Page 16 of A Traitor Sister (Remnants of the Fallen Kingdom #2)

16

LIDIANE

I should never get near the ocean, but here I am, on a small boat—and I’m sure they’re coming for me.

In the midst of that confusion, I hear Azur’s voice.

“Behind me,” he says, then pulls me against the wall of the cabin and stands in front of me, like we did in the prison. I think this is some kind of glamour that doesn’t change our appearance and yet still disguises us. I doubt it will work.

Amidst my horror, I still have enough presence of mind to be surprised at Azur’s power. How many magical skills does he have? Why is he so incredibly proficient in all of them? Unfortunately, unless he transcends us away right now, I’ll be dead before I get any answer.

“They’re after me,” I whisper, right as I see a gigantic tentacle rising above the waters. “Get me away from here.”

“Stop your magic. Now,” Azur whispers. “And don’t leave this wall.” I do as he says, and see his normal face with blond hair. He then adds, “I can’t transcend. But trust me.”

Trust me . I do. Strangely, I do, even if I don’t know how I’ll survive this.

Another gigantic tentacle envelops the boat. The five fae are too stunned to do anything, while the boat owners are stepping back, thankfully not making any foolish attempt to fight the beast about to pull us to the depths of the ocean.

Azur then raises a hand. “Royalty of the Sea,” he yells. “This is Azur, guardian of the acting king of the Crystal Court, Renel Goldenstar. I request an audience, and that you hold back your Kraken until we reach an agreement.”

Slowly, the largest tentacle unwraps the boat.

I gulp some air, and yet my chest feels empty. First, an audience with any royal from the Sea Court is not going to help me. Second, I don’t know if they’ll listen to Azur. The best he might be able to do is save everyone else on this boat—and doom me. I should really start establishing a no-sea rule before agreeing to do anything. Right. As if I’m going to have the chance to make any deals after this.

My only solace is my internal snigger at his use of the term acting king . He can’t refer to Renel as king, as it would be a lie—he has never been crowned. Not that my snigger will help me in any way.

Perhaps I should step forward and deal with the Sea Court, and yet I’m paralyzed. All my life, I was told to avoid the sea. All my life, I heard its roar deep inside my mind as a constant threat. How can I give up on my life after everything my brother and I went through? It would betray the woman who raised me, betray the memory of my mother. And then Azur’s words echo in my head: don’t leave this wall. Trust me .

There was no enchantment in them, no command, no deal, and yet for some reason I feel compelled to listen, compelled to do as he said—as if I trusted him. He’s still standing in front of me, his touch grounding my body, perhaps reminding me that this is a horrific reality, and not one of my nightmares. And yet his presence also calms me, as if part of me thought he was a match for the Sea Court.

The kraken disappears, submerged back to the depths from where it came from. All that’s left is the roaring ocean and the wind. The couple from the boat hug each other, eyes closed, while the five fugitive fae stand in a circle, unaware of the reality around them, or perhaps aware and yet horrified that they can’t even cower. I fear my heart will punch a hole in the wall behind me, or perhaps push Azur away from me, as it keeps punching his lower back.

All we can do is wait. Interminable seconds while I wonder if they’ll just disintegrate the boat or send something worse than their previous monster.

Interminable seconds while my life hangs by a thread.

“Trust me,” Azur whispers again, then reaches back and pats my arm.

Of course I want to trust him, want to believe that everything will be all right, want to believe that there’s someone who could care about me, protect me, but real life is not like that.

Everyone protects their own skin first.

Perhaps this is my destiny. I’ve evaded the sea long enough—eventually, it was bound to find me.

Anticipation is almost killing me with anxiety, when something stirs in the water, then three forms jump onto the boat, facing Azur. Three male sea fae. Two of them are guards, looking like any normal high fae except for some scales on their exposed chests, and tubes with water around their necks, mouths, and noses, connecting to a circle around their waists—containing seawater, as they can’t breathe air. They only wear golden trousers and no bow, spear, sword, or any other weapon. The man in the middle has no scales on his light brown skin and wears no tubes, meaning he’s one of the sea fae who can breathe air. With a boyish face and a golden comb pulling back his curly black hair, he must be a young royal.

