Page 21 of Return of the Vengeful Quee

They followed Orayn down the creaking dock until they came to a boat the size of three carriages put together. It had a small, sheltered cabin overlooking the bow, and a collection of nets, barrels, and spears lining the outside of the cabin’s wall.

Moments later, they were rowing the little vessel toward the mouth of the harbor, and Charis found herself willing the thick fog to blanket them. They hadn’t lit a lantern, but she had no idea how well the Rakuuna could see in the dark. Since she’d personally witnessed them sink a merchant vessel in the dead of night, she assumed they could see much better than she.

“Your Majesty,” Reuben spoke from beside her. “If you could take a step back from the bow, that would be safer. Let one of the Montevallian spies take your place.”

Reuben hadn’t seen what the Rakuuna could do at sea. If the monsters saw the vessel and decided to destroy it, they would come from beneath the waves, tear a hole right through the hull, and drag every person on board into the depths in less time than it would take to walk from one end of the boat to the other.

Her heart raced, and her nerves vibrated like the plucked strings of a violin. Forcing herself to draw a steadying breath of damp, salty air, she braced her feet against the swells and tried to smother the spark of panic that wanted to spread through her.

“I’ll stay where I am,” she whispered, pushing the words past a tongue gone bone-dry.

The boat nosed its way out of the harbor, hugging the shoreline, though being within swimming distance of land wouldn’t help them if the Rakuuna were truly here.

Clouds scudded across the sister moons, and a sharp wind kicked up, rocking the vessel until Reuben had to grip the railing, swallowing audibly against the sickness that rose up his throat. Finn, Grim, and Dec left the oars on Orayn’s quiet orders and came to stand near the bow with the rest of their small company. Vellis, accurately assessing Reuben’s situation, positioned herself close to her queen, putting her body between Charis and the Montevallians.

For several long moments, they stood there, braced against the rocking motion of the sea, eyes streaming as the wind tore at them with icy fingers. Billows of fog crept over the surface of the water, smothering all sound, and Charis strained to see anything past the short span of visibility around their boat.

“Maybe we need to row farther out,” Finn muttered as another cloud obscured the moonlight. “We can’t see any—”

A haunting wail cut through the night, as though a woman was singing, screaming, and laughing all at once. The cry rose in pitch until she could barely stand the pain in her ears.

Her breath caught in her chest as the cry was met with several others.

It was impossible to tell how far away the creatures were. Charis reached for her dagger, though she knew it wouldn’t save her.

The cries dropped into a series of rapid clicks, like dry bones rattling across cobblestones, and in the distance the mist gleamed a faint green as a single ship became visible for an instant before being swallowed whole by the fog.

Vellis swore softly. Orayn ordered the boys to row them back to the docks as quietly as possible. Reuben left the railing to stand between Charis and the distant ship, as though somehow his wiry body could save his queen from the monsters.

Charis gripped her dagger until her palm ached as the boat nosed its way back into the harbor.

The Rakuuna were here.

Maybe they’d somehow learned where she was and had come to take her home. Or maybe they were here to assess what it would take to do to Solvang what they’d done to Rullenvor and Calera.

No matter their reasons, there was only one play left for Charis. She had to warn Gareth and Vyllanthra and then leave Solvang before the monsters realized she was gone.

Eight

CHARIS STOOD ON the dock and struggled to breathe past the fist of panic closing around her throat. Every creak of a boat nudging against its mooring became the telltale sound of the Rakuuna ship closing in. Every slap of the waves against the pilings was a monster clawing its way out of the sea.

She hadn’t been quick enough in her search for answers, and now she’d brought danger to the people of Solvang.

Charis’s body trembled, and the ground shifted beneath her. From what felt like a great distance, the sound of voices pierced the faint ringing in her ears.

“—can’t take that risk, can we?”

“Perhaps the king of Solvang would—”

“He can’t do anything. No one can. We’re—”

A warm hand wrapped around her arm, steadying her as her knees buckled. “Your Majesty.”

She blinked, and Orayn’s face swam into focus. His dark eyes held hers, calm and unflinching. His hand lent her strength while she slowly became aware of the icy wind scraping across her cheeks and the creaking dock resting solidly beneath her feet.

“There you go,” Orayn said, as if he’d simply helped her over a slick patch of wood. “It’s all right now.”

She clenched her teeth to keep them from chattering. Nothing was all right. The enemy was here, and the only weapon Charis had was one tiny satchel of poison tied to her waist. Movement caught her eye, and she turned to find the others standing on the dock, watching her. Waiting.

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