Disbelief colored Ezekial’s laugh. “He held back?” He raised his eyebrows at Finn, but his smirk had lost some of its smugness. “Show us and break the tie, if you can.”
Finn sighed and turned back to the flattened grass circle.
Ben approached Raine with the same caution he’d show a cornered cat. “He held back? Is that why you were angry earlier?”
Raine snapped her head toward him, her brown eyes fiery. “Exactly. He knows the stakes. He can’t afford to have someone else lead this, not when—” she cut herself off and shook her head. “He should have let himself go all out from the beginning, so there’d be no mistake, and none of this stupid tie stuff.”
Finn reached the center of the circle where he’d started the trio of tests and called out to them, “No one come any closer!” Unlike before, he dropped his chin to his chest. His shoulders rose and fell. He lifted his hands to the sky, then snapped them down to the ground. The air shimmered like a horizontal thunder clap and the flattened grass around Finn singed as the grass beyond it also flattened. A blast pushed against Ben and the rest of the crew, rocking them all back a foot. Ben stared.
Finn’s first raw power blast had flattened about twenty feet around him, and Ezekial had added another ten feet to that. Finn’s blast just now reached at least fifty feet, almost to the Phoenix.
Held back, indeed.
No one spoke as Finn walked back, his steps measured, even. His face looked tired, though he held his head up, determination glinting in his eyes.
“No one has seen power like that since the sages of old walked Terrene.” Ezekial’s voice was hushed. He stared beyond Finn at the circle of damage. “Who are you?”
Finn stopped beside Raine, and he settled his hand on her shoulder before he looked at Ezekial.
“I’m the leader of this mission.” Finn started up the boarding ramp. “Now load up. We need to get to Bergen City.”
Chapter Twenty
Jade
Jade’s stomach roiled, and she clutched the edge of her bunk aboard the Sapphire. Weston was here. On her airship. He didn’t have a ride back to Aerugo, so he and his four guards were traveling with her. Gooseflesh puckered her arms, and a shiver ran down her spine. When would she be free of this madness?
A hiccup sob lodged in her throat, and Jade swallowed convulsively. Last night she’d dreamt that she’d agreed to be queen, and when it came time to crown her for the coronation ceremony, it was soaked in blood. A bloody legacy. The blood of all the Monomi who’d died because of her. Because she’d waited too long. Hesitated. When would she not dream of Zander’s blood on her hands?
Jade grabbed the pillow off her bed and pulled it to her chest, inhaling the subtle, bitter wood scent of cedar. The remembered tang of blood in the air slowly receded from her mind, and she buried her face in the squish of the pillow for one more deep inhale.
She needed to be busy. Keep her hands and mind active.
She needed to tinker.
Jade tossed the pillow aside as she pulled herself to her feet. She cracked her door open and looked down both sides of the hall. Just because Weston was quartered upstairs in the former first-mate chambers, didn’t mean he wasn’t going to wander about. She wouldn’t run into him. Couldn’t. She dashed to the safety of the engine room and closed the door behind her, leaning against it while waiting for the adrenaline shaking in her hands to subside.
She grabbed a wrench from the workstation she and Krista shared and pulled the leg prototype they’d been working on together closer. Something in the balance had seemed off last time they’d worked on it, and it was past time to figure out what it was and fix the problem. Maybe they needed to try a different type of ball bearings. Perhaps iron, or steel?
Someone rapped their knuckles against the door, and Jade shot half out of her chair. It squealed against the floor as she pushed it back. She dashed to a nearby wall and hunkered down behind the condenser unit, gripping the wrench so tightly that the bones in her hand ached. Her pulse pounded in her throat.
The door cracked open, and she peeked behind the curves of the condenser coils, catching a flash of black. She straightened just enough to make out Zak’s perplexed frown. He must’ve caught her movement, as he looked directly at her. Relief eased the severe pull of his lips. The door clicked shut behind him. “Are you—”
She didn’t let him finish his sentence, dropping her wrench in favor of rushing forward and throwing her arms around him. His shoulders hit the wall with a muffled thud, and he didn’t say anything, merely holding her, almost cradling her, in his arms.
