The Hunter and the Mage (The Raven and the Dove #2) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,9

deep golden hue of her skin. The bearded man he'd seen by the captain's side was Patch, the first mate and also a wind mage. Finally, hidden below deck were Cook, the cook, and Shadow, the blonde woman he'd passed in the hall. Darkness was her magic, so she usually slept during the day.

"And that's everyone," Brighty finished with a shrug. "Any questions?"

Rafe glanced quickly around the ship, his home for the time being, at least until he found land or anything aside from the thick, endless fog closing in on all sides. If he hadn’t come from the world above, a land bathed in sunlight and awash in color, he might never have believed it existed. Yet he was grateful. Staring into the abyss, he could almost forget his other life—a life where his brother was now mated to the woman he quite possibly loved, a life where he wasn't needed and wasn't wanted, a life full of people who probably hadn’t even noticed he was gone.

But he had to remember that life, because it held Cassi, and she held secrets—ones he was determined to uncover. Xander and Lyana might have moved on from him, but he wouldn’t let them go until he knew without a doubt they were safe. He couldn’t. Somehow, he'd get his wings back. In a world made of magic, as this one seemed to be, there had to be a way. Until then, he'd do what he'd always done—he'd survive.

Putting his forearms against the rail, he turned toward Brighty, half his focus on the choppy sea visible within the mist, and half on her. "What magic do you have?"

"Stick around long enough and maybe you'll find out."

He turned back to the water. "Where are we going? To this king?"

"Eventually, maybe." Brighty shrugged and took the spot beside him, her elbow grazing his. "But we have to make a stop first."

"Where?"

"Oh, you'll see."

He snorted, uninterested in her twisted words and the wall she so clearly maintained. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because Captain asked."

His gaze slipped over Brighty's onyx tresses to the woman at the wheel, her singular brown wing outstretched to catch the wind. Beneath a wide-brimmed hat, the captain's hair was wrapped in colorful bands of fabric that covered its true color. They swirled in the breeze, almost like magic. A true hunter of the House of Prey, she kept her eyes on the distant horizon, focused on some elusive prize he couldn’t begin to fathom.

"And why is the captain helping me?" he murmured, looking back at Brighty.

"Because the king asked," she answered smoothly before sliding her gaze out to sea, but not before he saw a steely glint pass over her unsettling eyes. "And because she can't help herself. Captain has an uncanny knack for collecting people the rest of the world throws away."

3

Xander

The advisors gave Xander a day to wallow before demanding an audience. He ignored the incessant knocking on his door and paced across his room, surprised the rug beneath his feet had any threads left. Yes, he was hiding. But not because he couldn’t face the truth—Lyana was gone. It was a fact. What he didn't understand was how much to reveal to everyone else. What would the people think if they knew someone with magic had snuck into their most sacred place and stolen their princess? That Lyana herself, beloved by all, possessed a power meant only for their gods? That she'd saved his life? That he'd left her?

"Lysander."

Queen Mariam's voice broke his ruminations and he spun to find her standing in his room, arms crossed with a hard look in her violet eyes. The balcony—he'd forgotten about the balcony. "Mother, I—"

"You cannot ignore this any longer."

"Ignore?" He shook his head. Ignore? All he’d done for a day straight was think on this, his mind spinning into a vortex he couldn’t escape. "Is that what you think I'm doing?"

"If not that, then what?"

"I—" His jaw hung open but nothing else came out. "I—"

"Princess Lyana is gone."

His heart contracted upon hearing that ugly truth on someone else's lips. "I'm aware."

"Rafe is gone."

Xander closed his eyes, remembering the horror on his brother's face before he'd turned his back and walked away. "Again, I'm aware."

"The people are talking."

"The people are always talking."

"They say Rafe bewitched her. They say he stole her away. They say he brought her beneath the mist, where Vesevios has claimed her."

For the first time in what felt like days, Xander stopped in the middle of his room, bent