“So are we,” Pip pointed out.
“This was different,” said Micah. “Azrael, did you see it?”
But the gentle snoring she heard in reply told her that the only thing Azrael was seeing were her dreams. Perhaps she was dreaming of Lily.
“We have to get off this boat and go to her.” Micah started to struggle to her feet.
“Quiet!” said Griffen, the urgency in his voice stilling her. “I can hear something out there.”
Silence descended on the boat and Micah leaned forward as if that helped her to hear better.
A branch cracked in the distance and there was the distinct sound of somebody cursing.
They weren’t alone.
LILY
THE NOW
Lily squeezed her eyes closed, despite being inside a dark sack. It was hard to breathe and she had to try to slow down the intervals she took between gasps. She concentrated on an image of her golden Prince and Aunt Micah, hoping to let them know that she was coming. She tried to bring the dark-haired woman to her mind as well but it was hard to remember her face. Perhaps when she was less stressed, she’d be able to. Maybe the woman who’d been standing in the shadows would reveal herself, too.
“Majesty’s comin’.” Lily was unsure if Norris was talking to her or his men. Not that it really mattered. His words meant it was too late for her to back out.
“None of youse is gonna say nothin’, do ya hear me?” he hissed. “I know where all of youse live. Never forget that.”
Lily cringed all over again. She’d wrongfully thought if Norris was an oarsman to the King, he’d be of a respectable nature. It appeared not. Although, she doubted this oaf of a man showed Father his true nature.
The boat tipped and rocked as the men climbed on board and Lily held her breath, certain Father would be able to hear the hammering of her heart. She was really doing this! It was happening. She was getting off that island and soon she’d be far away from Mother, never to have to clean her treasures or tell her another bedtime story ever again.
The boat set off with a jolt and Lily knew that one of the oarsmen would have pushed them off the sand and jumped aboard, just as she’d seen from her balcony countless times, never once imagining that one day she’d hide herself aboard. What had given her the courage to flee like this?
Aunt Micah may have inspired her with the stories she’d heard of her bravery but it was more than that. It was her Prince.
There was no doubt about it. The look in his eyes that had filled her with courage. They were destined for each other. She’d known it the moment she first saw him and she knew it now. She had to get away from the lighthouse before it was too late. He needed her as much as she needed him.
She was just like Ella in the story. She’d run away from her evil stepmother and by some kind of luck or magic, she was on her way to find her Prince. Except, there’d been no Fairy Godmother. She’d had to do it all herself. And instead of slippers made from leumarian seeded crystal, she had a bag full of rubies. She had to hope now for the same happy ending as Ella.
The boat headed further out to sea. It would almost settle into a calming rhythm if it weren’t for the unpredictable tumbling of the waves. She was rolled back and forth and had to stop herself from gasping out loud as her spine bashed against the bottom of the boat. She reminded herself of the importance to keep quiet and clenched her teeth, squeezing her eyes closed even harder and wincing with each bump.
The boat reared up over a particularly large wave and Lily rolled back, twisting her shoulder in an awkward angle, unable to stop herself from yelping. Then came a blow to her ribs with what felt like the end of an oar, no doubt a warning to keep quiet. Bringing her hand to her mouth, she bit down on her sleeve to muffle her cries.
There was no need for such violence! An awful man like Norris didn’t deserve a giant ruby to sell on the black market. How could she have trusted him with her life?
The boat crashed back down, only to rear up again over another wave. This time, Lily kept her cries to herself as her shoulder connected with the hard timber. She couldn’t remember her trip over to the lighthouse being quite as rough as this. Although, that day had been calm, and she hadn’t been hiding inside a sack that smelled like potatoes.
A scuffle broke out just in front of her and she resisted the urge to peek out of the opening of the sack, instead listening intently to the fast moving of feet, a loud crack and then a scream.
“Man overboard!” cried a deep voice.
There was more frantic scuffling, then the boat pulled back and turned.
Lily hugged her knees to her chest. She’d never heard of anyone falling overboard, although she supposed this wasn’t the sort of conversation Father would make with her. Did it happen often? With seas this rough, it was going to be impossible to pluck anyone out of the water. Whoever it was would be dragged away by the current in no time.
A sick feeling that had nothing to do with the rocking of the boat gripped Lily around the middle. What if the man overboard was Norris? These men were sure to tell the King and she’d be sent back to the lighthouse with no way to ever escape again. This was her one chance.
As the boat was being tossed around on the waves, she knew there was nothing she could do except listen and hope that horrible Norris had somehow survived.
“What happened?” Father shouted over the angry ocean.
“I don’t know!” shouted Norris. “He just fell in!”
Relief slid through Lily’s core to hear his voice. He hadn’t fallen overboard. The deal was still on. Then, guilt replaced the relief as she realized she’d just been happy to hear of another man’s deadly misfortune.
“There he is!” someone else called. “Over there!”
The boat jolted from side-to-side as the men shouted at each other, between grunts as they tried to direct the boat to the man. Their words were whipped about by the wind and tumbled around the boat.
“I can’t see him!”
“He went under!”
