The stairs led to the top of the tower. It didn’t have a roof like the towers back at home in Vaarda. That was how I considered Vaarda now. My home. It was where Storm was. I hope. Damn, I had to believe he’d made it back to the island and was amassing an army to come to my rescue. He was supposed to make me fall in love with him. Instead, I was on this pile of rocks, second-guessing his actions.

Pushing thoughts of my rescue aside, I studied the battlement. I’d seen enough medieval movies to know people had thrown all sorts of things at their enemies from places like this. I peered at the tiny openings on the wall.

“Those are arrow slits,” Nereus explained, coming to stand beside me.

“For shooting at what?”

“Enemies of the royal family, but that was a long time ago.”

I studied the palace from the top. It was H-shaped with two front towers with domes, and two in the back with battlements. There were doors at the bases of the towers, where they met the main roof of the palace.

“The towers are not guarded?” I asked.

“Not anymore,” Nereus said.

If I made my way to the roof, I wouldn’t know where to go. Maybe if I had a rope, I’d loop it around one of the Kelpie or Selkies statues standing guard around the edge of the roof like saints and climb down.

“What is that?” I asked, pointing at the metal structure in the middle of the roof.

“Water tanks for the palace. It’s pumped from the mountains, through the valley, and up the hill to the palace.”

The palace was built on the highest point of a small mountain with the city spread out in every direction. The valleys and mountains bordered the city on one side and the ocean on the other. The wall surrounding the palace continued in the back, past gorgeous water fountains with statues, manicured gardens, and a forest. If I headed that way and disappeared in the forest until Storm came for me, could I survive?

“How far does the wall go?” I asked. “I mean, is the forest part of the palace grounds?”

Nereus chuckled, and I glanced at him. I caught him studying me with a tiny smile.

“What?” I asked.

“The second you got to the roof, you started looking for an escape route.”

“Can you blame me?”

“Not really. But you’d have to make it downstairs, past the guards in the main hall and the ones by the gates.”

“Are you trying to discourage me? Because if that’s the case, then you should go back downstairs and leave me alone,” I said, not masking my annoyance.

“No need to be prickly, lass.” He bent down and picked up a stick from the ground. “If I leave, how else can I show you my beautiful city and explain how things work. The only way out of the palace grounds is through the gates, which are always guarded. You may not see the Royal Guards, but they patrol the wall from here to the valley where the palace forest ends.”

I wish I understood him. He either wanted to help me, or he didn’t. Instead of getting angry, I moved to the other end of the battlement and studied the front part of the palace.

“How often do the guards change shifts?” I asked.

“Four times, every six hours,” he said. “Six, noon, six, and midnight. The best way to walk past them is when they are changing shifts. You see those buildings at the back of the palace and along the wall?”

The buildings were lined outside the wall, and the one inside the palace was at the edge of the gardens and surrounded by a hedge.

“Yes,” I said.

“Those are the quarters of the royal guards, part of the Royal Army. A long time ago, they did more than guard the palace and the royal family. They stood on this very building and used arrows to stop the people from protesting.”

“That’s horrible.”

“That was life, but it’s in the past.”

The city looked huge, hulking mountains and hills with farmlands on one side and the ocean on the other. Ships lined the docks.

“Whose ships are those?”

“The ones to the north are for the Royal Army. They defend the island and our waters. There’s another port in the western part of the kingdom, where they train, but they keep most of their ships here. Next to them, right by the marketplace, are merchant ships owned by the royal family.” He pointed at the ships farther south. “Those are private ships, like Lord Conyngham’s. I’m an officer on one of his.” He picked up another stick from the ground.

“What position are you?”

Please, say captain… Please, say captain…

“Bos’n Nereus at your service, lass.” He bowed.

Swallowing my disappointment, I curtseyed. Well, bobbed. “So, Bos’n Nereus, why aren’t you at sea?”

“We were on the ship that brought you to the island. We’d been at sea for three weeks, hauling goods to and from Atlantis. Lord Conyngham insists we allow our legs to get used to the land before we take off again.” He frowned then threw me a sheepish glance. “I wish we’d made it to Captain Ren’s ship before…” He rubbed his nape. “Before everything happened.”

“Would you have fought Captain Ren?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation, and I found myself trusting him a little more.

“Wouldn’t that be considered treason?”

“Yes, but you have to pick a side sometimes.” He picked up more of the sticks.

