promoting purity of mind and body. They didn’t care if you were a Frostblood or Fireblood. You merely had to pledge allegiance to the god of the east wind. They even took care of my mother when I was sent to the border war with Safra.”

  He turned to Arcus, who listened impassively, his face giving nothing away. “That was under your grandfather’s rule. I fought with the knowledge that I had a greater purpose than just risking my life to widen our borders. The grand master of the order said the god had plans for me and would protect me. I thought Eurus gave me strength to win every battle because he saw my faithfulness.”

  I made a sound of disgust, and his eyes flew to mine, chagrined. I shook my head. “Go on.”

  He swallowed. “When I was injured and discharged, I saw it as a sign that I was supposed to dedicate myself fully to the Servants. I returned to the capital, where the order had begun installing their members in the Frost Court. They said they needed people in power to effect change. Since I had noble blood, I was a logical candidate. They helped me gain a place in King Akur’s court as an advisor.”

  Arcus said, voice expressionless, “They helped you become my father’s chief advisor.”

  Brother Thistle grimaced. “Yes. Eventually, it was clear the motives of the Servants weren’t merely idealistic but political, which I might have supported if their ideals had matched their actions. In my mind, the purity they sought meant helping those less fortunate.”

  When he paused, I said, “And clearly that wasn’t true.”

  “Increasing their power had become their primary motive. They began using the Frost Court’s hatred of Firebloods to recruit followers in high places. Some of King Akur’s most favored generals were members of the Servants. Those generals encouraged war and called peace weakness. They hated Firebloods and made no secret of it. That’s when I lost faith in the order.”

  “You grew up with Firebloods in Sudesia,” I pointed out. “You knew what they said about us wasn’t true.” I was comforting myself more than him, reassuring myself I knew him in some small way. Because just then, I felt as if I’d never known him at all.

  A cool hand covered mine on the table. My eyes shot to Arcus, who met my gaze steadily. I flipped my palm up to meet his, giving and receiving comfort.

  “My order was ultimately responsible for the attack on Firebloods in Tempesia,” Brother Thistle said in an agonized voice. “The realization tormented me, that I had contributed to this atrocity. I protested.” He looked between me and Arcus as if seeking some measure of forgiveness. “Emphatically.” He shook his head. “No one wanted to listen. King Akur said Tempesia would enjoy a grand future, greater than it had ever been in the past.”

  Arcus’s jaw worked. “Sounds like my father.”

  Brother Thistle gave him a regretful look. “I do not think it was entirely his fault. Around the same time, I found The Creation of the Thrones, which made me realize that Eurus himself had cursed the thrones with the Minax to brew hatred and discord.”

  “That’s when you told Lord Ustathius about the book and the curse,” I added.

  “Yes, and he did not believe me, which made me realize that no one else would, either. But I continued to argue with the king over his treatment of Firebloods. The generals who were members of the Servants saw me as a threat to their plans for war. They made sure I lost my position as advisor to the king. After I was gone, there was no one to stop them from taking further liberties with the southern provinces: revoking rights and demanding higher taxes, which led to the southern rebellion, and eventually to the death of many, including your mother, the queen.”

  Arcus nodded and looked away.

  “The Servants of Eurus were to blame. And I was part of them.” Brother Thistle stared at Arcus, radiating regret, but Arcus wouldn’t meet his eyes.

  “But not after that, surely,” I said. “When you left the court, you pledged yourself to the Order of Fors, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.” He lifted both hands, showing the ice crystals on his fingertips. “I longed to atone, so I devoted myself to Fors and to a neglected mountain monastery. I spent years amassing knowledge, acquiring books, searching for more information on Eurus’s curse. However, it wasn’t until years later when an injured young man showed up on my doorstep that I knew my true purpose: to wipe out the throne’s curse so that it could no longer corrupt the future rulers of Tempesia.”

