Page 7 of The Twisted Throne

“This attack is Amarid’s doing, not Ithicana’s,” she said. “One of their merchant vessels just delivered those barrels. They’re trying to frame us.”

“That’s not how it looks.”

“I know, which is why we need to get on the island so you can signal the other ship not to attack. If they do, Northwatch won’t have any choice but to turn the shipbreakers on them. We’ll have war on our hands.”

Instead of debating her words, he asked, “Where can we climb out?”

Ahnna barely heard the question, her senses warning her. Sucking in a breath, she slipped beneath the water. Sure enough, a dozen feet away, a gray shape circled, familiar streaks on its sides. A large female she’d seen often before. Many of the older sharks were familiar to her, and those in the north were more…reasonablethan those near Southwatch.

Less used to human blood.

The shark headed toward Ahnna. Keeping between it and William, she swam forward, hand outstretched. Just before her fingers brushed the shark’s snout, it turned away, though it continued to circle. She surfaced to take a breath and then sank back beneath the surface, moving to keep between the circling animal and William. It moved in again, and though her heart thrummed, Ahnna met it, again pushing the shark away.

Mine,she silently told the female.Go find something else.

Seeming to accept Ahnna’s supremacy, the female veered away in the direction of the pier.

Surfacing, she managed only a breath before William said, “We’ve been spotted.”

Three figures were swimming hard toward them. “It’s the prince,” one of them gasped. “Kill him! We have to kill him!”

Amaridians.

“You armed?” William asked.

Her knife blade was stuck in the ribs of the man who’d almost drowned her. “No. You?”

He lifted a knife with a wicked edge. “Fight or flee?”

A wave pushed her against him, and as she turned to look at the Amaridians drawing closer, she could feel his rapid breath against the back of her neck. The surf was pushing everything toward the island, including their attackers. Tearing her eyes from them, Ahnna found the marker on the cliff that no one but an Ithicanian would know the meaning of. They were close to a route of escape.

But not close enough.

“Fight,” she said.

His eyes met hers, the color obscured by the light reflecting off the sea. Yet she was struck by his fearless calm despite them being surrounded by death on all sides. The spy reports all said he was a rake and a bacchanal, which might well be true, but their insistence that William was a coward was undeniably false.

“I defer to your expertise,” he said. “Tell me what to do.”

“Take a deep breath,” she answered, watching one of the Amaridians jerk beneath the surface, his companions not noticing he was gone. “And sink deep.”

His jaw tightened. “I’m not leaving you to fight alone.”

“I’m not alone,” she said. “Trust me. Go as deep as you can.”

Harendellian men didn’t listen to women—that was what all the spies said. That was what Aren said. William only sucked in a deep breath and sank beneath the surface.

Slowly treading water, Ahnna watched the larger Amaridian swim toward her, his eyes murderous as he swung his blade at her head.

Except she was a killer, too.

Diving beneath him, Ahnna rotated and caught hold of his shirt. She clambered onto his back and wrenched her arms up under his sternum, driving the air from his lungs.

Down they sank, the soldier clawing at her, trying to get free, but Ahnna ignored the pain. In her periphery, she saw a surge of crimson bubbles and a flash of gray fins, but she held on even as she prayed it wasn’t William the sharks had taken.

The Amaridian fought her, struggling as they sank deeper, the current pushing them ever closer to Northwatch. Yet for all her skill, he was stronger and tore loose from Ahnna’s grip. He lifted the hand holding the blade and moved to strike, but then a gray form streaked past, and his arm was…gone.

Blood clouded the water, but before it obscured her vision, Ahnna saw terror fill the man’s eyes. He screamed, bubbles exploding from his mouth as he tried to reach the surface.

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