Freed

by Samantha Britt

  “Miss Amelissa!” Wynn appeared in front of me, steady on his feet. He offered his hand. “Let me help you up.”

  “Thank you.” I took hold of his hand. Wynn didn’t so much as blink as I clutched his palm like my life depended on it.

  I wobbled when I looked back to see Lerick’s reaction to my humiliation, but he was nowhere to be seen. He’d made quick work of disappearing below deck.

  “Are you hurt?” Wynn asked, pulling my attention back to him and the group of staring sailors.

  “I’m fine.” I plucked the sticky fabric away from my legs. “Just a little clumsy, I guess.”

  “Don’t feel bad, Miss.” His smile was kind, just like I remembered. “It takes a while for a person to get their sea legs. Trust me. My second time on a ship, I was slipping and sliding all over the place. The captain threatened to tie me to the main mast if I didn’t stop falling every other minute.”

  I chuckled, and Wynn’s smile grew.

  “Come on,” he said, gently pulling me forward. “Play a game or two with us and let the others see that pretty smile.” I was glad my face was already red. His comment was innocent enough, but I would’ve definitely blushed. Maybe I should start training myself with how not to turn bright red every time someone gives me a compliment. I’ll throw it in my daily schedule between elven bolts and draekon shifts.

  We reached the barrels and crates with no further incident. Though, Wynn’s strong arm definitely saved me from falling over at least once on our wavering walk over. All of the sailors got to their feet, including Tuck. Though, he was the last to get off his makeshift chair.

  “Lads, meet Miss Amelissa. She is Lord Erwin’s apprentice. Miss Amelissa, meet the lads.”

  The four males I didn’t know greeted me with differing levels of enthusiasm. Two smiled warmly, mirroring Wynn’s welcoming demeanor. One simply lifted a hand, and the other turned bright red and averted his gaze as he mumbled his greeting. Tuck, as expected, didn’t say a word or lift a hand.

  “Nice to finally meet you,” I gave them my best smile. “It was a hectic first day at sea.”

  Hectic was an understatement. I’d been locked in the captain’s cabin with Erwin, Min, and Lerick, trying to figure out the best way to handle the impending confrontation with Prince Finn. Min hoped that the moment Finn’s plan was called out, he’d abandon it and actually go forward with negotiating with King Aquin, even if the entire encounter would be fake.

  Lerick hadn’t been so optimistic. Neither was I. I remembered an argument between Brion and Finn when I worked as their private secretary. King Roderick had summoned me to the throne room. On a typical day, that wouldn’t have been big deal. I would’ve attended the king as requested. But it hadn’t been a typical day. Earlier that same morning, I’d been attacked by jealous draekon females in the library. Brion and Finn both knew of the assault. While Brion argued against me making the journey to the throne room and risking further injury, Finn had disagreed. He’d feared his father’s wrath should I not show myself upon request.

  If King Roderick truly tasked his son with assassinating the elven king, I couldn’t imagine Finn willingly abandoning the plot. I prepared myself for a fight. Whether it would be verbal or physical, only time would tell.

  After hours of talking in circles and arguing amongst ourselves deep into the night, I’d finally had enough. I woke up this morning, determined to overcome my bout of seasickness before I engaged in any more discussions.

  “We’re glad you were finally able to join us topside,” Wynn replied. The other sailors, except Tuck, nodded.

  “Me too.” I settled on the crate Wynn gestured to. “I’m excited to play a game. I could use the distraction.”

  Again, the sailors nodded. I wasn’t sure they knew the purpose of our travels, but I’d wager they knew it was important. Erwin rarely traveled with the pirate crew. He might’ve financed their voyages, but he did so with discretion and careful avoidance of links between him and the criminals’ activities.

  The sailors settled onto their own seats. The male across from me gathered the cards from the crate’s surface and began shuffling. “The game we’re playing is called King’s Bowman. Do you know it?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Great,” Tuck muttered. “This isn’t going to be tedious at all.”

