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“How many turns have you been plotting?”
“From the beginning, Erik.”
My jaw pulsed. None of his loyalty, none of the simple nights aboard the Ever Ship, none of it was sincere.
Larsson shook his head. “It takes time to overthrow spells and blood crowns.”
I clicked my tongue. “Rather pitiful that you nearly destroyed the Ever with the darkening.”
“Dark spells leave remnants. Of course, I didn’t realize it would spread and poison.”
“Why now? Why take her?”
“Your lover?” Larsson clicked his tongue. “She is the power of the Ever.”
“Narza said she is not the mantle of Thorvald.”
“Ah, but she absorbed the mantle. Even if it now belongs to you, it was once Thorvald’s. The last remnant of his voice was what I needed.”
“So, you took the heartbond.” I was speaking more to myself than him. All of it had tangled in my mind, overwhelming and infuriating.
“I took it. And Fione has already broken the wards against that crown. It will sit atop my head the moment it is in my hands.” Larsson crossed the room, tilting his head, practically snarling down at me. “Enjoy your earth fae, brother. I’ll be taking her again, and without the wards against me, you won’t be able to stop me. Not with the power I have.”
“You’ve no purpose for her any longer. You got what you wanted.”
“I did.” His voice lowered, low and cruel. “But I would so enjoy watching your face when I claim her myself before I kill you.”
“Careful, Bonekeeper,” I said. “She might bite off your nose should you try it again.”
Larsson’s eyes narrowed to dark slits. “As long as I have her, the earth fae will remain tamed.”
Erik. . . A voice, gentle, warm, rose in the distance.Time. . .return.
I peered over my shoulder but saw nothing. An urgency took root in my chest, like I’d been racing down a corridor for too long. Like there was a place I needed to be.
I rose from the bed, brushing off a bit of dust from my fall into the room. “So disappointing. You boast your power while knowing nothing of mine.”
He laughed. “What do you have? I hold the House of Blades—”
“I believe Hesh’s corpse will soon be fashioned into my queen’s crown.”
“I have his crew, you bastard.” Larsson’s face hardened. “I have elven ships. And I have elven with the affinity capable of keeping folk docile, including your little earth fae, well enough. I assure you, brother, you’ve no idea what she—what they can do.”
A slip. That was all I needed.She, not they. It had to be the woman Livia knew. What magic she held, I doubted Larsson would confess to it. Still, he’d given enough to know she was part of his plans for overtaking both the Ever and even leeching his influence against Livia’s folk.
Erik. Come back to me.
The voice, soft as a gentle current, tugged at the center of my chest, like strings in my heart. Like a bond I could not shake. I rubbed a hand over the bloom of warmth. The room seemed smaller, the air colder.
“You have your weapons,” I said. “But it’s not enough. Listen well, Bonekeeper, I have the power of the earth fae. They stand with the true king.”
“Lies.”
“You think so?” I leaned my face close enough I could almost touch his brow with mine. “How do you think we sank into the damn sea to get away from you?”
For the first time, Larsson paled, uncertain.
“I have the House of Mists—”
