He placed the mermaid’s hand on her chest, then murmured the words of a blessing.
Tiron and Duncan had gone very quiet.
I might not remember my past, but I hoped the future would be kinder to all of us than the past had been.
As we faced war, I didn’t feel very optimistic.
Chapter Nine
Tiron
Raile stood abruptly from the mermaid’s side. Whatever deeper feeling lay beneath was covered now in cold pragmatism.
“We’re about to enter the cove. The sea is too shallow here—we’ll have to take the rowboats in. We’ll get Azrael. I’ll send spies to watch the Blood Fae. Perhaps it would be best if we prevented them from ever reaching Faer.”
Duncan crossed his arms. “And if the winter court attacks us?”
“Please,” I said. “I’ve got no reason to attack you, Duncan. I have real concerns.”
Duncan gave me a long look, his jaw stiff. “As if you lead the winter court right now.”
His accusation jabbed deeper because I wasn’t entirely sure of Perin’s allegiance.
“What would you know?” I demanded. “I’ve been the king of the winter court in exile for five years—right under your nose, Duncan.”
Duncan’s eyes narrowed as he began to answer, but Raile cut us both off. “Perhaps you two could put your dicks away while we get Azrael back, and then deal with the Blood Fae? You’ll both still be unworthy of Alisa next week. You can wait to measure your sad little dicks until then.”
“We can’t be sure that they’re meeting with Faer, and don’t have some other destination,” Alisa said, cutting through the tension between us all.
“Maybe we’ll leave a few survivors we can ask,” Raile said, his expression grim. “As soon as we get Azrael on board, we need to sail to greet them. I can wreck their boats before they ever reach the mainland.”
Duncan scoffed. “As if the Blood Fae don’t have their own sea magic.”
Raile gave him a disdainful look. “Feel free to walk from the cove if you don’t care to join us in battle.”
Duncan smiled a thin, deadly smile, but I didn’t bother to listen to what he said next. I walked away from them both, heading up toward the decks above as sailors dashed back and forth, preparing to drop anchor. Normally, I’d tell Duncan that he was letting Raile bait him too easily. As long as I had known Duncan, he’d been both the bravest knight yet somehow fearful of being seen as shirking or cowardly. It was the kind of deep-seated fear that had a story behind it, but in all these years, Duncan had never revealed it to me.
On the deck, a warm breeze tousled my hair playfully. I picked my way across the busy deck to find an out of the way spot, then leaned against the railing.
Ahead of us bloomed the summer court’s green shore.
I breathed in a soft, sweet scent that sent a spike through my chest, my heartbeat rising the second before Alisa leaned against the railing beside me.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” I lied. “The winter court, however… my people have been through enough. If Herrick and the Blood Fae march together to put down our rebellion…”
Scenes of the Blood Fae’s legendary cruelty flashed through my mind. They made Faer’s stringers look like kindly souls.
I’d have more faith that the five of us could destroy Faer when we were all together and the current fight between us was over. If that were possible. I wasn’t sure if Alisa, Duncan, and Azrael could forgive me.
I knew Perin meant to help me become High King but she’d been short-sighted. The five of us were better together.
“We’ll sink their ships before they reach the court,” Alisa promised me.
“You have so much faith in Raile, hm?” Jealousy tugged in my chest, even though I knew she had every reason to distrust me.
The ship seemed to rock as the anchor thudded into the sea floor below. Alisa gripped the rail, her hand overlapping mine for the briefest second before she moved away.
“I haven’t in the past,” she admitted. “But I’d like to. Just as I’d like to trust you, Tiron.”
Her chin was lifted, her long lavender hair blowing wild around her face. She was so beautiful in profile. She was dressed in fitted leather trousers and a t-shirt; somewhere, Raile had procured the kind of clothes she liked best. That made jealousy stab my chest even deeper. He was caring for her well.
“Speaking of. Think I can convince Raile and Duncan to trust me with