Page 17 of The Stolen Crown

I crouched beside the unwrapped parcel. Blood on the linens was dry and crusted the cloth in dark rust. The rotted flesh had been wiped clean and his horrid eyes were closed, no longer able to haunt my dreams.

The head was not alone. A bone dagger had been wrapped along with the parcel. A fine blade, made from the tusk of a breed of boar that roamed in the Star Peaks amongst the most whimsical of glamour folk, the star readers.

Who would deliver me a head, blade, and a note written like it was anything but uncommon?

Tait had discovered me ensnared in Filib’s song, but I’d been told dear Lord Gorm had returned me to the Borough. Not to mention the rather short-tempered Dunker had been present, a troll who would sooner insult a man than enjoy his company.

My mind whirled with possibilities.

Apart from Tait, certainly the other crewmen on the Sea Void would’ve heard of the incident. Sea fae could be quite bloodthirsty. Not to mention, most men who were part of the Ever Crew, the sailors of the royal ship sent by Bloodsinger, would want to impress their queen by protecting her loved ones. It was possible this was some odd way for one of the sea fae to deliver me vengeance.

Quite literally on a platter.

Revenge. I stared at the dagger in my palm. Then at Filib’s odious head. I could not deny the rush of heat in my veins, the darker thoughts in my mind. A bit of violent delight burned in new tears behind my eyes.

I hated the sea singer.

Twice, he’d stolen my mind. Twice, he’d aimed to eat my heart. Twice, I’d been helpless to his song.

He deserved to know how viciously I despised him. How this suffocating fear in my heart was his doing, and he’d pay for it now.

Shoulders back, I curled my fingers in the matted strands of his dark hair and carried the head to the private veranda for my use. Ivy vines and blooms of pinks and lavender surrounded carved trellises.

This was a refuge. No one could see me here.

I dropped the head onto one of the wicker chairs in front of a dainty tea table and took two paces back.

The new blade rolled in my grip once, twice. I aimed the point at the head. “You no longer hold any power.”

Perhaps I was more obvious than I let on. Could others in my court see the frenzy that took hold of my heart when danger was near? Could they see the cowardice I kept inside? Did they know how fiercely I yearned—needed—to face enemies who harmed me, or that when they haunted my dreams, the fear only worsened?

My jaw tightened. Perhaps the one who’d left Filib’s head knew all this about me. Let them. I’d fret over it later.

For now, this bastard needed to know, needed to see wherever he watched from in the hells of the Otherworld, that he was the defeated. That I survived another day.

On my first strike at his rotted flesh, a tear fell onto my cheek.

The head helped. Unease had lessened during my battle with the piece of Filib’s corpse. Until now.

I could not understand why my focus kept drifting to dangers of the Ever Seas.

Strewn across furs and coverlets made of weaver web silk were a dozen gowns, tunics, trousers, hosen, and ornate pieces of jewelry. An empty trunk was positioned at the foot of the bed.

I could hardly wait to journey through the now-gentle current that served as a border of realms. When Bloodsinger stole Livia away, I thought the woman I viewed as a sister was lost to the Otherworld. Now, to visit her as the queen of sea fae, I took no greater thrill.

But for some reason, I could not seem to think of the simple days we’d spend near the coves. I could only think of all that could go wrong. My hands froze whenever I attempted to prepare my belongings.

Like I was trapped in that moment of heady, suffocating fear, like Filib’s tongue kept dragging over my skin.

I closed my eyes. He was gone. I had his head to prove it.

I was not weak. I was not bleeding weak.

With a swift shake of my head, I managed to fold a simple dress and toss it into the trunk. I forced thoughts of late nights, snickering with Livia over hot rum, into the front of my mind. I looked forward to the day Skadi would surely join us to gossip about Jonas and his antics. Then Celine would come and spend a few nights at the palace, feigning like she did not much care for female friends.

Tidecaller did not fool me. She adored sharing her secret thoughts with other women. I saw the way her eyes always lit up when we laughed too long and too late into the night.

The Ever…was delightful. It was safe.