For all the memories I have of my brother sneaking out of the palace as a boy, I donโt have any recent ones. The king can go where he likes, do what he likes, see who he likes. Thereโs never any need toย sneakย anywhere.
But tonight, heโs in the back corner of my carriage, wrapped in a cloak. Iโm so keyed up about the journey that I almost shout for a guard before I recognize him.
โDonโt make a fuss,โ he says quietly.
My heart is pounding so hard that I canโt speak for a moment. Iโve stopped short in the doorway to the carriage, and a porter behind me says, โYour Highness?โ
I force air into my lungs. โYes. We should be on our way.โ I give my brother a look as I climb into the carriage, then tug the door closed behind me. โYouโre lucky I didnโt pull a weapon,โ I murmur.
Outside, rain begins to patter on the roof of the carriage, and the driver clucks to the horses. As we begin rattling over cobblestones, I wait for Harristan to talk, but he says nothing, so I say nothing. The carriage bounces along forever, until I finally say, โWhat are you doing?โ
โI wanted to see you off.โ โYou just did that.โ
And he did. It wasnโt very grand, as weโre leaving earlier than expected, but he said his goodbyes in the salon in front of the few courtiers in attendance. He said something appropriately regal and clasped my hand, but I was barely listening because my thoughts were screaming at me about the fact that any of this was happening.
โNo, Cory,โ he says, and his voice is low and quiet. โI didnโt.โ
The sentimentality of that strikes me. I canโt believe he did this. I canโt believe heโsย here.
In truth, I canโt even remember the last time we shared a carriage together. Surely before our parents died. Once he was crowned king, the security risk was always too great to chance putting us both in the same vehicle. I should probably call for a stop right this instant.
I donโt.
โNone of your guards are with me,โ I say, and my voice is rough. โHow did you get in here?โ
โI told Quint he needed to use his skills of secrecy for
myย purposes this time.โ
My eyebrows go up. Quint is just full of surprises this week.
Then again, maybe itโs not a surprise. They arenโt friends, not even close, but Quint would never deny the king anything.
โHow will you get back?โ I say. โOr are you planning to stow away altogether? Iโm sure I have a trunk strapped to the carriage.โ
โI thought about it.โ
Heโs teasing, but thereโs a note of truth in there.
I hate that thereโs a tiny part of my brain that wishes this were a possibility.
Maybe he does, too, because a sad light glimmers in his eyes when he says, โIโll offer the driver a few coins for a
return trip to the palace.โ
I smile. โYouโll give him a heart attack.โ โI suppose I could walk.โ
I imagine him strolling up to the palace gates like an ordinary citizen. He would never.ย Couldย never. The gossip mill wouldnโt stop churning for weeks.
But I can play this game. โItโs a cloudy night,โ I say. โWatch out for cutpurses.โ
Harristan grins, his smile bright in the shadows. It reminds me of all the times we went tearing through the sectors as boys, when no one knew who we were. Heโs so severe as the stoic king that I sometimes forget he knows how to smile like that.
The rain picks up, rattling hard on the roof. Itโs not a long carriage ride to the docks. But my brother holds my eyes, and his smile fades. โAre you afraid?โ
Heโs the only person who would ask me that so directly
โand also the only person whoโd get a wholly honest answer. โA little.โ I pause. โAre you?โ
โA little.โ He hesitates, then coughs faintly.
โWe donโt need to leave today.โ I pause. โWe could wait.โ
โDo you want to wait?โ he says.
Itโs a genuine question. I could sayย yes, and heโd call this whole thing to a stop.
But weโve discussed this with our advisers and some of the top sailors from Artis, most of whom agreed that leaving ahead of the storm would provide strong winds for a quick journeyโand less risk.
Delaying now could look fearful and indecisive. That doesnโt seem like a good way to begin trade relations with the new Ostrian king.
โNo,โ I say. The ground under the carriage has changed as we draw close to the docks. Between the heavy clouds
and the weather, itโs hard to make out much detail through the tiny window of the carriage, but I can make out the letters curving along the hull.ย The Dawn Chaser.
Lord. Even the name of hisย shipย seems over the top.
