“If we are ready to go?” Jaska asked, his eyes filled with unshed tears as he held his son in his arms, his wife stoic at his side, her hands resting on her large belly.

  “We are,” Teryn stated with a glance at me. I gave him a nod.

  “Good, we shall lead you out. I would ask, Mahouk, that my wife and son be given leniency as they are innocents in this plan.” Lady Ashwish began to argue, but her husband silenced her protests by placing a hand on her swollen abdomen. They began conversing in Sandrayan. Teryn looked morose. Once the discussion ended, Jaska led the way, carrying his boy as we followed a thin winding staircase hewn from the rock itself downward. The steps were slick with moisture, the stone walls bore the marks of the pickaxes used to create them, illuminated with oil-soaked torches that sent black smoke curling up the stairs.

  Teryn carried the princess, for she was lighter, and I toted the prince. Both twins were silent, eyes round with wonder, as we carefully followed Jaska and his woman downward. He never once let her arm out of his grasp. Keeping her on her feet was his main concern. It came to me to wonder how a man with so much to lose would commit such an atrocious act against his king. Surely he knew he would be imprisoned for his actions. By law, he could be hanged or beheaded, not that those penalties were used anymore, but an attack on the royal family was treason, and that carried a heavy penalty. Yet he had not only planned the kidnapping but had participated in it fully. The man was either a foolhardy twit or a noble champion. It remained to be seen which term would follow him into the annals of Melowynn history.

  That was not for me to decide. My job was to protect the twins as well as Teryn. While it felt as if the danger had passed, I could not let my guard down. Jaska was not to be trusted. While he may appear to be accepting his fate, he could be leading me and my charges into a trap. I shifted the prince to the left to free my sword arm. If they thought to lead us to our deaths, I would take one or more of them with us.

  “I hear the sea,” Prince Al’fur whispered near my ear. It was growing louder the lower we descended. We rounded a large jutting shard of white rock, ducking slightly, and stepped out onto a rock floor, smoothed by thousands of seasons of the sea washing over it. The sun was bright, glaring off the wet rock to make us all wince.

  “This way,” Jaska called over the roar of the waves. We followed him out into the sun and wind, the caw of gulls and the rush of wind through dancing fronds greeting us. Our boots sank into wet black sand as we climbed up onto a wooden dock that looked out over the ocean. Bobbing on the waves were ten ships, among them two war vessels flying the Sandrayan flags. A show of power that sent a strong message to the ragtag rebels. A silent flex of military saying that the vahasi knew he had the upper hand but was being gracious. I prayed Aelir would be as forgiving when we sailed into the port of Celear. If not forgiving then lenient…

  The others were smaller vessels, most without markings or banners. Among them sat the Simin Draya, restored to her glory with her golden bow spar glinting in the bright sunlight.

  “A most welcome sight,” Teryn commented before glancing at me. “Sorry. A welcome sight for most.”

  “I’m sure the journey will be better returning home than it was coming,” I replied, trying to be upbeat for the twins, who were gleeful seeing the armada of boats with their snapping sails.

  A small skiff was launched from the Simin Draya, with one lone sailor and two guards. The children clapped happily when we were inside the rowboat. I found little to applaud as the surging waves began to play a soft, chaotic tune with my gut. Knowing it would only grow worse the longer I was on the sea, I dug into my satchel for my tin of paste as the guards placed heavy iron shackles on Jaska’s arms and around his ankles. His woman began arguing, but Jaska calmed her with a few softly spoken words. The lid of the tin came off with a clink. Both children looked at me as I smeared paste onto my tongue and made a face.

  “That smells like dirty baby clouts,” Alfina stated, her regal nose wrinkling.

  “It tastes like it as well, Your Highness,” I gagged, which set the prince to giggling.

  “Must he be shackled?” Teryn asked the guards as he passed his child over the side to me. I got them settled on either side of me. “What would happen if the ship goes down? Masha is most concerned over that fate.”

