Chapter Thirty-Three

Raimie

The military man, looming over Eledis, didn’t seem surprised by my sudden entrance. In fact, his eyes pierced into me with something like fascination, and if I hadn’t been so on edge after reading Queen Kaedesa’s message, I might have found this curious. As it was, I wrenched Silverblade out of its scabbard before advancing on the hostile in our midst.

“Damn, Eledis,” the stranger said. “You didn’t tell me how much he’s grown-”

He was cut off when I shoved him into the wall.

“Stay away from my grandfather,” I growled.

With a soft chuckle, the military man said, “He has the proper bearing too. That’ll be helpful.”

Again, his words choked off as I slammed him into stone.

“Eledis, a little help?” he squeaked.

Wait. That was the second time this man had used my grandfather’s name.

With a sigh, Eledis got to his feet before laying a hand on my arm.

“He’s an ally,” he said.

Which meant… shit.

Releasing the military man, I retreated several steps before bowing with Silverblade pressed against my leg.

“Please, forgive me,” I said. “With the way you were standing, I thought you were threatening Eledis.”

“Um…”

On the edge of my vision, I watched the military man lean toward Eledis.

“You should probably teach him about proper decorum again,” he said.

Again?

Eledis merely shrugged, which had the stranger turning back to me. Crossing his arms, he examined me with his eyebrows drawn together.

“Please, don’t bow to me, Your Majesty. I’m not worthy of it,” he said. “Plus, it’s your right to discipline a lowly subordinate as you see fit.”

Slowly, I straightened. Your Majesty?

From where they’d been hiding, Bright and Dim flanked me. Both of them watched the stranger with narrowed eyes.

Does he mean…? I said.

“Maybe,” Bright said with a frown.

“But he could just be showing respect for your family,” Dim added before leaning forward. “Either way, sucks to be you.”

With twitching lips, I resisted the need to roll my eyes.

You’re an ass, I said.

As a genuine smile spread across Dim’s face, they flourished an extravagant bow.

“Why, thank you,” they said.

While Bright groaned, I focused on the men shuffling in front of me.

“I don’t like being called ‘Your Majesty’,” I said before focusing on Eledis. “You plan on introducing us?”

While chewing on his lip, Eledis drawled, “Certainly.”

He clasped the stranger’s shoulder.

“This is my good friend…” he started before turning to the other man. “Are you sure you want to go by that name? Perfect opportunity to change it here.”

Flushing, the stranger said, “It’s what everyone knows me as. Get on with it.”

“Well, that’s not suspicious as fuck,” Dim said while Eledis shook his head with a sigh.

Mm. Can’t ask about it now, though, I said.

Again, Eledis slapped the stranger’s shoulder, hard enough for him to wince this time.

“This is Marcuset,” he said.

At that, I cocked my head. Was there something wrong with that name? It was a little unusual, to be sure, but-

“Raimie, the queen’s note,” Bright said.

Right. The threat to our lives.

“I don’t suppose you’re one of the people who’s been helping with escape plans, are you?” I asked.

That would be godsdamn lucky, something I’d never been, but I had to ask.

With an odd look on his face, Marcuset said, “We’ve been meeting in that capacity since you arrived here, Your Majesty.”

Again, with that honorific.

Huffing, I said, “What unusual luck. Hopefully, it’ll carry through the night.”

I sheathed Silverblade, hurrying to retrieve a belt. While I buckled it around my waist, Dim excitedly bounced on my bed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Eledis asked behind me.

As Dim’s antics grew increasingly erratic and distracting, I glared at them while responding.

“When I was in the queen’s room tonight, I stumbled across my sword, obviously, but I also found a note attached to it. In it, Kaedesa shared that her decision about us has been made and that we should run. Considering I don’t know when she penned the note, I thought we should get the hell out while we still…”

Having turned to Eledis and Marcuset, I was struck silent by their guarded expressions, fighting the urge to draw Silverblade again.

“Why were you in ‘desa’s room?” Marcuset asked.

Oh… they’d thought…?

Gods, what sort of horrible person did they think I was? And on the tiny chance that I had been planning to do what they were considering, did they really think Kaedesa couldn’t defend herself?

“I was looking for Shadowsteal,” I said. “The queen’s gotten bored with me lately. I thought that if I made Shadowsteal disappear, it would catch her interest.”

“Ah.”