He looks around. “Who dares request an audience ?” He spits those last words. “Who dares disturb Prince Machiel, crown heir of the sea?”

Prince. The prince. Just a kid, some two or three years younger than me, and yet he’s the sole heir of the Sea Court. This is not good.

I notice then that he has webbed hands just like mine—the hands I usually have to hide, and yet he flaunts them with no shame.

“I requested it,” Azur replies, his voice calm.

The young man advances toward him in hard steps. “This boat carries something that belongs to the sea.”

Azur shrugs. “Ask for it, then. No need to terrorize anyone with your little pet.”

I can’t see the young man’s face anymore, now that he’s right in front of Azur. “Pet? You call our ancient kraken a pet?”

“What should I call him?”

“It’s a she, you ignorant git. And I’ll call her back if you don’t give me what I’m looking for.”

“What is it you’re looking for?” Azur asks.

I shut my eyes tight, bracing for his reply, wondering what he’s going to say.

“One of our own.”

Azur raises a hand. “I was not aware of any sea fae here—other than your highness and your distinguished guards, of course—but you can look.”

The prince laughs, then yells, “Search the boat!”

His guards approach the fae on the prow, looking at their faces, hovering their hands around them, I guess to check for glamours, and yet the prince doesn’t move.

A guard approaches the prince. “Nothing. Should we kill them?”

“Not yet,” the prince replies, then changes his tone. “There is a sea fae here. Where?”

“You’re free to look,” Azur replies, his voice even calmer than before. “Like I said, I was not aware of any sea fae, and you can ask everyone on the boat. We can’t lie.”

The prince huffs, then yells, “Check the cabin.”

The two guards enter through the door beside me. I hear them moving things, then descending stairs. Other than that, all I hear is my heart and the ocean. Would this prince hear my heart?

The guards return after a couple of minutes. “Nobody downstairs.”

“There is a sea fae here!” The prince yells. “Where is she?”

How can he know I’m female? It could be my brother here.

I feel like stepping forward and ending this. I’ll confess nobody knew what I was, and that it’s all my fault. And yet I can still hear Azur’s words. Trust me . I should not trust him, but for some odd reason, I still want to give him a chance, still want to see what he’s planning. I doubt this prince won’t notice that he’s hiding something, and then everything will be worse. And yet I remain here, silent, waiting, perhaps curious about what Renel’s guardian wants to do.

“You’ve searched the entire boat,” Azur says. “Could it be that you’re mistaken?”

“I’m not mistaken,” Prince Machiel barks. Then, after a few seconds, he asks, “What’s behind you?”

There. It took long enough, but he figured it out.

Azur chuckles. “Is your vision that poor? Can’t you see the cabin wall?”

Oh dear. I want to evaporate. This is not going to end up well.

“Truly?” the prince asks. “Then step away from it.”

Azur sighs. “I represent the Crystal Court Crown, on a sovereign vessel, gliding above your court, having paid its dues. Our peace accords state?—”

“Step away!” The prince roars. “Or I’ll kill you.”

“You can try.” Azur’s voice is still calm. “On a one-to-one duel. The problem is that one of us might end up dead, and then our courts will have a tricky, tricky diplomatic situation.”

“Not if you enter the duel willingly.”

“Unfortunately for me, Renel will still be upset if I kill you.”

I can’t believe Azur’s threatening the Sea Prince.

The prince’s laughter chills my marrows. “Not me. You’ll duel my pet .”

“Same problem. Renel will be upset if it dies. And you can’t say it entered the duel willingly.”

That’s it. Azur’s insane.

“You think you can kill our ancient Kraken?”

“I do. And I can’t lie.” Bonkers. Azur’s completely bonkers. He continues, “You may think I’m delusional, of course, and that’s your prerogative. From your distorted point of view, I still think you don’t want to kill the acting Crystal Court King’s guardian. Bad business. And I want no quarrel with the Sea Court. Same issue.”