  “Have something to say, Mr. Tuck?” I addressed the ill-humored male. I hadn’t liked him from almost the moment I laid eyes on him, and his behavior was doing nothing to change my opinion. Not that I think he cared.

  “Nothing, Miss.” Tuck sneered, stretching the scar bisecting his upper lip. Before him and Wynn, I’d never seen elves with deformities. But that wasn’t saying much. Erwin and his posse in Draek had been the only elves I’d seen before the pirates. Something told me noble elves probably had better access to healing magic, curing them of any scarring marks.

  Tuck and I locked eyes, caught in a battle of wills. He didn’t have to like me, but I wouldn’t sit back like the meek recruit I used to be and allow him to be so rude. Those days were over.

  Wynn cleared his throat. “On Draekon, I believe the game is similar to Royal Armies. Have you heard of it?”

  I perked up with the news. “Yes.” That was the game Jem and I played in the tavern.

  The sailor in front of me bobbed his head. “Excellent. The rules are the same. Try to create the best bowmen team to win. The recurve bowman is the lowest scoring card, but you know you can garner double the points for each pair of them you place.” He flipped cards over as he spoke. “The longbow is next. There are only five in the deck. If you play a longbow with a team of recurve bowmen, that’s a very good hand.” He demonstrated such a play by aligning the appropriate cards in front of me.

  “I understand,” I said when I noticed the sailor waited for a response. “Which is the highest-valued card?”

  “The crossbowman.” He shuffled through the deck and found the mentioned card. It displayed an elf striding a horse, wielding a horizontal bow with a crank and trigger mechanism.

  “He would be comparable to the colonel in King’s Armies,” Wynn provided.

  I took another moment to view the cards and memorize their order. “All right. I think I am ready to play.”

  “Wonderful,” Wynn leaned forward. “Let’s play!”

  The elf who’d explained the game began passing out cards, distributing one to each of the players before giving everyone their second card. He did that until we each had four cards.

  I was reaching for my pile when the ship lurched. Wynn’s fast reflexes were the only reason I didn’t crash face-first into the cards. His grip on my upper arm held me steady.

  Then, in slow motion, I saw a large splash over water curving over the rail, heading straight toward our game. Without thinking about what I was doing, I threw my free hand out as if to protect the cards from getting washed away.

  What happened next was so much more than I was expecting.

  The incoming water stopped in the air. I blinked, believing my mind was playing tricks on me.

  It wasn’t.

  I looked from my outstretched hand to the motionless ocean water.

  The sailors around me did the same.

  Oh no.

  I pulled my hand back. Instantly, the water crashed onto the cards and washed them all over the deck, drenching all of us in the process.

  My heartrate quickened. I opened my mouth to spew the first lie which came to mind, but I drew a blank. I couldn’t explain what just happened.

  I braced myself for the oncoming uproar.

  “Well I’ll be damned,” an unfamiliar sailor whistled. “She’s elven.”

  My attention swung towards the male who spoke. Was it just me, or did he not sound angry? I might’ve been wrong, but I could’ve sworn he sounded… amused?

  “No way,” another replied. “She’s human.”

  I didn’t know what to do. Deny? Walk away to escape their scrutiny? Nothing?


  “Did you see her stop the wave? That’s elemental magic. No human could pull that off.” Wynn stared at me, and it was no small relief to see the lack of judgement in his eyes.

  “You’re elven?”

  Again, I floundered for a response. I looked elven. I could pull it off.

  Heavy boot steps distracted me as they drew near. I turned around just as Erwin arrived.

  “Well, sailors,” he tucked his arms behind his back and looked down at our soaked group with a barely concealed smile. “It looks like I have some explaining to do.”

  14

  “I can’t believe they took it so well.” I sat in the captain’s cabin with Min and Erwin. Lerick left us after we finished the evening meal, claiming he wanted to walk the ship to stretch his legs before settling in for the night. I bet he was busy with rebel business, but I didn’t waste any effort trying to figure out what it might be.