Marcuset and Eledis relaxed, which had me crossing my arms. I wanted to call them out for making assumptions, but any berating I might unleash could wait until we were free of Daira.

Frowning, Marcuset glanced around the room.

“If you were in ‘desa’s room, then that means…”

His searching eyes landed on me.

“How did you get out of here unseen?” he asked.

…Shit.

Gliding forward, Bright stared at Marcuset with an intensity that scared me.

But after the shortest of breaths, they said, “You can tell him. He’s not radiating anything that’s of the enemy.”

Which was reassuring. Still, it was best if I was vague. I pointed at a window, still cracked open.

“I left through there,” I said.

Striding to the window, Marcuset leaned through it before jerking back inside.

“How?” he asked. “Unless…”

He glanced at Eledis.

“Has he…?”

Shrugging with one shoulder, Eledis said, “Maybe. There have been signs, but I can’t be sure until-”

What the fuck were they doing?

“Can we have this conversation once we’re out of the castle?” I asked. “I wasn’t subtle when getting back. In fact, I’m surprised the castle guard hasn’t come to check on us. Who knows when they’ll tighten their security?”

“They won’t. Not tonight, at least.”

Leaning against the wall, Marcuset grinned at my bewilderment.

Narrowing my eyes, I asked, “Why wouldn’t they?”

“Because I told them not to,” Marcuset said with his grin widening.

…Where the hell had his deference gone? I was glad it had disappeared, but that was annoying right now.

Rapidly tapping my foot, I asked, “And why would they listen to you?”

As Marcuset opened his mouth to speak, Eledis pinched the other man’s wrist.

“Stop, Em… Marcuset,” he said. “Just tell him.”

For some reason, this sobered Marcuset. He pushed off of the wall before bowing to me.

“I am the commander of Ada’ir’s armed forces,” he said before glancing up. “Until the queen says otherwise, they’ll do as I order.”

That certainly explained why he and Eledis weren’t panicking.

“Get up,” I absently snapped.

If Marcuset served Kaedesa, then why was he helping Eledis? Because of their friendship? And if that was the case, where did his loyalties lie?

Speaking of friends, how had that happened between these two? Not counting the difference in age, one had held a prominent position in Daira, and the other had lived in anonymity on the other side of the kingdom for as long as I’d been alive.

Scrunching my eyebrows together, I swept a finger between them.

“How…?”

With a faint smile, Eledis said, “We weren’t always who we are now. Your father and I did have lives before you were born.”

“As did I,” Marcuset said before shaking his head, “but we should focus on the present, not the past. No matter that we’re not as rushed as you believed, you were right about needing to leave. It’s why I was here, talking to your grandfather.”

“You’re sure the rumors are true, then?” Eledis asked.

Lifting his eyes to the heavens, Marcuset said, “Yes, I’m sure, and everything’s ready to go. Loyal soldiers are waiting-”

“Wait,” I interrupted. “What rumors?”

Stiffening, both Marcuset and Eledis shifted in place, which only made me more wary.

“Before you arrived in Daira, several of the realm’s villages had been wiped out, yes?” Marcuset asked.

Oh, no. No, no, no.

“Yes?” I said.

Refusing to meet my gaze, Marcuset said, “In the last few weeks, we’ve had more incidences like that, all of which are headed toward Daira.”

Slowly breathing out, I closed my eyes, fighting to stay grounded. Detaching wasn’t a good idea right now, and I shouldn’t visit that state unless it was needed.

Why didn’t you say anything? I asked.

“For two reasons,” Dim said. “One, I didn’t know. I haven’t returned to the whole in a while.”

Even unsure what that meant, I said, Why not?

“Because, ya dingus, being part of the whole is uncomfortable for me as I am, and it changes me,” Dim said. “Besides, if I’d known what was happening, how would telling you about it have helped? Reason number two right there, by the way.”

With another deep breath, I opened my eyes to find my Daevetch splinter.

That’s fair, I said.

Then, I turned my attention to the mortals around me.

“So, after months of inactivity, Teron’s finally coming for us,” I said. “Why are we still here?”

After exchanging a glance with Marcuset, Eledis said, “Shadowsteal. We haven’t found it.”

For a moment, I could only blink at him.

“And?” I said.

“And the foretelling about Doldimar implies that you’ll need Shadowsteal for your role,” Eledis said. “Seems important that we don’t lose it when it’s just been found.”

