Only two things I know for certain: Leif is inside there and nothing is keeping me out.
We slow the horses to a walk when the gates comes into view. I had expected it to be closed, with Hunters guarding it as before. But as we approach, I see the gates have been left wide open. There’s not a single guard in sight.
The three of us stop our horses before it, not entering at first. “You two don’t have to go inside,” I say, looking at each of my friends in turn. “You’ve seen me safely to the Bastion like you offered. And here we are. You should go, really. Back to Baldachin, or with the other Treasoners. Wherever you like.” I peer inside the gates again, at the opulent Palace standing at the center, its gold trim glinting in the sun. Everything else around it is dreary and crumbling. Most unwelcoming.
“Are you kidding?” Catriona says. “And not be there for your reunion with Leif? I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Well …” Tui starts. Catriona gives him a glare and, after considering it for only a split second, a kick with her foot too. “Ouch! I’m kidding. I’ve got your back, Raven. I’m not going to abandon you now. No matter what happens. I have a feeling we’re just getting started.”
I look again at the rusty gates towering before me. “Me too, Tui. Let’s go find Leif.”
We ride through, into the cobblestone Bastion streets. A minute later, I glance behind us and watch a violet-coated Hunter closing and locking the gates. So they were open just for us, after all.
Which would also mean King Araroa is expecting me. Why make him wait?
As we ride toward the Palace, the late-afternoon sun turns the streets soft and golden. Almost pleasant. The air is warm, and I’m stripped down to only my pants and tunic, Fortissima completely visible at my belt. We ride right past groups of Hunters; they stand aside, watching us, but don’t move to question or detain us. I nod at each one politely. But the King’s men remain stone-faced. As they watch me ride past, it’s their wide eyes that give them away. Shock? Curiosity? I can’t place my finger on it. I’m only surprised it’s not malice.
We continue straight to the square, stopping when we reach the Palace steps. The large doors are shut, with Hunters positioned in front. There’s a balcony above with doors open to the inside. Violet curtains flutter through the doorway from the light breeze blowing down the Bastion streets.
Dismounting Pearl, I look up at the balcony where I know the King is waiting somewhere inside. “King Araroa! I am here. Raven Araroa. Woman King of Nuimana. Please come out and speak with me.”
Only a beat later, the King appears on the balcony. Despite the heat, he’s wearing the same violet cape he wore during our dinner together, the one trimmed with black and white feathers.
The King puts his elbows on the tall railing, so his chin fits into his hands. He peers down at me. “Ah, my dearest Raven. So good to see you … back here again. Is Sufa well?”
“Yes, he is—was—the last I saw him. But I didn’t come all this way to have small talk.”
He laughs, eyes twinkling. Once again it’s difficult for me to believe this is the same man tearing families apart, locking them away in prison camps. The one who had his very own wife killed—for trying to save her daughter. He seems so … pleasant.
“No, I’m sure you did not. How can I help you, then?”
“You are mistakenly holding someone captive. A friend of mine. I demand you release him to me.”
Another deep belly laugh. “I see. The problem with that is, I thought we had a deal, you and I. You were to swear your autonomy before my tribunal, and then we’d have nothing more to do with each other. But you did not. You not only left Nadir, you’ve claimed to be the ruler of our island neighbor. And now here you stand before me, a criminal. Unfortunate situation, I know. You seem like a sweet girl. Back in the old days, you would have made a lovely ruler. But these are not those days.” His voice turns dark and stern with these last words.
“I am happy with my position on Nuimana. And that is where I wish to return, with my friend.”
There is a long pause.
“Ah yes. Is this who you are after?”
A blue-cloaked dungeon keeper appears behind the King. He’s dragging a limp figure along with him. The golden-blond hair is dirty and hanging in greasy strands in front of the person’s face, his head lolling weakly to the side. His shirt is covered with blood—both dried and fresh.
Araroa pulls on his hair and brings Leif’s head up. His face is bruised and gaunt. Leif tries to force his eyes open, but they are swollen from abuse.
