Danielle spent a fitful night, between the rain pounding against the palace and the warning peal of the hurricane bells. The sky was still dark when Talia knocked on the door. It had to be Talia. Anyone else would have hesitated to awaken the prince and princess so early.
Danielle sighed, kissed Armand, and climbed out of bed to get dressed.
Armand rolled over, watching her through the silk curtains. “I talked to my father last night after you went to bed. He’s arranged to have a small chest of gold brought to the
Phillipa
. If the undine do attack, you might be able to buy your freedom. Let Captain Hephyra do the talking, and don’t let them find out who you are.”
“I thought we had decided not to pay.” Danielle sat on the edge of the bed to lace her boots.
“We had.” He sat up and pushed a curtain aside, then kissed the back of her neck. “However, that decision was made before you insisted on sailing out alone.” He kissed her again, moving to the side of the neck, then to her ear. His beard tickled the skin along her cheekbone.
Danielle closed her eyes as her blood pounded harder. She placed a hand on his thigh. “You’ll try anything to keep me safe, won’t you?”
“Mm . . . is it working?”
She laughed and turned to kiss him. His plan might have worked well indeed, if Talia hadn’t chosen that moment to knock again. With a groan, Danielle pulled away and picked up her sword belt. “And what will you be doing today, Prince Armand? Unless your plans have changed, it was my understanding that you meant to lead your warships out to hunt for undine, to deliberately lure them into attacking.”
He lay back, still watching her. “I’ve also ordered extra nets sent to the
Phillipa
. They should be strong enough to use against the undine.”
“Thank you.” She turned around. “I will be careful, Armand.”
“We received word late last night that the undine sank a Lyskaran frigate in their own harbor early yesterday evening.” Armand rubbed his face with both hands, as though he thought he could scrub the fatigue away. “Once again, they left only a single survivor to relay their demand for gold.”
“I’m sorry,” said Danielle.
“I dreamed it was your ship.” He watched as she tugged her hair back into a loose braid. “I watched them pull you down . . .”
Danielle kissed him again. “I have to do this. Your mother would do the same thing.”
“My mother’s actions are the reason she’s laid out in the chapel, a breath away from death.” He climbed out of bed. “Tell your friends I expect them to bring you back to me.”
“Tell your crew the same from me,” Danielle said. She hugged him once, running her fingers through his sleep-tousled hair before pulling away. “Tell them it’s a royal command from their princess.”
She found Talia dressed and ready. She wore only a handful of visible weapons, most notably a curved dagger on her hip and several shorter throwing knives on the opposite side. Danielle had no doubt a small armory was tucked about her person.Talia glanced at Danielle’s outfit and grunted.“I was starting to think you’d changed your mind.”
They stopped at the nursery so Danielle could kiss Jakob good-bye. Jakob hardly stirred at all as she lifted him from the crib. A small puddle of drool on his pillow showed that at least one member of the royal family had managed a good night’s sleep. Danielle dried his cheek as she cradled him to her chest.
“The
Phillipa
is waiting,” Talia said. “The tide will be turning soon. If you want to leave today—”
“I know.” Holding her son, a part of her wanted to send Talia and Snow along without her. They had served Queen Bea for years before Danielle came along. The words were at her throat, but she forced them down. She kissed Jakob again, then gently laid him back into the crib. “I’ll be back soon. I promise.”
“Sleep well,” Talia added. “I’ll do my best to bring your mother back in one piece.”
Danielle smiled at that, though she knew there was truth in Talia’s words. How many had Lirea already killed? The idea of Jakob growing up without his mother, as Danielle had done . . . She bowed her head and followed Talia from the nursery.
Outside, the storm showed no sign of letting up, and they were both soaked by the time they reached their carriage. The cold water washed away her fatigue but left her even more depressed about leaving Jakob and Armand. “Where’s Snow?”
“Waiting with Lannadae. She’s been agitated ever since she found out about her sister.”
“How are we going to get her onto the
Phillipa
without anyone seeing?” Danielle asked. “She can’t exactly scale the ladder with the rest of us.”
“Snow will be bringing her in on the ship’s dinghy, along with various supplies. Including your special request.” Talia wrinkled her nose. “Better her than me.”
Danielle dug her fingers into the embroidered cushions as the carriage rocked in the wind. The road was wide, but a strong enough wind might still upend the carriage, even with the extra weight of the trunks packed in the back.
“I should warn you, it’s dangerous letting Snow do this on her own,” Talia said.
“You think someone might attack her?”
“Worse.” Talia leaned back in her seat. “I think we’re going to spend the rest of the day listening to her make ‘dinghy’ jokes.”
The
Phillipa
was loaded up and anchored near the mouth of the harbor. Snow and Lannadae waited at the dock to row Danielle and Talia out to the ship. The dinghy was already crowded, with three barrels packed into the back and a tarp strapped over Snow’s trunk against the rain. Lannadae hid beneath the tarp as well, curled into a smaller space than Danielle would have thought possible.
By the time Danielle and Talia settled into the boat, it sat so low in the water Danielle feared it might capsize. Danielle tried to adjust her sword to keep the cross guard from jabbing her in the side. She didn’t know how Talia carried so many weapons on her person without bruising herself every time she moved.
Talia squeezed onto the bench beside Snow, taking one of the oars. They rowed together, pulling the boat toward the
Phillipa
.
The
Phillipa
was smaller than the
Glass Slipper
. She was a two-masted ship of unusual design, with a narrower beam than most of the ships Danielle had seen. Her hull was unpainted, the wood oiled to a rich brown. Even in the cloudy morning light, the furled sails gleamed as though they were woven from silver threads. A carved swan was mounted at the bow, her long head extending beneath the bowsprit.