“What’s the point of a foretelling if we’re dead before fulfilling it?” I hissed. “If Shadowsteal’s so necessary for our goal, then the sword will eventually return to me. This is given, of course, that the lot of you are right about who I am, but even if I’m not, we should get out of a city where we’re not only condemned criminals but have a fucking battle mage coming after us.”

If Eledis argued with me, I swore that I was going to learn what happened when Daevetch was propelled through a human.

“I wouldn’t,” Bright said. “You won’t like the end result.”

Before I could snap at them, Marcuset turned to Eledis.

“He’s right,” he said.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Eledis said, rolling his eyes. “Fine. Let’s get out of here.”

“So glad we’re all on the same page,” I growled. “Eledis, get your things together. I’ll be in the hallway while you do that. Marcuset-”

At the commander’s raised eyebrows, I stopped short. Had I really been planning on telling that man what to do? The hell was I doing, taking charge like that?

“Yes?” Marcuset drawled.

Flushing, I said, “Never mind. It’s not important.”

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I hurried out of the room, wincing when I saw a guard, sprawled on the floor outside. In the drama that had come with Marcuset’s introduction, I’d forgotten about this poor man.

Crouching, I checked his pulse before gently turning his body so I could see the back of his head. Finding no evidence of bleeding there, I’d started propping him into a more comfortable position when the door opened.

“Shit!”

The next thing I knew, I was hitting the ground, hard, while Marcuset had taken my place. With his fingers on the guard’s neck, he had the most concerned look on his face, one that might have made me feel guilty if I hadn’t just been knocked out of the way.

Climbing to my feet, I said, “He’s alive. I don’t kill people, commander, and my options when it came to this man were knock him out or sneak past. Considering that I thought my grandfather and I were soon to be executed…”

I gestured at the guard while brushing myself off.

“Is he an ally too?’

Slumping, Marcuset rubbed his face.

“No,” he said. “He’s one of mine, but he doesn’t know where my loyalties lie.”

After taking a steadying breath, he glanced up at me.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I shouldn’t have been so rough with you.”

“It’s fine. You were worried about your subordinate,” I said, flapping a hand at him, “and would you please stop saying that honorific? I’m not worthy of it, and even if I were, I’m only eighteen, at least two decades your junior. Don’t give me more respect than I deserve.”

A… a fond smile flashed across Marcuset’s face—the hell? We’d known each other for less than an hour—and he opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, Eledis strode into the hallway, looking through his pack one more time.

“Right. Not many people will be awake right now, so getting out of the castle should be…”

On observing the scene at his feet, he fell silent, flicking his eyes between us.

“He’s alive,” Marcuset said.

“Oh. Well, that’s all right, then,” Eledis said before gesturing down the hall. “Shall we?”

Wow, that had been callous, but I didn’t comment on it, watching Marcuset straighten instead.

“Which way?” I asked.

As we hurried through the castle, Marcuset and Eledis took the lead, having planned our escape route long ago. Even still, after a few turns, I had a good idea about where we were headed, but I didn’t join the older men. Not only was I quite comfortable with letting them stay in control, but they were having an interesting conversation as well.

“The guard back there reminded me,” Marcuset said. “Should I be worried? Is he back?”

…He? He, as in me, or he, as in… I wasn’t sure who else the guard could have reminded the commander of.

“No. We’re fine,” Eledis said. “I haven’t seen any signs of him, unlike with the other thing.”

“Are you sure?” Marcuset asked. “I haven’t mentioned it because I thought they’d deserted, but while you were in Sev, the day ‘desa picked you up, two of her royal guard went missing. It could have been him.”

They were silent for a while, giving me time to work through what they’d said, but in the end, I couldn’t take advantage of it. Dim chose that moment to increase their pace, only slowing when they were between me and the older men.

Cocking their head, they frowned as if trying to remember something, before getting in my face. With the splinter less than a pace away from me, I stopped short.

What on-? I started.

Dim jerked back as if slapped.

“Fuck!” they shouted before seeking out Bright. “We have a huge problem.”

Sucking in a breath, Bright said, “Is it enough to risk-?”

“Yes,” Dim hissed. “Very fucking much, yes.”

Bright’s face hardened while I looked on with my mouth gaping.

What-? I tried again.

