Page 8 of Betraying Korth

But far from feeling smug and satisfied, I felt trepidation build to form a knot under my sternum. Despite our initial success, any number of things could go wrong; there were far too many variables to be comfortable. The salty wind tugged at my hair, and the heavy scent of fish lingered in the air. The deck still rose and fell beneath my feet as men scrambled up the rigging,adjusting the sails to coax us to higher speeds, rushing toward the next stage of our plan.

I tried not to look back at the soldiers who stood on shore and watched our ship fade away into the vast horizon. More than anything, I wanted to forget their faces and their shocked expressions of betrayal. It was a necessary sacrifice, but what little remained of my conscience nudged me. Lifting my chin high, I stared at the line where the sky met the sea. Rebellions would never succeed if sacrifices weren’t made. Hard decisions were the burden of every visionary seeking change.

“Are you going to let me go?” Odette sobbed.

Anger boiled in my gut, rekindling my reasons for the mutiny and snuffing out my brief bout of remorse. This sorry excuse for a human cared more for herself than the men who’d left their families behind and had flung themselves into the ocean just for the slim chance of keeping her alive.

Slowly, I approached her. Garrik pulled on Odette’s hair so her tear-streaked face was upturned.

“Let me ask you this,” I said softly. “What do you think you deserve?”

“To be let go! I haven’t done anything wrong!” she squeaked. “My father is the one ruling the kingdom; why are you attacking me?”

I shook my head. “You are every bit as guilty as he. And I think,” I continued, “that you deserve to experience the life you’ve inflicted on others.”

Her eyes widened. “You want me to beyourhandmaiden?”

Garrik let out a harsh bark of laughter. “That’s too cushy of a job, that is.”

Curdy nodded his agreement. “Let’s have her experience something a little messier and smellier than fetching sugared figs.” He smirked. “No offense, Dahlia. I mean, Princess Odette.” His smirk broadened.

“None taken.” The corners of my mouth lifted into a wicked smile. “We still have a few days before we arrive in Haven Harbor. Let’s see how well-behaved she is until then. If she can learn how to take orders, I think I can find her a suitable position at the castle, provided she has someone to watch over her and report to me. Who did we decide on?”

“Garrik,” Curdy reminded me. “But he said I could help. I’m looking forward to seeing how thisnewDahlia enjoys servant work. I want a first row seat to that spectacle.”

“Very well,” I said, and smiled at Odette. “You can start by scrubbing every inch of this deck. Curdy will supervise.”

Laughing their approval, a sudden rush of men brought stiff-bristled brushes and sudsy buckets, all eager to watch their ruler reduced to scullery maid.

CHAPTER 5

We’d both been watching Odette scrub the deck for hours, and the fun had worn off just a little. To Odette’s credit, she hadn’t stopped, though her pace had slowed considerably and she was biting her lip in pain. Her arms, unused to the rigorous work servants completed, were sure to be jolly sore the next day.

“I’ll enjoy watching this for a couple weeks,” Curdy snickered. Odette had worked her way over to the area of the deck nearest the captain’s quarters, far away enough that, combined with the lapping waves and relentless wind, I was confident she wouldn’t overhear us, even if we could still see her.

“You’ll get even longer to enjoy the view. We have two months before the wedding,” I reminded him. “The next ship won’t even arrive in Haven Harbor for two weeks, remember?”

Curdy’s puzzled expression was all the answer I needed, and I sighed in frustration. “This first bit of time is for me to gain Korth’s confidence. Then a message will arrive saying that there was an uprising, and that the king was overthrown and is in hiding.”

“They’re going to stage the coup before they get reinforcements?” Curdy asked, still confused. “I thought the point of this mission was togaina war ally.”

“It is,” I explained patiently, all while wondering if Curdyeverlistened during our midnight meetings. What could he have been doing instead? “When I get that message thatmy fatheris in hiding, I will act all upset and convince my new fiancé that he needs to send ships to aid my father in retaking his throne.”

Understanding dawned in Curdy’s eyes. “Oh! And when they get there, he will think those in the castle are the imposters.”

“Precisely. Soldiers marching into battle don’t stop to ask for identification before attacking. They follow orders, so I intend to have Korth give them orders.”

“So if they’re told to eliminate all those who are in the palace…”

“Then the corrupt government will fall. The rebellion will back up the story, and within a month or two, Raquel will be gone and we will have new leadership.”

Curdy nodded, chewing on his chapped lip as he thought. “What if Odette escapes and raises the alarm?” he asked.

“Thenyouwill get into a lot of trouble,” I said with a laugh. “You and Garrik volunteered to be her babysitters, remember?”

He wrinkled his nose. “So I have to stay with her all the time?”

“That’s the idea of babysitting.” I bumped his shoulder. “But it won’t be non-stop; you’ll both need sleep. I’m sure you and Garrik can work out a schedule to swap off duty.”

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