The Alcazar (The Cerulean Duology #2) - Amy Ewing Page 0,2
a wizened old sailor named Breese said. “We do not need the Triumvirate thinking we have kidnapped a Byrne.”
Apparently Leo looked so very much like his mother that he was actually recognizable in a country he’d never stepped foot in. It was quite tight with the two of them, but with a little bit of shifting, they made do. Sera’s heart was in her throat as Vada closed the bench. Thankfully there was a narrow crack running between two planks of wood, and if they positioned themselves just right, they could see a fair amount of the deck. Leo’s head was level with her waist and her feet were jammed against his stomach. Sera felt a strange lurch in her chest. She’d never been this close to him before.
There were several thumps as Vada put things on top of the bench to cover it, and Sera heard her mutter to Agnes, “Keep your head down and your mouth shut. Your Pelagan is very good, but no need to risk it if we don’t have to.”
Vada had been teaching both Agnes and Leo Pelagan and had been shocked at how quickly they picked up the language. Soon both twins could easily converse, though Leo seemed to have a slightly better ear and grasp for it than Agnes did. Vada commented that perhaps it was their Pelagan heritage that had given them some unknown advantage, but Sera suspected it was her own magic, living inside both twins, that was responsible for their startling aptitude. She was grateful Agnes had that ability now, to appear as Pelagan—if there was one thing she knew about Kaolin and Pelago, it was that the two countries hated each other. And the discovery of Braxos had only made things worse.
“We’ve been at sea for so long,” Leo muttered. “We have no idea what’s been going on with the rest of the world.”
He did not sound optimistic and Sera’s heart sank—they were not the only ones headed for Braxos. The humans believed the island was filled with treasure or possessed some magical properties. Could they damage the tether if they reached the island before Sera did? She bit her lip and tried to swallow her fear. Right now, the important thing was to stay quiet and escape detection.
It seemed forever before she heard shouts and cries of, “Hold there!” Agnes and Vada were lined up on the deck alongside the other sailors, hands clasped, heads bowed. There was the sound of wood creaking and then the thudding of footsteps. Sera barely held back her gasp as the most frightening woman she had ever seen stalked into view.
She was very tall and wore a high-necked sleeveless leather tunic of mottled black and purple that covered her thighs, split in front and back to allow for freedom of movement. Heavy boots laced up to her knees over dark, rough-spun pants, and her forearms were enclosed from knuckle to elbow in leather cuffs woven with overlapping circles of copper. Her high collar was adorned with matching disks and her hair was cropped short, sticking up in spikes to frame a face cold and devoid of emotion as she stared down at Vada.
“Who is the captain of this ship?” she demanded.
Violetta stepped forward. “I am. Violetta Murchadha, at your service. The Maiden’s Wail is a simple merchant vessel, returning from a journey to Kaolin.”
The woman snorted. “Merchant vessel.” Then she turned to others Sera could not see. “Search it.” Other women dressed in similar garb passed by the bench—Sera heard some of them going down into the hold. She felt Leo tense beside her.
The woman turned back to Violetta. Her tunic was belted with an assortment of short, curved knives that glinted cruelly in the sunlight. A silver moon was emblazoned on her chest. “I am Rowen Drakos, head of the Aerin’s guard,” she said.
The Aerin was one of the queens, Sera recalled. Another one was called the Renalt, and she couldn’t remember the name of the third. When they ascended the throne, Vada had explained, they gave up their first names and assumed only the family name. Sera thought that rather strange and sad—she could not imagine having to suddenly call Agnes the McLellan.
Violetta gave a curt bow. “An honor to meet you,” she said. “My family has paid its respects to the Aerin since the days of my grandmother’s grandmother.”
“I am not interested in your respects, I am interested in the truth. Do you carry any Kaolin passengers, perhaps ones