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Zephyr doesn’t relent in his stare. “Surely you don’t expect me to believe your enemy wears a corset and crown?”
“Not her, no, but if I’m going to convince her to help me, I need to know her tells too. Except she doesn’t give anything away... It’s as if she wants to be here rather than escape.”
“Hmmm.” Zephyr watches her for a long moment before clicking his tongue. “I suppose you’re right. So much for the I’ll-save-you-from-your-fate bit you had worked up. How will you convince her now?”
“I’ll come up with something. I have to.”
“Captain...” Zephyr trails off, drawing my attention.
“What?”
“Maybe you should talk to her before you pledge. If she doesn’t get on board, we can find another way. We have other options, like searching for Pan in a smaller group and using the potions...”
“It could take us years at that pace.”
“Maybe so, but it’s better than dying. We don’t have much use of your shadow if you’re not alive to claim it. If she doesn’t side with you, then you should walk away and live another day.”
My lips tip into a teasing smirk as I meet his misfitting human eyes. “You don’t think I can win without her help?”
“Not saying that, but the odds wouldn’t be in your favor. There’s talk of beasts, those who aren’t here tonight because the king deemed them too uncivilized to attend, having pledged. A troll and one of the ogres.”
“All the clans have sent someone. They all want the royal treat for the next ten years. It doesn’t surprise me they would, too.”
“And what happens when a pirate wins, huh? Do you truly think the king will drop the charges against us and let us live in peace instead?”
“Well, it’s cheaper for him than providing for all of us for ten years, and it’s not a permanent pardon.”
He sighs. “Fine... How is the cuff holding up?”
“It’s fine. You did a great job.”
“Good, because mine has almost fallen off twice now and I haven’t been fighting, not like you’ll be in a few hours.”
The king has placed magical cuffs on all his subordinates, allowing him to turn off their gifts and abilities or enhance them if he wishes. None of us pirates have them, but Zephyr and Nelvin were crafty enough to create realistic-looking replicas to help us avoid suspicion.
“The pledge line is growing slimmer.” Zephyr lets my cuffed arm drop, clearly having passed his assessment. “You might want to untie your tongue.”
“My tongue’s fine,” I snap, knowing damn well I’ve been stalling for far too long.
“Then what are you waiting for?” He waggles his fingers, and I catch his wicked grin out of the corner of my eye. “Woo her. Don’t make me have to do it for you. She’s... not my type, but at this point, I’m wondering if a gay man might stand a better chance at seducing her.”
“I know what I’m doing.”
“Then cross the bloody room. At this rate, the moons will be out before you so much as take a step.”
Growling low in my throat, I send him a glare and make my way across the great hall.
4
Scarlet
Ihatethisroom...Not once in my short life have I ever entered the great hall and felt at ease. Every morning, my father insists on my sisters and me joining him for breakfast here, and every time, my skin seems to crawl. A wooden table usually occupies the stretch of floor from the platform where the thrones sit to the far wall, topped with an elaborate food spread. It’s always over the top and far more food than the handful of us could ever put away, but it was a tradition, and my father will carry his traditions to his grave.
Perhaps my body knew before I did what would happen here… that my last meal would be eaten within this room. It doesn’t matter now, though.
Guards are stationed along most of the walls, standing post at all the exits, but I can feel Zelix’s eyes on me... He’s here somewhere likely mingling with the crowd like the rest of the shadow shrouds and a handful of the royal mages. I slightly regret not giving him the affection he desperately needed from me, but it’s for the best. I care about him, but I don’t love him, and telling him otherwise would’ve been a lie.
Shoving him from my mind, I do as I was taught, zoning my gaze out on the crowd. I thought when I sat on this throne and listened to the pledges, that my fingers would tremble, that I’d feel the nerves creeping up my spine, anticipating what’s coming, but all I feel is numb. I’ve spent days worrying about this night, and now that it’s here, it’s as if my brain has become desensitized to the chaos... to the worry. Oddly enough, I’m grateful for it.
