So I Married a Sorcerer (The Embraced #2)(6)

Captain Shaw lifted his spyglass to study a new group of ships coming straight toward them. “Damn,” he whispered.

Brigitta swallowed hard. There were nine ships on the horizon, the middle one leading the pack. The sails seemed mostly white with some sort of black markings, but they were too far away for her to see clearly.

“Are they Tourinians?” Mother Ginessa asked.

“Aye. But not the royal navy.” The captain turned toward the first mate. “Sound the alarm.”

As a horn blasted, Brigitta’s stomach twisted with a sharp pain. “What’s wrong, Captain? Who are they?”

“Pirates.”

Brigitta gasped. A strong wind knocked her back a step and blew the hood off her head.

“We’re doomed!” Sister Fallyn cried. “Doomed!”

“The wind is behind them, so they’re coming in fast.” Captain Shaw gave Mother Ginessa a stern look. “And the dinghy from the Tourinian navy will arrive in a few minutes. You need to talk now. What do we have that is so valuable?” He glanced at Brigitta. “Or is it whom?”

A wave of light-headedness struck Brigitta, and she grabbed on to the back railing to steady herself.

Mother Ginessa’s eyes glistened with tears as she turned to Brigitta. “I am so sorry, child. I have tried to protect you all these years, but I fear I have failed.”

“Nay, ye’ve always been good to me,” Brigitta whispered. “Please tell me what I need to know.”

“Very well.” Mother Ginessa pulled Brigitta’s hood up to cover her hair. “Ye’re the princess of Tourin.”

Brigitta’s thoughts swirled. “Nay, I—” Her stomach heaved. She leaned over the railing as she lost her battle with nausea.





Chapter Two

Rupert stood in the crow’s nest of the lead pirate ship, using his spyglass to study the vessels in the distance. His own design, the spyglass was better than any other he’d seen on Aerthlan. Not only did it give him a strategic advantage, but it provided some entertainment as well. For he could actually see people’s reactions when they realized a fleet of pirate ships was headed their way.

Some captains and crew scrambled frantically about like a bunch of ants that had just had their ant bed kicked in. Those were usually the Tourinian naval ships, loaded with so much gold they became overly heavy and cumbersome.

King Gunther was too paranoid to have anyone but the royal navy transport his precious gold from the mountainous region of northern Tourin to his capital of Lourdon in the south. He’d equipped each of his naval ships with a dozen or more cannons, figuring that would keep anyone from attempting to steal his gold.

Rupert had been proving him wrong for seven years.

Now, as he watched the three Tourinian naval ships, he noted how easily they maneuvered around the lone Eberoni vessel. Obviously, they were not burdened with gold. No, they were on a different sort of transport mission—abscond with the Tourinian princess and deliver her to her older brother, Gunther. Already, they had launched a dinghy that was headed for the Eberoni ship.

Fortunately for Rupert, he had a spy who worked with the carrier pigeons at the Tourinian royal court. Whenever Gunther had a message sent, Rupert received a copy of it.

Unfortunately for Rupert, he and his fleet had been farther south, so it had taken longer for the message to reach him. But with a strong wind at their backs, Rupert’s fleet had managed to arrive just in time.

Why? he wondered once again. Why was Gunther reclaiming a sister who had been declared dead years ago?

Was she truly alive? Rupert had read the message at least ten times before daring to believe it. She must have spent the last nineteen years in hiding. Just like him. The prospect that she’d also survived was more exciting than he cared to admit. He’d immediately headed north to see if she was, indeed, alive. And to capture her for himself.

For the ransom, he thought, correcting himself. She was nothing more than a tool that would allow him to torment her bastard brother and steal more of his gold.

“Have you spotted her yet?” Stefan yelled from below. “Will you even recognize her?”

Rupert winced inwardly. “I will.” Somehow.

Stefan’s dubious snort was his only answer.

With a groan, Rupert shifted his gaze back to the Eberoni naval vessel. How would he recognize a woman he hadn’t seen since she was a babe? Hopefully, she’d be the only female on board. That would make it easy.

Holy crap. There were five—no, six females crowded on the quarterdeck with the Eberoni captain and two of his crew. Even worse, the women were all dressed exactly alike. Cream-colored woolen gowns topped with plain brown cloaks, the sort of clothes worn by nuns. Had the so-called princess been hiding in a convent all these years? If so, she’d brought half the damned convent with her. “Shit.”

“What’s wrong?” Stefan asked.

“Nothing.” Rupert quickly studied the lineup. The women wore their hair plaited in a single braid down their backs. The first one had black hair speckled with gray. Another one had the white-blond hair and pointed ears of an elf. The next one looked like a Norveshki with her wild red hair slipping free from her braid. Three down.

The fourth woman was making the sign of the moons and appeared ready to faint at any moment. She looked Tourinian with her blond hair and pale skin, but she seemed a bit too old to be nineteen. The girl next to her looked a little too young. Black hair.