  “At least you didn’t shift into wings and fly out of the wave’s path,” Erwin joked. He sipped dark amber liquid from a crystal tumbler. Min had the same drink, and he tried to hide his smirk behind the glass.

  “It’s not funny. They could have freaked out and thrown me overboard or something.”

  “They would never do that,” Erwin countered knowingly. “As my apprentice, you are under my protection. None of these sailors would dare to lay a finger on you.” I wasn’t so sure about that. I sipped my glass of wine to keep me from pointing out Tuck seemed like the kind of male more than willing to forget about Erwin’s protection.

  “That’s not all they think she is,” Min muttered. He gulped the alcohol, wincing from the burn. It was his third drink that evening, and based on the glassy gleam in his eye, I would venture to say the draekon was drunk.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked. “What else do they think I am?” Could the sailors be more observant than I gave them credit for? Do they know I’m more than the wayward elf their boss said he’d found on Draekon?

  “You know.” Min hiccupped. I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. I’d never seen the census agent act anything less than levelheaded and controlled. He certainly was neither of those things at the moment.

  “I know what?”

  Min sighed, as if exasperated by my ignorance. “That you two,” he waved a hand at me and Erwin. “You know… are a thing.”

  That surprised me. I looked at Erwin and saw the annoyed glare he leveled on Min before he swiftly schooled his features.

  “Did you know the sailors think we are a couple?” It was one thing for his servants in Eelie to think so, but the sailors barely saw the two of us together. Besides, Lerick was also on the ship. Why wouldn’t they think we were a couple instead?

  “Yes.” Erwin sipped his drink, trying to look like he hadn’t a care in the world. It was an act. I saw the slight frown tugging at his lips before he covered it with his glass.

  Still, his nonchalance surprised me. And, if I were being honest, rubbed me the wrong way. “And have you thwarted this false rumor?”

  “I have not.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Why not?”

  “Because it is not in our interest to deny the rumors.”

  “Oh, really? And why is that?”

  “How do you think I plan to gain entrance to see King Aquin.” Erwin placed his glass on the oak desk to his right.

  I gaped at him. “I thought the plan was for you to request an audience with the king. As his ambassador to Draekon, he would see you.” That was one of the few items we’d all agreed upon when trying to figure out how to approach Finn.

  “Except I did not succeed as his ambassador to the draekon.” Erwin pierced me with a dark green stare. “King Aquin is a fair ruler, but if I show up before I am invited only to tell him about my failures, believe me, we will not receive a warm welcome.”

  “So… what? You tell the king you have a romantic partner you would like him to meet and he throws the doors wide open? That doesn’t exactly sound like a clever plan, Erwin.” It wasn’t so much that I minded the strategy, more so that I didn’t approve of the fact Erwin didn’t bother to mention it to me. Was his plan to blindside me as we walked up to the palace gates?

  Min winced, rubbing his head. He knew he was about to witness a fight. If only I’d been able to predict the next words out of Erwin’s mouth, I might have not reacted so horribly.

  “No, Amelissa.” Erwin stood from the leather chair, put his hands on his hips, bracing himself for the impending storm. “I am going to tell the king the truth.”

  Unwilling to be towered over like a simpering coward, I got to my feet, holding onto the back of my chair to not be thrown around by the ship’s rocking. “What do you mean? What are you going to tell him?”

  “I’m going to tell him the truth. You are Lassandra’s daughter.”

  15

  “No.”

  “Yes. It is the only way we will get an audience.”

  The crashing waves roared in my ears. Or perhaps it was my own blood, pumping furiously throughout my entire body. I couldn’t distinguish between the two.

  I couldn’t believe what I heard. Originally, Erwin had planned on introducing my to King Aquin, but we’d both decided it would be a good idea to wait until we had a better grasp on what was happening with the rebellion, Brion, and my family.

  What could have possibly possessed him to change his mind?

  “You can’t tell the king who I am. He will ask too many questions.” I didn’t even mention the fact Erwin also planned to introduce me as his romantic partner. Both were outrageous ideas.

