Page 161 of By the Moonbeam and the Mist
“You may think you run this place, boy,” she said, stepping toward Steeler with her hand still clutching the sword, “but you don’t, and you never will as long as you continue shirking your responsibility like a spoiled little baby. You willnottake your friends to that island any longer,” she said firmly, despite thedark, fathomless wrath coiling tighter and tighter around Steeler at each word. “That is an order from your current commander. Their work there is done, and so is yours. If you disappear on me one more time, then I will be forced to draw my hand.”
She cast her gaze around and landed on Dazmine.
“I may be ill-advised to kill the niece of the queen, but this one will work well as collateral, don’t you think?”
In a flash, the captain had Old Veracious at Dazmine’s throat, a grin ripping up the sides of her face.
“GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!”
The roar came from Terrin. Before I’d even blinked, he’d used his Element Wielder magic to conjure a spear of water from the ocean that crashed into the captain and knocked the sword from her hand.
A body slammed into me just as the shouting started.
Magic exploded as faeries turned on Terrin. I could feel the vibrating, humming energy of it even though I could only see cracks from beneath Steeler’s shield of a body: chains exploding from the gaping hole in that one faerie’s chest and wrapping tight around Terrin while the female with the orbs for eyes held him in a blue laser beam.
“Stop,” I breathed, pushing Steeler off me. “Stop.”
He let me go in an instant, and I scrambled to a stand as the captain clutched her throat with her four-fingered hand, breathing heavily as if she’d just been assaulted by more than a little seawater.
“Let Terrin go!” I called, sounding much braver than I felt. But there was no time to cower. The sky was lightening more and more every minute, and I felt dawn hovering over the curve of the horizon like a bated breath. We were running out of time.
“You don’t get to talk, girl,” the captain said. This time, a silver knife shot out from her flesh, pointing at me like an accusing finger. “I don’t carewhoyour parents are.”
Before Steeler could snarl at her, I said, “I don’t care who my parents are either. This isn’t about my parentage. This is about him and his family—” I pointed at Steeler. “—and this is his choice.”
I saw Steeler’s pupils widen as I sent him the confirmation and approval I knew he needed.
It’s okay. I understand. Do it.
Ithadto be okay. Ihadto understand. Hehadto do it. It didn’t matter how much the possessive, feral animal inside me wanted him to be mine and only mine. It didn’t matter how much I ached to protect him from the queen across the sea—my aunt by blood. I couldn’t—wouldn’t—be the seed of doubt that held him back from the one thing that could save his family.
Steeler gave me the smallest of grateful nods before he turned back to the crowd, his face hardening again.
“He is not in charge until he accepts his fate!” the captain was shrieking. “Her Majesty appointed me to lead this fleet until—”
“I accept,” Steeler interrupted.
Every face turned toward him. The chains around Terrin loosened. The faerie with the blue orbs withdrew her lasers holding him in place.
“I accept my position as the Fated General,” Steeler repeated, and he didn’t just step forward—he blinked out of existence and reappeared right in front of the captain’s face, making her stumble back. “My magic is mature. The process is complete. I am ready. And I am readynow.”
No sooner had he said the last word than that single cloud overhead began to slowly eddy above him.
Everyone looked up as it began to rain.
Fat globs of dark liquid plopped down—but rather than hit the deck, every drop hurled toward Steeler and bledthroughhis shirt, disappearing into his skin beneath.
Inking him. Marking him.Brandinghim.
I gawked at it, at the dark cloud that had been above his head this entire time. Had I ever really seen Steeler in direct sunlight since he’d matured as a faerie? Or had this been following him around wherever he went, the queen’s desires literally stalking him until he said yes to her?
By the time the rain stopped, my bones were quivering with the urge to rip the queen’s head off from across the sea. I could see the tapered edges of her intricate, spiraling tattoo peeking out from Steeler’s collar, climbing up the back of his neck, still swirling ever so slightly as it settled into position.
It was official. Steeler was oath-sworn to the queen of Sorronia.
And he now commanded every single being on this ship.
CHAPTER