The sight of what has been done to him fills me with rage … and the urge to vomit. Any thoughts I once had about the King’s pleasant demeanor vanish. I grit my teeth to keep myself from saying some very unsavory things to Araroa.
“I’m sorry, my dear. But you are too late. Leif is to be executed in the morning.”
Chapter 24
The King’s words make me shudder with the remembering: The chanting. My Queen mother’s blue dress, swaying around her still body. The crying. My helplessness. My promise that King Araroa would pay.
Not Leif.
Before I realize what is happening, the words fly from my mouth: “You will do no such thing. Leif is a subject of mine. He is a citizen of Nuimana. I demand you release him to me.”
The King opens his hand, and Leif’s grimy hair falls down into his face again. Leif doesn’t move for several seconds, then he shakes his head no, just enough so I can’t miss it.
I ignore the gesture.
The King smiles, mockingly. “Or else, what? What will happen if I don’t release the boy to you?”
My heart is thudding in my chest now. I realize I’m making a gamble for Leif’s life. And for mine. If I lose, we lose everything.
“What will happen is I don’t return to Nuimana. I stay here. And I lead the growing resistance against your patriarchal rule. You will die. Dominic will become King. And then we will take him down. And if I die, someone else will do it in my place. You know that is what’s happening. It’s why you are locking Treasoners up in your camp up north. You are afraid of what they will do to you. They don’t want your pitiful handouts any longer. Your Hunters. Your demeaning rules. They don’t want you.”
He tries to keep his face neutral. But I can see the shift in his eyes. He knows I’m telling the truth.
“And if you don’t release Leif to me now, right this very second, I will help them.”
He considers this for a full minute. We stare each other down. He knows I’m not bluffing, not this time.
“If I give you this worthless boy, will you guarantee your immediate return to Nuimana? And I mean I never want to hear you’ve stepped foot on the shores of Nadir, not ever again. Dominic will give the exact same order. When my son is King.”
I pay no mind to his emphasis; I might be this man’s daughter by blood, Seraphine’s too. But my real parents are in Baldachin and always have been. I’ll do whatever this man asks to keep them safe. And my real ancestors, the ancient Woman Kings of Nadir, are whom I promised that morning to protect my people on Nuimana.
“You have my word. But only if you will guarantee free trade once again with Nuimana. You must lift all shipping restrictions. Immediately. You must also allow my two other friends here to return home freely.” I indicate behind me, where Tui and Catriona are still sitting atop their horses. “And one other thing: The bearcats have returned to their ancestral grounds. They are not to be hunted.”
More seconds tick by. I watch the King’s jaw working, tight.
“You know, girl, I don’t feel as though I’m required to make a deal with you. As King of Nadir, and you as trespasser, I’m fairly certain I can order whatever I wish.” He indicates to Leif with a nod of his chin. “I could have that boy killed in an instant.”
A bead of sweat trickles down the back of my neck. I desperately want to wipe it away, it tickles, but I don’t dare flinch. Of course Araroa is right: he doesn’t have to deal wi
th me.
But he forgets something.
“You don’t have to make a deal. But if you do, I go quietly. Those opposing you calm down. You might not want to work with them, but perhaps Dominic will, when he’s King. Even if you wiped Leif and me off the face of the earth, the hope we’ve left—the hope for a better kingdom—will remain. There will be no stopping it. Your rule—and Dominic’s rule—will never be safe from opposition. I suggest you take the deal, and let us go.”
After a beat, the King smiles, but it does not reach his hard eyes. “Very well. Take the boy down to her.” He barks the order to the dungeon keeper at his side, then returns his cool gaze to me. “If I do not have guarantee you’ve left on a ship by tomorrow noon, I will arrest the both of you. And there will not be any delay in your executions. Not one minute.”
“You have my word, King Araroa.” I bow my head, stepping backward toward Pearl. I hope he can’t see the shaking in my legs.