  Ah, so her name was Masha. It was pretty, just like the woman fighting for her partner.

  “Then he would drown,” one of the guards clad in blue robes with a tall, fluted gold hat flatly replied. I had seen that headgear in the palace when the vahasi visited many seasons ago. So these men were royal guards, just as I was, only they looked much crisper than I did at the moment. I had come to learn that coil root took on a displeasing, moldy scent after a time. Perhaps it was not meant to be worn for days on end as the bark possibly was not only absorbing any ground liquid but my sweat as well. A hot bath would be incredibly welcome. “He is to be shown no mercy by order of the vahasi and the mainland king.”

  So it seemed Jaska would feel the brunt of Aelir’s anger. As it should be. I had found a grudging respect for the man, but he had stolen children, taken them into danger, and held them for ransom for a cause. That was not to mention his drugging an old woman while nearly killing a pixie princess. Surely a less radical way could have been found to bring attention to the plight of the poor. What that would have been, I had no clue. The status quo had been in place for centuries with no signs of massive revisions on the horizon. Mayhap something this bold was needed to shake the nobles from their complacency. There were no easy answers.

  Jaska was shoved into the skiff. Holding onto the twins to keep them from tumbling into the sea, I heard his shoulder impact the wooden seat. He grunted but made no other sound as he righted himself. He was moved from the seat to the bottom of the boat, where he knelt the entire way to the Simin Draya, then was taken off first and led away. Porgo stood on the side of the boat, reaching down to lift the princess from my arms, followed by the prince.

  After Teryn and I aided Masha up, her son was passed along. I waved the ambassador to go first, placing my hands on his lean waist to boost him upward. Then I followed, easing my way to the deck of the familiar boat while my stomach began to make unpleasant sounds. I sat under the awning, my back among pillows, my sight on the horizon. The twins cuddled up to me, curled under each arm, as Teryn barked at the guards. They were being none too kind to our prisoner as they chained him to the mainmast in the blazing sun. The others who had filed out behind us, the rebels who had taken part in this abduction, were being rounded up by the army of the vahasi. Their fates were in the hands of the Sandrayan leader. I hoped he would be merciful to the young and the elderly.

  His wife shouted in Sandrayan, his son crying softly, until Teryn motioned to the warship with a wave of his hand. The guards then freed Jaska, hauling him down into the small hold of the ship instead. The rich smell of lavender flowed out of the small space. The trapdoor was closed with a slam. A vibrant conversation between Teryn, Masha, and the guards broke out. Porgo joined me in the shade, squatting down to make funny faces at the twins, who seemed most intrigued by his tattoos.

  “Mahouk Nouradi is telling them that he will speak to the vahasi as well as your king about the unnecessary roughness being shown to Ashwish. I have my doubts that the father of these two will think a few days in a flowery hold would constitute abuse, but our ambassador is a man of firm morals and a soft heart.”

  “I suspect my king would have preferred Ashwish be chained to the underbelly of the boat for the duration,” I whispered over the heads of the prince and princess. Porgo nodded as if in agreement and then handed the twins a dry cookie. Once Teryn was done vocalizing, he and Masha joined us, her son climbing into her lap after she tenderly lowered herself onto a soft pillow.

  “Masha speaks no mainlander,” Teryn explained as the guards joined us under the awning. “She has asked that her son be fed. I assured her that whatever foods we have onboard will be split among us, even the man in the hold, evenly.”

  I nodded. The twins broke their cookies in half to share with the sniffling son of Ashwish. Masha lowered her head in thanks while we waited as another skiff, smaller, sped across the water. A tall woman with blue ink on her skin like Porgo’s joined us, her yellow gaze moving over us as the captain met her at the rail. With a few words, the woman took a seat, told us her name was Payya, and explained she was the vahasi’s wind whisperer but was on loan to get us home to Celear at twice the speeds. While Porgo rested, she would summon the wind to keep us sailing.

  “Wonderful.”