“Then step away from this wall. Now!”

“What exactly do you think’s behind me? A portal to a hidden compartment?”

“Step. Away.”

“In exchange for what?”

I want to poke Azur and beg him to stop dragging this. He’s only making everything worse.

“I could crush this boat with one snap of my fingers.”

“Technically, you’ll snap your fingers and call your ancient Kraken, and she’ll do the work for you, isn’t that right?”

“Step away!”

“Why don’t you ask nicely, and maybe I’ll consider?—”

“Grab him!” the prince yells.

The two guards approach Azur from the sides, but he pushes them into the ocean with his air magic.

“Do you even understand nicely? ” Azur asks. “You know what? I’ll do it, just so you stop annoying me.”

With that, Azur steps away from me. With his warmth gone, I feel a chilly breeze covering me, a void where he was. I shiver but refrain from shutting my eyes.

If I’m going to face this prince, I’ll face him head on.

ASTRA

I ’m finally comfortable again wearing trousers and a shirt made by Irene, even if I also packed a light dress in case I need to blend in a Krastel village.

The terror from the vision hasn’t left me, that dreadful feeling that something unnatural and evil looms, but there’s no point dwelling on that. What I need to do is find answers—and find the Amethyst Palace. Even if it’s in ruins, I have to find it.

Ferer and Nelsin are in the kitchen, dressed and ready to go. In the end, convincing them didn’t take long.

I smile at them. “You know, you’re two of my favorite people.”

Nelsin places a hand on his heart and smiles, while Ferer rolls his eyes. “You’re too forgiving, Astra.”

“I’m glad I am. Bitterness poisons our hearts.”

Ferer shakes his head. “Caution keeps us alive.”

“ Love keeps us alive,” Nelsin says. “Or else we’d be walking corpses.”

Ferer glares at him. “Love makes us cautious, so our loved ones remain alive.”

Tarlia’s words come to mind. Careful is boring. I’ll be reckless and wild . Perhaps I agree with her, even if I also agree with Ferer. Truths can be paradoxical.

“We’re all alive,” I say. “And that’s what matters.”

I was hoping to end an interminable debate, but then Nelsin adds, “And full of love.”

“Right.” Ferer’s expression is anything but loving. “Let’s go.”

We approach the edge of the island, then Nelsin forms an ice disk, while Ferer jumps into the river.

We cross over to the bank, then Nelsin leads me to the faerie ring. This time, he holds my hands while I feel that odd gust of wind twirling around me, transporting us through a large distance in a way I would have thought impossible just a few days ago.

So many things seemed impossible then.

The wind stops, and I find myself in a forest, still holding Nelsin’s hands, and I let them go. Ferer shows up a few seconds after us.

“Where are we?” I ask.

“Silent Woods,” Ferer says. “Once we cross the river, it’s a straight path to the human castle, but we can still avoid the main road.”

He takes a path in the forest, and Nelsin I follow him.

I realize then that he sounds as if he knows Krastel’s roads. “Was it the way Marlak took when he came to…” I almost say take me , but it sounds offensive. “… marry me?”

“No.” Nelsin’s the one who answers. “We came from further south, so we could take smaller roads.”

“Were both of you with him?”

Nelsin laughs. “Oh, yes.”

“You know, I have many questions about that day, but there’s one that plagues me; where did he get that carriage?”

“Oh, I wondered the same,” Nelsin says. “We met him, and he had that garish vehicle. I was thinking we’d be a little more discreet entering the human kingdom, but no, he had that ostentatious carriage. He bought a horse in a small village, then later I sold it.”

Perhaps one of my guesses was right. “Is the carriage… a royal relic? Like the suitcase?”

“I suppose so,” Ferer says.

“Weren’t you surprised? Puzzled?” I chuckle. “Horrified?”