The splinters popped out of existence, and I rocked away from where they’d been standing. What the hell was going on?

From ahead, Eledis and Marcuset’s footfalls echoed down the hall, and I hurried to catch up with them. Whatever had distressed my splinters had started with those two, after all.

“-could have been, yes,” Eledis was saying once I was back within hearing range, “but I seriously doubt it. Come on, Marcuset. If he were back, would we still be alive?”

Sagging a bit, Marcuset said, “I suppose that’s true.”

After that, they had nothing else to say, and the three of us soon stepped onto a cobblestone road, one that carved through the grass until it passed through a far distant gate.

My splinters had yet to reappear, no matter that I’d mentally called for them a few times. I wasn’t sure if that would summon them, even in typical circumstances, but I had to try something. Now that it had been taken from me, I realized how much I didn’t want to give up my magic.

So, I climbed into the waiting carriage with no small amount of trepidation. Collapsing in the seat opposite the others, I eyed them while Marcuset drew the curtains over the carriage’s windows.

As we trundled forward, I said, “Who’s ‘he’?”

Jumping, Eledis snapped his gaze to me while Marcuset went still.

“What do you mean?” the commander asked.

Rolling my eyes, I fell back into my seat, crossing my arms.

“If you start talking about something I don’t understand while in front of me, you should expect me to ask for clarification,” I said, “and if it’s something you’re trying to hide, you both need to review how to keep a secret.”

At that, Eledis relaxed.

“Oh, that. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to keep you out of it. I just didn’t want to worry you,” he said. “Over the last week, Marcuset and I have noticed signs that an old enemy of ours might be returning. Long ago, he staged corpses in a similar position to how you laid our room guard, and seeing that on top of everything else had us on edge.”

Damn. I might believe that story if earlier, my splinters hadn’t reacted so animatedly to Eledis and Marcuset’s discussion.

“…Uh huh,” I said. “So, this enemy. You don’t think he’s coming back?’

Marcuset laughed, although when put into the context of everything else, it seemed a bit nervous.

“I certainly hope not!” he said.

With a cautioning look at him, Eledis said, “I’d be surprised if he did. The last time we saw him, we thoroughly banished him from our lives.”

“Maybe you did,” Marcuset said. “If you’ll remember, I wasn’t there because I thought it was a bad idea.”

Eledis backhanded his chest before leaning forward.

Resting his elbows on his knees, he said, “You don’t need to worry about it.”

Should I call my grandfather out on his bullshit? If I did, I couldn’t admit why I didn’t believe his story.

In the end, the choice was taken from me. Dim and Bright appeared from thin air between me and the older men. Dropping to the carriage’s floor, they scratched and bit at one another for a five count before freezing in place. Dim had Bright pinned while they had hold of the Daevetch splinter’s wrists. Caught in this position, they glanced at me before scrambling apart.

“Ok,” I distractedly told Eledis.

I was half-aware of him relaxing, mostly occupied with watching my splinters regain their composure.

Will you tell me where you went, or is this another mystery that’ll never get resolved? I asked.

Wincing, Bright said, “We’re not trying to keep secrets…”

They trailed off as I raised my eyebrows.

“We were beside the nearby break in reality,” Dim hoarsely said before coughing up a storm.

While they pounded on their chest, Bright said, “Besides the area around you, breaks in reality are the only place where we pieces of our wholes can exist on the physical plane, but considering proximity to one isn’t conducive to our survival—”

They glanced at where moments before, they and Dim had been caught fighting.

“—we don’t typically use them like that.”

“It does, however, make it so that we can… hmm.”

Pausing, Dim tapped on their chin.

“The best equivalent for it is ‘talking’. So, breaks in reality let us ‘speak’ with one another,” they said, “which means we can more easily discuss things that are off-limits when on the physical plane.”

“Like our purpose for you,” Bright said.

I let that sink in for a moment, unsure how to identify this roiling storm inside of me. While I waited for a clear head, I shifted in my seat, smiling at Marcuset. Best to appear somewhat normal, right?

You won’t tell me anything about what just happened, will you? I eventually said.

Bright and Dim exchanged a glance.

“I know it’s a difficult thing to ask, given what I am, but trust me when I say that I’d tell you everything if I could,” Dim said. “You deserve to know, but…”

As they trailed off, Bright grimaced.

“It’s difficult for us,” they said. “Remember what happened the last time we tried to share this with you?”