  Erwin sighed. “I wanted to inform you of the plan once we drew closer to shore. I didn’t want you to cause a scene on the ship where the sailors might see.”

  So much for the hours spent trying to formulate a plan to enter the palace. Erwin had one all along. I shot an accusing glare at Min, but I was surprised to see he’d managed to slip out of the cabin unnoticed. He’d known the true details of Erwin’s plan. I wondered if Lerick knew, as well.

  I ignored Erwin’s attempt to placate my anger. Instead, I let it fuel me. “What am I supposed to tell the king about my family, huh? Do I admit his daughter fled from her homeland because she had illicit relations with a draekon solider? What do you think he will do to me if he finds that out?”

  I didn’t know the king. I didn’t know if the fact we shared blood would deter him from sentencing me straight to death once he learned I was half-draekon. The logical side of me remembered Kurtis. He and all of his relatives hadn’t been put to death for their distant ancestor’s transgression. But that elf hadn’t been the king’s own daughter. The gods only knew how he’d feel once he learned the heir to his throne willingly abandoned her people in order to be with their enemy. He could very well take out his betrayal and pain on the easiest target presented to him: me.

  “Lissa,” Erwin’s growled warningly. “Calm down.”

  “Don’t call me that!” I yelled. Deceivers didn’t get to call me by my nickname. “And don’t tell me to calm down. You’ve been planning to throw me on the mercy of King Aquin’s sword, and you didn’t even have the decency to warn me!”

  “Enough!” Erwin bellowed. The force of the sound, coupled with my shock, sent me stumbling back into my chair.

  Erwin closed the distance between us and planted his hands on the arms of my chair. I leaned back and glared at the traitorous elf. He bent down until I could feel the breath from his nostrils disturbing the hair on my forehead. “Do you want to stop Prince Finn from murdering a king and signing his own death warrant?”

  His overbearing behavior and even tone rendered me speechless. I could do nothing but fill my glare with anger and distrust.

  “Glare at me all you want, Lissa,” Erwin continued. “But once you abandon your desire to hold onto this foolish temper, you will see I am right. Gaining entrance to the palace won’t be the hard part. Speaking with the king in time is our main concern. This is the only
way to guarantee an immediate audience with the king and prevent Prince Finn from fulfilling his murderous orders.”

  I understood what he was saying, and I knew the risks. Still, I could not release my anger. “You should have told me.”

  Erwin pushed off my chair and straightened, but he didn’t back away. His large, lean form continued to overshadow me in the dim candlelight.

  “Perhaps,” he replied. “But I know you Lissa. No matter when I told you the news, you would’ve acted the same way.”

  “What way?” I challenged. Erwin didn’t know me as well as he believed. We’d only met months ago, and the majority of that time was in Draek. We weren’t exactly sharing meals each evening or walking the gardens together. We were friends, but our relationship was nothing compared to my friendships with Jem, Lorie, and Lin. And, dare I say it, Brion. I knew a lot of how I felt for Brion stemmed from our bond, but during my time working in the garrison and traveling to Villam, I’d gotten to know parts of the prince which were otherwise a mystery. I’d thought the same could’ve been said for Erwin, but that all disappeared when I realized he was still the sneaky, manipulative ambassador who could keep something so significant from me.

  My thoughts and feelings must’ve played clearly on my expression. Erwin fisted his hands and growled, “You are determined to be a child about this, I see.”

  His insult was the final spark needed to ignite the fire. Ignoring how close he stood to my chair, I got to my feet, placed my hands on his chest, and shoved Erwin back with all the strength I could muster.

  Which was a lot.

  Erwin went flying back, falling over the top of his chair, knocking it onto the floor.

  Oh my gods.

  I looked down to confirm no talons extended from my hands. Nope. It appeared I’d only managed to shift enough to possess draekon strength.

  I rushed to the other side of the chair and bent down.

  “Erwin!” I touched his head then his shoulders, not sure where I should put my hands. “Erwin, can you hear me?”