Ferer takes a deep breath. “I made an oath to Marlak a long time ago, and yet he never accepted my offer to help him, even if he came by sometimes and tried to help me and my sister. Then, out of the blue, he asked me if I would like to be a knight, but not for him, for his queen. I was curious, obviously, perhaps surprised that he had chosen a human wife, but… I understand wanting to protect the people you love.”

“He didn’t love me then.”

“Then how do you explain what he did?” Ferer’s tone is curious.

“Well, we have a mind connection, as you must have noticed, and he feared I’d find out his secrets, so he decided to make sure I’d never be able to tell anyone. And that was it.” It all sounds so silly in retrospect, and I chuckle. “ Not romantic.”

“Oh no, not at all,” Nelsin croons. “He took a carriage and walked into a human castle without knowing if they would be allies or foes, or if they’d sell his location to his brother. He made changes to the island house.”

“And he accepted my help,” Ferer adds. “Marlak is a loner. I used to think he was too proud to work with others, but the truth is that he fears he’ll put the people around him in danger. He was willing to change.”

“Because I could find out his secrets.” Odd how my words ring false even to me, but I don’t think there was any love at that point. “He didn’t even know me.”

“You don’t believe that, do you?” Nelsin laughs.

Not really, but then… “You think he was in love with someone he had just met?”

Ferer shakes his head. “Have you considered that whatever he saw in this mind connection of yours could have been enough to convince him?”

My legs pause as I take in his words. What he saw in the mind connection . Marlak was the man in my dreams, sure, but I was also the woman in his. “I guess you have a point.”

The thought makes me flustered and giddy, and missing him even more, and I want to change the subject, so I turn to Nelsin. “And you, had an oath too?”

Nelsin points to Ferer, “When Marlak asked him to be his knight, I volunteered as well, and here I am.”

Volunteer. Anger rises up in my stomach. “He had no right to say he could have killed you. Had no right to treat you like that.”

“He did, actually,” Ferer says. “Nelsin made an oath as well, a very amicable oath, let’s say, and didn’t have to do much, other than keep you safe—which he fumbled.”

I click my tongue. “Not a good reason for Marlak to suggest killing him.”

Ferer frowns. “Is Nelsin dead? Hurt? No. So I don’t see the issue.”

Nelsin’s top ears are hiding in his hair, even if his steps haven’t faltered. He turns to me. “The good thing is that now you have a wiser, more experienced knight.”

“She already had one,” Ferer says.

“I’m glad you’re both here.” I almost add that I wish they’d start getting along again, but I decide it’s none of my business if their relationship needs time to heal.

We walk some more, then reach the River of Tears Canyon, and cross it over a tree trunk. Such a thin stream compared to the Queen’s River, and yet dividing the land like that.

“Did you test?” I ask. “If your magic really doesn’t work here?”

Ferer raises his hood and chuckles. “Rest assured, it does not.”

“Your lack of magic most definitely doesn’t assure me.”

“We can still fight, and have swords.” He pulls back his cloak and shows me a silver hilt.

The sight makes me miss Downshadow, but in truth, I’m better with daggers, and I have a few of them in my pockets, even if I hope I won’t need them.

We walk through woods bordering a road for about an hour, when I see the walls of my tower at a distance, the tower from where I stared at the scenery below me, hoping that one day I would explore the forests and fields that I only saw from afar.

When we approach the Krastel City, we take a detour to avoid it, then reach the castle walls from the quieter side.

“Lots of guards inside,” Ferer murmurs. “Are you sure about this?”

I point to the wall. “There’s a hole at the bottom, amidst those bushes. I’ll go in and out, and you two can wait here.”

“No,” Ferer says. “One of us is coming with you. The other waits here. You can choose which.”

“Can you climb that tower?” I ask.

“Yes,” they both reply at once, and Nelsin adds, “You forgot I have cat traits.”

Ferer then says, “Fae have more balance and physical?—”

“Right.” I point at Ferer. “Come, then. Follow me and do what I do.”

With ears turned down, disappointment clear on his face, Nelsin says, “I guess I’ll wait.”

Ferer grimaces. “Oh, don’t be dramatic.”

“We’ll be right back,” I say.

