Jak let out a laugh. “I mean, maybeyouwill be, but I doubt?—”
“I’m not talking about Esmyra,” Draevyn interrupted. “Her sister.Syrena,” he spat her name. “She won’t want anyone getting in her way of whatever the hells she has planned. And I promise you, anything that could potentially take Esmyra away from her is a threat to that. We need to get to her somehow without Syrena finding out.”
Jak nodded along as he listened while everyone watched their exchange, deciding their fate.
“Let’s just make port there. At least then we’ll be out of sight and far from Lephyrin. We don’t need my brother’s sea fleet catching up to us,” Draevyn finished.
My fleet.
His stare went distant as he spoke of the men who once sailed under his command.
“Aye,” Jak agreed. “To Anchorage Cove, then.”
Draevyn gave him a subtle dip of his chin. “To Anchorage Cove.”
CHAPTER 26
Esmyra
The sea air brushed across Esmyra’s cheeks as the spires of Maerinys’s castle rose into view, sparkling against the dark sky. She stood at the helm, wind in her tangled hair, silent asThe Night Wraithcut through the tide.
She turned and descended into the lower deck, where Elowynne had been kept for the entirety of the trip. They hadn’t spoken since Esmyra returned to the ship after taunting Atlas in his bed chamber. She had made her declaration of war and fled, eager to get his precious bride behind bars before he could snatch her back.
The narrow steps creaked beneath her boots, and she was greeted by damp, stale air as she stepped into the brig. At the far end, behind a curved iron gate, Elowynne sat in chains, slumped and covered in filth. Each of her hands was pinned next to her head on the wall above, making it impossible for her to remove the velsinyte ring. Her hair was disheveled, her gown torn in several places, butstillthere was a steel in Elowynne’s stare when it locked with hers.
Esmyra smiled faintly and stepped closer. “Comfortable?”
She didn’t answer. Just watched her through those cold, narrowed eyes.
“Didn’t think so.” Esmyra leaned against the bars, studying herprisoner in the low teal merlights. “You’ve missed quite a bit while you’ve been down here. Shall I catch you up?”
Still silent.
“Your king is probably flipping every stone in that kingdom of his to find you,” Esmyra said flatly. “I paid him a little visit that night by the way.”
Thatgot Elowynne’s attention.
“What did you do?” Her lip curled back.
“I didn’t do anything.” She shrugged. “I simply waltzed right into his bedchamber… wearing your skin.”
Elowynne’s eyes flared, her jaw dropping as she lunged at her. The chains clinked and rattled with her every move. “What have you done?!”
Esmyra sighed before dropping down to the floor, crossing her legs. She leaned back on her elbows, watching her. “Don’t worry, Wynnie. I didn’t fuck your husband.”
Her head bowed, posture slumping against the wall as relief washed over her features.
“I gave myself away before he could move his hands further up my skirt,” Esmyra finished with a wink.
Elowynne bared her teeth at her. “Why are you doing this?!” Her voice finally broke. “What have we done that you didn’t already do ten times over? If not to us, then to someone else.” She scoffed. “For some reason I simply cannot comprehend, Draevyn seems to think you’re still reachable. That he can save you from whatever the hells you’ve become.” Elowynne looked her up and down, pure disgust all over her face. “But if you ask me, you’refarbeyond saving.”
Esmyra’s body stiffened before she moved to stand. “Draevyn’s been trying to save me since the moment we locked eyes. Only the thing is… I never asked to be saved. One of these days, he’ll realize that.”
Elowynne’s brows furrowed.
“After all, he’s who pushed me to become this in the first place.” Esmyra turned to head back up the stairs.
“What do you have to gain from this? Have you not gotten yourrevenge?” Elowynne asked, her voice stronger now. “You killed King Rowe. You murdered the man who took your father’s life. On his throne. In front of his own sons.”
