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CHAPTER THIRTY

JAVIER

" M ove! Faster! Come on!" Javier barked from the deck of the StormBreaker as the crew scrambled to load cargo from the carriages onto the ship. The trap they’d set in the slums had gone off moments ago. Dax was on their trail, and closing fast. Tension coiled under Javier’s skin. Irene hadn’t returned yet, but she’d given him an order, and he would do whatever it took to get this cursed ship out of the harbor before it was too late. As soon as the last crate hit the deck, Javier barked out orders to ready the ship, but Blade blocked his path.

“We can’t leave without Irene! It's insane!” he shouted.

“What’s insane is waiting here while the whole damn city swarms the port, ready to take our heads!” Javier snarled back. “She gave the order—we sail!” But the crew stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “Let’s wait a little longer,” Lan said, trying to keep everyone calm. Javier pinched the bridge of his nose, a chuckle escaping despite himself. It wasn’t humour, just nerves stretched too thin. He exhaled sharply, bent forward with his hands on his knees, fraying at the edges. Straightening up, he muttered, “You lot have no sense of danger… goddammit.” But he relented, stepping back to the helm, every muscle coiled tight with tension.

The night air was cold now, biting through their clothes as silence settled over the deck. All eyes fixed on the darkness ahead, hoping Irene would emerge, holding the sapphire’s key.

Then they heard it, distant shouts, the thunder of hooves growing louder. Soldiers were coming. Javier’s fingers drummed anxiously on the wheel, his eyes locked on the empty dock ahead. Cold fog curled from his lips as he whispered under his breath, “Come on… come on, show me your damn face, Irene… please.” Nothing. Just the thick haze of night and the oppressive silence that gnawed at his nerves.

Hezra squinted into the darkness, then suddenly sprinted toward the ship’s edge. “Look!” she shouted, racing down the steps to the main deck. “There she is!” Blade bellowed, leaping off the ship before anyone could stop him. Irene burst through the fog, galloping at full speed, her curls whipping in the wind. She reached the dock and reined the horse to a halt. The crew rushed toward her. “Why haven’t you set sail yet?” Irene asked, breathless. “We were waiting for you. Are you hurt?” Lan asked, pointing at the blood staining her neck and hands.

“It’s not my blood.” Javier approached, noticing a slumped figure against Irene. “Him first,” Irene said to Lan, who helped her and the boy off the horse. Irene stroked the animal’s neck before it galloped away into the night. “Who is that?” Blade asked, pointing at the unconscious young man. Hezra leaned in for a closer look, her eyes widening in shock. She clapped a hand over her mouth. “It’s the prince… Prince Jace,” she whispered, her voice breaking. Javier wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

“No! No! No! This wasn’t the plan!” Blade shouted in disbelief. “You were supposed to bring back a key!”

“What do you mean the prince?” Javier yelled, as Zahra, overwhelmed, burst into tears and stumbled back onto the ship. “I can’t take this anymore…” she sobbed. “Irene, I’d sail through hell and back for you, but this ?” Javier shouted, pointing at Jace’s limp body. “This is madness! Our heads will be on spikes by dawn! I’m not adding ‘stealing the prince of six kingdoms’ to my list of sins!

“You misunderstood Jessalyn’s instructions!” Blade shouted.

“I didn’t misunderstand anything!” Irene roared back. “This is exactly what Jessalyn told me to steal. The prince is the key to the sapphire—we just need to figure out how!”

Blade opened his mouth to argue again, but Irene cut him off, exploding with rage. “The next person who opens their mouth, I swear I’ll tie them to the dock and shove a rope down their throat so they can greet the king’s soldiers with a smile on their face!” she threatened. “Now get him aboard!” No one dared speak. Irene climbed onto the ship while Lan and Zahra carried the prince into the cabin.

The captain was back. “Cast off! Now!” Irene shouted. “Hoist the sails!” She stormed toward Javier at the helm. “Hard turn as soon as we’re clear!” she barked.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept across the deck, clearing the fog and revealing the fiery torches of soldiers riding their way.

No one dared speak. Irene climbed onto the ship while Lan and Zahra carried the prince into the cabin.

The captain was back. “Cast off! Now!” Irene shouted. “Hoist the sails!” She stormed toward Javier at the helm. “Hard turn as soon as we’re clear!” she barked. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept across the deck, clearing the fog and revealing the fiery torches of soldiers riding their way.

Irene and Dax clashed with words like swords, each command a blow aimed at the other. One barked, the other countered. Every order was a provocation. The port trembled under the weight of their hatred.

Soldiers charged toward the ship, and at the front, Dax rode hard, determined to stop them before they could escape. "Move! Or I swear I’ll leave you behind!" Irene roared. “They’re coming!” Javier barked. Despite their fear, the crew sprang into action, every hand on deck hauling lines and trimming sails. They had practiced this. They could do this.

"Archers! Nock your arrows! Draw… Loose!" Dax commanded from the dockside.

Arrows rained down on the ship, some embedding themselves in the deck, others splintering against the mast. "Catch the wind!" Irene shouted as the sails filled, and the ship began to pull away from the dock. But it wasn’t fast enough. Dax was closing in, and they hadn’t yet gained enough speed. "Ready the cannons!" Irene ordered, her voice cutting through the chaos.

“Are you mad! It's not the plan!” Blade shouted. “The plan’s changed! Ready the cannons, on my signal!” Irene snapped, storming to the front of the ship. More arrows flew, one narrowly missing Javier’s hand as he steered. “Hard starboard, now!” Irene yelled at him. Javier obeyed, but he could feel Dax’s gaze burning into him. He shivered, unnerved by the intensity—until he realized it wasn’t him Dax was staring at. It was Irene. Javier watched in horror as Dax, riding full speed along the dock, grabbed a bow and nocked another arrow. He loosed it, the arrow whistling through the air and grazing Irene’s side. Near Javier, Irene gasped in pain, doubling over on the deck. He started toward her, but she waved him off. “Keep steering!” she hissed through gritted teeth.

Irene pushed herself upright, eyes blazing. She let out a frustrated, hysterical scream. “At my signal, turn fully!” she shouted to Javier. Dax was already nocking another arrow. It was now or never." Load the cannons!" Irene barked, pressing a hand to her side." She raised her other hand high. “Fire!”

A deafening thunder erupted as the cannons roared, spewing iron shot across the dock. Wood shattered, debris flew, and soldiers scattered in chaos. Flames engulfed the port as the StormBreaker turned sharply, groaning under the strain before finally catching the wind and speeding into open water.

Javier glanced at Irene. Her face was lit by the flickering glow of the flames, a grim smile playing on her lips. Dax was staring back at her with a burning hatred.

And as the flames devoured the harbor, Javier had a sickening thought: Irene would let the world burn for Dax, so long as he burned with it.