“Hurry!”
“It’s no use!”
“Keep trying!”
“He’s gone!”
Lily took the opportunity to move the opening of the sack so she could peer out at the chaos surrounding her. Men were leaning overboard and others were pulling on their oars with desperate looks plastered to their faces.
She saw Father sitting in the bow of the boat, running his hands through his dark hair as his eyes scanned the angry ocean
Until his eyes landed on her.
Lily held still. He couldn’t possibly know she was inside this sack if she didn’t move. Surely, he couldn’t tell.
But Father continued to stare, until Norris stepped between them and broke his gaze.
Lily remained frozen, her heart hammering so fast now she was certain it must be making the hessian of the sack move up and down. She tried to slow it down but it only seemed to beat faster. Never had she felt this much fear, not even when she’d been lured away from her parents in the desert.
“We need to get back to shore,” Norris said to his King. “It’s too rough out here. We must keep you safe.”
“We can’t leave him,” Father replied, his focus now on Norris
“We have no choice,” said Norris. “We’ll all die trying to find him.”
Lily saw Father give Norris one quick nod as he smoothed down his jacket and looked forward once more.
He hadn’t seen her. She was okay. Her plan was still working.
After a short heated discussion about the rights and wrongs of leaving a man behind, the men took their seats and hauled on the oars, pulling and pushing until the boat was over the worst of the sea and they entered the dock where Lily had left from all those years ago. A dock that she never thought she’d see again.
Worried now that someone would see her peering from the sack, she lay back against the side of the boat, keeping her movements slow and measured, and buried her head in her hands. Her heart rate had slow
ed now and her breathing steadied.
Without the anger of the sea, she could hear the panting of the men as they tired from all that hard work, no doubt deflated to have lost one of their crew. Perhaps grateful that it wasn’t them.
“I saw you,” hissed one of the men. It was hard to tell if it was Norris, but she thought not.
“Ya saw nothin’, ya hear me,” came the reply, which was unmistakably Norris.
“You pushed him,” the other voice insisted. “I saw you.”
“He was gonna tell,” said Norris. “Ya want that ruby, or not?”
Lily fought the urge to vomit. Norris had been so desperate for the ruby that he’d pushed a man overboard. This was her fault. If she’d stayed where she was in the lighthouse, that man would still be alive.
The boat came to a sudden stop and Lily lurched forward, allowing herself to roll, in fear of being seen moving within the sack. She lay as still as she could, wondering how many bruises she’d get out of this. But none of that mattered. She was alive when some poor man was not. She was going to need to find a way to help set that right. Maybe deliver the ruby to his family? But how could a gemstone ever replace a loved one? The simple answer was that it couldn’t.
There was the sound of men climbing onto the dock and helping the King out of the boat.
Lily lay still, waiting for Father to walk away so Norris could let her out of the sack. Her stomach had pulled into such a knot she wasn’t sure how it was ever going to unwind itself. She’d actually done it! She was on the mainland where Mother couldn’t reach her. And once she’d paid her debt of rubies, she’d be free.
“Is everything okay, Your Majesty?” asked Norris, his voice wavering.
What was Father doing to make this man so nervous?
“Follow me to the palace, Norris.” Father’s voice was laced with something completely different from nerves. Was that menace?
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Great. How was Lily going to get out of this sack now? Would one of the other men be kind enough to let her out?
“Oh, and Norris,” said Father. “Please bring my daughter with you.”
KING STERLING
THE NOW
King Sterling smiled, enjoying the impact his words had just had on Norris. If he’d reached out and slapped him it probably would’ve had less effect. Norris’s shoulders had visibly stooped as his face fell apart, unable to be held together by the smugness of what he’d believed to be a victory.
This man had taken him for a fool, which made Norris the real fool here. It also made him a murderer. Did Norris really think he hadn’t seen him toss his fellow oarsman into the water? The whole boat had seen it. And as for that sack that’d moved and groaned at Norris’s feet… If that hadn’t been obvious enough, hitting the sack with his oar had sealed Sterling’s suspicions. It was definitely a person and there was only one possibility as to who it could be. Did Angel really hate living in the lighthouse that much? And what exactly had she offered Norris in exchange for her transport?
He watched as Norris clambered back into the boat and scooped up the hessian sack, throwing Angel over his shoulder. She wasn’t bothering to disguise her movements now and thrashed about in protest. Norris climbed back up to the dock and followed Sterling along the worn timber planks, heading toward the shoreline.
“Father!” Angel shouted from within the bag. “Let me out of here! Please!”
“Not yet, my Angel,” he said, smiling. “Let’s get you safely to the palace first.”
Norris went red in the face from the effort of carrying the squirming sack and shifted it from his shoulders to cradle Angel in his arms.
“Stop ya movin’,” he growled.
“That’s no way to talk to a Princess,” said Sterling, keeping his voice level.
Angel yelped, no doubt being squeezed beyond her limits. As much as Sterling didn’t like the idea of his precious daughter in pain, it seemed necessary. A good way for her to learn what happened when you tried to outsmart a King.