A few moments later, the enormous gilt doors swing open, and the dungeon keeper is there, shoving Leif out of them. Two officers, one on each side, roughly grab hold of him and drag him across the terrace and down the steps. They shove him toward me, nearly knocking the both of us over, but I catch him and we stay upright—somehow—even though my legs have turned to jelly.
Leif reaches out, grabbing hold of Pearl’s saddle to pull himself up straight. He leans against her, leaving my arms free to brush the hair from his face.
“My gods, what did they do to you?” Up close, the bruises look worse. His nose is slightly crooked—it must be broken. A dribble of dried blood rests on his upper lip.
He shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter. Let’s get out of here.”
“Can you ride?”
“I … I think so.” He struggles to swing himself onto Pearl. But he falls back down. He grunts, gathering all his remaining strength, this time managing to swing his leg over and settling himself toward the rear of Pearl’s saddle. I throw myself in front of him, grab Pearl’s reins, and nudge her off. As I ride past Tui and Catriona, I give them a whispered order: “Find Imogen. We’ll be at the port.”
I kick Pearl, and we run toward the eastern gates. I’m done taking chances—this time that old Araroa changes his mind.
Leif wraps his arms around my waist, folding his hands together in front of my stomach. He rests his head on the back of my shoulder, and I can feel his deep exhale of relief on my neck.
We cling on to each other, to Pearl, running as if her life depends on it. Hunters open the eastern gates for us, already given the word we are to be allowed to go to the port without delay. The sun has set, and we ride as the twilight deepens, the sky turning from soft violet to indigo blue.
We arrive at the port several hours later. The moon is rising, its silver beams reflecting over the glassy water. I breathe in the salty scent I’ve come to love. It really does feel like I’m going home.
I steer Pearl directly for the inn, where I know we’ll find a captain or two heading out in the morning. Sure enough, Captain Stone sees us approaching and comes rushing out of the front door, mug of ale in hand.
“Leif! Raven! What are ye doing—” When the captain sees the condition Leif is in, the mug clatters to the ground. He takes two long steps, reaching up to help Leif dismount. “What happened to ye, m’boy? Never mind, let’s get ye into a room to lie down.”
Leif doesn’t argue. He gratefully leans on the sea captain’s bulk, and I follow the two inside. The normally raucous pub grows uncomfortably silent as the patrons watch us enter.
Requests are given to prepare a private room for us, to put Pearl in the stable, bring in my bags. The captain and I help Leif up the single flight of stairs, and we’re directed to the first room at the top. Leif collapses into the wide, soft bed and sighs, closing his eyes.
I thank the captain, who leaves to get some food and drink sent up to us. There’s already a basin of warm water and a stack of soft towels on the sideboard. I wet one of the cloths and sit down gingerly next to Leif. I gently wipe the dried blood from his face.
A small smile appears on his lips. “You really shouldn’t have come for me.” With some struggle, he raises his swollen eyelids. My heart skips when I finally see his emerald eyes glinting at me.
“I almost didn’t”—I raise a brow at him—“when I heard about Hannah.”
His face falls. “That was stupid. I never should have run like that—”
“What were you doing there, trying to get Hannah free?”
“I wasn’t—I mean—I thought Papa was there. But he wasn’t, of course. I—what are you doing here?”
I’m impressed with his ability to swiftly change the subject. But I can’t be cross with him. I’m just so happy I’ve got him here, with me. “Leif.”
“Hmm?”
“I was already on my way. Even if I hadn’t exactly left yet.” Leif reaches up and grabs my hand, the one still holding the damp cloth against his temple. He puts my hand to his lips and places a slow, warm kiss there.
“I’m glad.”
“And I’m not leaving you behind, never, ever again.”
His face erupts into a huge grin, though he tries not to flinch from the pain.
“Good. Me neither. Besides, Papa has been fine this entire time. With the Treasoners. I should have known … Damn him.” His face falls a little; clearly he knows about the note Nile sent, which King Araroa read first.
“He’s well, Leif. Your Papa is with the Treasoners in the forest west of the Zenith Mountains. He promises not to send anything else in writing.”
“That would be decent of him,” Leif says wryly.