I hate to make Nelsin feel like that, but one of them had to stay.

I crouch and go through the hole under the wall. It seems tighter than the last time I tried it, when we were training to find ways in and out of buildings. It’s funny that we should practice it in our own castle, as if they never considered we could use these skills against them.

On the other side, there are more bushes, giving us cover. I wait for a guard to pass, then come out and gesture for Ferer to follow me. We move along the wall until we’re on the north side of the tower, where the wall is closest to it. The sun is high up so it will make it uncomfortable to look up, and since the outer wall is so close on this side, no guards will see the tower from an angle.

Climbing this tower is easy, familiar, perhaps even easier after I tried climbing down that weird, shaky Crystal Castle. I glance down and notice that Ferer is following me with ease as well. If things go wrong, it will be good to have someone with me.

When I approach Otavio’s window, I can’t help but recall the last time I did this, when I heard his conversation with Andrezza. It’s clear now that he never revealed anything to her. I wonder about the princess, and if they’re still making her sick. Regret fills my chest when I consider that I never tried to warn her. Could I do it now?

The first part is getting in. I listen attentively, to see if the study is empty, and after a couple of minutes with no voices or other sounds, I sneak through the window and find myself in that place I know so well, with the familiar smell of books and tinctures that accompanied me throughout my childhood.

Ferer comes right after me, and I put a finger over my lips to let him know we should be silent. There could be guards near the hallway, and I don’t want to risk anyone coming in and finding me.

The first place I look is the bookshelf behind his desk, but I see only ordinary books, and in fact, not all of them. Even the Tiurian dictionary is missing, along with some history books.

My stomach sinks.

I go to the other side of the room to check his cabinet with potions, poisons, ointments, and herbs. Only the common—and innocuous—substances remain. Even the calapher is gone, probably because it’s rare.

Ferer stands in a corner, his eyes alert, and I return to Otavio’s table. Then, slowly, not to make any noise, I pull a drawer. Empty.

Empty, empty, empty. Everything mildly important is gone.

“Hide,” Ferer whispers, but I’m right behind Otavio’s desk, and there is no way to do it silently or fast enough.

A guard enters, one I’ve never seen before. He asks, “What are you doing here?”

I smile and walk to him. “Hi, I’m Astra. I suppose you’re new, right? Do you want to help me find a book?”

He frowns, puzzled.

I lift my shoulders. “I suppose not. Sorry. If you come across Master Otavio, tell him I’m still looking.” I turn around and check the book spines on the bigger bookshelf. Ferer is hidden somewhere, and I’m acting naturally enough not to raise suspicion.

“Where’s your master?” the guard asks.

I look around. “He was here just—well, I guess I don’t know.”

The guard is too silent and still hasn’t moved. This is not good. Since my time might be running up, I decide to keep trying to find something, anything, but all books on Tiuris or its languages are gone. It means Otavio took them with him, perhaps even means he’ll never come back.

The guard turns around and leaves, and I finally breathe properly. Ferer sticks his neck from behind a curtain by the window, and whispers, “We should go.”

I agree, but there has to be something. Some sign, some… I check to see if the drawers have false bottoms, then open the thicker books to see if they hide anything in them. It’s as if he knew someone could come in here when he was gone. No. There has to be something. I close my eyes, trying to focus, trying to sense something.

I decide to check the bottom of the largest bookshelf, and open some books. In one of them, I find some loose sheets of paper. They could be meaningful. I hope this is something he forgot, rather than useless papers he didn’t bother taking with him.

One paper has some names and a family tree, but the writing is hard to read. As I’m trying to decipher it, someone clears their throat behind me. Shit.

I turn—and see Sayanne.

She smirks. “Well there, did you already forget your training? If I wanted to stab you, you’d be dead now.”

She looks the same; auburn hair, rosy cheeks, brilliant eyes. Even with Otavio absent, she still has some of that artificial beauty he sometimes gave us with his products, and yet something is off about her.

I smile. In a way, I’m glad to see she’s fine. “Good to see you.”