I winced, clearly remembering my splinters’ distress.

Understood, I said. It’s just… I can’t help but wonder, yeah? To my great surprise, I trust that you two won’t hurt me, but… I’d still rather know your plans.

Tears sprang into Bright’s eyes, and they turned away from me while Dim rested their incorporeal hand on my knee.

“You epitomize my whole’s strength,” they said before displaying a cheeky grin. “Besides, you won’t be in the dark for much longer. We’ll keep trying to convey our wants to you. Isn’t that right, rigid asshole?”

Sniffing, Bright glared at Dim.

But still, they said, “That’s right.”

The rest of the carriage ride was monotonous and boring for me. My companions, both real and not, didn’t seem inclined to make conversation, and the curtains over the windows prevented me from getting an up-close view of Daira. Eventually, however, the carriage stopped, dumping us at the city’s harbor.

So many ships stretched to both sides of me, a confusing mishmash of wood and rope and sail, with the sea beyond. Opposite that, a tall wall rose, completely white in color. I wasn’t sure how they kept grime from showing on it, but I could appreciate the indomitable, unbreachable sight that it presented.

Marcuset led the way up the gangplank of a moderately sized boat, one that was bustling with activity. As we passed, people wearing the uniform of Ada’ir’s military stopped what they were doing to cast quizzical looks at me and Eledis. No matter that they couldn’t know who we were, they pressed their fists to their chests and bowed.

It was a bit disconcerting.

Activity died down after we climbed onto the quarterdeck, although soldiers were going about their business here too.

Only one of them wasn’t moving around, leaning on a handrail instead. Firelight made his blonde hair glint, and when a soldier approached him, saluting, he turned toward her, revealing a trim physique as well as a distinctive profile.

And I was socked in the gut with an increasingly familiar sense of recognition, but this one was strong. I stopped short, staring, while Marcuset continued toward the man, and my splinters watched me with their heads cocked.

Resting his hand on my shoulder, Eledis asked, “Are you all right?”

“Who is that?” I said with wide eyes.

Eledis glanced toward the man in question.

“I’m not sure. Perhaps this ship’s captain?” he said. “Why?”

Taking a deep breath, I shook myself, shrugging the peculiar sensation off.

“It’s nothing,” I said before striding toward the others.

I should really look into these twinges I’d been having. By now, they’d happened too many times for me to dismiss them as a strange happenstance.

When considering how to best investigate them, however, I found myself reluctant to bring the phenomenon up, especially with Eledis. Maybe I could do that with my father but Eledis? That idea made me want to shudder.

But then, I had no more time to consider the question. Marcuset turned to me and Eledis, extending a hand as if in welcome.

“This man will be in charge during our voyage: Captain Oswin,” he said. “If you have any questions, you should come to him.”

A set of eyes landed on me, and at that, another jolt of recognition passed down my spine. As if from a distance, I watched the captain bow to me.

“Your Majesty,” Oswin said.

Without my permission, my hands lifted from my sides, jerking the captain upright, while barely considered words spilled out of my mouth.

“Don’t do that. I told you to never-”

Cutting off, I fell back into my body with a wrench, noting the alarmed expressions surrounding me. Carefully, I released my grip on this stranger’s jacket before taking a step back.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what that was,” I said. “Maybe you reminded me of someone, although I don’t know who that could be. Either way, I shouldn’t have manhandled you like that. I am deeply sorry to have offended you.”

Licking his lips, Oswin said, “You… didn’t offend me, Your-”

With a head shake, he passed a hand over his face while pointing behind him.

“I should finish consulting with Bilensa,” he said. “I’ll rejoin you once I’m done.”

While he stalked away, I fervently wished that I could pull my Ele source around myself and disappear.

“Not a good idea, kid,” Dim said. “Too many people around you.”

I know that, thanks, I growled.

Dim made a funny face at me—which wasn’t helping—while I struggled to keep my focus on Marcuset and Eledis. Both men were eyeing me like I’d transform into a ravenous beast at any moment, so I did the only thing that I could.

Move on.

Resolutely facing Marcuset, I said, “You mentioned a voyage. Do we have a course set?”

“Um…”

Marcuset glanced at Eledis, who shrugged, before forcibly casting off his unease.

