CHAPTER 33
Draevyn
Draevyn’s heart thundered as he ran through the haven of criminals, planning to work alongside and help those very people. He didn’t allow himself to dwell on how far he had fallen from his princely title and instead put all his focus on saving the people who mattered to him most.
He couldn’t let Esmyra and Atlas destroy each other. If either of them were ever taken from him, it would send him straight to ruin. But if either of them had been thecauseof the other’s fate? That was something he would never be able to bear, in this life or any other.
One of the worst parts was that he didn’t know if Atlas had ordered his fleet to capture him alongside Esmyra if they found her. Would his own brother, who saved him repeatedly from their father’s wrath, place him in velsinyte cuffs just as their king once had? He didn’t know, and that truth stung more than he wanted to admit.
Draevyn had found Esmyra. He had found his Wildfire and got her to listen. He gotthroughto her, and she believed him. It was more than he could’ve ever hoped for, and he wouldn’t let her be taken away from him again after finding this tiny sliver of hope.
The look in her eyes when she saw the sails creep in on the horizon… she wasscared. There was nothing but pure fear in her eyes asshe gazed out at the sea that once gave her solace. Was her fear rooted in being captured and killed? Or was it that she finally ripped free from Syrena’s lies and she wouldn’t get the chance to seek vengeance on the true being who deserved it.
He didn’t even get the chance to tell her everything he knew—Syrena’s lies weren’t the most dangerous parts about her. She was working to take Esmyra’s power, if what she spoke of that day in Maerinys was true, anyway.
Esmyra wasn’t safe on her own, she wasn’t safe bearing the full power of Kaelypso, and she wasn’t safe while her sister lived.
The only place Draevyn would ever consider her safe again was in his arms, where he could make sure nothing would ever fucking touch her again.
The tips of his fingers ached as fire licked at their edges, just waiting to incinerate anyone who so much as threatened her ever again.
The streets were chaos. It was like sprinting through a storm of steel and screams. He barreled through the madness, the sounds of shouting and clashing swords ringing in his ears as he shoved past anyone who got in his way. Broken glass crunched beneath his boots as he ran and leapt over overturned carts, and the air grew thick with the scent of blood and spilled ale as Lephyrin’s soldiers flooded in from every direction.
Draevyn kept to the shadows when he could, keeping his head low beneath his hood as his cloak whipped behind him. He ducked into a narrow alley, breath heaving, and nearly collided with one of the king’s soldiers rounding the corner, his blade aiming for his throat.
But Draevyn was faster.
He twisted to the side, dragging his own blade from its sheath in a single, fluid motion. The clang of metal on metal rang out as sparks flew.
The soldier’s eyes flared as they met Draevyn’s. “Captain Rowe…” he started, but then he jabbed forward again, trying to force him back. “Your brother is looking for you.”
With a grunt, Draevyn parried hard before pivoting. He slammed his elbow into the soldier’s ribs, sending the man staggering back.
I don’t have time for this.
Draevyn lifted his hand in the man’s direction as fire erupted from his palm, engulfing the soldier before turning him to ash. In seconds, a pile of charred bone and steel fell before his boots.
He huffed through his nostrils, and his jaw ticked as he stared down at the pile. It seemed Atlas had orders if anyone were to come in contact with Draevyn.
He needed to get the fuck out of here.
Draevyn turned down a side passage behind an old tavern and halted.
There, leaning against a wall, daggers drawn and blood smeared across his temple, was Jak. He was panting and flanked by Ren and Riven as they stood over several fallen soldiers. He looked up with a glare, golden eyes shining fiercely through the night.
Draevyn had to tell him he found Esmyra, and if anyone could help him sneak her out of here, it was him. He didn’t know this place, not the way the true pirates did.
“Phoenix,” Jak growled. “What the fuck is going?—”
“No time.” Draevyn held up a hand, jogging up to them. “Atlasis here. I don’t know if you’ve seen the harbor, but there are ships for miles. The soldiers are storming the streets, taking the isle.”
Jak’s eyes darkened as he gestured to their surroundings. “Yeah, I gathered that.”
“I found her,” he continued, nervously glaring toward the noise of marching boots beyond the alley. “Esmyra. I found her and she’s waiting in a broken-down shack on the outskirts of town waiting for us. They have velsinyte, so weallneed to be careful.”
“You found her?” Riven bellowed.
“She’s waiting for us to lead her out,” Draevyn admitted.