This time, I noticed the sharp tips and the feathered ends.

“Are those arrows?”

“Yes. I told you the Royal Guards used them to defend the palace from up here when disenchanted islanders took to the streets and demanded reforms. What I didn’t add was we learned from them. We got better bows and arrows, drove the guards from the roof and battlements, and forced them to fight us on the grounds. That was then.” He shook his head. “Now, our people are so beaten down they respond to bells and horns like cattle.”

“Does Lord Conyngham know how you feel?”

“Sure. He’d have to be blind and deaf not to know how we, his crew, feels. We don’t hide it.”

“Yet he does nothing. Nice. What a douche,” I said under my breath and flushed when Nereus chuckled.

“No, he’s not. He is a fair man, one of the few noblemen I’d call that. That’s why we are loyal to him.”

“And the royal family? Are you loyal to them, too?”

He grimaced. “The queen mother, yes. I remember how kind and caring she used to be before she became ill. She’d often visit the marketplace to talk to the people, distribute food to the sick and needy, and even stop by the Transition Headquarters.”

“Transition Headquarters?”

“The place where Tuh’rens are turned. She always had a kind word for everyone.” Nereus stopped and frowned. “But even when she’d smile, her eyes always seemed sad. I was a child at the time, but I remember asking my mother why the queen mother was sad, and she’d say I was imagining things. It was only years later, when Tully was announced as the heir to the throne, that rumors of another son started. One she was forced to leave behind when she came to Port Hy’Brasil. I’ll never forget the look on her face when Storm won the Centennial Games. No one knew who he was until he was crowned the champion and she presented him with a royal gift as was customary. Instead of the traditional golden candelabra, she gave him one made of the finest porcelain. It was the happiest I’d ever seen her even though she was crying. Of course, we didn’t know he’d be hanged the very next day. Oh lass, I’m sorry I made you cry.”

I didn’t realize I was crying. Forced to leave behind. By whom? The mad king, of course. I wiped the tears away, pissed on his behalf. I wasn’t sure how I’d contain myself when I met the mad king. I’d probably spit in his face.

“Where was his father?” I asked.

“Prince Orath died in a boating accident after the coronation. He returned from Thule, where he’d broken the engagement to their princess, and King Tullius had him crowned as the king. Some said he renounced his throne and was headed east to live in one of the royal country estates when something happened to his ship. While others believe he’d told his father about his mate and was going to bring her back to the palace to be his queen. He and his crew didn’t make it. The ship disappeared. The king said he was attacked by Dragons from Atlantis. We weren’t even warring with Atlantis at the time, just regular tension over boundaries, but that was the beginning of a war that lasted decades.” He frowned. “A few months after the incident, King Tullius introduced the queen mother and Prince Tully to the kingdom. One of the visiting monarchs at the time came from Thule. When it was time for them to go home, the king asked the princess to stay and teach the young prince and his mother the ways of the court. She never left.”

My head was swimming with information. “But the princess was the woman the prince intended to marry. Why would she want to help the queen mother and her son? Oh wait. The oracle is from Thule. Is she the princess?”

Nereus nodded.

Damn. That explained everything. Her hatred and bitterness. The conversation between her and Storm’s mother.

“Like I said, the queen mother was much loved before she became ill. She still is, except people don’t see her anymore, not after the day of the hanging.” He went pale as though reliving the moment, then picked up an arched arrow from the ground. “This is still in good shape.”

I wanted to hear more about Storm’s parents even if it brought on the waterworks, but Nereus seemed to be struggling with his emotions, so I waited while he attached an arrow to the bow and aimed at the oracle’s tower. Instead of letting it go, he closed his eyes and stood still as though listening to something.

“You see the middle crenel on the left battlement?” he asked.

I had no idea what a crenel was, but I said, “Yes.”

“Watch.” He opened his eyes and let go of the arrow.

His aim was off, was my first thought. But then the arrow arched, shifting off its path. It shot right through the opening on the battlement.

“Bull’s-eye!” he said, and I laughed at his reaction.

“That was amazing. How did you do that?”

“I listen to the wind, the direction and how fast it’s moving.” He looked up at the sky. The sun was up, but there was a chill in the air. “I also consider the weather, which affects the thickness of the air, and I adjust how high I should shoot.”

“Can you teach me?”

