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Our crew were all armed with swords and knives, most of them on the deck. Several of them held their weapons like they knew what they were doing with them. Most of them were trembling, watching Lorian as if he was their only hope.
The first man made it to the top of the rope ladder, one brown-skinned hand appearing first as he hauled himself up. He wore a trim beard, his dark eyes wide and solemn as he gave us a graceful bow, then turned, holding out his hand.
My lungs burned from the breath I was holding, and yet I couldn’t seem to let it loose.
The hand that slid into his was small and feminine. He lifted the woman in the way men did when they considered them precious. Her head popped up above the ship’s rail, and Lorian seemed to relax next to me. Obviously, it was exactly who he’d expected.
I was reserving judgment.
Small and lean, the woman jumped onto the deck, her dark eyes pinning me in place. Her glossy black hair was worn in a long braid, while her skin had the same deep umber tone as the man who was now releasing her hand.
“Captain Daharak Rostamir,” Lorian said, and she grinned at him. Her smile was wicked, full of fun. Lorian didn’t bother smiling back.
“The Bloodthirsty Prince in all his glory,” she purred, then turned her attention to me. I forced myself to stare back at her, and her eyes sharpened. “And you must be Nelayra Valderyn.”
“You can call me Prisca,” I said.
“Well now, I have use for Nelayra, the hybrid heir. In fact, I believe we can both help each other. But Prisca the village girl? She is useless to me.”
My stomach clenched. She knew far too much about me. And since I knew absolutely nothing about her, the shrewd tone she used made me want to clench my teeth.
“Talk, Daharak,” Lorian ground out.
The pirate queen glanced around at our crew—who were still staring at her as if she would choose to slaughter all of us at any moment.
“We’ll need privacy for this,” Daharak said to me. “My men will stay on our ship. And you can keep the Bloodthirsty Prince by your side for our conversation.”
She was testing me, and I gave her a slow smile.
I pulled my power toward me, and time stopped. Taking a few steps closer, I let the threads of that power go. It was a trick I’d used before, and it never failed to disturb those on the receiving end.
Daharak’s eyebrows shot up. The man by her side snarled, instantly transforming from a mild-mannered shadow to a true threat. Daharak raised her hand, stilling his forward motion.
“I’d wondered,” she said, and her eyes danced as they met mine. “Yes, I believe we can be of great help to each other, Your Majesty.”
It was the first time anyone other than Telean had referred to me in such a way, and it took everything in me to keep my expression carefully blank.
“Enough,” Lorian said, his voice empty. “We’ll talk below deck.”
I turned, finding my aunt watching me, her eyes lit up. Daharak was murmuring with the man at her side, who was clearly unhappy with this idea, so I strode over to Telean, who leaned close.
“Daharak Rostamir,” she whispered, so quietly I could barely hear her. “Pirate queen. She commands eighty thousand men and two thousand ships, and operates with a strict code of conduct, which her pirates adhere to. They have rules around how they treat prisoners. Women are often released without ransom, and other prisoners are treated with respect. Loot is distributed equally among her pirates, and all of them follow a clear chain of command within the fleet. She is fair and honorable, but she is also vicious when pushed, Nelayra. Crew members who break the rules, violate the trust of others, or act treacherously are flogged, mutilated, marooned on deserted islands, and executed. She has become such a force that neither the Gromalian nor Eprothan king knows what to do with her. She is a dangerous woman who raids merchant vessels, ransoms important people, and smuggles illegal goods.”
“Don’t forget,” Daharak said from behind us, “I also manage to turn heads while doing it.”
Gods help us if Daharak and Madinia ever met.
Daharak gave Lorian a heated look from beneath her eyelashes and swaggered toward us. From as far away as she’d been standing, she shouldn’t have been able to hear our conversation.
That kind of power would have made her an excellent spy in her younger years. We would have to be very careful about what was said within her presence.
Replaying Telean’s words, I studied Daharak. I should have disliked her intensely. She was a dangerous criminal. But something about her brazen honesty and wicked grin made me willing to hear her out at least.
Besides, half this continent considered me a dangerous criminal as well.
Telean frowned at the pirate queen. “The galley will be empty this time of day,” she said. “You can talk there.”
Lorian stepped behind me before Daharak could follow me down the stairs. Because his brother would be unimpressed if I was stabbed in the back before I arrived in their lands.
