Page 57 of Hymn of Breath and Bone

“It wasn’t your fault,” Sereia murmured quietly.

“What wasn’t?” Caspian demanded. “For skies-fucking-sakes, this story is taking forever.”

I frowned at my mate, but Astraios laughed weakly as Sereia answered. “Vitulus confronted me and threw me in the dungeons for conspiring with the enemy.”

“He what?” I asked, horrified at the thought of sweet, gentle Sereia in the dungeons.

“I told your father everything,” Sereia confessed. Her head was down as she carefully studied her stew, as if too ashamed to look up. “I tried to convince him of what you had said in your letter. That the sirens wanted peace. He wouldn’t listen, Marina. He said he was planning to send ships south to get you back himself. That he would kill every last siren until you were returned.”

My stomach turned, not just at the threat of violence or my father’s treatment of my friend, but because he spoke of me like lost property he wanted restored, rather than a daughter with a will of her own.

“I got her out before that, obviously,” Astraios said. His hand twitched as if he longed to reach out and cover Sereia’s, and I felt a warm glow of appreciation for the male. “That was three days ago now. I sent the ship back to the cliffs to warn everyone and flew straight here with Sereia.”

“You flew for three days?” Zephyr asked, sounding both impressed and surprised.

“Two and a half,” Astraios shrugged. “I didn’t want to stop for too long in case we were followed.”

“We have to go back,” I declared, standing with such haste that I nearly knocked over the pitcher of ale with my elbow. Caspian pulled me back down, fingers twining soothingly with mine. “My father has probably already left for the cliffs.”

“It will take him weeks to find us,” Caspian reminded me, thumb stroking circles on the back of my hand. “He doesn’t know where they are, Urchin.”

“He does,” Sereia said gravely, making us all turn toward her. “I heard him talking to Vitulus after he…after he questioned me.”

I tightened my grip on Caspian’s hand. Based on Sereia’s bruised face and my memory of Caspian’s ruined wings, I could guess what that questioning had been like.

“How?” Zephyr demanded.

“I don’t know,” Sereia said, shrinking back from the fierceness of Zephyr’s single eye and shaking her head. “I just heard him tell Vitulus to prepare his soldiers to sail south toward the cliffs.”

“Fuck,” Caspian swore, turning to his first mate. “How long do you think we have?”

“At least a week, but likely no more,” she replied darkly. “If we leave tonight and use the wind to our advantage. If Astraios’ crew make it back before us, that will give our people time to prepare their defenses.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. It would take my father’s ships time to get to the cliffs, especially without the wind to guide them. Most of our sailing was done on smaller ships with oars, transporting goods from one island to another. Crossing the open sea would take far longer.

“Then we leave tonight,” Caspian announced. He stood and pulled me from the table with him and looked at Zephyr. “Ready the ship. We’ll set sail as soon as Marina and I have spoken to the Stormcrow.”

“What?” I exclaimed, Zephyr and Astraios raising their voices in confusion alongside mine. “I thought you said we weren’t going?”

“I did.” Caspian sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “But I’ve come around. We go armed, in a group, and in public. And if he so much as tries to touch you, I’ll kill him and damn the consequences.”

Astraios groaned, glancing at Sereia as if she were the one the Stormcrow was truly after. “This is a terrible idea, Cas.”

Caspian smirked, looking entirely the over-confident soldier-king. “Luckily, terrible ideas are my specialty.”

Chapter 21

Sereia and Astraios accompaniedus back into town, despite the fact that both looked ready to collapse with exhaustion. Caspian insisted Zephyr stay with the ship, and Astraios insisted Caspian needed someone to guard his back. Sereia refused to be left alone on a ship full of sirens, regardless of whatever modicum of trust Astraios had won from her.

Her response to Nordhavn wasexactly what I hoped it would be.

“And they all just live here?” she asked, eyes wide as we took the long way to the Rose & Pearl through the market square. “Together? Without fighting?”

“They do,” I confirmed, waving at Marella, who I recognized from my first visit. A dark-skinned winged male stood next to her, who I assumed to be her mate, and a small wingless child was perched on his hip. For a second, I wondered if my children with Caspian would have wings or tails. Caspian glanced at me with such softness in his expression that I knew he had sensed my thoughts, and I quickly pushed them away and sent him a flash of annoyance instead. He laughed, bending to kiss my cheek before returning to his conversation with Astraios.

“And he really does love you,” Sereia added in a whisper as she took my arm.

“He does,” I replied, squeezing her arm as we approached the tavern.