  Porgo chuckled when I softly moaned. So there would be no breaks in the turbulent waves even overnight. My skin would ooze barnacle paste by the time I arrived home. Teryn tenderly patted my thigh.

  Home.

  It felt so far away here, surrounded by people speaking a foreign tongue, gazing at hot, dry lands. I ached to see my friends, ride a horse, and look out over the fertile fields of the mainland. If I never had to enter or sail on water again, I would be well pleased. Aside from a bath.

  “Settle your gullet, mainlander, we are flying at full sail!” Porgo laughed aloud as the winds began to howl, filling the large sails with a gust.

  I double-dipped another glob of pearly barnacle goo.

  For reasons of safety for the twins, the prisoner, and his family, we slid into the sea cave under the castle in the dark of night. It had been decided—announced to us via a raven as we rounded the tip of the vills of Renedith—that the masses in Celear and throughout the mainland were too bloodthirsty to be trusted if we sailed into the main port. Aelir wished no harm to befall Masha or Kinya, her son. He had not mentioned whether he worried over Jaska. I doubted so.

  So it was we arrived much as we had left, with no pomp nor circumstance. Just a small ship slipping into a craggy cave. Only this time, there was a troupe of people on the dock. The king, his queen, his consorts, Teryn’s two children, and of course, Tezen. My cousin and four other royal guards flanked the royal family as we wind whispered our way to the slippery dock.

  “My sweetlings!” Raewyn coughed, tears flowing down her cheeks as the prince and princess were passed from the smaller rowboat that had come out to greet us. Aelir hoisted his daughter into his arms, weeping openly, then turned into the warm embrace of V’alor. The guard commander wept as well as did Lady Merrilyn. The children were hugged, kissed, and fussed over as expected. I eased out of the boat, grateful to feel something that was somewhat stable under my boots. Teryn engulfed his son and daughter in a massive embrace as I eased around the families now reunited to place my feet on the rocky shore.

  A burst of bright purple light flew into my field of vision. Even with a bubbling stomach and a headache, I was still happy beyond measure to see Tezen Plumwax flitter in front of me.

  “Royal Ward Guardian Plumwax, where is your armor?” I asked in mock outrage. She frowned at the simple, plain brown trousers and white blouse she was wearing.

  “I’m not allowed back on duty until some old cleric says so,” she huffed, darting in to kiss my cheek and zipping back away from my face. “You are a sight for the sorest of eyes. You smell like the asshole of a carp though.”

  I chuckled. “It is the paste I have been ingesting to keep my stomach contents inside,” I replied and got a snort of amusement. “When will you be able to return to duty? I’m sure the children will wish you to be with them.”

  She glanced over at the children being coddled and then found my gaze. “I do not know. The king must reinstate me once the clerics pronounce me fit for service. I am…” She cleared her throat. “I am not sure he will place me back with the twins. Dereliction of duty is a serious charge.”

  I was flabbergasted. “What? Who would dare to bring a charge like that against you?”

  “None have, not yet, but surely the king will not wish me to be the royal ward guardian since it was my fault the twins were taken.” She wiped her round cheek to gather a lone tear.

  “Nonsense. The king knows there is no blame to be placed on you.” I wished I could give her a comforting squeeze on the arm. Instead, I peeled off my gauntlet to give her tiny shoulder a gentle tap. “If push comes to shove, I shall speak with His Majesty about—”

  “Tezen!” the twins yelled, breaking free from the mob of joyous parents to dash over, hands in the air, seeking a small kiss or a minuscule hug. Tezen glanced at the king. Aelir gave her a warm smile and a nod. The pixie cried out in joy—a sound that made one wince—and flitted in to peck each child and hug their necks. The little ones tenderly patted her back as she clung to them, taking great care of the pixie’s delicate wings. I felt a warm gaze on me. Lifting my sight from the twins and their guardian, I found tender amber eyes caressing my face.