“Our heading is east,” he said. “We don’t have much more than that, unfortunately. In the last three hundred years, not much has escaped Auden besides the occasional burst of refugees, and they’re usually unwilling to speak about their lives across the Narrow Sea.”

That sounded problematic. Not the most important issue right now, though.

“We’re headed for Auden? What about the people we left in Sev?” I asked. “Have the Zrelnach returned home? And what about my father?”

Best not to mention Rhylix, considering how much disdain the others held him in.

“Despite my attempts otherwise, I couldn’t get my hands on news about our companions,” I continued. “Keeping a queen entertained is a time-consuming job, it turns out, and learning about something that she didn’t want me to know would have taken a lot of time.”

Jerking toward Eledis, Marcuset said, “You didn’t tell him?”

“Tell me what?”

“You know how I said I haven’t seen much of him? I meant that literally,” Eledis said with an eye roll. “Most of the time when I was in our room, he was… out.”

Before Marcuset could reply, I repeated, “Tell me what?”

Was everyone ok? What would I do if my friend or father had been hurt? Gods. How would I learn to control my primeancy without Rhylix?

With a heavy sigh, Marcuset rested his hands on his hips, dropping his gaze to the deck.

“When your people arrived in Sev, the reason ‘desa knew you were there was because Commander Ferin told her,” he said.

I blinked for a moment, fitting this new information into what I already knew, before rubbing my forehead.

“Of course she did.”

With a soft groan, I tilted my head back, taking in the black expanse above.

“Alouin, when we were together, she intimated her plan,” I said, “but why would she betray us? She seemed so intent on getting me educated in ‘the relevant subjects’, almost frantic about it. So, was someone or something putting pressure on her? The Council, maybe? Teron? I could see that.”

Slapping my hand to my thigh, I lowered my head, although I didn’t truly see anything.

“It doesn’t matter. If she’s turned against us, we’ve lost the Zrelnach,” I said. “I hope dad…”

With a head shake, I focused on Marcuset.

“So, they’ve returned to Allanovian, then,” I said. “Did anyone stay?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Marcuset said, “All of them, actually. ‘desa asked them to hold position until the situation there calms down.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“What situation?”

“Nothing too worrisome,” Eledis said. “A bit of socioeconomic unrest, but it should soon pass.”

“Oh! Are you talking about Sev?”

With his thumbs hanging from his belt, Oswin ambled into the conversation again, widely smiling.

“I heard that people from Ada’ir, if you can believe it, have been undermining the city-state’s government,” he continued. “I wonder if they’re the queen’s spies. She’s been trying to snatch up Sev for years.”

While he chuckled, Eledis glared his way, and I transferred my narrow-eyed gaze to him. Picking up on the tension, Oswin grimaced.

“Oh, hel- Alouin. I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Just here to take orders, me.”

“Don’t apologize,” I said through gritted teeth. “You gave me information I sorely needed.”

Because who could this group be but the allies I had left among the Zrelnach? I hadn’t been aware that they could cause change on a governmental level, but their activity, coming in tandem with my capture, was too coincidental to be anything else.

“You would have us leave dad here?” I asked Eledis.

As my grandfather flinched, I wondered how long ice would accompany the words I spoke.

“What about Rhylix, the first friend I’ve made in my life?” I continued. “Hell, what about the Zrelnach who’ve chosen us over Ferin? Because of us, they have no home to return to, and that’s not counting the danger they’d face in Teron and the queen. And you’d have us leave them here.”

Clicking his tongue, Eledis crossed his arms.

“You’re not thinking long-term. If we leave for Auden from Daira, we’re unlikely to pass through the Accession Tear’s storms,” he said. “If we depart from Sev, we’ll be heading straight through them, and yes, that was my original intent, but at the time, our priority was to leave this continent as quickly as possible. Now that we’re here, we should minimize the threat to our soldiers’ lives.”

He waved a hand as if encompassing more than this ship alone.

“He’s made a good point about the storms,” Bright said at my side. “The Accession Tear makes the weather around it exceptionally volatile, worse than most of what I’ve seen.”

“And isn’t it just glorious?” Dim crooned.

Ignoring them, I clenched my jaw, balling my hands into fists, and faced Marcuset.

“Exactly how dangerous would leaving from Sev be?” I asked.

I didn’t know if I could trust the commander to truthfully answer me, but I certainly couldn’t trust Eledis.

Marcuset scratched his cheek, darting his gaze between me and my grandfather.

