Page 19 of Reign of Light
“Really? Can we play on the ship? Or maybe at camp? Can he have a bow too?”
Weston chuckles softly and taps the bottom of Fin’s foot. “We’ll figure all that out soon, alright?”
“Sure, mister Weston,” he says, and there’s a little brightness back in his voice.
“Let’s head back down,” Weston says, then his eyes find mine. “It’s time to go.”
CHAPTER SIX
Most of the collection crew stands already assembled and waiting on deck when the three of us descend the mainmast. Fin scurries to the steps, darting past Sig and Jorn, who step onto the wooden boards a moment later. Sig’s stoic expression defines the entire tone of this afternoon, and I know she’s prepared for whatever we are about to face.
Weston follows closely behind as I descend the stairs, and walk down the hallway to our room. I shoulder my full quiver and loop the bow over my torso, and Weston’s sword sings as it slides into his scabbard. He finishes loading his vest with everything remaining on the desk, but when he turns back toward the door, I slide in front so he can’t open it.
“As much as I would love to pin you up against that door, we don’t have time for that right now, princess.”
Use of the nickname prompts an involuntary glare that only causes him to smirk back at me. I raise an eyebrow and cross my arms over my chest.
“What is the plan for this meeting? We didn’t discuss it last night or this morning. We have no strategy or contingencies. The First Guard should know it isn’t smart to walk into something like this without a plan, especially if it’s a trap.”
He matches my stance, crossing his own arms over his chest, and glares back as if I insulted him by questioning his tactics.
“The collection crew knows how we handle these situations. Remember, we have been doing this a lot longer than you have.”
“Not like this. Pulling someone off the beach isn’t the same as negotiating the rest of our time here. Not to mention if Dane is actually there, and last night was a lie.”
“Even if they show up with more than the two that Mara agreed to, our numbers and skills outmatch anyone left in the Voyagers. Dane, Storm, Mara. Sig could probably take all three of them by herself.”
“So we’re just going to fight them?” I say, throwing my hands up, but he doesn’t move.
“Not unless they attack us first. That’s always been the order.”
“And what if it is a trap? What if telling us the dust is gone was just a ploy to get us to let our guards down?”
One corner of his lips turns up. “I’m glad to hear you’re finally listening to me.”
Rolling my eyes, I cross my arms again. “I’m being serious. If Dane wants only me, then that’s my decision to make. I won’t put the entire crew at risk just to protect me. Refusing to sacrifice one person for everyone else is absurd. It’s not what a queen would do.”
His face darkens as I speak, but I hold my ground, not letting my resolve waver for fear of pissing him off by being willing to protect my crew.
He takes a slow step forward, closing the distance between us. “I think you’re forgetting one very important thing.”
The space is gone in the next instant as his hands clamp onto my ass. He lifts me quickly, and my hands grip onto the firm muscles of hisarms for support. My back presses into the door as he steps between my thighs, pinning me there with the strength of his body. He looks down his nose at me, and my chest heaves as I stare up at him, waiting for whatever has been brewing in his mind.
“My entire purpose is to stand between you and anyone who even dares try to harm you.” The low gravel of his voice makes my stomach twirl, and my lips part when his eyes trace my face, landing on them.
“No one is going to touch you. As long as I am breathing, I will fight to keep you safe, and that includes you sacrificing yourself.” His eyes flicker back up from my lips, and his teal pools land on mine, the severity in his gaze obvious as he lowers his voice even further. “Don’t even fucking think about it.”
“You still didn’t answer my question.” The words are breathy as I try to slow the heaving of my chest. “We can’t kill Dane, so what is the plan?”
“If they attack us,” he says, his tone much calmer than a moment ago, “there will be enough of us to get everyone contained and throw them all in the brig. We can discuss it and decide what to do after that. If they don’t, and this isn’t a hoax, then we give them our terms, and figure out if we can truly trust them. If we can, then everyone has a choice. Here or there.”
“What if it’s not that simple? After all this time and all the deception, do you really think it’s going to be as easy as we just coexist?”
“We don’t really have a choice. There’s nowhere else to go. It has to be that simple.”
Simple. My life has never been simple. Lonely, yes. Dull, absolutely. But simple? I thought this journey to Dawnlin would be simple, but it has never been, not from the moment I discovered that the man I had been trusting was lying to my face, and continued to do so every day after that. How can a life here that has been complex and twisted and built on magic and lies become simple?
Maybe Weston is right. Maybe now that our hope is gone, there’s no other option but for it to become simple to change.
