Page 24 of Return of the Vengeful Quee

“You and Reuben go get some rest. I’ll be along shortly.” She raised a brow and waited for arguments, but the two men seemed to realize they’d pushed their luck enough for one night.

Turning back to the bow, she peered into the fog and listened for any sign that the monsters who hunted her were closing in.

Nine

THE CRAGGY SHORELINE of Embre came into view on their fifteenth day of travel. Squinting against the light of the winter sun as it reflected off the icy gray water, Charis nodded to Holland to release the palloren with her message to Embre’s chancellor tied to its leg.

She expected a prompt response, though she’d hardly given the chancellor any warning about her impending arrival. It didn’t serve her to allow him time to think through her reasons for showing up when Calera had no trade relations with Embre. She needed him off balance and scrambling to keep up with her.

As the palloren swooped through the pale sky, she scanned the waters, searching, as always, for a sign of the Rakuuna.

She’d barely slept for their first three days at sea. Instead, she’d stalked the deck, hunting for a glimpse of long, pale bodies that swam impossibly fast and examining the horizon for a glimmer of the green lanterns used by Rakuuna ships.

Twice, she’d heard ear-piercing wails that sounded like Rakuuna, but they were distant—drifting across foggy water like echoes of something half-forgotten.

It was a vast sea, and finding her ship would take time and a bit of luck, but Charis didn’t fool herself. She couldn’t risk staying in Embre, even overnight. The farther they were from land, the harder they’d be to find.

At least that’s what she was counting on.

She’d filled her days by drilling the crew on using the weapons in the ship’s arsenal, including teaching Holland, Reuben, and crew members Ayve and Lohan the basics of the seven rathmas sword-fighting style. If the lessons reminded her of long hours spent with Tal, his callused hands adjusting her stance while his breath warmed her neck, it was nothing the knife of his betrayal couldn’t chase to the back of her mind.

“Palloren returning!” Finn called. Reuben hurried to untie the message and, when Charis nodded, scanned it quickly.

“Well?” she asked when he was done.

His lip curled. “Apparently they have procedures to follow, and that means we’re to stay outside the harbor until his committee of advisors notifies us that we’ve been approved for a visit.” He handed the paper to her.

“I volunteer to tell them exactly where they can put their procedures.” Holland paced the length of the bow, his duster billowing in his wake.

Keeping a royal dignitary from a non-enemy kingdom anchored outside one’s harbor was an unforgivable breach of courtesy. The chancellor was trying to make the point that he was the highest ranking official here, regardless of her title.

Charis could care less about outranking anyone. She just needed a weapon to destroy the Rakuuna. And she wasn’t going to sit out here on the open sea, hoping a man on a power trip got around to selling it to her.

“If he wants the queen of Calera as his enemy, he’s going to get his wish.” Charis spun toward Ayve, who’d volunteered to help Charis when it came time to presenting herself like a queen. “I need a fancier dress than this, a crown—”

“A sword,” Holland suggested.

“That too. And once I’m ready, we’re sailing into that harbor and docking at his port. While his committee scrambles to figure out what to do with us, we will disembark and enter his kingdom. And we aren’t leaving until we get what we came for.”

Twenty minutes later, Charis was wearing a dark green gown embroidered with bronze falcons and the delicate golden crown Vyllanthra had gifted her. A sword strapped to her side, she stood at the bow of her ship as it sailed into the harbor as if she was heading into battle.

Her fingers trembled as she gripped the railing, struggling to keep the fear at bay. This had to work. If the chancellor refused to see her, much less sell moriarthy dust to her, everything was lost.

She’d sent a palloren moments ago expressing her intention as queen to seek refuge in Embre for a single day. There had been no reply, but in fairness, the ship had already been en route when the palloren took flight, so she’d hardly given the chancellor’s committee time to follow their precious procedures.

She glared at the shoreline, and the fury in her heart spilled into her blood until she felt forged in fire. The leader of Embre would not be the reason Charis failed to save her people.

It took nearly fifteen minutes to cross the harbor and maneuver into an open slip at the dock, giving the chancellor and his committee plenty of time to hear the news that the Calerans were no longer content to play games. Therefore, it was no surprise to see a small delegation of people in green-and-gold uniforms waiting on the dock as the ship made port. Every member of the welcome party had their weapon out.

“I’m sensing some hostility,” Holland said.

“They don’t have to welcome us for long, but I’m not leaving without getting what we came for.” Charis glared down at the delegation as two crew members lowered the gangplank.

A woman from the delegation stepped forward, her curved sword pointed at the ship. “Greetings, Charis Willowthorn, Queen of Calera.” She spoke a rough form of Caleran, her consonants brusque and her vowels lengthened in the style of Embrian speech. “Chancellor Jhi sends you good wishes for your journey and respectfully requests that you sail from our harbor immediately.”

Charis murmured softly to Holland, who in turn spoke flawless Embrian in a loud, commanding voice, “Her Royal Majesty, Queen Charis Willowthorn of Calera, offers her greetings to Chancellor Jhi, along with her sincere regret that she must refuse his directive without first speaking to him in person.”

The woman blinked and shot a glance at the others in the delegation. They shifted uneasily, and a quick, whispered conversation ensued. Then the woman said, “Chancellor Jhi expects you to leave the harbor, Your Majesty. He will not be coming to the docks.”

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