“She was a gift from the fairy queen.” Snow pointed to the mainmast. “The spars are freestanding, which means she has a broader range of motion. The sheets are much lighter than canvas but just as strong. The rigging was woven from—”
“She’s fast and she’s strong,” Talia snapped. “We get that. Now would you mind paying attention to what you’re doing before you completely turn us around?”
“I want to see,” said Lannadae.
Danielle pressed gently on her shoulder to keep her down. “You will. We’re almost there. Stay down until we reach the far side of the ship.”
“We’ll secure the lines to the boat before we board,” Snow said. “Lannadae, you’ll be alone when they raise it from the water. Too much weight makes it harder to hoist their dinghy.” She smirked. “Stay out of sight until we get you. Captain Hephyra knows you’re coming, but I’m not sure how the rest of the crew will feel.”
“I understand.” Lannadae’s breathing was faster than normal, and her scales were puffed outward. A sign of fear, Danielle guessed. This was the first time Lannadae had been out of her cave since the past fall.
“Captain Hephyra had no objections to taking an undine passenger?” Danielle asked.
Snow grinned. “If anyone will take a mermaid on board, it’s Hephyra.” With that odd proclamation, Snow stood up in the boat and waved to the crew.
Once Snow and Talia had finished knotting the ropes to the front and back of the dinghy, one of the crew lowered a rope ladder. Danielle followed the others onto Queen Beatrice’s personal sailing ship.
The
Phillipa
was a madhouse. Rain splashed against the deck as the crew rushed to secure the last of the supplies. She spotted James helping to haul several barrels up from another boat and waved. James returned the greeting. He appeared nervous, his bruised face grim as he turned back to his duties.
“Captain?” Danielle called, shouting to be heard over the storm.
“Princess Whiteshore?”The speaker was a tall woman perched on the platform near the top of the mainmast. The maintop, if Danielle remembered the terminology correctly.
“You’ll be wanting to back up,” said a passing crewman.
He hurried on before Danielle could respond, but she did as he suggested. Moments later, the woman leaped from the platform. She landed in front of the three princesses, one hand hitting the deck to help absorb the impact.
Danielle stared. For an instant, the woman’s bare feet had sunk
into
the boards of the deck. The woman straightened. “Snow. Talia. Nice to see you both again.”
“Captain Hephyra,” Danielle guessed, still staring. Not even Talia could have made such a jump without breaking her legs.
Hephyra was easily a head taller than most of the crew, dressed in a fashion that might have come straight from the more risqué section of Snow’s wardrobe. The rain had soaked her white shirt, and a dark green bodice did little to preserve her modesty. Auburn hair hung nearly to her waist. Her sleeves were tied back above the elbow, revealing a slender gold tattoo around her wrist in the design of a chain. Her trousers were a style Danielle didn’t recognize, dark brown and tied at the knee to reveal well-muscled legs.
Her eyes drew Danielle’s attention, being a deeper green than she had ever seen before. They reminded her of new-budded leaves.
Captain Hephyra tugged a bandanna from her belt and tied her hair back from her face. “You’re welcome to hide out in your cabin while we prepare. Personally, I prefer the rain.” She spread her arms, tilting her face back.
“You’re mad,” Snow said cheerfully. “You know that, don’t you?”
“I’m not the one who decided to sail through this weather,” Hephyra answered. “The king’s man said it was important.”
Before Danielle could answer, one of the crew swore. “Captain, we’ve got a mermaid here!”
Hephyra strode to the side of the ship, where the dinghy hung just below the railing. “That would be our other passenger, I presume?”
“Her name is Lannadae,” Danielle said. Already a handful of men gathered at the railing. Several carried knives and shortswords. “She’s a friend of the queen.”
“And you’re bringing her on my ship why?”
Snow folded her arms. “
Your
ship?”
“Fine.” Hephyra rubbed her wrist, scowling at Snow. “The queen’s ship.”
Danielle looked at Snow, trying to understand the hard edge beneath Hephyra’s words.
“The
Phillipa
was a gift to Queen Beatrice,” Snow explained.
“From the fairy queen. I remember.” Danielle looked back at Hephyra.
“Carved from the tree of a dryad.” Hephyra’s fingers caressed the rail. “
My
tree.”
Danielle looked around. “The whole ship?”
“It was a big tree.”
“Hephyra had trespassed on the queen’s land,” Snow said. “The queen meant to make an example of her by killing her tree. She had it cut down and turned into this ship. She assumed that would be enough to kill Hephyra as well, but—”
“But the ancient trees are tougher than even the queen knows, may termites burrow her a second arse-hole.” Hephyra turned her head and spat. “Beatrice understood what this gift was. I had hidden within the grain to avoid the royal bitch’s wrath, but by the time we arrived in Lorindar my tree had begun to die. Beatrice found me and had her witch here do what she could to save the tree. The fairy queen’s oath binds this ship to Beatrice. None can break that bond, which makes me her servant. But as long as I stay, the
Phillipa
and I both survive.”
“Sorceress, not witch,” Snow muttered.
“So the
Phillipa
is alive?” Danielle asked.
“That’s right. And you still haven’t explained your pet mermaid.”
Lannadae must have realized she was discovered. She sat up and peered up at the crew.
“You’ve heard what happened?” Danielle asked. At Hephyra’s nod, she said, “Beatrice is dying.” A knot tightened her throat.“Lannadae can take us to one of her kin, someone who might be able to save the queen.”
Hephyra leaned against the rail. “Why would I want to help you save her? Her death means my freedom.”
“Beatrice saved your life,” Danielle said. “She could have let you die.”
“That was her choice,” the dryad said with a shrug. “I’m bound to her, Princess. Not you.”