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Chapter
One
By morning,all of Cambria would believe the queen was dead.
Cambria’s dark wall retreated into the misty night behind me as I ran toward the sea. Nighttime guards manned its enormous gates, but they didn’t see the two women fleeing the cage-like city that had held us both captive—Cait in prison and me on the throne.
The shore appeared to be as deserted as a city street after curfew, but I pressed my hand against my bag to keep the pearls inside from rattling and giving us away in case we weren’t alone. The coronation gown they’d been attached to was now buried on the other side of the wall like the title I’d left behind.
I’d left blood streaked across my bedroom, hoping everyone, including my father, would be convinced by the gore, even without a dead body. If my plan was going as I hoped, my father would be mourning my death at this very moment, believing I’d been assassinated after my coronation.
Tightness gripped my chest at the thought of my father’s grief, but I couldn’t afford to think about him right now. All I wanted was to get off this island before we were discovered.
I ran onward, the grass under my feet giving way to soft sand that shone white under the waxing moon. A light westwardbreeze touched my face and I swept a strand of hair out of my eyes. The only sounds interrupting the night were the shudder and creek of boats and the insistent waves that reached for land as desperately as I reached for the ocean, for Tramore, and for Graham. Even the flickering stars spattered across the sky seemed to arc west, the constellations pointing the way back to him.
Cait followed close beside me, gripping one of my silver knives. Her eyes had a wildness to them. I wasn’t sure if I could credit her time in prison for it, or if it had always been there, but it made me glad to have her on my side.
We crossed the beach and arrived at the dock, the planks groaning under our boots. Vacant fishing boats were tied up along both sides. I leaned over one, wrinkling my nose. It seemed empty, with only the stench remaining. I wasn’t looking forward to stepping over fish guts on the deck of whichever boat we chose, but if I’d wanted a queen’s life, I would’ve stayed on the throne.
“Smells like prison,” Cait whispered. She dropped to her knees on the dock and reached her arm down toward the water. A wave curled over her hand, and she pulled back with a quiet gasp. Like most Cambrians, she’d never touched the sea, never felt its power, despite living so near it for her entire life. The wall had made sure of that.
I examined the boats, wondering which would suit us best—and which was least likely to be missed. I wished I had my own familiar sailboat, but it had gone up in flames on Ash Island. Looking back, it seems as if I’d burned everything that night and it had burned me back.
My boots padded along the dock, and a salty spray misted my face as I reached the end of it. Here, tucked behind the rest, was a simple boat with its sails secured to the mast. I took a rope and tugged it closer, then stepped onto the creaking bow. Once onthe deck, I opened the cargo hold, which held a couple of water barrels, fishing nets, supplies, and the smelly remnants of fish parts.
I nodded. “She’s the one.”
Cait followed me onto the deck, stumbling as the boat swayed, her boots knocking against the wood as she caught herself. The sound echoed over the dark water.
“Careful,” I hissed.
“You don’t think anyone—” Cait shut her mouth when a voice sounded from the shore.
“Who’s there?” someone shouted.
We ducked low in the boat.
The rough voice cut through the quiet again. “Show yourself!”
We held perfectly still, knowing the tiniest movement could rock the creaky boat and lead him to our hiding place. I thought about the pearls in my bag, wondering if they might already prove their value. I didn’t know yet whether this man was an Enforcer or a lowly fisherman. I needed to hear him speak again to detect the nuances in his speech that would reveal his rank.
Cait lifted her head, the metal blade in her white-knuckled hand glinting under the moonlight.
I put a warning hand on her arm, silently begging her to stay down.
She looked back at me, her eyes in shadow.
I gave her a sharp look, but the fierceness etched into her features told me she wasn’t within my control—or anyone’s. She was here for freedom and for love, and I was sure she’d find a way to get to Lachlan at any cost.
No one dies, I thought, wishing I could say it aloud to make sure Cait knew it too. My mantra for my mission to kidnap Graham had been driven by this ideal. One I’d failed to meet, but I refused to let another life go to waste because of my actions.
The dock shook as the man made his way toward us. As his footsteps grew closer, the glow of firelight created harsh shadows, revealing the silhouettes of boats that rose and fell with the waves.
I held my bag tightly, listening with the trained ear of a Cambrian for him to speak.
He moved closer but didn’t say a word.
My heartbeat rose into my throat. I swallowed, pushing away my nervousness, and tried to clear my head.
