Page 21 of Between Wrath and Mercy

“I didn’t do anything!” The man was desperate, flailing his upper body around. He looked like a fish flopping around on a dock. Rainier caused the earth to shift even further before he spoke, his voice deathly quiet.

“Where?” A demand.

“Folterra!” The man yelped, realizing how truly desperate his situation was.

“Which port?” Rainier spoke precisely. Terrifyingly.

“I—uh…”

“The next time you fail at answering a question the first time I ask it, you will not like the consequences. Which port?” His tone was casual, but the fire in his eyes as he looked at the man was anything but.

“Mindengar.”

“How many did you arrange passage for?”

“I…I don’t remember.”

Rainier stood up and kicked the man straight in the mouth.

I stared at the prince, eyes wide. I’d never seen him be cruel, but I’d also never seen him interrogate someone. He rolled his neck, stretching, before he turned back to the man. I saw him clench his fists, the frustration radiating off him, and I felt guilty. I was the reason he was having to do this. I watched the water spilling down the wall behind Rainier, the sound distracting me from his fists. The trickle grew louder in my ears, and I felt myself going to a place of panic. I took a deep breath, inhaling. My heart had started to race. Getting lost in the sound of the water made it hard for me to focus. I began counting in my head, trying to calm myself down. I needed to stay down here, listen to what the man had to say.

The deckhand spat blood and teeth onto the ground before him and turned his head up to Rainier. I could hear the sneer in his voice as he spoke.

“Eleven men and the girl.”

“Was the girl hurt?” I froze when Rainier asked the question. I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer.

“No.” The man’s head tilted. “No, she wasn’t hurt. Her father was with her. He was the one who arranged the passage.”

His heartbeat was normal. A little accelerated, not unusual for someone who’d just been kicked in the mouth, but not racing like before. I could feel the color draining from my face. Rainier glanced at me, his brows furrowed.

“Were the rest of the group Folterrans?”

“I think so, the accents—”

“Was the girl struggling? Her father?”

“They ended up putting ropes on the hellcat. She bit someone’s ear off when they were boarding.”

Shit.

Rainier raised his eyebrows, a ghost of a smile on his lips before he gave me a pointed look which saidlike mother, like daughter.

“And her father? Was he bound?”

“No.”

Rainier asked another question, but I didn’t listen for the answer. Faxon had purchased passage and wasn’t bound. There were only so many things it could mean. The water trickling down the wall was all I could hear. I couldn’t breathe. Suddenly, it felt like the walls around me were closing in. The smell of mold overpowered me, and I needed to get out. The edges of my vision blackened, and I ran toward the stairs. Rainier watched me as I pushed past him, frustration burning in his eyes. For me or Faxon, I wasn’t sure. I made it to the top of the stairs, bursting through the door straight into the sunlight. Hands on my knees, I began to retch.

Chapter 9

AfterI’dlostmybreakfast in the street, Lavenia suggested I take a short nap while Dewalt and Rainier dealt with the man in the cellar. I didn’t know what dealing with him entailed, but I wasn’t exactly curious to find out. I sat down on one of the benches outside, head between my knees, waiting for Lavenia to get us a room. I didn’t think I had much left in me, but it didn’t stop the bile from rising.

Elora had been bound, from biting off someone’s ear no less. As much as it pained me to know she probably made things worse for herself, a small part of me still swelled with pride. She was fighting back. But what was Faxon doing? Why wasn’t he bound? Why had he paid for their passage? It didn’t make sense, and nothing was adding up. A heavy feeling settled into the pit of my stomach, and I didn’t think it would budge until I saw them both again.

There was something there, something I didn’t want to think about—the deep insecurity I felt about Faxon’s loyalty. The fact I was sitting there questioning his actions and not trusting him completely told me more than it should have. The idea shouldn’t have crossed my mind, yet something was just not right. I started reviewing every interaction I’d had with Faxon recently which might have struck me as odd when I heard Lavenia approach.

The princess walked to my bench and held out her hand to lead me inside. We went up to the top floor, across the hallway from where I’d seen the small child, next to the room where we found Elora’s necklace. I reached into my pocket and palmed it, rubbing my thumb over the ammolite. Lavenia walked across to the small window, set off-center in the wood-paneled wall, and the thick green curtains, moth-eaten in some places, served their purpose when she pulled them shut, dimming the room. The furnishings were superior to the other rooms we searched; an armchair and a small table holding glasses and a sturdy clay pitcher sat near the window while a mirrored dresser stood by the door. I sat down on the bed, filled with feathers like my own in Brambleton rather than the soft cotton I had appreciated the night before at Ravemont, and slid off my shoes. Lavenia fetched a glass from the table, filled it with water, and brought it over to me.

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