Page 4 of The Princess of Nothing
CHAPTER TWO
Blood-curdling screamsstartled me awake. I jumped to my feet, my staff in hand. Hawk threw open the door, his hair and clothes drenched. “Stay in here!” he ordered and slammed it shut again. I heard it lock. Panic coursed through me. Scratching and hissing on the deck were louder than the crashing waves. It had to be the mer, back again to drag sailors into the dark depths for food.
It was dark outside, from what I could tell from the gaps in the boards above my head. I wasn’t sure when we’d set sail. I’d been asleep all day, it seemed. I ran my hands along my face, breathing faster with each panicked scream from above. I was responsible for them. They were taking me to Berovia, and I had put them in danger. I ran up the steps to the door, reaching for the lock. I scoffed at the feeble attempt to keep me inside. Pointing my staff at the padlock, I cast a spell to destroy the metal. It shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.
A spray of sea water hit me, and I toppled to the right as I emerged onto deck. I grabbed onto a wood pole and gripped into splintered wood to steady myself.
Since being attacked by these creatures twice, although I did want to know why I had been spared, I’d learned spells that could paralyze them, if only for a moment. They were inside books in Blaise’s library, and I wouldn’t be caught off guard again. Although the time had come for what I’d practiced in quiet moments, using them in real life was different. One small mistake could cost another their life.
One man fought a merman off with his sword, wounding it enough for him to cast a spell from his staff, which made the creature unable to breathe at all. The creature grasped at the deck, his long talons scratching against the panels. Another mercenary used a sleeping spell, one I knew well, on a merwoman, but its effects weren’t as strong as they would be on another sorcerer. The mercreatures eyes changed from black to dark green when she awoke from her ten-second slumber and found a sword through her torso. It wouldn’t be enough to kill her but would weaken her temporarily.
They tried to flip her overboard, but she pulled the blade out, snarled, and sank her needlelike teeth into the neck of one of the crew. When the merwoman pushed the man to the ground after biting him, she looked at me and faltered for a moment. She moved toward me, using her hands against the deck to reach me, and I pointed my staff at her.
She hissed. “You will come with me.”
There was no way I was going anywhere with those things. Holding onto the bone handle with one hand and gripping the ash wood with the other, I whispered the spell and felt my ancestors with me as magic left me in strong waves. Wisps of lights illuminated around me. I could only see them for a second, but they were there—the dead, aiding me to save the lives of our people.
Calmly, I turned on my heel and pointed my staff toward the other mercreature. Recalling the second incantation I had learned, one not meant for mer but any creature of the sea, I said the words, focusing my mind on the intent.
I wished Morgana could be here to see this. A protective bubble reached up to the sails and around the ship. My staff trembled as I worked to keep the barrier up long enough. “Get us out of here!” I shouted at Hawk. “I can’t hold it for long.” I closed my eyes, feeling the ancestors fueling me, but with each passing minute, it weakened. My hands were shaking with the staff. I bit down on my lip, anchoring myself to the ground.
Minutes passed, and slowly, I was draining. I couldn’t see any mer. The two I’d paralyzed had been dragged back over the side of the ship by their fellow mercreatures. My limbs screamed at me to stop, my mind screeched as all the energy left my body, but I didn’t give in. Not when so many were depending on me.
“They’ve gone,” Hawk said, his mouth downturned. The bodies of two men were slumped against the side, their blood staining the wood.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice breaking at the end. I stepped backward, until I reached the door. I tilted my head up to the starless night sky, and thanked the ancestors for aiding me.
A spell of such magnitude had taken its toll on me. I could barely stand long enough to help clean the mess. I hurried down the steps to the bed, making it just in time to collapse.
***
The sun appeared frombehind white clouds, blinding me. I’d slept for almost a whole day after using the spell, and I felt rejuvenated by the time I appeared above deck. I covered my eyes, shading them with my hand, and turned around. I exhaled slowly as the sea calmed. We had crossed into Berovian waters. Hawk did a headcount. Two of the hired mercenaries had been lost to the evil creatures on our journey. Guilt lay heavily in my chest, a burden only a ruler could acquit. This trip was not for me. It was for the good of Magaelor. Every person killed did not die in vain if I made it back alive to take back the throne from Edgar. Thankfully, he couldn’t really change anything while the kingdom was in mourning. One month was all I had.
My cousin had lived in Niferum, the dark fae kingdom, since I was born. He knew nothing of Magaelor and went against our beliefs. He was the royal who had chosen to abandon his home, turned crown prince, then king. How I hated my father for putting him in a position of power, although I presumed King Amos didn’t believe he would die anytime soon with the Ring of Immortalem on his finger. I patted the pocket of my pants, feeling the bulge of the ring.
“Miss Smith,” Hawk said while looking out over the horizon. “We are close, but I would bet the bigger ports are under heavy guard. I think it safest if we disembark at a smaller port to the south of Woodbourne. It’s better to be cautious in these times.”
“Do what you must,” I replied. “Thank you, Hawk.”
He hesitated. “I should, um, have thanked you before. If you hadn’t helped us, who knows how many more we would have lost.”
“Don’t,” I pleaded. “I know what you lost.”
“It’s our job.”
“Regardless.”
“I do know who you are, Miss Smith.”