“Is it? Is it really good, Astra? Or were you thinking I’d be dead?”

I realize what’s so off about her. On her neck, she has a gold necklace with rubies, matching her earrings, and her dress is made of fine dark silk. Quite fine. I blink, then, taking in her words.

“Why would I think you would be dead? Did something happen?”

There’s malice and pain in her laughter. “Oh, nice little Astra. I sometimes wonder if you’re truly na?ve, if you’re dumb, or if it’s all part of your sick little game.”

I don’t understand what’s happening, but most of all, I’m worried about her. “Stop it. We were raised like sisters. If something’s wrong, maybe I could?—”

“Oh, please. You think you can humiliate me? Offer me your help? I don’t need it. I don’t need you. I don’t need Otavio. I’m a survivor, Astra.”

“Well, great. I’m happy for you.”

“Are you?” She narrows her eyes. “Why are you here then, instead of fucking the two fae brothers? Did they already ditch you? It was bound to happen, wasn’t it? Tell me, Astra, did they at least pay you more than the Tirenzy guard did?”

How does she know that?

Well, she might have been listening at the time. The odd thing is that I don’t care, and strangely, it doesn’t hurt. It no longer hurts, and I would laugh with joy if I wasn’t worried about Sayanne. Still, I can’t let her insult remain unanswered, and smile.

“This time, I got paid in sex. Very good sex, I must say. Quite worth it.”

She sneers. “Of course. You were always a slut, weren’t you? The only reason you didn’t fuck all the guards is that they didn’t want you.”

I look at her and see no trace of the girl who grew up with me, the girl I loved, and I wonder what happened to poison her heart. “Sayanne, are you all right?”

She laughs. “More than all right. Survivor, remember?”

I’m trying to decipher her words, untangle her bitterness. Was she left to fend for herself? “Where’s Andrezza?”

“In prison, where traitors go.”

“Why?”

“Oh, you don’t know. You don’t know anything. Neither her nor Otavio are welcome anymore. And I’m afraid I have more bad news. You came here to beg him for protection, didn’t you?”

“Beg who?”

She giggles. “You pretend to be so silly. Quin, of course. And I’m assuming you don’t know what happened to him.”

I recall his warm smile, his friendliness. For some time, he was a bright light in my life. “What happened?”

“He eloped with the princess. The real one. The one he truly wanted.”

A knot in my heart untangles in relief. It means Driziely wasn’t killed, isn’t being poisoned. It means Quin is alive. “They escaped?”

“They did.” Sayanne chuckles. “I can’t wait for that stuck-up bitch to try to make a living on her own. What is she going to do? Become a peasant? A cook? Perhaps a whore?”

I frown. “You have a weird obsession.”

“It’s reality, Astra. Reality’s cruel.”

“ Your reality certainly is.”

“Right. You, on the other hand, live among clouds and stars and rainbows. So privileged, the preferred substitute, except that I was always the best. I can turn men into my slaves.”

“Sounds exciting. I wish you good luck.”

“You don’t get to end the conversation! I haven’t finished. Do you want to know what happened to former Queen Cecilia?”

“Let me guess. She fell from a window.” Perhaps I’m trying to test her, see if she shows any reaction. As much as I hate it, I can definitely see this Sayanne pushing Tarlia down a window.

Sayanne smirks. “So you do know.”

I’m stunned. “She died?”

“No. She flew away. What do you think? The queen is dead, Astra. The princess ran away and became disowned. The two older princes died from a mysterious disease.” Her smirk is chilling. “Ziven died, along with your dear Tarlia, on their way back from the fae territories.”

“They could still be on the road.”

“They’re not!” she yells. “There’s nothing here for you. Nobody for you. And now you’ll be arrested like the worthless little traitor you are. Guards!”

Six men rush into the room.

I laugh. “Funny, isn’t she?”

The guards pay me no mind, and Sayanne roars, “Arrest her!”

The guards advance.

“Wait!” I yell. While the guards pause, I see no friendliness in them. There will be no way to get out of this using cunning words and pretense, but I can try to appeal to her pride. “Six, Sayanne? Do you think I’m that much of a better fighter than you?”

