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He kissed me. Kissed me with everything he had, filled with such uncontainable power that I trembled under its weight, sure my heart would’ve shattered had it not been held so tightly in his grasp. This man who’d torn lives from the coasts, whose murderous hands had tainted the seas red and soothed aches from my skin – all that power, and still it wasn’t enough.

I pulled back a fraction, letting a sliver of moonlight carve out the space between our lips. ‘Sebastien, I—’

The sound of something wet hitting the deck made me jump. I spun around as a dark figure emerged over the ship’s railing, clambering aboard the snow-dusted deck, coughing and spluttering.

My eyes widened in horror – it was just a boy, no older than thirteen or fourteen. I darted past Sebastien and hurried towards the young stranger as he dragged himself to his feet. Hunger was etched in his hollow cheeks. Sopping, ill-fitting clothes clung to his dark skin and his eyes widened when they reached my face.

‘It’s you,’ he breathed.

26

The boy staggered to his feet, scarcely more than chattering bones drenched in salt and seawater, rubbing his shoulders to bring a breath of warmth back into his body.

‘Who are you?’ I asked, hoarse over the thrashing of my frantic heart.

‘My name is Theo,’ he answered, voice trembling from the cold. ‘The captain sent me to see if you were still alive.’

‘Your captain?’ I prompted, dread rising like bile in my throat. I looked out to sea, spotting the outline of masts on the dark horizon. It’s too soon, I thought, trying to swallow my panic. We weren’t there yet. The solstice wasn’t for another two days.

‘Answer quick, lad,’ Sebastien growled, coming to stand over my shoulder.

Theo shivered in his sopping clothes, standing tall despite being dwarfed by the Heartless King. ‘I don’t know her name,’ he answered, his voice admirably calm over the chattering of his teeth. ‘She sent me to see if you were alive.’

She?

‘Why?’ I asked. The last thing we needed was a new enemy to fear. I glanced back at the masts drawing nearer on the horizon.

‘You’d better talk faster than that,’ Sebastien muttered.

I eyed the tension building in his shoulders and stepped between the two of them. ‘What does your captain want with me?’ I asked Theo, keeping my tone soft despite the pounding of my blood.

The boy shook his head. ‘I don’t know, I’m sorry. I’m not one of them. A pirate caught me stealing in Bray. This task is my debt.’ He glanced sideways at Sebastien, wary. ‘The captain told me only to return if the princess was dead. She said you would not kill an unarmed boy.’

Sebastien huffed, still glaring down at Theo. ‘If we send you back, will you tell them she’s dead?’

‘Depends how much you’ll pay me.’

I stifled a laugh at the boy’s courage.

‘Thin ice, lad,’ Sebastien grunted, but his anger was hollow. This boy wasn’t our enemy, but the ship approaching on the horizon could well be. A pirate, he’d said. It had to be Bane – who else?

The frigate breezed through the night towards us, sails bared like fangs.

‘We aren’t sending him back,’ I said firmly. ‘He needs warmth. And food – look at him.’

Theo offered me a grimace of a smile. ‘Thank you, Your Highness.’

I frowned at the title, pity burrowing itself into my stomach. He was just another pawn caught up in these pirates’ games, not so different from me.

Theo ran a hand over his shaven head, glancing between the two of us.

I looked sideways at Sebastien, but before I could say anything, the doors to the deck below burst open and the crew hurried out, their feet thundering up the steps, faces stricken.

‘Yer Majesty, we just saw . . . masts on the—’ Golde broke off as she caught sight of the gangly boy at my side. ‘Ah.’

‘Who’s this?’ Aron asked, jerking his chin at Theo.

‘Still working that out,’ Sebastien answered, turning to face the oncoming tall ship. ‘Think his captain wants to bargain.’