Page 89 of The Ever King

A journey through the Chasm without a ship was damn near fatal for anyone weaker than Gavyn.

“The earth bender king,” Gavyn said after a long pause. “He’ll truly fight for his daughter?”

I faced him. “I know he will.”

His dark eyes burned in the hidden rage he kept locked beneath wit and charm and his title. “Does it not trouble you how rare that is here? So few fathers would raise armies for one daughter. Even for a son, I suppose it would depend on the rank.”

True enough. When I was snatched by earth fae clans during their small wars to be harvested for healing blood as a tiny boy, there were a great many details I kept to myself about my father’s attempts to retrieve me, both during and after. Had I not been a son, I would’ve been forgotten.

“The earth bender almost reminds me of my own father,” Gavyn said.

“Don’t get sentimental,” I warned. “A great deal hinges on keeping protective fathers out of our kingdom.”

“I suppose.”

“Before you go,” I said, voice low, “see to the other lords and find something for me to use to force their loyalty. They will not take the news of Livia well.”

Lord Joron would try to study her, maybe be one to claim her power for himself. Lord Hesh would find it an abomination a woman bore the mark of the royal house and likely make a move to rid the Ever of such a stain.

“I’ll leave straightaway.”

“Wait until after the return feast. No doubt your ship has been seen. Your face will be expected.”

He smirked. “Debauchery in the royal city? With pleasure, My King.”

“Gavyn.” I didn’t turn to look at him. “You also might want to get that injury you mentioned looked at by my boneweaver.”

“I’m uninjured.”

“This is too important to take the risk with injuries. No matter how small.”

“Erik, I’m not injured—”

“I think you are.” I turned over my shoulder. “Murdock won’t be too occupied. Only one on my crew arrived with a wound and is being treated. My cook.”

Gavyn visibly paled. “I see. And was he quite injured?”

“Thanks to the earth fae princess, not so much he lost his words.”

“The princess?”

“Aye. She’s bold at the strangest times, and ran to help him during a damn attack from Lucien Skurk.” I tilted my head. “As I said, there is no one but him there if you needed to get that scratch you were complaining about just now inspected.”

Gavyn swallowed thickly, tugged at a small knife from a sheath hidden in his boot, and dragged the tip over the meat of his palm. He gave me a sly grin once a small stream of blood dripped down his wrist. “Glad you noticed the scratch, My King. Probably best to have a look, to be certain all goes well.”

Gavyn pressed a hand to his chest, bowed, then tugged the black mask over his chin. I faced the window before he slipped out, part of the shadows of the corridors.

CHAPTER31

The Songbird

Breathe. The heel of my hand pressed over my heart, as if to keep it from cracking through my chest. I closed my eyes and drew a long breath in my nose, then out through parted lips. Twice. Three times.

There was no time left to sit and wallow.

The ceiling of Erik’s room was high enough a single slip out the window would send me to the Otherworld. The door to the corridors was locked, but even if I escaped, where would I go?

No doubt, guards would send me straight back.