Page 160 of Daughter of the Dark Sea

He’d betrayed her, and Galen, and had the audacity to parade as herfather. It was the final sickening twist in her heart. To top it all off, he’d condemned her true father to the bottom of the darkest trench. Was he still alive down there? Nothing could survive the Black Abyss.

Erick’s conversation with Theron rang in her mind. A kraken lived in its depths. Was itreal? And that meant . . . her father was Davy Jones.Good gods.Her father was folklore. He was legend.

He was death.

Barron’s thunderous dark eyes roved over her hungrily. He wanted her. Coveted her blessedgifts.He’d done everything he could to obtain her, to isolate her, and to break her. He’d used Erick and Blake in the process to keep tabs on her, to manipulate her feelings and to blind her.

“Bastion!” Erick tugged his gag free, wrenching his face from the mud. “We had a deal!”

Barron whirled, dark shadows leeching from his skin, and writhing in the air as his voice boomed, cracking like a whip. “You’re a traitor who tried to take Kora away from me! Where were you taking her? Back to Galen?” He scoffed. “They’d never accept you now. You’d die in their Mist before you could reach their wretched shores. But that’s all you’re good at, isn’t it? Being a traitor. You betrayed the Windwards, you betrayed Kora, and now me.”

His power speared for Erick and he flipped back as black tendrils of tar wrapped around his body, squeezing, choking, draining his life. Kora screamed, the ground rumbling with her power as her heart shattered in her ears. Erick’s life faded, his body paling, his eyes rolling into the back of his skull.

The ground vibrated and shook, and Blake stumbled, warily glancing at her. He shrank away from Barron’s inky tendrils, cringing at the might of his father’s magic.

As Erick’s breaths shallowed, Barron released his power, seemingly satisfied with the torture. “Take him away. I’m done with him.”

The guards hoisted Erick’s limp, unconscious body, and carried him towards the Citadel. Kora panted, her heart pounding in her chest. She was well and truly fucked.

“You called it . . .theirMist,” she spoke between wrenching breaths. “It’s not from the gods?”

Barron hissed. “No,” followed by a sigh. “I have spent a decade observing the phenomenon. I threw mages at it, testingtheir powers against it. But, alas, nothing. Whatever the source, it’s coming from within. It is not external. And it’s not thegods.” He spat the final word.

“Mages,” she repeated, trying to detach the vines whilst Barron was distracted. He certainly loved a show, and an audience. “You have access to mages?”

He nodded, a gleam in his eye. “Yes, but don’t worry, pet. None of them are as exquisite as you.”

This fucking male.

“So, you’re working with the Skytors?” She took her shot and hoped it would land.

Barron stormed closer. “Those rebels will die for everything they stand for. They’ve been hunting youfor a decade, and they nearly succeeded.”

“But they didn’t. Because someone intercepted their lead and killed Finlay Blackstone.” She pushed against the cold vines, their grip loosening. “I see it now. I see you for who you truly are . . .Blake.”

His head whipped up, eyes flaring.

“You were the rat!” An inch gap formed between her back and the trunk. “The letter delivered to the crew had my seal, and only the two of us had access to it. Only you and the pit guards could unlock the cells. You knew who Finlay was. That’s why you were so harsh on him. And you used Silas to silence him before we made port.”

“Clever.” His hand ran through his onyx hair. “I tried to keep you away from it.” His gaze flickered to her lips, down her body, and she halted. He had used seduction as a distraction. “But Finlay made it to the bell before Silas could finish the job. I hadn’t accounted for the second twin to intervene.”

Bile bubbled up her throat. “And that’s why you sent the messenger hawk ahead of time to Erick,” the pieces of the puzzlefit together. “You wanted Jack disposed of before he could reveal your secret.”

“Their twin bond was unfortunate. But I had to protect you from the Skytors.”

“Protect?” she snapped, as the vines loosened further. She could nearly reach Barron, who observed the exchange with heightened interest. “They were trying to rescue me fromyou! Doran knew, didn’t he? The exiles weren’t only after me, they wantedyoudead!”

“Yes, but Samuel disposed of him for me, without realising the favour he’d bestowed. In fact, you pretty much wiped out all the exiles in one go. Saved me a job.”

She scoffed in repulsion. “So much death, all so you could control me, force me to join your petty war. Samuel is in there right now! He could be dead and you don’t care. Theron and Ivar, too.”

“They’re all traitors, they deserve their fates,” Blake’s eyes frosted over as Barron beamed at his son.

He’d orchestrated Finlay’s death, and her essence screamed at the depths of his betrayal. And what about the remaining Skytors? John had fled the tavern. Had Blake somehow disposed of him, too? Had he stalked her throughout the town, killing any connection she created?

Gods,had he been to the Silvermaid Emporium?

Panic swelled, her skin alighting with the endless list of possible names floating in Thanos’ cloth. How many souls had recognised her?