Page 3 of The Princess of Nothing
I cast my eyes down to the brown fabric of my bag, then sighed. “What is it you want?”
“What do you have?”
I opened it, nervous to let him near it. I gripped my staff with my other hand, ready to fight if necessary.
Hawk hooked a finger, pulling the string, opening it to the jewels, gold, and dagger. He peered inside, and a smile crept over his face. “That dagger and fifty gold coins, or no deal.”
I clenched my jaw. The dagger was all I had left of André. It was priceless, but then, so was a trip to Berovia. “What about jewels instead? The dagger, you see, it has sentimental value.”
“No.” He was blunt and honest, which I guessed I could appreciate in any other situation. “You want us to take you over mer-filled waters, risk my crew’s life, for one hundred gold coins only?”
I licked my lips. “About that, you’ll also need to stay there until I can return home.”
His eyebrows rose up his forehead. “Then my offer changes to the dagger and one hundred and fifty gold coins.”
We both knew the dagger was worth ten times that. Normally I wouldn’t care to barter, but I didn’t have much with me, and I had to be frugal with what I had. I rubbed my fingers against my forehead, bringing a finger back to my temple and circling it. I was desperate for a good night’s sleep, a meal, and safety. I apologized to André in my head for selling his gift. My heart broke as I agreed. “The dagger and one hundred gold coins.”
He paused, then drummed his fingers against the tabletop. After a minute, he took out his pipe, took a puff, and extended his hand. “You have yourself a deal, Miss Smith.”
I stopped at a table before exiting the tavern. The mercenaries were ahead of me, already moving through the doorway. Don looked up at me. “Be careful with those men.”
“I can handle myself,” I said, not expecting the concern they’d shown. I pulled three gold coins out of my bag, which was three weeks of money for them, and placed them in front of Don and the fisherman. This should pay for drinks and food for you...” I looked around them. “And all your friends. You never saw me here,” I said, swallowing hard to remove the lump in my throat. “Okay?”
He beamed. “We never saw you here.”
The shaggy-faced man nodded slowly. “Be safe.”
“Th-thank you,” I stammered as my damp clothes pulled the warmth from my body. I pulled my hood over my face and followed Hawk and the others into the bustling morning.
***
My eyes traced overthe barnacles gripping the side of the ship as I walked toward the deck. A man with a bucket next to him scrubbed the stairwell clean. I ran my hand along the rope, hissing when it burned my palm. The spars creaked in the wind, and the wet boards rotted at the sides. I jumped down and treaded over them carefully, hoping the captain would pour some of the money they earned into repairs for the ship. One man, with a leathery face and deep wrinkles, scratched his tangled gray beard, then looked at me.
I inhaled deeply as Hawk explained their mission to the crew, for those who hadn’t been in the tavern. The day had lightened slightly as it ran into mid-morning, but the sun was hidden behind thick cloud cover, keeping the sky a dove gray.
“Down here, Miss Smith,” Hawk said, placing his hand on my back. I was escorted to my room, which was small and damp, but at least it had a bed. The blankets looked itchy, but I no longer cared. “Thank you,” I muttered and closed my eyes. They stung, begging for sleep.
“We’ll set sail within the hour,” he declared, then climbed the ladder and closed the door behind him.
I placed the drawstring bag on the bed and got in. I lodged it between myself and the wall and shivered.
With a moment to breath, my mind wandered to the issues I’d have to deal with once queen. The illegal trade coming out of Magaelor, as Cedric had shown when he’d acquired a pixie from under our noses, proved problematic, and there was the most imminent threat, which loomed in a dark cloud of uncertainty over Imperia and the rest of the kingdom. King Xenos in Berovia was fanning the flames of a war Magaelor could not afford. We had neither the numbers nor the weapons to go against such a large kingdom. How had my father been so foolish as to send people across the sea, thinking the solis king wouldn’t find out?
With Edgar on the throne, it would be only a matter of time until the true religion would be torn from my people. Edgar would try to change it, inflict his beliefs on the kingdom, but our spiritual connection was sacred. Our cities were built over the bones of our ancestors. Their spirits guided us, holding our people together, and sourcing the magic that protected us. I couldn’t let him take it away.
It was why I had to succeed in my plan. There was no room for failure. Pulling the blankets over myself and keeping one hand firmly clutched around my gold, I drifted in and out of consciousness, listening to the sounds of the sea, feeling the rocking caress of waves.
