Page 3 of The King's Sword
She rolled her eyes, wondering what he’d done with her mask. Her dress had been so beautiful the night of the masquerade. That dreadful night when she discovered Lottie was responsible for hiring the assassin to kill Alina and Sabine.
They hit a particularly rough swell, and she knocked her head against the side of the boat.
“Hold on,” Evander called out as he ran to adjust the sails.
Glancing at the sky again, Sabine took note of the dark clouds rolling in. It was going to rain. And when it did, being on this ship would be even more awful.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll be disembarking shortly.”
“We’ve arrived in Avoni?” she asked. She must have been given a strong dose of giplig which caused her to sleep for a few days if they were there already.
“Not quite,” he said as he walked past her and started tying a loose rope around the mast. The sail swung to the other side, and the boat turned.
Sabine stood and gazed out at the water, spotting the shoreline not too far off. Relief filled her. Was this strange man, this assassin-pirate, really taking her to her brother? She remained there for several quiet minutes, contemplating her options.
Hearing a noise, she glanced over her shoulder and noticed Evander coming up from below deck. He’d changed his clothes from solid black to dark brown, his shirt a lighter shade than his pants. The change in colors made him look less intimidating than before, especially with the top button undone. He handed her a bundle of clothes. “I need you to change into these.”
Sabine took them from him. “Why?”
“We’re going into port. Wearing that dress will garner the wrong sort of attention.”
Thunder boomed through the sky.
She hesitated.
“The choice is yours. Change and come with me, or tell them who you are and return to King Rainer.” He turned and went below deck, giving her some privacy to change.
Sabine quickly considered her options. If this man was lying to get her to comply, they’d disembark and he’d take her to a dungeon, toss her in, and torture her. She’d be used as a bargaining chip. However, if he was telling her the truth, he’d take her to see Otto where she’d possibly learn something of importance.
The urge to scream in frustration inundated her. As much as she wanted to return to the palace and avenge her sister’s death—which would be much easier now that she knew Lottie was the culprit—she also wanted to find out if what this man said was true. If her family had been trying to get information to her, and someone in the palace had been preventing it, she needed to know.
Sabine started pacing. The last thing she wanted to do was return to Lynk if there was another danger she didn’t know about. The best course of action would be to disembark with Evander and if things didn’t look or feel right, she’d leave him and go to the palace.
She quickly removed her outfit and pulled on the brown pants and matching tunic. Dressed in the scratchy, generic clothes, she picked up the beautiful butterfly dress, trying to decide what to do with it. Since she’d never wear it again, she tossed it over the side of the ship. It landed on the water, floating for a few seconds before it began to slowly sink, disappearing from sight.
“Now that you’re dressed appropriately,” Evander said, joining her on the deck, “I need your help getting this ship into port.”
Folding her arms, she looked at him. “I’ve never sailed before.” And if he’d managed to make it to Lynk on his own, he could figure out how to get into port on his own.
“I just need you to steer the ship.” He pointed at the wheel. “Keep us heading toward that red building due south.”
The idea of steering this vessel excited her. Smiling, she went over and took hold of the wheel, feeling the smooth wood beneath her hands. Once she spotted the building Evander had pointed out, she made sure to keep the ship headed that direction. The wind blew against her face, tossing her hair back.
As they got closer to the shoreline, there were dozens and dozens of boats she had to navigate around. While she steered, Evander pulled in all the sails except for one of the smaller ones. The ship slowed and cut through the water at a much smoother pace.
When Evander came over and took control of the wheel, Sabine moved to the front of the ship, watching the other boats and the people aboard them. Some had cages of fish, others crates of goods. Evander steered the ship to one of the docks that jutted out from the shoreline. Once in a slip, he dropped anchor.
After he tied the ship to the dock, he went below deck, leaving Sabine alone. She stood there realizing she could easily run away from her kidnapper if she wanted to. It almost made her believe that Evander was telling her the truth about meeting up with her brother.
He returned a few minutes later carrying two bags and handing one of them to her. “We’re in another kingdom,” he said. “Make sure you stick close to me. Try not to use my name. And don’t look anyone in the eyes or stare.”
“Why would I stare?” she asked as she followed Evander off the ship.
“Given your upbringing, this seaside town is going to be a bit shocking to you. I just don’t want you to stare all wide-eyed at some commoner and offend him or her.” They made their way from the dock to the shoreline.
“My upbringing?” This assassin-pirate better not be implying what she thought he was implying.
“You know, being a pampered royal.” He looked sidelong at her. “You were born a princess, raised in a royal household, never had to lift a finger, and now you’re the queen of another kingdom. You’re totally spoiled.”
