Page 28

What kind of horror had Herrick been through because of how he felt for her?

Maude understood that he was a valuable prisoner because of his role as General of Rivers, but she also knew that her father was aware of their connection with each other.

Reason tried to tell her that Helvig had to think she was dead and, therefore, Herrick’s imprisonment was political instead of personal, but something nagged at the back of her mind that there was more to his imprisonment than she could see right now.

She wouldn't know until Herrick spoke to her about it. If he ever did.

The cool air from the ocean curled around her like her shadows did, content to rest against her inflamed skin as her anger burned within her. No matter how hard Maude tried to push the image of Helvig from her mind, she kept circling back to how she had failed spectacularly in ending him.

He had played her like a fool, and she had been too stubborn or angry to see it.

The Bone Dagger, not the dalkr Hela , had been personally delivered to him at no cost to himself. But Maude had lost.

She failed in bringing down a tyrant, protecting her friends from his cruelty, and saving Eydis’s life.

Maude had done more to hurt herself and Ahland, all because she was angry about her fate.

She had run away from it; now, she was being punished for it.

What was worse than her punishment was the fact that the people of Ahland were suffering under Helvig’s rule because of her selfishness. Because of her cowardice.

Maude’s thoughts raced until even the darkest part of the night couldn’t cool down the burning anger she had for herself. So she stopped trying and let the grief and rage devour her whole.

Liv watched as the thick swirl of shadows swallowed up Maude's form at the top of the mainsail.

Her friend had ignored everyone on deck when they asked her if she was okay, choosing to scale the tall beam at a speed that betrayed her Elven blood.

She wasn't sure what had prompted Maude's panicked state, but she quickly went below deck to find Herrick and make sure he was still in one piece.

The last Liv had heard from the others, the Heir of Shadows had still been unconscious from wielding earth galder at the palace.

Ducking below the low beam at the bottom of the damp, wooden stairs, Liv entered the space where the vitki she had freed were resting.

Most seemed to settle in quite easily to the dark space while some had begun to rekindle their courage and make their way to the top deck for some fresh air.

Yuri, one of Aeric's most trusted sailors, was handing out fish soup to those who accepted.

The tall male had the same dark skin as her, the color absorbing the shadows of the lower deck as he made his way through the cramped space.

His hair, however, was a stark white that matched his light silver eyes, the thick curls braided into neat rows and tied into a knot at the base of his neck.

Though his tall frame was similar to the build of a warrior, he moved with the shifting longship with the ease of a seasoned sailor.

"Yuri," Liv called out to the familiar face. "What can I do to help?"

The male sighed and pushed the trolley of food he had been carting around toward her.

"See if they will accept the food from you," Yuri said as he turned away from another group of prisoners who trembled with fear. "You might have better luck since you convinced them to leave with you."

Yuri gave her a soft smile before heading back up to the deck. Liv spun and caught his arm before he could get too far.

"Where is Sigurd?" she asked, afraid for the answer when she realized he had not been aboard.

"He swam to shore before we reached you all at the palace," he replied. "Said he needed to finish closing up his pub and rounding up the remaining free citizens of Logi to escape north."

With that, the male ascended the stairs and disappeared from view.

"Did you just say 'Sigurd'?" a voice from behind her came as Liv turned to the bowls of soup.

She spun quickly, her reflexes returning to their usual keen speed.

Astrid, flanked by her two children, stood under the beam of moonlight that filtered in through the opening to the top deck.

Her dirty face and lank golden hair were still her most prominent features, but now that her children had been given the chance to clean up, Liv noticed how familiar they looked.

She waved the young ones to the bowls of soup, tilting her head to the vitki behind her before they started passing out the bowls to all the reluctant passengers.

As her children worked silently to pass the food out, Astrid pulled Liv aside and spoke in hushed tones.

"Did I hear you say the name 'Sigurd' just now? When you were speaking to the other Elven?" Astrid asked again, her voice straining to remain even as her blue eyes sparkled with growing tears.

"Yes," Liv confirmed. "What is that name to you? "

Astrid let out a long, shaky breath before she looked over at her two children again.

The older daughter, her silver hair gleaming in the night in a way that was so similar to how Eydis's hair used to shimmer, caused a pang of sorrow to shoot through Liv's heart.

To her right, the young boy, who had been so scrawny that he could hold on to his mother's shoulders, moved through the crowd with a familiar gleam in his eye that Liv had seen before.

The truth was splayed out before Liv, but before she could voice it, Astrid spoke again.

"My husband's name is Sigurd, and he runs a pub in the slums of Logi called—"

"The Broken Bones Pub. He runs the illegal fighting pits there," Liv finished, her wide eyes as she turned to Astrid.

Such heartbreaking, gentle hope lay in her dirty face as she turned to face Liv. Tracks of tears carved through the dirt that caked Astrid's pale cheeks as Liv realized exactly who this stranger was.

"You're his family," Liv whispered, unable to muster anything louder. "He thinks you're dead."

Astrid flinched but quickly steeled herself and straightened her spine from underneath her obvious grief.

"We thought he was dead when he never came for us," Astrid sniffed, pulling Liv further into a dark corner, away from her children.

Sigurd's family is alive, and he just missed reuniting with them. Liv cursed the gods who had laid out this missed connection.

"He tried, but no one would help him," Liv explained quickly, her shock beginning to ebb. "He thought you were dead. He's been smuggling other vitki out of the city ever since you were taken from your home."

Astrid chuckled as another tear escaped from the corner of her eye. "That sounds like him."

"We've been working with him for years," Liv said quickly. "How did you manage to stay alive for so long?"

Astrid stiffened then, her gaze growing darker as she relived old trauma. Her blue eyes shuttered for a moment before clearing again .

"Because we were her playthings," she breathed. "Vilde, the promised Elven Queen Consort to King Helvig."