Page 27 of The Crown of Nyx

The last thing I wanted was to drag anyone else into this. But Dante had called for war. He would kill regardless.

I swallowed thickly as I took in the gathered group. My magic reacted to them; for the first time since I arrived in Avalon, I could finally read what each of the sixcreatures gathered were. The one standing in front of the group, a female no older than me, if I had to guess, was a witch. She wore a brimmed hat, similar to ones I’d seen in pirate films, and the clothes she wore were bloodied. As my magic hesitantly reached out for her, I realised she could summon weather: storms and hurricanes, if powerful enough.

The witch stepped forward and pulled her hat off her head. She had silky dark hair and hooded eyes that were dark like an oncoming storm. Based on the way her clothes pulled taut over her body, she was muscular. “I’m Captain Meira, my Queen.”

My heart stuttered a beat as she lifted her fist to her heart and knelt. It was like a domino effect; soon, the other five crew members—three shifters and two mages—all followed. They murmured similar words to their captain and fell to their knees, each one bowing their heads as they did.

I couldn’t take my eyes off them. The level of trust they gave me made me want to puke. Goddess above, I wasn’t ready for this. I wasn’t ready to be Queen.

But you are, I reminded myself.You are the only Queen that is left.

That still didn’t take away the urge to puke, though.

The crew rose after a moment, with the captain moving at a slower pace. Her eyes dragged over me with uncertainty. “We are your loyal servants, Queen Ivy. We will take you anywhere you need to go.”

My mates gathered around me at that, forming almost a shields around me. But it was on me to speak. To direct Captain Meira where we needed to go.

“We need to go to the Underworld,” I said, swallowing hard. “I understand that might not sound logical, given what is happening here in Avalon. But Ineed you all to trust that we have a plan to stop Dante from destroying our home and all the realms.” I tried to meet each eye of the crew; they were tired, maybe even a little resentful. They might see me as their Queen, but they were—rightfully—apprehensive.

I blew out a shaky breath and stepped out of the safe little circle of mates to address the creatures better. “I know you probably don’t have a lot of faith in me. I probably wouldn’t either. What do I know about ruling? Queen Greer never—” I stopped, throat tightening, and glanced warily at Adrian, who dropped his head. “The late Queen Greer didn’t have the chance to teach me everything she knew. But she did impart the knowledge that if Dante tries to become King, if he succeeds in taking the power given to me by Nyx, there will be no more Avalon. No Faery. And no Underworld. The human world will be destroyed, too. There will be total destruction. So, I need your help. I just need you to get us to the Underworld. From there, I will barter safety for you, if that’s what you choose. But I will protect you. I will do anything to save these worlds.”

My heart raced as I waited for their answer. From Maeve, I’d gathered she hadn’t told them anything about our plans. Only that I would need their assistance. But I wouldn’t force them into anything. If they wanted to go to shore now, then I would let them.

This was my fight, after all. A war that started because Dante couldn’t handle another woman being Queen.

Captain Meira sighed, looked at her crew, and said, “We will take you anywhere you wish. Like I said, we are loyal. Meandmy crew. We won’t follow a false king. So, I will take you to Hell and we will wait for you at the gates if that is what you command. We will not see our world end.”

Thank the Goddess, I thought, bowing my head. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank us yet, my Queen,” the captain replied darkly. “Not until we make it there. The waters are terrible, especially this time of year. And we are going to be followed.”

Before I could respond, Elias grunted. “If we don’t move now, we’re fucked.”

I looked at him sharply, but his eyes weren’t on me. Despite all the protections Orion claimed he’d put on the vessel before instructing the captain to take it from the dock, we’d been found.

A dozen dark tinted SUVs pulled up at the edge of the water, and even more agents—no, soldiers of Dante’s—poured out of the vehicles. My magic rose, prickling my skin, but the sensation was no longer calming or gentle.

No, it burned like a fire that leapt at the chance to escape.

I gritted my teeth, turned away from the soldiers, and looked sharply at the captain. “Can you get us out of here?” I asked, gathering the magic swelling within me while she assessed the situation.

“Yes,” she replied after a moment, meeting my eye. “I can get us out of here. But you may need to prepare for a harsh journey, my Queen. I’m going to have to take us a dangerous route.”

I frowned, but I held back from questioning her. Instead, I shared a glance with Maeve, who inched closer to me while Captain Meira’s crew rushed around the deck to prepare us for departure.

“Are you okay?” Maeve asked, sliding in beside me and taking my hand.

I glanced at her from the corner of my eye, but turned away just as quickly. The ship lurched, but notbecause we were moving; the soldiers on the shore were filling small motorboats, while others had guns raised, aimed at us.

The ship rocked again, but I wouldn’t take any more chances. Magic expelled from me like a breath to encapsulate the body of the ship. The violet magic became a barrier around us, a soft, translucent bubble that settled along the masts and sails, sinking into the wood and fabric. Shouts from the shore had the crew moving faster, but a wave of calm settled over me as I watched bullets and magical attacks ricochet off my barrier.

“I’m better now,” I replied finally, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze as the ship finally moved. Captain Meira shouted orders from the top deck, while her crew moved seamlessly. “Are you?”

Maeve pressed her lips into a firm line, and although the bond gave nothing away, I knew my mate was likely hiding something.

“What?” I asked.

Her jaw ticked as she shook her head. “I have a prisoner,” she murmured. “One of Dante’s team leaders. She’s below deck.”

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