33. Jasper

Chapter thirty-three

Jasper

O ur manufactured invitation with falsified data passes at the docks. I'd expected Vansen to be a little more wary than this, but the guards on his ship are barely paying any attention. We could just as easily have snuck on for the gold we wasted to get forged documents.

No matter. We're aboard the ship now, and on our way.

Reina leads me to the port side to watch the sun. I wedge our mostly empty luggage between my feet and put out my arm for her to hold. She does, just barely touching me. We are supposed to be brother and sister. It would look awkward to the other humans if she were any more attentive than this.

"How long do you think it'll take to get there?" Reina asks, though she already knows the answer. I know she's just talking to calm her nerves.

"The ship is one made for speed, and not much cargo. Its intent is to ferry people. Still, it will take us several hours to get there." Apparently, I want to talk, too.

"Will we miss the eclipse?"

"No, that won't take place until much later, before sunset."

"I heard murmured conspiracies on the docks that the moons will lock in place, dashing us into darkness for the evil goddess Ashai to rise from the lowest of the nine hells. I've never heard of such a goddess, have you?"

I quirk an eyebrow at her. "Were you not allowed to learn about your gods, either?"

She scowls. "Of course, they were one of the few things I was allowed to read about. But nowhere in the books is there anything about Ashai, a goddess of malevolence and darkness. I think people are just making it up to scare one another."

"I wouldn't buy into the eternal eclipse theories, but the evil goddess is real."

Could the dark goddess make an appearance tonight? I wouldn't put it past a creature like her to try to escape her prison.

"How do you know about her but not me?" she asks, almost offended.

I shrug. "Meianha taught me many things, but the selk—ahem," I cough, trying to cover my slip. "Where I come from, we are very much aware of the gods that rule this realm."

Reina's scowl deepens. "What a strange thing to be omitted from our texts. I'll have to ask you all about it later."

Strange indeed.

We keep to ourselves for the majority of the trip. With several of the delicate lords and ladies spewing their guts over the side, there's not much time for conversation anyway. The water is choppy between towering spires of rock ejected from the sea in explosive bursts long ago. But it's the fastest route to the island, despite the rough waters.

Reina keeps as much of her skin exposed as possible, avoiding the shadow of the mast when the sun passes its apex and begins its descent. The hairs on my arms raise when I spot the thick mist that surrounds the island. Some of my people could be swimming beside us at this very moment. The urge to dive in and find out is almost overwhelming, but I'm going to stick to the plan.

A man emerges from below with a hurried step up to the helm where the captain steers the ship. The look on his face screams trouble, so I partially shift my ears to that of my wolf form to better hear.

"We've got a tail," the worried man says.

I try not to turn my ears and reveal them under my mess of dark hair, but I want to catch everything with no mistake.

"How far?" the captain asks casually.

"Seven leagues to the northeast," he says.

That's farther than the lookout could've seen, and the messenger came from below. I'm right. There are selkies with us right now.

"They won't get through the barrier, but I'll alert the king when we arrive," the captain says, then shoos the deckhand off.

Reina's hand falls over mine on the taffrail, and I notice my selkie claws have replaced my fingers. I focus on my human shift and relax my grip.

She gives me a determined look. "Tonight is going to be perfect."

I swallow the rage that had been building in my throat and nod. "Yes, everything will go our way."

Tendrils of mist sweep through the sails as we get closer to our destination. The towering spires of rock here are hollowed out, and magical sentries keep watch over our passing ship. It's not for our protection, that's for certain.

The heat gives way to something more temperate within the mist, but it doesn't feel soothing. It's clammy against my cheeks and neck, making me sweat even more. These damn "gentleman's" clothes are somehow even more restrictive than the Wolish captain's uniform.

"Stop fidgeting with your clothes; makes it look like you've never worn them," Reina hisses at my side.

I pull on the matching white tunic top one more time and smooth down the golden buttons. Reina and I would be fit for any affair dressed like this, but I'd much rather be naked—and a giant octopus—for this event.

After a tense ten minutes, a shield of flickering gold magic comes into view. The bow of the ship passes into it, and the magic molds around everything—and everyone.

Fuck. This could be part of the king's control. There's no time to protect ourselves fully. I'll have to do something quick.

I allow one of my sharp selkie talons free and cut the rune Eng, Kor'Tar's shield, on the back of Reina's hand. She gasps, her eyes locking on the blood before looking up at me with fear. I mark myself similarly without a word, and knowing enters her eyes. She nods.

The shimmering gold passes over us and my hand burns, the blood at the surface boiling. Reina hisses at my side and covers the back of her hand with her palm. My stomach turns as the magic wave peels away from us and envelops the rest of the ship.

Blue flickers under her hand and when she pulls away, only the blood remains, which she licks clean. "Don't want any on my dress," she says with a shrug.

She takes my hand and her healing magic tingles along my knuckles up to my wrist. Then the daft, deliriously lustful woman licks the blood off my hand, holding my gaze as she does. "Don't want any on your suit, either."

The fear that had been squeezing the life from my stomach eases as it's replaced by heady affection. I glance around to see if our ruse is squid ink now, but no one is looking at us. They're all looking up.

I follow their gaze and the air is punched from my lungs at the sight of a towering black metropolis stretching into the open sky, encircled by gold and mist. My mouth hangs open as I take in the sharp spires, glowing watchtowers, and radiantly colorful windows. This is not the tiny kingdom I saw a year ago. How has so much changed in so little time?

Our fellow travelers murmur with excitement as we stare at the monstrosity of a palace that seems to have sprung from nowhere. The captain shouts commands to his crew as we pull closer to the port. A long, black path extends from the base of a sheer cliff, atop which looms the castle of blackened stone and shimmering gems.

"Goodness," Reina whispers. "It's Fynren Palace's antithesis. My mother would love it."

I tuck her hand tighter into the crook of my elbow. "Stay close to me."

"Wouldn't dream of wandering off," she says.

The mist swirls over the water as we leave it behind and pull into port. Two enormous knights fully encased in golden armor stand at the end of the pier, waiting. My eyes dart back up to the palace and I hunt for signs of activity.

There are more gigantic, golden-clad knights walking the ramparts and standing watch in the towers, but no one else I can see.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Reina whispers against my shoulder.

"I was just thinking the same thing…"

The gangplank is lowered, and the golden knights wordlessly gesture for the lords and ladies to come ashore.

"Do you think this is a trap?" she asks from the corner of her mouth.

"Definitely a trap," I reply as I lead her toward the pier.

"Good," she says, smiling like a well-bred woman.

"Why so?" I ask, adopting what I hope is a similarly jovial expression.

She looks up at me with adoring eyes that blaze with murderous light. "I won't feel guilty at the end of the night."

My deadly little ray of sunshine.

I smile back at her. "Neither will I."