Now all he had to do was survive the night and pray his father didn’t suspect a thing.
The sound of approaching footsteps made him tense, but they were soft, too soft to belong to one of the guards. Then the air shifted,shadows curling unnaturally against the dungeon walls. Esmyra’s crew shuffled back, away from the bars of their cell.
Atlas.
His brother stepped into view, melting from the darkness like a phantom. Atlas’s sharp gaze flicked over him, then to the pirates in the cell across the corridor. “Well, you’ve managed to make quite a mess of this, huh, Drae?”
Draevyn’s fingertips burned. “The king deserved much worse.”
He didn’t miss the way Jak’s brows furrowed beneath the torchlight.
Atlas rolled his eyes and stepped forward, shoving a key into the rusted lock of Draevyn’s cell. Once turned, a softclicksounded, and the lock fell to the floor.
Esmyra’s crew remained silent, but their hatred for Atlas was palpable. None of them spoke. They just watched beneath deeply furrowed brows, their mouths set in tight lines as they listened.
Draevyn stepped out, rolling his shoulders. “What are you doing?”
Atlas sighed. “I didn’t believe the ‘one night’ bullshit. Father would’ve left you to rot if it meant proving his point. I, however, would rather not see you waste away down here.”
The pirates stirred at the words, their glares sharpening.
His brother’s lip curled in distaste. “I’m just happy they didn’t put you in the same cell as them. These brutes likely would’ve gutted you the moment they could.”
“Give it time.” Jak’s voice sounded, a vicious grin forming when Draevyn met his stare.
Atlas huffed a laugh. “I can’t wait to watch you hang.”
The veins in Jak’s neck strained as he bared his teeth at him.
Atlas turned back to Draevyn and shoved out of his cloak. “Here, put this on so you aren’t immediately recognized. Let’s move before more guards come down here.”
Draevyn didn’t argue as he threw the cloak over his shoulders and settled the hood above his head. He kept his expression neutral as hecast one last glance atThe Night Wraith’screw, pleading with his eyes for them to cooperate.
They remained motionless, watching.
Atlas barely waited for him before turning on his heel and slipping back into the shadows. Draevyn followed, careful to keep his steps light, his body tense as they wove through the dim corridors.
When they reached the staircase, his brother paused and gave him a pointed look. “I’m taking you to my chambers to try to talk sense into you.”
Draevyn bit back a retort. Now wasn’t the time to argue, knowing nobody would be able totalk sense into him.
He needed to get out and find the time to think. And once he had the chance, he would come back for her crew.
Draevyn gave his brother a stiff nod in answer, and Atlas’s shadows cloaked them once more as they slipped into the dark.
CHAPTER 7
Draevyn
Draevyn and Atlas barely spoke the entire way up to his chambers. When they arrived, he ordered the guards away and told them to not speak of anything they saw before slamming the door in their faces.
Elowynne, Atlas’s soon-to-be wife from the Elven Kingdom of Sumnae, stood near the hearth as its fire crackled. Her hands were folded neatly in front of her, but Draevyn caught the way her eyes flicked toward him, assessing and calculating.
Draevyn took a few steps toward her but stopped halfway, feeling uneasy beneath her gold and green gaze. “Apologies for the circumstances, Miss. I’m Draev?—”
“Very aware of who you are, Draevyn. I was there on that rescue mission. I’m the one who cleaned your many wounds. I apologize for not being there when you woke up.”
His brows furrowed at her sharp words.