Little shudders wracked Jade’s body as tears welled up in her eyes. She clutched his shirt, bracing her forehead against his chest while she rocked her head back and forth. “I can’t do this. I can’t.” She sniffled and caught a whiff of sword oil and cinnamon. Home. Fresh tears slipped down her cheeks, and she let go of his shirt, trying to pull away. “I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault and we both know it, and you’ve been avoiding me, and you probably hate me, and if only I’d chosen differently this would never have happened, and—”
“No.” Zak’s grip tightened, his fingers splaying across her back, holding her in place. He used the pad of his thumb to brush a strand of hair out of her eyes. “It’s not your fault. What happened was because of Bentley and Everett, not you. You asked the Monomi for council, you got it, and you listened to it.” His voice roughened. “None of us saw that coming.”
Jade’s chin trembled, and she buried her face against his chest, hiding from his gaze. How could he be so kind to her? It was her fault. He said he didn’t, but surely he blamed her to some degree. How could he always look out for her? Be so selfless in his protection of her well-being?
Fear shook her knees, and she locked them. It was her turn to protect him. Resolve strengthened her spine, and she straightened, using the palm of her hand to swipe at the tears on her face. Nausea rolled through her stomach, but she ignored it. “I have to do it, don’t I? Whatever it takes.”
Zak’s hands tensed against her back, and she felt his breath hitch. “Do what?”
“Be queen, like they want.” Jade looked away from the storm clouds swirling in Zak’s eyes. “I—I don’t want to, Zak.” Her voice dropped to nearly a whisper. “But I need to protect you.”
Zak pulled away, and she mourned the loss of warmth from his hands. He shook his head. “No.” He wiped the lone tear that trickled down her cheek. “You don’t have to be queen.” His eyes were dark, serious. “This has made me realize one thing: going down this road is not going to protect you. There’s no way to keep you safe like this.” His eyebrow quirked up, disappearing under the black hair falling across his forehead. “Maybe we should run away after all.”
Jade stepped back, shaking her head. “I can’t!” An incredulous laugh huffed out of her. “We don’t know what they’d do to your family if I just disappeared. I can’t risk it. I won’t risk it. I have to at least show up.”
Unbidden, the memory of watching Zak being whipped rose to mind. The blood running down his back, flesh torn and swollen, the smell and the taste of the air, filled with sweat, blood, and pain. Her heart squeezed. It was always because of her.
“I can’t have any more of your family’s blood on my hands.” She closed her eyes and curled her hands into fists. To the Void with you and your selfishness, Jade. He’d lost his nephew, nearly lost his sister, and all she could do was think of herself, what she wanted, what she needed. Her words dropped to a whisper. “I can’t risk losing you, too. Not again.”
“You’re not facing this alone.” Zak brushed past her and sat on the floor, his back to the wall. He gently tugged on her hand, pulling her down. She pressed her back to the wall and brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. He slipped his arm around her, angling his body toward hers. “I’m not leaving your side, Jade. Whatever you have to face, I’ll be there with you.”
Her heart trembled as the soft, sincere a
ssurance seeped into her soul. She lifted her left hand, twining her fingers with his. Just like every time they’d touched, it felt like an electrical current running through her. But this time, instead of the wild lightning like when they’d kissed on the Sapphire deck ages ago, this was steady, uplifting. Still enough to heat her core and set her heart racing, but without the fireworks. “Promise?”
I can’t let go of him.
Zak tilted his head to look at her, and she could read the weight of the oath in his solemn gaze. “I promise you, I’m not leaving your side.”
She leaned into him, not trusting her voice for words right away. She blinked away the new tears that begged for release. “Can we trust him?”
Her voice was so quiet to her own ears, she wasn’t sure if Zak even heard her. His chest pressed against her arm as he sighed and tilted his head back, bouncing it gently against the wall. “I don’t know.”
