Page 144 of Traitor Witch

I'm so high that the sea below me is a distant thought.The thrill of flying keeps me trapped in a happy bubble that takes hours to wear off.

When it does, I have too much to think about.

Like how stupid it is to drag my pirates into this.

They're already being blackmailed. If I fail and the Queen even suspects that they've betrayed her, it's likely that she might have them executed. Or worse.

If I somehow manage to mend the bonds between us and enlist them to help me, then 'worse' is guaranteed.

No. I won't bring them into this any more than I have to. If my capture, torture, and death is as likely as everyone seems to think, then the only way to do this is to keep my presence hidden from my pirates.

I'm not going to lie and say that the plan isn't a little bit self-serving. I'm not ready for the drama that our reunion will cause. Part of me will do anything to put it off a little longer.

The other part of me just wants to kick Val in the nuts for sending me flying into the ocean like he did.

"Mind on the mission,"Opal rebukes."This is going to be hard enough without your stupid hormones messing with your head."

"I know." I push the broom a little bit faster. "It's just..."

"Everything you thought you'd never have, yeah, I get it. I told you I needed several males to worship me right from the start. Admittedly, some of your harem are better than others, but when we finish this, I'll start teaching the mage how to treat a feline."

I roll my eyes but don't comment. "I'll stay on the spirit plane until we see how the barrels get into the palace. If we assume they'll deliver under cover of darkness then power won't be a problem."

"And if they don't?"

I grimace. "Then I'll hide in a barrel."

I'll just have to transform one of the empty ones to look like those belonging to the Eagle of Galmere.

Getting tossed around in a barrel doesn't sound all that great, but if it's my only way in, I'll have to take it.

As for my exit strategy? I have a horrible feeling it will involve a lot of swearing and running for my life.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

RYSEN

Cawshome is the busiest port on Galmere, probably the world. So no one pays any mind to us as theDeadwoodcruises into the bay in broad daylight.

To our right, the palace sprawls across the edge of the huge, overhanging cliff. The domed roofs and golden brickwork of the multiple towers stretch into the sky, carved with geometric patterns typical of this part of the isles. The walls are deceptively ornate, flowing with plants and greenery.

But the plants hide metal spikes and transmutation circles which incinerate intruders. Avian shifters patrol the skies, and a host of guards, both mortal and immortal, keep watch from atop the walls.

On the left, the imposing tower of the Claw is similarly defended. The harshest prison in the world is actually mainly below ground, where immortal inmates are forced to mine crystals while wearing cuffs which disable their supernatural abilities.

Each of them is permitted a single dagger. Something to 'give them a chance' against the wraiths.

Like their weapons will do anything against those evil creatures.

Most immortals turn the dagger on themselves within days.

Only humans are lucky enough to be locked in the tower above, but their lot isn't much better. They're forced to produce the salt that keeps the miners below safe from the wraiths. Backbreaking work, especially for a mortal.

Few people survive to the end of their sentences in the Claw. Only the Blood Pits in the vampire quarter are more deadly.

Sandwiched between the three bastions of death lies Cawshome city. A vibrant explosion of life and diversity that stretches for miles along the full length of the spiral shaped bay.

What would Nilsa think of the city I was born in? Would she focus on the darkness that pollutes it, like me, or would she enjoy the bright, overwhelming culture of the capital?