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When I found Stone at the bow, his head was tilted in my direction, his expression narrowed. “You know I’m an addict, right? Not an idiot,” he said coolly. The ember of his cigarette burned red in the night shadows, and he pointed toward Del in her commoner clothes. “Yourfriendright there is the princess. The impostor.Thatis General Hills over there, and if I’m not mistaken, those three there are Corvo guards.”
I eyed Stone carefully, knowing full well he had no love for the royals. “Is that whatyouthink? That Del is an impostor?”
Stone eyed me closely, no doubt dissecting my familiarity with her, and he shrugged. “I don’t much care about court politics,” he said. “I care about coin.” Stone might have sounded careless, but I knew that wasn’t entirely true. Coin was a crutch, just like his addiction, but at the core of it all was abandonment by the Crown, and he was angry.
“And coin you will have,” I told him for the hundredth time. “But that’s not what I’m asking about. Isthisgoing to be a problem for you and your crew?”
Stone stared at Del and Liam as she embraced him so tight, I wondered if she would ever let go. Both of them cried, and it was all I could do to stand on the periphery, useless.
“Interesting how he looks just like you,” Stone mused aloud. I wasn’t sure if that was an unspoken threat or him simply stating he knew more than I was letting on.
When I finally met his knowing gaze, Stone shrugged again. “She looks like a palace servant to me,” he said, and a plume of smoke filled the air between us. “Better get them inside. It’s about to get a hell of a lot colder up here.”
And with that, Stone took another puff of his cigarette, glanced once more at Del and Liam, and I felt the ship angle away from the pier.
I watched the dock shrink as we sailed farther and farther away, praying Dusty and the other horses would make the journey back to the desert safely on their own since we couldn’t take them. Then I sighed with relief. By the afternoon, we’d be in Morro City, far from this place. And Del and Liam were here and safe. For now.
26
Del
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and choppy whitecaps filled the bay. A golden glow cut through the thinner parts of the cloud cover near the eastern horizon, periodically illuminated by streaks of lightning as dawn gave way to sunrise and my first day in a world without Garath by my side.
I sat with my back propped against the foremast, Liam snuggled in against my side, his cloak wrapped tightly around him, seeking refuge from the icy wind. We would have to go below deck soon, but I couldn’t bring myself to stand just yet. Up here, I could fool myself into thinking that Garath was still with us, but as soon as I went below deck with the others, his absence would feel all too real.
I held Liam close, one arm curled around his lanky body and my cheek resting atop his head. A deep ache had settled in my chest, and my face felt swollen from the constant threat of tears. Tears I had managed to hold in, for the most part, because I needed to be strong for my son.
Liam whimpered, and I lifted my head to peer down at him. His eyes were shut. His hand twitched, and he let out another whimper. Asleep, finally, and dreaming. About Garath? About Alastor? About the crashed coronation and terrifying events that had followed? Because I felt certain all of those would hauntmydreams the next timeIslept.
I pressed a kiss to Liam’s forehead.
I was so tired of being strong. Of holding in my pain. It was not a healthy way to cope with emotions, as Garath had so often reminded me. But I had been doing it for so long that I didn’t know how to let myself unravel. Garath had always been my safe place to fall apart. He was the one who held me together when the burdens of existence became too much.
At least, he used to be.
A tear streaked down my cheek, instantly chilled by the frigid wind.
Lightning forked through the sky as the bow of the ship sailed for the storm clouds darkening the western horizon. The stone wall surrounding the castle, its copper roofs, bell tower, and open turrets were barely visible anymore to the south.
Would I ever return to Castle Corvo? To Corvo City?
A flask appeared before me, tarnished silver wrapped in worn brown leather. The hand holding the flask was large and sturdy, with thick fingers, blunt nails, and protruding veins. The hand of someone who worked hard for their living.
My eyes widened when I followed the line of the arm connected to that hand up to broad shoulders and the face that had haunted my most heartbreaking dreams over the years.
“Thought you might need a drink,” Fin murmured, a deep crease between his brows. He crouched, elbows on his thighs. The rocking motion of the ship forced him to plant one knee on the deck for stability.
I accepted the offered flask but couldn’t figure out a way to unscrew the cap without disturbing Liam.
“Here,” Fin said, taking the flask back for a moment to open it, then handing it to me once more.
I flashed him a wan smile and brought the mouth of the flask to my lips. The rum within burned going down, but at least it eroded some of the choking lump in my throat.
“Thanks,” I said, my voice hoarse from disuse. I cleared my throat.
Fin squinted slightly, the first rays of the rising sun glinting off his eyes, turning his irises a brilliant emerald. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice gruff. “I know Garath meant a lot to you.”
Something that was equal parts a laugh and a sob clawed its way up my throat. I took another, longer drink, pretending for a moment that the stinging in my eyes was from the burn of the alcohol and the bite of the wind, not from the grief of losing my best friend. I stared out at the roiling storm clouds. Another streak of lightning cut across the sky. We would have to get below deck soon.
