Page 135 of Scorched Earth

It was a struggle not to smirk, because Killian remembered just how many of the tavern girls had seemed intimately acquainted with Agrippa in Deadground. But the smile kept rising despite his best efforts, so he changed the subject. “You been to Serlania before?”

“Briefly,” Agrippa answered. “The Gamdeshians were after mefor debts considered unpaid, and the fight pit masters have a lot of friends in Serlania.”

“True. My sister-in-law is the Sultan’s niece, but she loves the fights. I’ve been to a few with her.”

“Box seats, I’m sure.” Agrippa laughed. “Sometimes I forget that you’re highborn. You looking forward to going back to being a lord?”

“No.” Killian opened his mouth to elaborate, then his eyes snagged on the golden band encircling Agrippa’s ring finger that had most certainlynotbeen there the day before.

Noting his scrutiny, Agrippa took a sip of his drink. “Oh, by the way, Malahi and I got hitched last night. Sorry for the lack of invitation, but she was of the opinion that you’d be against it. She’s telling Lydia right now.”

Killian turned and found both women standing on the quarterdeck. Lydia was staring wide eyed at Malahi, whose chin was raised in defiance. “Agrippa, she’s the Queen of Mudamora. You can’t just…marry the queen!”

“Actually, you can.” Agrippa took another sip of his drink. “Captain Vane officiated, and Fara and Baird witnessed, which is why he’s so morose about matters of nuptials. Malahi and I did the rest, so it’s done and can’t be undone. Anyone who tries to claim otherwise will find said claims pouring out of a hole in his guts.”

There was a hint of a threat in Agrippa’s tone that made Killian tense. “You barely know each other.”

“If you weren’t so caught up in your own love affair, you’d know that’s not the case.” Agrippa tossed the dregs of his drink overboard, hazel eyes frosty as he said, “She’s got reasons, if you care to hear her out, but for my part, I love her. Malahi had my heart the moment she spit in Rufina’s face. Where she goes, I go. What she fights for, I’ll fight for. Given that I’ve had your back while you pined over a girl who wanted to suck the life out of you, I hope you’ll do the same for me because I’m well aware that I’ve painted a target on it.”

That was an understatement. Malahi might well rule, but the High Lords, most especially his brother, would take significant issue with their queen making such an important decision without them, most especially given that she hadn’t chosen one of them. Which Killian strongly suspected was the primary motivation behind the midnight nuptials.

A thought swiftly confirmed by Malahi as she approached, pulling Lydia bodily by the arm. “Killian, whatever opinions you are voicing, keep them to yourself. I’m not allowing Hacken to try toforce me into a marriage that I don’t want in order to secure his vote.” She lifted her chin, staring him down. “This protects Lydia and you from his manipulations as much as it protects me, and…” Her voice faltered as she looked to Agrippa. “And I have spent my whole life doing what others wanted. Just this once I want to do something for myself.”

Killian could think of a dozen reasons why the decision was a bad one, but it was difficult to argue with that statement. And it wasn’t that he thought the choice was wrong, only that he knew the High Lords would hate that she’d made any choice at all. Still, Malahi was more a politician than he’d ever be, so she didn’t need him to explain the potential consequences of her actions. “Then I suppose the only thing to say is, congratulations.”

“Congratulations.” Lydia kissed both of Malahi’s cheeks. “I wish you both a long life filled with happiness.”

Vane approached. “The Serlania harbor is overcrowded with refugees from the north,” he said. “It will be a day or more before we can secure a berth.”

“We can’t wait.” The words slipped out of Killian, voiced by instinct rather than thought. “Row us to the beach outside Serlania.”

Vane shrugged, then shouted the order.

While the anchor was lowered, Killian and Lydia went to retrieve their meager belongings, as did their friends, and when they returned to the deck, a longboat was waiting for them.

“We’ll make port as soon as we are able,” Vane said to them. “I’ll gather the supplies that we need to be ready to take you to Revat.”

“Thank you,” Killian said. “We won’t linger. I…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “I think we might be running out of time.”

Vane’s brow furrowed. “Then we will make all haste.”

Baird chose that moment to come on deck. “I’m of a mind to stay on theKairense,” he said. “You’ll need swift winds when you sail to Revat.”

Agrippa started flapping his arms and squawking like a chicken, but Killian gave him a shove. “We’ll see you soon, then.”

Killian, Lydia, Agrippa, and Malahi climbed into the longboat, and two of the Maarin crew members rowed them to shore. Yet as they approached the white sand beach, Killian spotted a blue carriage with a team of white horses stopped on the road up the slope, his horse, Seahawk, tethered to the back of the carriage. A man sat on the beach, boots off and bright blue trousers pushed up to his knees, the position quite at odds with the man’s flamboyant attire. Killian smiled.

“Do you know him?” Lydia asked, shading her eyes. “Wait… Is that…?”

“Seldrid.” Killian lifted his hand right as the other man did. “The brother I actually like.”

Jumping out of the boat as it hit the sand, Killian strode up the beach to where the middle son of House Calorian now stood. “How did you know we were coming?”

His brother held out his arms. “Hacken manipulates things. You kill things. But I, little brother, Iknowthings.” Then Seldrid wrapped his arms around Killian, half lifting him off the ground in a hug. “Gods, but it’s good to see you alive. When my watchers said thatKairensehad been spotted with you on it, I was afraid to believe it lest I be delivered disappointment, but here you are.”

“Here I am.” Killian stepped back. “Though it was a near thing more times than I care to count.”

Seldrid straightened his coat, which had an obscene amount of gold embroidery, his eyes moving past Killian to the others. If he was shocked at Malahi’s changed appearance, he didn’t show it as he bowed low. “My lady. It is my greatest honor to welcome you back to Mudamorian soil.”