Sterling nodded at the guards waiting for him at the end of the dock.
“Make sure this one follows me,” he instructed, nodding toward Norris.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” said one of the guards, breaking away to walk beside Norris.
Sterling walked on ahead, knowing he had some decisions to make. Not just what to do with this murdering idiot traitor of an oarsman, but what to do with Angel.
Eileena would be angry when she realized Angel was missing. That girl was her greatest treasure and the glue that held their family together. When she’d first told him about her vision of a daughter, he’d thought it was sweet. But, of course, he’d also thought this daughter would be the fruit of his loins, not a girl he’d had to pluck from the mines when his wife’s womb had remained stubbornly void.
He hadn’t realized at the time who Angel was. He’d selected her for her tender age and red hair. It wasn’t until much later that one of his informants had told him about the search for Princess Lily of Forte Cadence and he’d made the connection. But it had been too late by then. Eileena had already bonded with her. Besides, Angel had been so young when she’d arrived in Feldspar, she’d barely be able to remember her former life. There was no use in returning her.
Sterling swallowed, aware of a lump in his throat. This was a lie and he knew it.
He heard a squeal come from behind him and turned to see Norris struggling to keep hold of the wriggling sack.
He quickened his footsteps. Angel remembered her life, all right. And that’s why she was fighting so hard right now. It was time he had a serious talk with that girl. Time for him to remind her just how lucky she was.
He made his way through the gates and across the dirt expanse that surrounded the palace. He knew other kingdoms had lush gardens in their palace grounds, but this was foolish. People could hide behind trees. It was better to be able to see exactly who or what you were surrounded by.
He walked toward the palace entrance, remembering how it used to feel to return home knowing his Queen was here. It was so empty now without her.
He’d been surprised all those years ago when he’d placed the other half of his twin love stone in the hands of what he’d thought was an ordinary girl and it’d glowed brightly. He’d looked down at the other stone in his hand and known that this plain-looking girl was destined for him. She wasn’t just his future Queen, she was his true love. The amethysts could not be argued with.
When he’d looked at Eileena for the second time with this knowledge safely tucked away, he’d realized that she wasn’t plain at all. She was… beautiful. He’d made it his life’s mission to keep her happy. Although, admittedly, back then he hadn’t known just how difficult this was going to be. But that didn’t matter, for he’d have tried anyway. Because when Eileena smiled with her eyes, he smiled with his heart, the warmth of their connection penetrating even the darkest corners of his soul. He could never be truly at peace unless he knew she was, too.
He kicked at a rock, sending it flying across the dirt. His whole kingdom looked like this; barren and cold. There was even a line of dead trees across the southern shoreline, which was pleasing. Let his enemies think there was nothing of value here.
He walked up the wide marble steps and nodded to the guards who held open the palace doors, bracing himself for the emptiness inside. He’d move to the lighthouse to be with her, but it would be too difficult to rule a kingdom from across the sea. And too heartbreaking to live with a woman who was the ghost of the loving wife she used to be.
She’d become an angry soul, blaming him for not having been able to provide her with the child she’d yearned for, going so far as to have moved to the lighthouse saying she couldn’t stand to be around people. He’d thought when he’d brought her Angel that maybe she’d soften and come back to the palace, but it seemed he’d been too late.
She’d thrown away her love stone, having given up waiting. He tried so hard not to be offended by this
, but it was difficult. Throwing that amethyst away was the equivalent to her throwing away her love for him.
He strode into the grand entrance hall, pleased to hear that Norris was following.
“Let me out, Father! Please!”
He smiled at Angel’s stubbornness, wondering if she’d brought the amethyst with her. The one he’d slipped into her bed when she’d been sick. Maybe she’d also brought Eileena’s stone, which he half suspected she’d found a long time ago. He knew it hadn’t gone far from the lighthouse by the way his own amethyst had glowed with warmth whenever he’d ventured near.
He’d given Angel his amethyst so it would make her well and she could use it to find the twin stone. As his only child, she was supposed to inherit the amethysts anyway. Surely, she must have known he was the one to put it in her bed? But instead of asking him about it, she’d tried to run away, leaving him with no love stones, and no daughter.
He looked around at the entrance hall, the sparkling of the emerald-lined walls a direct contrast to the brown stone walls of the outside. Eileena had thought it was beautiful here when she’d first arrived. He’d been so pleased, thinking she’d make it her home forever. Now, when he looked at the emeralds, all he saw was his broken heart.
Making his way to his throne room, he braced himself for the shine of the diamonds that covered every surface of the room. The guards opened the door for him and he had to squint at the sparkling light that burst out, every facet of every stone reflecting off the giant diamond-encrusted windows that lined this long rectangular room. His father’s father’s father had first had the idea to decorate the throne room like this. Or had it been his father’s father’s father’s father? He couldn’t remember now. All he knew was that it’d taken many generations to mine enough diamonds to complete the dazzling effect. This had been Eileena’s favorite room in the palace. When she’d moved to the lighthouse, she’d asked him to remove the diamonds and bring them to her.
The Kingdoms of Evernow Box Set Page 102