My eyes scan the docks. I donโt see Tessa, but I know she left ahead of us. I have no idea whether Lochlan is on board yet. Thereโs a part of me that thinks Harristan should have just locked him in the Hold andย toldย everyone he was on the ship. Maybe we still could. I bite at the edge of my thumbnail.
โCory.โ
I look at my brother. โWhat.โ
โDo you want to wait?โ He says each word with quiet emphasis.
His eyes are searching mine, and I search his right back. I keep thinking of what Quint said, how this is the first time Harristan and I will be doing any of this alone. The enormity of that tightens my chest. Weโve never been alone. Not when we were boys, sneaking into the Wilds with a few pieces of silver in our pockets, not when our parents were killed, not when rebels stormed the palace and we ran for our lives.
โHarristan,โ I say. โDoย youย want me to wait?โ
He says nothing, and the carriage draws to a stop. Suddenly, thereโs no rattle of hooves on cobblestones, and the air between us is silent.
A porter begins to swing the door open. โYour Highness
โโ
โNot yet.โ I reach out and snap the door closed. My
voice drops until itโs barely louder than a whisper, and I repeat the question. โDo you? Do you want me to wait?โ
He inhales deeplyโthen coughs. I frown.
He lifts a hand, then takes a slow breath. โIโm fine.โ
I clench my jaw. I hate this.
โWe have an opportunity to do something good, Cory,โ he says. โFather was so well regarded.โ He pauses. โI donโt want fear and anger to be my legacy. I want to be โฆ better.โ
He sounds โฆย hopeful. I donโt remember the last time I heard my brother sound hopeful.
โI do too,โ I say.
He nods, then extends a hand.
I reach out and clasp it. Harristan isnโt one for affection, but his grip is tight and sure. For one brief second, my throat tightens, and Iโm not sure Iโm going to be able to climb out of this carriage.
But then he blinks and lets go, then reaches out to ru๏ฌe my hair, ending with a light shove, the way he did when we were boys. I scoff and bat his hand away, then reach for the latch on the door.
โCorrick,โ he says quietly, before my hand pulls the latch.
I turn. โWhat?โ
He says nothing for a moment, and in that breath of silence, I feel the weight of his emotion.
โCome home safe, little brother.โ
I give him a nod. โI promise. Be here when I get back.โ Then I open the door and slip into the falling rain alone.
 |
Porters and footmen carry umbrellas, but the wind is such that Iโve got rain in my boots and down my collar by the time I make it to the line of guards whoโve assembled for my departure. Iโm still tangled up with emotion about my brother, full of doubts and worries about the trip, and then Rocco informs me that Tessa is already on board with
Kilbourne and Silas. โCaptain Blakemore sought to get Miss Tessa out of the weather,โ Rocco says.
Iโll bet he did.
โExcellent news,โ I say flatly. I glance around at the guards standing at attention in the rain. โWhat about Lochlan?โ
โOn board as well,โ he says. โHeโll be watched by Guardsman Silas until we determine heโs not a threat to you, Your Highness.โ
โWell chosen,โ I say, but Iโm not entirely sure about that. Of all the guards Rocco could have chosen, I wouldnโt have considered Silas. Heโs younger than I am, and I doubt heโs ever been charged with anything more important than babysitting empty carriages. Heโs hardly been a member of the guard for six months. But his family owns a number of iron mines in Traderโs Landing, and they have a bustling shipping business.
Meaning this guard will know iron and steelโand will likely know ships as well. That will be an asset right up to the moment when I need an experienced guard.
I glance at the gangway, then pull my pocket watch free. Water droplets immediately speckle the face. Men and women are shouting orders on the deck, and the rain steadily beats down. I didnโt expectโorย wantโfanfare, but I did expectย someoneย from theย Dawn Chaserย to escort us aboard.
Or maybe Iโm just irritated because this means Tessa is on board with the captain, while Iโm standing down here getting rain in my boots, and the king of Kandala is hiding in a darkened carriage, waiting for me to go.
The thought feels petulant, and I hate it. Surely theyโre busy preparing to leave in this weather.
From above, a woman on deck shouts, โCaptain! I think heโs down there now.โ
I glance at Rocco. โHave I kept them waiting?โ
He inhales to answer, but before he can, Captain Blakemore all but slides down the gangway, springing agilely off the end to land right in front of us.
