“Let’s go!” Sam screamed as they raced toward him.
The wind whistled past Draevyn’s ears as they tore through the prison gates, dodging guards rushing to close the final barricade. Arrows sang through the air, whistling past them, just barely missing them all.
“Hold on, Tommy!” Draevyn boomed. His stallion leapt over a low stone wall in a spray of dirt, hooves hitting the road hard on the other side.
Behind them, the flames he lit glowed like a beacon, lighting the midnight sky in hues of blazing orange. Above, the owl shrieked again, circling over them once before vanishing into the clouds leading out toward the sea.
Dawn bled across the horizon with pale golds and purples spilling over the ocean. Tucked behind jagged rock formations and low cliffs, the hidden cove’s water glimmered in the early light as mist curled along the surf.
The pinnaces rocked gently in the shallows, half cloaked in fog. A low whistle came fromValor’sdeck as it floated several yards away, and the last of the weary crew stumbled out of the forest and onto the narrow strip of shore.
“Got ‘em!” Jak called from the ship, and rope ladders were dropped over the side. He’d flown straight there as the rest of them waited for a way to get aboard.
Boots splashed through the cold surf as Draevyn and his bloodied, limping escapees climbed one by one into the pinnaces.
No one had spoken since they’d met up with Esmyra’s crew. The look on Ren’s and Riven’s faces when they saw Draevyn had only returned with his own men was more than enough to let him knowthat they’d put two and two together—the rest of their crew was dead. A tightness formed in his chest, knowing it was his fault.
Did they deserve it? Perhaps, after all the wicked sins they’d done throughout their lives. But two wrongs would never make a right. And his family had been the cause of so many wrongs lately.
They rowed out into the cove, halting at Valor’s starboard side. Draevyn climbed up first, heaving himself over the rail before signaling the rest to board. Boots thudded hard against the deck as the last of the survivors were hauled up, one by one.
“Oye,” Alec barked from Ren’s side, earning everyone’s attention. “Where the hells are the rest of us, Phoenix?”
Murmurs among them turned into growls of agreement across the deck.
“You said you were breakin’ them out,” Ren snarled, stepping forward. “But you only saved your own men?”
Draevyn’s jaw ticked, sucking in a heavy breath through his nostrils as he stared them all down. His stare drifted to Jak, who just stood in silence, watching them.
“I got there too late,” he admitted, eyes scanning the furious circle forming around him. “They were already dead.”
“Convenient,” Riven spat.
“It’s the truth,” Draevyn barked. “I tried to get there in time. I barely made it to save them.” He gestured to Sam and Tommy with his chin.
“How do we know you didn’t leave them to die while you made sureyour ownmen got out unscathed?” Riven growled.
“Who says we were unscathed?” Sam’s voice cut through the air, his face wearing a grin. “Fucked up my elbow pretty bad.”
Fucking Irah.Draevyn turned to his first mate. “Is nowreallythe time to taunt them?”
“You godsdamn cun—” Riven moved to strike Sam, but Draevyn stepped between them at the last second, and the elven bounced off his chest.
Draevyn lifted his hand, his fingertips lit with small flames. “Stand down.” He peered over his shoulder to look at Sam. “Allof you.”
The pirates surrounding him all looked like they were ready to shoot him where he stood. Their faces were smeared with dirt from their crawl through the escape tunnel and their skin windburned from the run through the trees. Clothes hung tattered on their frames, ripped sleeves or makeshift bandages wrapped tight around wounds that hadn’t been properly cleaned.
Scars and fresh bruises made them look like ghosts of war, risen from the depths of some nightmare.
“Itried,” he finally said. “Gods, I tried. Your men were slaughtered before I even reached the prison.”
“You expect us to believe that?” Riven growled.
“He’s telling the truth, lads,” Tommy cut in, and they all eyed him curiously. He took a step forward. “Sammy-boy and myself, we were tryin’ to help our captain free your friends. But we were caught. Something happened while we were halfway through bringing them out. The bells were sounding across the city, but I doubt it was because of us. Not at that moment anyway.”
“It must’ve been because of us then,” Riven said, guilt creeping into his features.
“It wasn’t,” Jak finally cut in. “Something else was at play while we snuck out. Isn’t that right, Phoenix?”
