Page 4 of Tik-Tok

The dizziness remained until she reached the castle walls, thankfully avoiding any guards, and approached her window. Only when she looked up to climb the tied sheets back to her room, did she realize they were gone.

Gods.

“You snuck out,” a voice growled behind her.

Closing her eyes, she sighed and turned around, trying not to wince. “Father, I—”

“You said you weretired.” Tin’s silver irises burned brighter than the stars as he glared at her. “You lied.”

“Father…”

“You really thought Birch wouldn’t tell me what happened?” Her father’s gaze remained hard.

“He had no right,” North murmured. She supposed Birch didn’t stay to propose if he’d already tattled to her father. A desperate part of her liked that he had.

“He cares about you.”

“Like a sister, I know.” North didn’t want to think about it anymore.

Tin’s shoulders relaxed. But then they tightened again as she stumbled, no longer able to maintain the charade of sobriety. He caught her by the arms and took a whiff—his entire face became stony.

Her tongue felt heavy. “Father....”

“You’re never leaving my sight again.”

Chapter Three

Tik-Tok

There were times when Tik-Tok thought the sea witch was fucking with him. Mostly in the last few years.It isn’t time,Celyna had told him last year. And the year before that. And the one before that. Every single one of his yearly trips to the seer had met with the same three words for over two decades now.

It isn’t time.

Like hell it wasn’t.

Tik-Tok had done everything Celyna had told him to do fordecades. Every year, she’d given him a new task that was meant to bring him closer to his dream. He’d tracked down a magical compass, held a mutiny against his old captain, severed his own arm, and helped that cunt of a mortal wizard—who had held his compass hostage.

Running the Wizard’s errands was easily one of the darkest parts of his history. Willingly helping keep the Land of Oz under the mortal’s oppressive rule, giving up even a sliver of control over his choices, made him want to murder someone. And those monstrous addicts guarding Oz in Orkland.Damn.It was enough to make even the most hardened of fae squirm.

But then, as Celyna had promised, he’d reacquired his compass. Followed immediately by making the fated deal with an unknown queen—for a female with silver hair and brown eyes. Ozma and Jack had been unexpected but a relief. Not only had they wanted the Wizard dead—something Celyna hadn’t mentioned—but they’d been desperate enough to take his ring and promise him a female with little convincing.

All of that just to hear the sea witch tell himit wasn’t time?

No. To hell with that. He wanted to open the damn portal to another world just like the witch had promised. Celyna didn’t personally care about the portal—as long as she got a good fuck in—so the lack of forward motion didn’t bother her. Tik-Tok could wait another fifty years for all she cared. That fact had somewhat soured their yearly tryst.

Palming his magic compass, Tik-Tok flicked the golden top open. “Starboard, ten clicks.”

“Aye, Captain,” Rizmaela, his first mate, said from where she stood behind the ship’s wheel.

He’d picked up the cynical female dwarf a few years back after watching her take out three males singlehandedly when they wouldn’t leave her alone at a tavern. The three dwarfs started by asking to buy her a mead which she refused, so naturally they thought she would agree to join them for a foursome instead.Idiots.He’d never seen a dwarf pull a dagger from their boot faster than Rizmaela had.

When she merely removed an ear from each instead of killing them, Tik-Tok knew he needed her on his crew. He’d lost numerous males and females to their egos already, so he valued someone who knew the meaning of restraint. Rizmaela rose through the ranks faster than anyone else on board. Most of the crew were brownies—not cutthroats—but he’d also recruited others. Two elves, Respen and Dax, who were both irreplaceable to his sanity out at sea. Cyrx, a goblin he’d met playing cards, and, perhaps most surprisingly, a siren named Echo.

Now all he needed was the sea witch’s next set of instructions. A bone-deep tingle told him he would get his wish this time. It was as if fate were reassuring him. Coaxing him to hope. He wasn’t sure if the sensation was trustworthy, but he wanted it to be.

Tik-Tok propped the elbow of his gold, mechanical arm on a rain barrel, letting the sea breeze whip his black hair around his face. “I have a good feeling about today,” he said more to himself than to Rizmaela.

“I hope you’re right,” she said in her usual gravelly voice.

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