In the silence after finishing her story, Safire stood immobile, staring out the porthole. Eris shifted uncomfortably, waiting for her to say something. The pain in her wrists made her jaw clench, and her legs shook from being forced to stand all night.
Finally, Safire turned. “You expect me to believe,” she whispered, “that the empress slaughtered a temple full of peopledevoted to her patron god... and blamed it on achild?” Her voice had gone strangely hollow. “How stupid do you think I am?”
Swallowing the knot of disappointment in her throat, Eris bit back the first cutting retort that came to mind.
What did you expect?Eris thought.That she would believeyou—a petty thief in the service of a horrible pirate—over the benevolent ruler of a peaceful society?
Of course Safire would side with the empress. She was royal—just like Leandra.
Eris watched Safire roughly untie the pale blue ribbon keeping her black hair off her face only to retie it around her wrist. She then ran frustrated fingers through the strands, pulling them back, her fingers working an angry knot. “It’s in your best interest to win me over,” she said, her voice heated now as she slid a slender knife through the knot, pinning it in place while concealing the blade. “You need me to let you go.”
Well, yes, that was exactly what Eris needed. But that wasn’t the only reason she’d told the story. It also happened to betrue.
She felt like she’d been tricked into giving away something precious, only to have it spat on.
When did I get so naïve?she thought bitterly.
Safire shook her head in disgust. “I can see why you’re invaluable to Jemsin. You’re not just an excellent thief. You’re a masterful liar.”
“You’re right,” said Eris in defeat. “I made it all up so you’d set me free.”
Safire scowled. “Free to hunt down my cousin the momentyou have the chance? Even if Ididbelieve you, I wouldn’t set you free.”
Someone called from above, interrupting. Eris glanced to the door, her body tense.
“We’re coming into port,” said Safire, looking out the porthole.
Axis Isle.Where Leandra’s citadel resided.
“Perfect,” she murmured, even as a sick feeling festered in her gut. “The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you’re out of my life.”
“Can’t wait,” said Safire.
After the ship dropped anchor, Safire and a handful of others went to find the king and queen’s escort, leaving Eris in the charge of two soldats. The dragons were taken away for a brief quarantine. Apparently, they made the empress uneasy.
Eris’s guards forced her to sit at the edge of the dock, where her only mode of escape was the sea. With her hands bound, if she tried to jump in and swim, she would drown.
Eris was contemplating such a fate as she stared down at her wrists. Her skin was caked in dry, cracked blood now; and the wounds were getting deeper. By tomorrow she’d be able to see the bones.Ifshe lived that long.
What would the empress do once she finally had her precious fugitive?
A sudden splash interrupted her thoughts. The smell of rotten fish wafted over her.
Eris’s skin prickled. She knew that smell.
Turning toward it, she found two eyes greeting her. Bulging and fish-like. The thing had pulled itself up out of the water and now sat on the dock, perching there and staring at Eris. Its lithe body sometimes made of scales, sometimes made of starlight.
A sea spirit.
Eris’s heart thumped wildly as the rest of her went stone-still. She remembered the sound of teeth tearing the flesh of Kor’s crew as they rowed for shore.
“I know you,” said the spirit, its voice liquid and lilting.
“I doubt that,” said Eris, her lungs freezing in her chest. She didn’t dare look back over her shoulder to where her guards stood. Eris didn’t want to make any sudden movements. Right now it was being friendly. But that could change in an instant.
She looked past it instead, around the wharf, where the crews of other ships were milling about. Did no one else see it?
“The Shadow God grows stronger.” The creature kicked its scaly legs, letting them dangle off the dock. “We thought you’d want to know.”
