Ferros watched the girl, who had introduced herself as Akira, run her hand almost lovingly along the hull of the Bloodshed. She was also the daughter of Loxley Eames, one of the kingdom’s best archeologists. While he’d only met the man once many years ago, Ferros could see the resemblance.

Her eyes were sharp. She missed nothing, except for the fact that he and Ehren were the crown princes. She was strong and not afraid of heights, that much was obvious. She was most certainly smart. And like Thane had warned Ehren, her wit and tongue were razor sharp. She was also taller than most women he’d met, and they’d been in heels. He couldn’t decide if her hair was white or silver or a very pale gold. Her eyes were hoary or were they azure? He couldn’t tell. Her skin wasn’t exactly pale but it was clear she’d recently spent a great deal of time indoors. Her voice was smooth, a bit throaty, and deeper than he expected.

Ehren nudged him. He turned to glare at him. His brother rolled his eyes but told him quietly to pay attention. There was nothing to pay attention to at the moment. Akira was muttering to herself by the ship and Asena had gone to stand by Thane. They were conversing in hushed tones about something, though Ferros couldn’t hear what. That left him and Ehren standing awkwardly off to one side.

“I should have brought something to draw with,” he muttered under his breath.

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“What the hell are we doing here anyway?” Ehren whispered out of the corner of his mouth. “Why won’t anyone tell us anything?”

“It had to be the Siren’s Revenge that sank,” Akira said to no one. “There isn’t a scratch on this hull that would have caused catastrophic failure leading to it sinking. So why do the reports say it was the Bloodshed that was sighted not the Siren’s Revenge?”

“The profile of both ships looked very similar and when seen from a distance, it’s easy to mistake one for the other,” Asena answered.

“But she was coming from England!” Akira exclaimed. “Your mother was not known for purchasing necessities from there.”

“True, but she went to lay flowers on her mother’s grave for her birthday,” Asena replied quietly.

“Of course, Anwen always went back to England for her mother’s birthday.”

Akira’s eyes turned sad and grew distant.

“Akira?” Asena touched her shoulder.

Ferros watched her jump but saw her eyes remain unfocused. Tears pooled in the corners and slipped silently down her cheeks.

“Why is she crying?” Ehren asked confused.

Asena looked to Thane for an answer.

“I heard her talking to her brother and another young man she called Keir,” he began.

At the mention of the name Keir, Akira jerked away from Asena’s hand. She turned toward the ship. Then without warning she began punching the hull and screaming profanities. The four of them exchanged bewildered looks.

“Is there any way to calm her?” Ferros asked.

Thane rubbed the back of his neck.

“Her brother might be able to calm her but it’s a long shot,” he told them.

“Go get the boy,” Asena snapped. “She could hurt herself.”