He laughed. “I’m supposed to guard you and the queen mother, lass.”

“You could teach me while she’s resting, like now.”

Nereus frowned. Then he nodded. “Why not? Wait here.”

He disappeared down the stairs while I continued to gather the arrows scattered on the battlement. When Nereus returned, he was carrying a bag with more arrows and two bows in good condition.

“Okay. Let’s start.”

 

 

~*~

 

It seemed like hours before we stopped. My arm ached in a good way.

“You are a natural, lass,” Nereus said.

Pleased with the praise, I grinned.

“Thank you.” I curtsied. “Can we practice again tomorrow?”

“Sure, but before we leave, you need to work on one thing.”

“The arc?” I could pull, aim, and hit things, just not my target. The updraft was kicking my ass.

“Not the arc, lass. The curtsy.”

“Seriously?”

He nodded. “Before the mad king returns, you must learn how to do it right. Come on. No pouting. Put the bow and arrows down.”

I didn’t care about the mad king. I planned to be gone way before he returned.

“This is how you do it.” Nereus gripped the sides of his coat, held it out, put his right foot behind his left, and bent his knees. At the same time, he bowed his head. He looked so ridiculous I covered my mouth to block the laughter.

“Lass, you are lucky Tully didn’t have you flogged. King Tullius will do it if he thinks you’ve disrespected him.”

I sighed. “Fine. Show me again.”

He did.

“Again,” I said, studying him from a different angle.

“One more time,” I added, and he caught on. He glared at me.

“You think this is funny? How about this. I will not show you how to listen to the wind as it brushes your face unless you learn to curtsy.”

“Like this?” I asked, imitating him. He’d gotten me at “listen to the wind.”

After doing it several times, I got it right.

“Hold it there. When you pause like that it indicates deep humility and devotion.”

“You know there’s no point of me learning this,” I said.

“Why not?”

“Because I will never be devoted to the people who hurt Storm.”

Nereus frowned. “Hurt Storm? Don’t you mean killed him?”

“Yes, killed him.”

Nereus’s frown became a scowl. When he spoke, he lowered his voice. “You need to say that again and again until you sound convincing, Lexi. Until it rolls off your tongue as natural as breathing. And it wouldn’t hurt to shed a tear or pretend to be heartbroken, or no one will believe he’s dead.”

Did he believe Storm was alive? “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because it takes a lot to fool the mad king. He’s not like Tully. The oracle is always by his side, whispering in his ear. She comes from a magical people and can tell when someone is lying. And you’re not a very good liar, lass.”

He took off. By the time I gathered my bow and arrows, he was on the stairs. I ran to catch up with him.

“How can you tell I’m lying?”

“I just know. Focus on how Storm looked the last time you saw him, and draw on how you felt at that moment. The anger, the pain, the hatred for the people who’d hurt him. It’s the only way you’ll convince the king he’s gone.”

“But—”

“He’s not gone, lass. We searched those waters, but he wasn’t there. The others were. Captain Ren’s dead ones.”

My jaw dropped. “You searched for Storm?”

“Before we caught up with Captain Ren’s ship, yes. He’s alive. I feel it in my gut, lass.” Smiling, he continued downstairs.

I closed my slack jaw and followed him. I hoped his gut was never wrong because I wanted my doubts to go away.

Two men were talking to Banan and looked up when we arrived in the common room. They eyed the bow and the bag of arrows. I didn’t get their names, but Banan explained they were their replacements. Lord Conyngham wanted to see them.

I didn’t want them replaced.

“Will you be here for my lessons tomorrow, Nereus?”

“Aye, lass. Now be good. Don’t make these two break a sweat keeping an eye on you.”

I watched Nereus and Banan until they disappeared. Feeling optimistic, I went to the queen mother’s cell.

Nothing had changed, and Gwyn was busy darning something at the table.

“Is it okay if I take another bath?” I asked.

“You don’t need my permission, lass. Add the wood to the fire and heat up some water.”

Dinner was beef stew and bread for us and broth for Storm’s mother. She felt warm to the touch, and I even pointed that out to Gwyn, but she didn’t seem worried. She regaled me with more stories about Storm’s parents and their epic love, filling in the blanks she and Nereus had left out. Afterward, I went to my cell and crawled into my narrow bed, but my mind was on replay, going over what I’d learned.

Storm’s mother deserved to be happy. No matter what it took, I would escape with her.