Page 179 of Sword & Sacrifice

“But it’s not a risk I’m willing to take,” Braden said. He placed his hand on his son’s arm and squeezed gently.

“You’ve paid me for safe passage,” Captain Moira said. “And I’ll ensure the path is safe right up to the palace doors. After that, you’re both on your own, so you might as well take advantage of my protection while you have it.”

Koen’s eyes skated around the group, desperately seeking an ally. When he found none, he huffed in outrage and stomped off below deck.

“Brat,” Echo muttered.

Captain Moira sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Careful how you speak to him, he might be giving you orders one day.”

Echo scoffed. “I’ll quit before that ever happens.” They turned toward Emmaline and said, “Come on, princess, it’s time to return you to your king.”

One moment, Echo was escorting Emmaline down the ramp to the dock. The next, everyone was shouting and brandishing their weapons. Emmaline looked at the empty place Echo had just been standing, then down into the water. The water rippled where Echo and the man who attacked them had disappeared beneath the surface.

A familiar growl finally dragged Emmaline out of her daze. “Em, get the fuck over here so I can properly kill these bastards!”

Emmaline blinked and looked at the woman trying to challenge an entire ship’s worth of pirates alone. The woman’s hair was grayer than brown, pulled back in a tight braid. Her figure was lithe, but her shoulders were broad. From the lines on her face, she could have been anywhere between forty or seventy. But if Emmaline squinted, she could see past the glamoured changes to find her familiar friend beneath. “Griselda?”

“Does anyone have eyes on him?” a young soldier asked as he searched the water.

The water near Emmaline churned and bubbled as two heads broke the surface. When she saw the man who had attacked Echo, her eyes widened in recognition. “Silas!” Her knees hit the deck hard as she frantically reached for him.

“Oh sure, help him but ignore me,” Echo groused as they swam toward the dock. “It’s not like he started it or anything.”

Silas floundered in the water, accidentally propelling himself out of Emmaline’s reach. She held onto the dock with one hand, panic making her heart race. She was about to jump in after him when Cal’s voice drew her attention back to the chaos around them. “Moira, for gods’ sake! Lower the crossbow so he can get out of the water without worrying about you accidentally shooting him.”

“He attacked my first mate.”

Emmaline scowled up at Moira. I thought she wanted to help Bellacosta. Doesn’t she understand she’s making the situation worse? “She won’t shoot you,” she reassured Silas, shifting her body to place herself between him and the crossbow. She held her hand out to him again.

Ignoring her hand, Silas pulled himself up onto the dock.

Emmaline lowered her hand and clenched it into a fist. He didn’t trust me to save him. The realization hurt more knowing how many other people she’d failed.

The chaos continued around her, but Emmaline could only look at her empty hand.

“Em?”

Finally, she looked up at Silas. While she was distracted, someone had brought him a towel to wrap around his shoulders. He crouched down in front of Emmaline and took both of her hands in his. Lines crinkled around his tawny eyes as he gazed at her. “I’m glad you’re safe,” he whispered.

Her lips quivered slightly. “I wanted to help you.” It was a silly thing to focus on. He was safe, wasn’t he? That was all that should matter.

He cupped her face in his cold, clammy hand. “You did help me.”

Before she could ask how, he straightened, pulling her up with him. “Now, it sounds like your new friends and I have a lot to talk about.”

Chapter Seventeen

Inside one of the palace guest rooms, Emmaline sat on a bed, knees pulled up to her chest, chin resting atop them. So much had happened since she’d disembarked from The Queen’s Garden. She’d delivered the news of the events at Causley Estate, how her mother was still in danger, and her father’s bargain with General Varro. Then Silas told her about Mama’s letters, that Archer was already on his way to help her.

The knowledge comforted Emmaline, but it also left a strange, hollow ache in her chest. All her efforts to save her mother had only made things worse and none of it had been necessary.

A sharp knock on the door drew her out of her melancholy thoughts. “Em?” Echo called softly.

“Come in.”

Echo slipped through the door, closing it so quickly that she caught her skirts in the frame. “Dammit,” she muttered, tugging them loose. She frowned at the wrinkles, then shrugged carelessly and sauntered over to the bed.

“You changed your face again,” Emmaline observed