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We have to support her as she walks; she’s exhausted. Ryker is, too, and walks with his arm slung around Kye’s shoulder. I’m shocked when Orion reaches for my arm, his talons gripping me tightly. I hadn’t noticed he was dragging his right leg.
“You were wounded,” I remark, glancing down at his limp.
He smirks, huffing out a breath. “It only seems fair, doesn’t it?”
Cressida is waiting at the end of the aisle, still dressed in black. Her gaze softens as she sees what Fiona is wearing, and her poor condition–and my jaw drops when she rushes forward to catch Fiona’s elbows, my mate sagging in the queen of Triton’s arms.
I think it’s the first time they’ve ever physically touched.
“Ner-Nereus,” Cressida says, her eyes darting up to the prince. “What happened?”
“She’s had somewhat of a strange trip,” Nereus says. “It’s quite the story.”
Cressida frowns, pulling Fiona up to standing, her mask back in place. “You’ll recover,” she says shortly, passing her back to the prince. “My sources tell me that Lamia is dead–you saw it yourself?”
Fiona nods. “I saw it myself; she used up all her power and…well, she dissolved.”
Cressida’s brows raise in a genuine show of surprise. “So you made her bleed,” she says.
Fiona gives her a half smile. “Until she was dead.”
Cressida returns the grim expression, imperious to the last. “Good.”
We all come to sit together around a large table, arranged as close to Fiona as we can get. She tries to sit up straight, but ends up leaning on Nereus’s shoulder, so exhausted that I’m shocked she’s still awake. Other figures emerge down the aisle as we take our seats: a few Merati and Skoll, along with Verdie and the Hunter Preceptor Jazminda. Then we’re joined by our friends: Aramis, Sten, Florian, and Gliss, battered and bruised, but alive.
We’ve truly been blessed today. Yrsa had her eye on us.
“I can’t say I expected you to survive,” Cressida says.
“That’s…sweet of you,” Fiona mumbles. “Did you just bring me here to tell me you didn’t believe in me, or is this about something?”
Cressida gives her a strange smile. “I appreciate your lack of courtesy.”
“Enough, Cressida,” Fiona says. “I’m exhausted. Please tell me why you brought me here.”
“Because,” Cressida says. “We need to start building alliancesnow.”
Fiona frowns. “With who?”
“The Hyperborean Empire,” Cressida says.
The silence hangs between them, Fiona’s jaw twitching. I glance from her to Kye, knowing exactly how he’ll respond. Already, Cressida is facing Fiona with a choice she doesn’t want to make, and she—
“We won’t be doing that,” she says shortly.
Cressida takes a sharp breath, closing her mouth in a grimace. “You should trust my counsel, Fiona,” she says. “We maybe equals now, but that doesn’t mean you know everything.”
“I won’t be negotiating with slavers,” Fiona says, lifting her chin. She reaches out and grasps Nereus’ hand, and he gives Cressida the same stern look. “And I have plenty of wise counsel—from my mate…and from Alamancia.”
Cressida exhales through her nose, her face drawn. “You came to my planet and you endangered my people,” Cressida says. “You…my consortdiedbecause I helped you against Lamia.”
“And that was just the first step in this fight,” Fiona says. “We aren’t going to negotiate with slavers; if we maintain an alliance between Triton, Homeworld, and Alamancia, we’ll survive. And if it comes to it…we’ll form an alliance with Kanin as well.” She glances at me and Ryker with a soft smile. “I don’t think I’d mind meeting more of the Skoll.”
“This is a delicate balance,” Cressida says. “And we’ve done things this way for centuries.”
Fiona’s eyelashes flutter; her shoulders slump. She leans forward across the table and reaches for Cressida’s hands, snatching them up before the Merati queen can pull them away.
“Cressida,” Fiona says. “I know what you’ve suffered, and I’m not…I’m not really in a great place for negotiations right now. But I can promise you I’m not going to change my mind. I want you on this journeywith me.”