“I can’t give you an exact answer,” he said, “but of the ships that sail between Daira and Sev, about a quarter of them are lost per year, and that’s when traveling along the edge of the Tear’s influence.”

Damn. That… that was enough to cool the outrage sweeping through me. Unsure what to say, I chewed on my lip while working through the problem. Was rescuing a handful of people worth risking so many lives?

Clearing his throat, Oswin said, “If I may?”

Raising my finger to silence Eledis’ coming protest, I nodded.

“Forgive me, but we’re soldiers, Your Majesty,” Oswin said. “Risk is part of the job.”

Gods, I could kiss that man, if I were at all attracted to him.

“Oh, please,” Eledis huffed. “The risk wouldn’t be to the soldiers but to the outcome of this expedition-”

“Eledis. I love you, but stop talking,” I snapped.

While my grandfather closed his mouth with a glare, I took a calming breath.

“Captain, please adjust your course. Your new destination is Sev,” I said. “I won’t let the people who’ve helped me suffer, not if I can help it.”

With a half-smile, Oswin bowed.

“It shall be done,” he said.

Spinning, he headed toward the soldiers watching us. In fact, now that I was aware of it, there were a lot of eyes on us.

Before that could send anxiety climbing up my throat, the scrape of a sword on its scabbard drew my attention to Marcuset, and the sight of him holding an unsheathed blade had me brushing Silverblade’s hilt.

With his eyes on Eledis, he said, “Sorry, my friend.”

And then, he knelt, lifting his sword with his head bowed.

“I, Marcuset, commander of all solders faithful to the Audish royal line, do swear fealty and unwavering support to Raimie, the rightful claimant of the throne,” he said. “Ever will I serve as you see fit, ever to be your shield. May my blade always prove true to you.”

In the silence that followed, I could only stare. Had… had that actually just happened?

“I’m so sorry, human mine,” Dim said. “I know you didn’t want this.”

“But you have to complete the exchange,” Bright added, “unless you mean to reject him.”

If I did, it would, at the least, lower Marcuset’s standing among the soldiers. Some might even see my rejection as a lack of faith, and from there, naming him a traitor wouldn’t be a long leap. With all of that, he might conveniently fall overboard on our journey, all because of me, and no matter that we’d just met, I didn’t want any of that for the man kneeling in front of me.

So, ignoring what it would mean for me, I rifled through my mental index for my part in this protocol. Drawing Silverblade, I nicked my thumb before pressing it into Marcuset’s forehead, holding my sword to the side.

“I, Raimie, last in the line of Audish kings, do accept Marcuset as my faithful servant,” I said. “I swear to honor and protect you as best I can.”

I had to add that last bit, no matter that it jumped from the script. How could I keep someone safe with my limited resources?

“Ever will I work toward your benefit, ever to provide opportunity for you,” I continued. “May I always serve you as a leader should.”

Straightening, I offered Marcuset a hand, and while he obviously didn’t need it, he accepted anyway. As he sheathed his blade, he glanced at Eledis, imploring enough with it that even I could read his plea for forgiveness, but with his arms crossed, my grandfather wouldn’t look at him. Slumping, Marcuse shook his head before spinning on our audience.

“All right, you lot! What are you staring at?” he roared. “Get back to it. We have places to be.”

Once more, activity on the quarterdeck flurried to life with soldiers running every which way.

“I should show you to your quarters,” Marcuset said. “If you’ll follow me?”

I nodded my acceptance, but Eledis turned further away from us, which meant we should leave him alone. To my great surprise—or not, considering their relationship—Marcuset read this too. Without another word, he led the way below deck.

When we reached my assigned cabin, I paused before entering.

“Why did you do it?” I asked. “You hardly know me. You can’t know what sort of king I’d make. So, why?”

I still didn’t know what I’d do about this ‘ruling a kingdom’ thing, whether I’d accept it or reject it as I’d like, but fortunately, I didn’t have to make a decision yet.

Instead, I met Marcuset’s eyes, barely noticing the sigh he released.

“Your Majesty, I’ve known you for long enough that I could never doubt what sort of leader you’ll be,” he said. “If you’ll excuse me?”

Despite my confusion, I said, “Of course. Good night, commander.”

Once Marcuset had disappeared, I marched across the length of my cabin to repeatedly bang my forehead on its bulkhead.