“What if he’s leading us into some sort of trap?” Jade plucked at her pants with her free hand while her mind conjured possible scenario after possible scenario. “Or we get there, and something horrible happens? What if Everett changes the deal?” She squeezed her eyes shut. “What if they arrest you and Zaborah in Aerugo, and send you back to Doldra to be punished with your family because of the broken treaty?”
Zak’s arm tightened around her, and he tucked a finger under her chin, guiding her to look at him. “Can you trust me?”
She blinked at him. “What kind of a question is that? Of course I trust you.”
A small smile tugged at his lips, and he lifted her free hand to press a kiss against it. Sparks flew under her skin, and every nerve that was already jangling from the steady current of their touch exploded at the sudden rush.
He smiled then, as if he knew what she felt and was pleased by it. “Then trust me on this: we’ll navigate through this together.” He rubbed his thumb over her knuckle. “You have me. Krista. Your mother. Garnet. Briar. Zaborah. There are so many on this ship who love you and want the best for you.” He squeezed her in a hug, and she felt the brush of his lips on her hair. “Have a little faith, love.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Weston
Weston paced the confines of the room given to him on the Sapphire. He threw himself on the bed, then bounced off it a moment later to resume pacing. He shoved his hands through his thick curls and looked at the clock on the wall again.
Only one minute had passed.
He groaned and dragged his palms over his face.
It was easier and harder to be a passenger on this airship. The turbines whirring grated his nerves, and it wasn’t as comfortable as he was accustomed to for flying. This was a practical airship, meant for import and export, not for hauling around royalty. But it also flew smoother than he was accustomed to, and without the hollow metal frame and canvas lined walls, or the humid stickiness of the steam-powered airships in his father’s fleet.
But none of that mattered, because he was far too high above ground for his sanity. Once again, his guards didn’t seem to mind the height at all. Nor did they seem overly concerned with shadowing him on the airship. As Niles had explained it to Weston, no one in their right mind would dare to hurt him, as they’d be caught and executed before the airship even reached the ground.
If Niles had meant that to be reassuring, he’d failed miserably.
The door handle rattled as someone knocked. Weston whirled and wiped his palms on his pants. “Enter.”
Zak Monomi pushed open the door and walked in, his hand resting lightly on his sword-less belt. Niles must’ve taken it away before letting Zak in. Not that it would do Weston any good. Zak had been trained in so much more than just weapons—and for much longer than Weston had been. Weston’s knowledge from Andre and other weapons tutors was all in practice. Zak lived a life where his knowledge was more commonly known as skill. Weston watched Zak lean against the door, his eyes and face stony, foreboding.
Weston’s stomach dropped to his feet, then shot back up to his throat. His hands fluttered, and he backpedaled to the corner furthest from Jade’s personal protector.
Weston’s skin crawled as Zak pulled a chair over to the door and sat on it, effectively blocking Weston’s only means of escape. Zak leaned forward, elbows on his knees, the linen of his shirt stretching enough that Weston could clearly see how much more muscular the Monomi was than him. Weston didn’t stand a chance if Zak wanted him dead. And, honestly, Weston wouldn’t blame him if he did.
Weston swallowed hard. “Can I help you?”
“Before we get there, I need to talk to you.”
Weston straightened his vest, trying to maintain a dignified air despite being scared witless. He meant to nod once, to portray being calm and collected, but his head bobbed up and down a few too many times to show anything besides his fear.
“I don’t know what your endgame is, but I don’t trust you.” Zak set his jaw, his eyes cold. “You’ve proven yourself before.”
Weston’s knees threatened to give out, and he sank onto the nearby bed, dizzy. How was it that he could still feel blood on his hands, even though he knew they were clean? He rubbed them together, his imagination filling in all the sensations he longed to forget. Slick fingers. Coppery scent. And crimson gore, everywhere.