โYour Highness,โ he says a bit breathlessly. โThe ship is ready to depart.โ The shipโs sails snap in the wind, and he glances at the sky. โIf youโd still like to outrun this storm, we shouldnโt wait much longer.โ
โDo forgive us for the delay,โ I say, but Iโm pretty sure my eyes say,ย Iโm about to push you off the dock.
That spark of challenge lights in his gaze. โForgiven, Your Highness.โ
His eyes say,ย Go ahead and try.
But he glances at Rocco, then steps back and extends a hand. โShall we?โ
My feet almost refuse to move. I donโt want to.
But of course Iโm being foolish. I force myself to step onto the gangway. My heart gives a jolt when my foot meets the wood, the world seeming to tilt. I have to take a deep breath to clear my head.ย Iโm leaving my brother.
Captain Blakemore steps onto the gangway just behind me. Rocco will follow us both. Somewhere at the top of this ramp is Tessa, whose presence fills me with warmthโbut also Lochlan, who will surely be a problem at some point. We only have a small handful of guards, all of whom are outnumbered by the shadowed workers on the ship deck.
Harristanโs voice breaks through the sound of raindrops slamming the deck. โCaptain.โ
Captain Blakemore turns in surprise. So do I. A ripple of alarm runs through the guards waiting on the dock, and many of them shift to flank the king.
Harristan ignores them all and steps onto the gangway. Rocco quickly steps aside to yield passage. My brother strides right up to Rian, and thereโs fire in his eyes.
โI expect Prince Corrick to return unharmed,โ he says, and thereโs a note in his voice I donโt think Iโve ever heard before. The promise of vengeance hangs in every syllable.
Captain Blakemore doesnโt back down, but he matches Harristanโs intensity when he says, โUnderstood, Your Majesty.โ
The rain pours down among us, but my brother doesnโt move.
Harristan needs to see confidence in my expression, so I clap him on the shoulder. โI have no doubt Captain Blakemore and I will be old friends by the time we return.โ
Rian smiles slyly. โIโmย soย glad to hear it, Your Highness.โ
I cut him a glance. โDo you want him to let me get on the boat or not?โ
Harristan sighs as if heโs tired of us both, but then he stifles a cough.
I frown. โYour carriage is waiting,โ I say, as if this was entirely planned, and thereโs no surprise to my brother being out on the docks. โGet out of the rain. We shouldnโt delay.โ
My brother nods, then takes a step back. โFarewell, Cory.โ
Somehow this is harder than it was in the carriage.
Without warning, a dozen random memories flash in my thoughts. The time he spilled tea down the front of his jacket just before a meeting with the consuls, so I shrugged out of mine before anyone would catch him in a state of disarray. The time we snuck into the Wilds and a fortune- teller tried to trick me out of the few coins I carried, but Harristan saw through his ruse and snatched my money back out of the manโs palm. The time when he couldnโt catch his breath in the training arena, and his opponent, Allisander himself, took advantage of the moment to chase my brother into the dirt. I was only ten or eleven, but I
climbed the fence and tackled Allisander myself. The weapons master had to haul me off him.
The moment Harristan dove to cover me when our parents were assassinated.
My throat threatens to tighten, so I blink the memories away.
โFarewell,โ I say, and my brother steps onto the dock.
โFollow me, Your Highness,โ Captain Blakemore says, before my heart can start pounding at the thought thatย this is it. He doesnโt even wait to see if I follow; he simply heads toward the top of the ramp. โMiss Cade insisted on allowing you to select your choice of quarters first.โ
If anything could send a bolt of warmth to the center of my chest, itโs the mention of Tessa. Iโm not alone here. Not really.
I shove wet hair back from my face and stride forward, Rocco at my side.
I expect Prince Corrick to return unharmed.
My brotherโs words, his vehemence, add to that bolt of warmth in my chest.
But then I consider what Rian said in response.
Understood, Your Majesty.
Not an assurance. Not a promise. An understanding.
I glance at Rocco. โStay sharp,โ I say quietly.
โYes, Your Highness.โ He glances at the sea captain striding ahead of us. โYou have my word.โ