There’s a knock at the door, and we both jump. I hope whomever it is wasn’t listening in.
I reluctantly let go of Leif’s hand to go see who it is.
When I open the door, Captain Stone’s wife is there, bearing a tray of food and drink. I wave her in, and she sets it down on the table underneath the window at the far end of the room.
“Are you and the captain heading out soon?”
“Indeed so, m’lady. Do you require passage back to Nuimana?”
“I do—we do. Do you have room for Leif and me?”
“Of course, m’lady. The captain and I’d be honored to have the both of you aboard this trip. Be off midday, tomorrow, if you’ll be ready.”
“We’ll meet you at the dock in the morning,” I say and then bid Mrs. Stone good night.
With the arrangements made for my final trip to Nuimana, I help Leif remove his stained and filthy clothing and then tuck him into the clean sheets. Propped up on pillows, I feed him some of the beef stew. He’s ravenous, as if he hasn’t eaten in days. He gulps down the mug of ale in nearly one go.
He belches, looks horrified. But I’m laughing. “Feeling better?”
“Much.” Indeed, his energy level has perked up remarkably.
I move a chair over to the sideboard. “Do you think you could sit here?”
Without answering, he moves into the chair. Wearing only his drawers, I try to hide my shock at the dark-violet bruises up and down his body. Real violet. His back is covered in red streaks, welted and cut from a whip. I don’t know what the sight of them makes me feel more: horror, sadness, anger.
I place a towel over the back of the chair so Leif has something soft to lean against. I bring the bowl of water closer and gently tip his head back so his hair sinks into it. With one hand supporting his neck, I wet the tangled strands with my other and lather his hair up with the bar of goat’s milk soap. As I work the suds through the strands, he emits a quiet, satisfied moan. His eyes are closed, but I can’t take mine off his mouth, wearing a grin of pure pleasure. Gradually, the filth and grease wash out into the bowl, and his hair returns to the golden color I know and love.
I grab another nearby towel and gently tilt his head back up so I can dry it. I squeeze as much water out as I can, then I comb it out with my fingers. Much of the tension is gone from his features. His
eyes are still closed, a wide smile of contentment on his face. He’s clearly enjoying this, very much.
I move in front of him and grab his hands. His eyes fly open to take me in.
I’m not returning his smile. “Leif, I am so sorry they did this to you.”
He opens his knees, pulls me closer in to him. “No, it was my own fault. I was careless. But you did it, right? You made it back to Baldachin?”
I nod. His face is starting to grow misty as the tears pile up in my eyes.
He continues. “So, your family is on their way to a safe location? Where Araroa can’t find them?”
I shake my head. “I warned them. I tried to make them understand what’s at stake. But they are determined to stay. To defend Baldachin. I … I failed.” Now the tears start to fall. To think I was so close to losing my Baldachin family, and Leif. And now I only know for sure that Leif is all right. I meant what I said: I’ll never leave him again.
Leif stands and grabs me in his arms. There is no weakness in his embrace this time. He pulls me to him, solidly, and I grab hold of him with just as much ferocity. I feel him breathing in my hair, kissing it. He grabs my face with both his hands and kisses me on the mouth. I return his kiss, desperate to taste him. He licks the tear on the end of my nose and wipes the others away with his thumb.
“You did not fail. I’m sure your family listened and made the right decision, for them. You can’t make them leave. Besides, now that King Araroa knows you are leaving again, he’ll probably call the Hunters back. He’s got no reason to harm your family.”
“You’re right. I hope …”
“Are you cold?”
“Not in the slightest. Why?”
“You’re trembling.”
He’s definitely right about that. It’s not from fear this time—it’s from the certainty that, no matter what happens with my Baldachin family, this is home now. With Leif.
I step back from him and pull my tunic over my head, kick off my boots, let my pants fall to the floor. Wearing only my underthings, I lead him back to the bed and crawl underneath the blankets. He climbs in next to me. With my back to his front, he pulls me close until we are like one body, cocooned, just the two of us.
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