“I don’t care. Arrest her!”

Oh, this is bad.

LIDIANE

T he sea prince stares at me. Not at me. Through me, as if he can’t see me. He stares some more, then turns to Azur. “Very funny.”

Did Azur manage such an incredible glamour that it hid me?

Azur shrugs. “What’s funny? You asked me to move, I moved. What are you even expecting to see on that wall?”

Prince Machiel bites his lips, visibly seething, while the guards jump back onto the boat.

“Raid the boat!” the prince yells.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” Azur says, then pushes the guards again. He sends a gust of air on the prince, but it doesn’t affect him.

Above us, dark clouds convene. Some sea fae can manipulate water and clouds—and create lightning.

Indeed thunder crashes near us with a terrifying roar. I understand part of Azur’s plan—to glamour and hide me—but I still think there’s no way out of this.

More thunder crashes above us, and then another figure steps on the boat. It’s a man, his chest covered in silver scales, his skin dark, his hair black and silver.

The freaking Sea King. In person.

If I puke here, will it ruin Azur’s magic? What if I faint?

“What’s going on here?” the king’s voice sounds like thunder, and yet he’s addressing the prince, not Azur.

“We felt it,” the prince says. “The magical signature?—”

“Did you find anyone?” His voice is kind even if it’s deep. His eyes rover over the boat, as if searching for someone.

“Not yet.” The prince lowers his head, all his haughtiness gone.

The king then turns to Azur. “Was it you that called us?”

“After they sent the kraken, yes.”

“Hmmm.” The king closes his eyes. “Is there anyone hidden on this boat?”

Smart question.

“Everyone’s on the prow, your majesty. You can look.” Azur’s answer is also smart.

“Is anyone under a strong glamour?” This king is asking all the right questions.

“Nobody here is looking like someone else,” Azur replies. “Everyone you see has their own appearance.”

Will the king notice the gaps in this answer? I don’t look like someone else; I’m invisible, I suppose. And everyone he sees isn’t enchanted.

The king looks around, his eyes pausing in my direction, but then moving about. “Apologies, then.” He extends a closed hand. When he opens it, there’s a purple pearl on it—the rarest one. “Take this as an apology. And go in peace.” He turns to the prince. “Son, let’s go.”

The prince glares at Azur, but jumps into the ocean after his father. Sunlight pierces the clouds and illuminates the boat again.

Azur gives the pearl and a bag of coins to the couple. “As you can see, they won’t bother you again. Forget about me or how I got here.”

The woman takes it.

He turns to the lower fae. “You’re unbound now. May your new life bring you joy.”

The men blink, but I barely have time to see them, as Azur takes my hands, and then darkness surrounds us until we’re back in his room.

He lets my hands go, staggers back, then sits on his bed and closes his eyes. I know those symptoms: magic fatigue.

“I’ll let you rest,” I say, surprised that I found my voice after those terrifying events, and disappointed that I can’t ask him any of the questions taking hold of my mind.

He puts his hat on and gets up. “No.” His voice is slurred. “I need to find Renel.”

“You can’t go anywhere like this. You’re about to faint. I don’t know what you did to your magic, but?—”

“Fainting is much better than being convicted of murder. Let’s go.” He waves a finger in front of me. “Drag me if I pass out.” He pauses, then stares at me. “ What are you?”

The question reaches deep inside me, stirring troubling memories, troubling words. I see my mother’s body, my brother pulling me back, and hear the words over and over: avoid the sea .

With effort, I keep any trembling from my voice. “I thought you didn’t want to know.”

His stare pierces my soul, but then he looks away. “True. It’s best that I don’t. Now, let’s go.” After two steps, he stumbles back. “Wait.”

“You can’t walk anywhere, Azur.”

He leans on me and takes my hand. “Hold me, then.”

Darkness sets in the room. “You can’t be planning on transcending.”

“Not planning, no. Doing it.”

Then everything’s dark.