“I don’t know if Bentley was a ploy for us to trust you.” Zak’s voice burned through the haze in Weston’s mind, and he looked up, meeting Zak’s intense gaze. “Or was that genuine? I don’t know.”
Weston’s mind stopped there, and he stared. Bentley ...a ploy? Weston had never considered killing a man as a means to prove a point. “I—” He shut his mouth, his body tensing. Heat roiled through his gut and up to his head. How could Zak assume he’d so easily kill a man, just to carry out a ruse? He’d never do anything that despicable. Maybe his father would, but ...his father. Zak must think he was just like Everett.
His stomach roiled. He could never be a ruler like his father. And after this, he would see to it that the mantle of leadership never passed to him.
Weston stared at the floor by Zak’s boots. “Have you ever killed before?” He winced as his voice broke on the last two words.
Zak tilted his head. “Yes.”
“How do you sleep at night?” Weston lifted his eyes in time to see Zak’s eyebrows shoot up. “I—” Weston looked away, clenching his hands over his knees as he closed his eyes. “All I can see is blood. The screams of everyone.” He took a shaky breath. “Andre once told me that killing destroys the soul. I know the truth of that now.”
Zak sighed and reclined back in the chair, crossing his arms. “Why did you do it, then?”
Weston rubbed the back of his hand and glanced up at Zak. “Kill Bentley?”
The Monomi nodded.
“Because he’d just murdered a kid! And he was about to kill a woman!”
Zak leaned forward again, pointing at Weston. “Hold on to that. Yes, you killed. Blood is on your hands.”
Weston flinched, and Zak’s eyes softened in his direction for the first time Weston could remember.
“But,” Zak emphasized the word, “you did so to protect life. You didn’t kill for a selfish motive. If you hadn’t killed Bentley, my sister would be dead.” Zak’s brows drew together, and a muscle in his jaw twitched as he swallowed. “Her children would be mourning both their brother and their mother. Now they at least have her. If you hadn’t stopped Bentley when you did, you would’ve had the blood of two lives on your hands.” Zak’s gaze didn’t waver. “What’s easier to bear? The blood of a murderer, or the knowledge that you stopped him before it could have been worse?”
The ache in Weston’s chest eased a fraction as he considered Zak’s words. He hadn’t looked at it from that perspective. And it helped. Immensely. “Fair point.” The words came to mind easier than he expected. “Thank you.”
Zak rubbed his thumb over his forehead as he closed his eyes and shook his head. He stood abruptly and nudged the chair out of the wa
y of the door. “We’ll be arriving soon.” He settled his hand on the door knob and looked back at Weston. “I’ll be keeping my eye on you.”
Weston nodded, not moving from where he sat on the bed. “I know.”
Zak nodded once and left the room, the door clicking shut with a note of finality.
Weston fell back on the bed and dropped his arm over his eyes. How many more terrifying things would he have to endure on this trip? He loosed a heavy breath. Now if he could just smuggle Jade into Aerugo safely, without his father being aware of her presence. The last thing he needed was some complication to make things more difficult than they already were.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Weston
Weston had to resist the urge to bite his nails as the Sapphire landed. Truly, landing the airship was no worse than taking off or actually flying, but the moment they hit Aerugan soil, it meant that Jade’s safety really was up to him.
Count Alexander would likely be waiting for Jade at his estate, and Weston had to get Jade there without her being noticed. Then, he’d have to return home to the palace and have a plausible excuse as to his absence. His cover story of buying out the White Mage Brothel for two days was likely already proven as a lie, and now he’d have to account to his father.
Weston clenched his fists as he got up from the bed to watch the landscape out the window. His father had to be the one who’d ordered the execution of the Monomi. His father’s lack of care for life was infamous within the borders of Aerugo. Weston’s knees quaked, and he leaned against the wooden wall. He would have to admit that he’d killed Bentley and left Doldra without a governor.
For once, he was sincerely glad for Zak’s devotion to Jade. She needed all the allies she could get, if they were to not only survive this, but come out on top, and with Andre no less.
Void Born Page 15