  Teryn, with his arms around his son and daughter, gave me a smile. Then the second boat arrived, the skiff bearing two Sandrayan guards, Masha, her son, and Jaska. All joyous celebration died as the guards handed Masha over to Teryn, who had rushed forward. The boy was handed over to Teryn’s son, P’tash. Silence, foreboding and deep, settled over the cave. Nothing but the drip of water from the jagged rock formations above, joining with the subtle lap of the sea, was heard as Jaska was manhandled from the skiff to the dock.

  “Abiding by the laws set forth in the Treaty of the Yellow Vales, this criminal is being handed over to you to do as you see fit. The crime was committed against your house by a mainlander. His trial is yours to oversee, Your Majesty. Vahasi Khorsiri sends you his warmest regards and looks forward to returning to the port discussions as soon as possible. We cannot let those who disrupt overtures of peace to sow chaos to prevail. Those who are of Sandrayan blood and took part in this crime are in our custody now. The family of this insurgent is yours to do with as you wish.”

  Masha, now exiled, stood proudly beside Jaska and walked away with him as he was led past a silent monarch. Hatred glowed in the king’s light blue eyes as the sea breeze tugged at the mass of his blond hair. He wore no crown, nor vestments of royalty, but it was clear that this man was nobility.

  “Tell your Vahasi that we are more thankful than we can ever say for his aid, and that includes allowing Mahouk Nouradi to help return our children to us. Port negotiations will resume in two passes of the sun.” Aelir looked at the queen, a child of fabled sailors and explorers, for agreement. Raewyn inclined her chestnut head, blue-green eyes locked on Jaska, her gaze rife with malice barely checked.

  “Talks will resume with all haste, but after I spend the next day with my children,” the queen announced, turning on her heel to stride over to gather her son and daughter and then lead them by hand back up into the castle, with Lady Merrilyn as always right at her side.

  “Take him to the dungeon,” V’alor barked, his hand resting on Aelir’s thin shoulder, the royal guards in attendance taking the prisoner from the Sandrayans. Masha watched in misery, her sleepy son in her arms, as Jaska was led up the damp stairs. She went to follow, but Teryn whispered something to her that gave her pause.

  “We shall take our leave. May the goddess bless you.” The Sandrayan guards bowed deeply before climbing back into the boat to row themselves back to the Simin Draya. Porgo would take them back to their homelands and return to Celear to wait for Teryn to finish the talks that had been so horribly interrupted.

  Aelir came to me after a short talk with Teryn. I lowered my head and clasped my fist to my coil root chest plate. “I cannot express how much joy you and the ambassador have brought to my family on the return of our heirs.”

  “It was my pleasure and duty to serve, Your Majesty.”

  “Yes, and as always, you have served the kingdom well. We will call you up to the solar in the afternoon for a debriefing.” He turned to look at V’alor behind him. The guard commander inclined his head. “Tonight, find some sleep, a good meal, and a cold glass of ice wine and know that the throne is in your debt.”

  He kissed my grimy cheeks. V’alor clasped my forearm, holding it tightly.

  “I knew you were the right man to take my place.”

  “Thank you, Commander.”

  “Please, my friend, this night we are more than ranks. We are old boon companions who have gotten into troubles aplenty as young wild piglets roaming the back alleys. Thank you for bringing the twins home safely. Your valor and service to the commonweal shall be rewarded.”

  I shook my head. “I need no more reward than to see you and your family reunited.”

  His grip tightened momentarily. “My family is eternally in your and the ambassador’s debt. Now, I see that the queen is giving me that telling look of hers. She is eager to be with the little ones as we all are. We shall speak later. Rest well, my friend.”

  “And you, my friend.” He released my arm and went to join Aelir, Merrilyn, and Raewyn as they began the trek back up the steps to the castle. My gaze, as it always seemed to do of late, moved to Teryn.

  Knowing that things had changed now our mission was completed, I took a cleansing breath and turned to face the man who I had come to care for so deeply so damn quickly. He stood alone on the dock, amber gaze on me, his expression pensive as if he too had just realized our time was limited. My cousin stepped in front of me, smiling widely.