Page 90 of A Warrior's Heart

Turn againstus.

“Tell me your thoughts,” Malik said once we were back in our bed. He kissed the crease in the center of my brow. “Your frown is quite precious, though it concerns me. Are you worried about the sirens?”

“No.”

“Then what is it?”

“Do you think Lorcan would ever join sides with King James?” I hated speaking the words aloud. Hated even considering them.

Malik’s hand stilled on my back from where he’d been caressing me.

“You can’t answer, can you?” I asked, searching his eyes for the truth. “If you say yes, you will be doubting the loyalty of your prince. But if you say no, you’ll be lying to me. Your pride will allow you to do neither.”

“We’re finished with this discussion,” he finally said, bringing the blanket up over me and tucking me in. “Sleep.”

I closed my eyes, though sleep was far out of my reach. My mind was too troubled. And my heart weighed heavily in my chest. When I eventually fell asleep, I dreamed of me and Lorcan as children, running through the market in Avalontis as Malik chased after us, grumbling about us being small terrors.

The Lorcan I knew would never betray those he loved.

And it was then that my worries were put to rest.

***

“Don’t lose focus!” Eva exclaimed in her excitement as Alek turned Reif’s black hair white and gave him deep wrinkles. It was only an illusion, but it looked so real. “Now age him backward.”

Sweat beaded on Alek’s brow as he focused.

Reif sighed, thoroughly unamused, probably regretting his life decisions and the moment he ever agreed to help the two of them train and hone their skills. His hair darkened again, and all the wrinkles faded, his beard along with them. His bulky muscles smoothed a bit, and his skin took on a youthful glow.

“Wow, Reif,” I said, sitting on a crate and swinging my legs back and forth. “You were a stunner when you were young.”

“Malik,” Reif said with a growl, though his voice had altered too, less gruff. “Silence your boy or I will lug a barrel at him.”

I slapped a hand over my mouth, but my giggles couldn’t be contained. Malik kissed the top of my head, and his body shook with a light laugh.

“I detest all of you,” Reif said.

After Eva released Reif—much to his relief—she practiced spell sparring with Alek where they sent blasts of energy toward each other and worked on defending against it. I was so absorbed in their duel that it took me a moment to realize why the rest of the deck had gone quiet.

I glanced up to see a wall of white in front of us.

“What is it?” Nereus asked, stepping toward the edge of the ship to get a closer look.

“Fog,” Kellan answered. “Dense fog, at that. Navigating will be harder if we pass through. All sense of direction will be lost.”

“We’re nearly there,” Lorcan said, closing his eyes. “I can hear the trident calling to me from the depths.” He focused on the captain. “Keep sailing forward.”

Kellan didn’t appear happy about it, but he did as Lorcan said. He pulled a compass from his coat pocket and kept an eye on it as we sailed straight into the fog.

Chapter Nineteen

Malik

Daylight couldn’t reach us in the thick mist.

The ship creaked as it slowly moved through the water. Kellan didn’t want to move with full speed since we couldn’t see far in front of us.

“These are uncharted waters,” the captain said. “We could hit land. Other ships. Better to move with caution.”