  The conversation fell into silence, a turbulent river of tension flowing between Arcus and Brother Thistle. The monk had saved Arcus when he appeared at the abbey, badly burned, but it wasn’t the time for grateful reminiscence. However sorry Brother Thistle was for his past, Arcus was clearly not ready to forgive him.

  “But what happened to the Servants of Eurus?” I asked, impatient with the standoff.

  “The sects lost members during the war as people were conscripted, displaced, or never came home from battlefields. The Servants seemed to fade away. I thought the group died with King Akur.”

  “Was my father a member?” Arcus asked sharply.

  “Not that I know of. I merely meant that his generation embraced the Servants, but following generations did not as far as I knew. I convinced myself they were gone.”

  I gestured to his shoulder. “But Lord Blanding bears the mark.”

  “Yes, and I wanted to know why. He wasn’t a member back when I was, as far as I knew. I went to his cell after the council meeting, to question him. He denied my claim at first, but with persuasion, the truth came out. The Servants did not disappear, they merely merged with and eventually took over a group dedicated to national pride and restoration of a false history of Frostblood glory.”

  “The Blue Legion,” Arcus murmured.

  “But if this is true,” I said, “then we have no idea how far it reaches. It might extend across the kingdom. Into other kingdoms. If the Servants have been active without your knowledge for so many years, even as they infiltrated Frostblood nobility under another name…”

  “We have no way of knowing how far this has spread,” Brother Thistle confirmed. “But there is hope. Without the Minax, the Servants of Eurus will have far less power to do harm.”

  “Then we’ll make sure the Minax are imprisoned forever,” I said. I waited for Brother Thistle’s eyes to meet my own, then spoke. “I understand why you did what you did. You’ve made up for it with a lifetime of service, including saving my life. And now I will do whatever it takes to stop Eurus from opening the Gate.” Even if that means my life. “I’ve seen the future in my visions, and it’s far worse than any of the atrocities of the past.”

  “If you’ll excuse me, I have some things to take care of,” Arcus said
, standing. He seemed distracted. “We’ll be at the prison island in a few hours, and I still need to plan.”

  “We need to plan,” I corrected. “Kai as well. We all have parts to play.”

  His eyes grew hooded. “Very well.”

  When Arcus left without another word, Brother Thistle looked downcast. I put my hand over his and said, “Don’t worry. He’ll come around.”

  He rubbed his eyes tiredly with the thumb and forefinger of one hand. “Thank you, Miss Otrera, but the only worry you should have right now is finding the Isle of Night. I am just glad you both know everything now. The secret weighed on me.”

  I murmured words of reassurance, but the truth was that after hearing his confession, I was even less inclined to trust anyone but myself—a feeling the Minax encouraged with dark whispers.

  TWENTY-TWO

  WE REACHED THE ISLAND WELL after sunset, the sky a dark blue velvet set with a pearlescent moon.

  The stone keep was perched atop a soaring promontory, its outer edges bristling with towers. On one side, the cliff curved to form a bay where ships bobbed at anchor. On the other, scrubby evergreens crowded a slice of beach.

  We pointed the prow of our small boat at that narrow strip of land, Arcus and a Fireblood master working the oars against churning waves. Another Fireblood master completed our cozy crew of four, a small group for a clandestine operation. If everything went smoothly, we’d slip in unseen and pluck Marella from under the Servants’ noses.

  On the island, torches moved to and fro as patrols carried out their nighttime watch. The cliffs seemed to grow taller as we drew near.

  I craned my neck to look up at the towers so far above. Shadows nestled in the spaces where stonework had broken loose and fallen into the sea.

  “We can do it,” Arcus whispered, his hand resting on my upper back. I leaned into his touch.

  Kai’s ship, and the other three ships accompanying us, waited around a bend on the far side of the island where the cliff was highest. Unless someone looked down from directly overhead, our force would stay hidden. All the lanterns had been doused, every crew member silent.