Kingdom of Sea and Stone (Crown of Coral and Pearl #2) - Mara Rutherford Page 0,119

to me he’d be far too conspicuous there.”

Talin said something in response, but I barely heard him. Something was calling me forward, off the road and toward the horizon. I rode ahead silently, as if I was being reeled in by an invisible thread. Titania was more alert as well, her nostrils flaring as she breathed heavily, but I wasn’t sure if that had to do with me or whatever I was sensing.

The horizon blurred, and suddenly I was no longer looking at land but a wide strip of blue. Just the sight of the ocean released something inside of me, and I breathed in until my ribs ached, letting the salt air fill my lungs. We had come to the edge of a cliff overlooking the Alathian Sea, stretched out in all its glory as far as the eye could see. There was no sign of Ceren, and it seemed unlikely he could have commandeered a ship. We were still miles from the port.

“Don’t move, or I’ll kill her.”

Titania pivoted on her hind legs before the words registered. Somehow, Ceren had managed to come up behind me on foot. I froze the moment I saw the bundle in his arms.

Talin and the rest of our party were on the other side of Ceren. “Put her down,” Talin demanded. The Galethians had their crossbows trained on Ceren, but Talin hadn’t drawn a weapon. I wondered how he thought he’d convince his brother to do anything in his current state.

Ceren was spinning back and forth like a caged animal with Zoi cradled in his arms, unconscious or asleep, I hoped. There was a wild look in his eyes that I’d only seen when I stabbed him in New Castle.

“Let her go,” I urged, sliding off Titania’s back slowly. “Please. She’s just an innocent child.”

I raised my palms and took a step closer. He was wearing a black cloak, but the hood had fallen back, revealing his blond hair, tangled and matted like I’d never seen it before. His ashen skin was pulled taut over his cheekbones, and the shadows around his eyes and in the hollows of his cheeks reminded me of the skeletons in the New Castle crypt. His gray eyes darted between us, as if he thought one of us might make a sudden move.

“This war is over,” I said softly. “Hurting your little sister isn’t going to change that.”

He turned to me, his lips twisted in a sneer. “And what is she to you? Did she give you jewels and gowns, as I did? Did she offer you a crown? Would she have promised you a kingdom, Nor?”

How could he still not understand that none of that mattered to me, that I had no use for gowns and jewels, or even power? As he spoke, his grip on Zoi had tightened, and she whimpered quietly. “Ceren, please.”

“Your betrayal is the worst of all.” The hurt in his silver eyes was painfully genuine. So many years of anguish had brought him to this moment. I wished I could have known him before it was too late.

“I never betrayed you,” I said. “You violated me in unspeakable ways. You hurt my family, you killed innocent people, and you forced a bond between us by feeding me your blood. I had every right to break that bond.”

He was slowly sidestepping north, but we kept pace with him easily. He was trapped, and the only option left to him now was surrender. I didn’t believe he really wanted to hurt Zoi. What could that possibly accomplish?

My eyes flicked briefly past Ceren, to Talin. He was getting closer to his brother while I distracted him. If I could just keep his guard down, Talin might be able to reach Zoi. “I am sorry that you suffered, Ceren. I truly am. But your sister is just as innocent as you were. Perhaps if you tell us what you want, we can come to some kind of an agreement.”

Ceren laughed, and Zoi began to sob quietly. “An agreement? I think we’re past the point of negotiations, Nor. Talia can have the throne, or she can have her daughter. It’s simple.”

“You’ll never have the throne!” Talia screamed. She dug her heels into her mare’s sides, heading straight for Ceren.

Suddenly, with a burst of speed I hadn’t expected, he made for the cliff. I sprinted toward him, hoping to intercept him, but I could see he was going to reach it before I did, despite his weakened