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The woman’s chin trembled. “Yes, My Lord.”
I smirked, flashing the bloodied tooth in my mouth. One knuckle dragged down her cheek. She closed her eyes and whimpered when I gripped the back of her neck and drew her face close. “I hear you have something of mine, love.”
“We d-didn’t know, My King.”
“I believe you. Hand it over.”
“Halle,” the alchemist woman said gently. “Yes, come here, my girl. Return it to the king.”
The young girl fluttered her dark lashes. Bleary eyes locked on mine, but slowly she handed over the silver charm. She was terrified, so small. Somewhere, buried deep, there was a desire to sympathize with her fear. I’d been a frightened boy once. But turns of learning how dangerous the heart could be kept any tenderness for the child where it belonged—locked away where I couldn’t reach it.
My instinct was to snatch the silver bird away and shove it into my belt, safe from anyone touching it again, but I kept my movements controlled. Calm.
My fingers curled around the old twine. Many times, it could’ve been replaced with gold or silver chains, but I’d kept it the same itchy string from that night so long ago. I bent a little lower and tucked the girl’s hair behind one ear. “You have my thanks, my lady.”
She bowed her head. “Please, d-don’t punish my mam. We thought we had it as your gift to melt down for the poultice.”
I hummed, inspecting the edge of the small bird’s wingspan. “This little charm caused a great deal of strife, didn’t it?” I pinched the charm between my fingers and held it close to her face. “Truth is, I’d give up half my palace to get this back.”
Tears lined her lashes. “We didn’t know, swear it. Please f-f-forgive us.”
“Afraid it’s not up to me, love.” I took a long step away from the girl and lifted my voice over the crackle and snap of fire devouring their homes. “You claim to be my people, yet you have been disloyal and untrusting. Have I not offered refuge in the royal city with me?”
I slammed a fist into my chest. “I have opened my gates to every realm, every land where the darkening is fiercest. Yet, you stay, and seek out your own ways to takemy throne, my crown,by thieving from your king. I think the worst part of this whole ordeal is that you thought I wouldn’tfind you. I always find out.”
I snapped my fingers and one of the crewmen tossed a burlap sack. It landed at my feet. Without dropping my gaze from the girl, I reached for the sack.
The girl shrieked and buried her face in her mother’s shoulder when I removed the dried, decaying head by the hair.
“I’ve come to return your false sea witch.” I tossed the head into the crowd. Folk spluttered and hurried away when it dropped with a wet thud. “She lied to you and took your coin. Now, your village is in ruin, and your lord is dead.
“But I’m not without mercy. There are some still loyal to your king here. Lord Athol is now your man. He shall decide who is loyal enough to join him on your upcoming journey to the royal city, and who is not. I leave your fate in his hands.”
Athol abandoned the ship and sneered at the people of the isles. They stared at Murdo’s second son with trepidation. Tait remained behind to give Athol his instructions on bringing folk into the royal city by the next high tide.
They couldn’t stay here, not with the darkening spoiling their land.
A cinch built in my chest, almost like guilt, at having failed another realm. The way to end this rot seemed like it was right there within my grasp, yet it always slipped through my fingers and tossed me back a hundred paces whenever another realm was abandoned.
Celine met me by the gangplank. She’d removed her mask, and her full lips cut into a smirk, showing off her white teeth against her brown skin. She dragged her fingers over a straight, pink scar across the center of her throat, like it was a comfort through the tension. “You know,” she began, “that Athol bastard has a vendetta against half the village.”
I shrugged and rubbed my left thigh. “That will be their problem. They ought to learn how to plead for his mercy swiftly.”
“Well, are you satisfied now that you have your precious bird back?”
Celine mocked me often about my charm. She was the only one who could and get away with it. She could taunt all she wanted, I’d still cling to the bird. An untamed obsession.
I dragged my nose along the silver wings, imagining her scent buried in the metal. Someday, I vowed to destroy my enemy, but another, darker side, wanted to destroy his heir in a different way. Devour her like the serpent from the story she once told.
I wanted nothing more than to tear through the walls, shatter her world, then take what was left of her.
As though my thoughts summoned my twisted desires, the tide slithered higher onto the shore, soaking my boot. Celine was chattering on about our journey home, words I couldn’t take in any longer. My blood sparked with a jolt of something . . . familiar.
The rune mark on my arm prickled like flames licked across my skin. I tugged on my sleeve and had to bite my damn lip to choke back a shout of surprise. The ridges of the cursed mark had deepened to rich crimson, dark enough it almost looked black.
Not possible.
Without a thought for my anguished muscles and bones, I dropped to the water’s edge, dipped two fingers into the sea, then lifted them to my tongue. Savory and salty, but beneath it all was . . .
