Defend the Dawn (Defy the Night #2)(42)

“I expect Prince Corrick to return unharmed,” he says, and there’s a note in his voice I don’t think I’ve ever heard before. The promise of vengeance hangs in every syllable.

Captain Blakemore doesn’t back down, but he matches Harristan’s intensity when he says, “Understood, Your Majesty.”

The rain pours down among us, but my brother doesn’t move.

Harristan needs to see confidence in my expression, so I clap him on the shoulder. “I have no doubt Captain Blakemore and I will be old friends by the time we return.”

Rian smiles slyly. “I’m so glad to hear it, Your Highness.”

I cut him a glance. “Do you want him to let me get on the boat or not?”

Harristan sighs as if he’s tired of us both, but then he stifles a cough.

I frown. “Your carriage is waiting,” I say, as if this was entirely planned, and there’s no surprise to my brother being out on the docks. “Get out of the rain. We shouldn’t delay.”

My brother nods, then takes a step back. “Farewell, Cory.”

Somehow this is harder than it was in the carriage.

Without warning, a dozen random memories flash in my thoughts. The time he spilled tea down the front of his jacket just before a meeting with the consuls, so I shrugged out of mine before anyone would catch him in a state of disarray. The time we snuck into the Wilds and a fortune-teller tried to trick me out of the few coins I carried, but Harristan saw through his ruse and snatched my money back out of the man’s palm. The time when he couldn’t catch his breath in the training arena, and his opponent, Allisander himself, took advantage of the moment to chase my brother into the dirt. I was only ten or eleven, but I climbed the fence and tackled Allisander myself. The weapons master had to haul me off him.

The moment Harristan dove to cover me when our parents were assassinated.

My throat threatens to tighten, so I blink the memories away.

“Farewell,” I say, and my brother steps onto the dock.

“Follow me, Your Highness,” Captain Blakemore says, before my heart can start pounding at the thought that this is it. He doesn’t even wait to see if I follow; he simply heads toward the top of the ramp. “Miss Cade insisted on allowing you to select your choice of quarters first.”

If anything could send a bolt of warmth to the center of my chest, it’s the mention of Tessa. I’m not alone here. Not really.

I shove wet hair back from my face and stride forward, Rocco at my side.

I expect Prince Corrick to return unharmed.

My brother’s words, his vehemence, add to that bolt of warmth in my chest.

But then I consider what Rian said in response.

Understood, Your Majesty.

Not an assurance. Not a promise.

An understanding.

I glance at Rocco. “Stay sharp,” I say quietly.

“Yes, Your Highness.” He glances at the sea captain striding ahead of us. “You have my word.”





CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Tessa

I’ve only been on the boat for half an hour, but my stomach is already threatening to empty itself all over the floorboards of my room. Or possibly Corrick’s room. He can decide when he arrives. We’re not even at sea yet, but I’m ready to tear apart my apothecary kit, because I could chew through an entire twist of ginger root. I definitely wish I’d waited for Corrick on the docks. It might have been raining, but at least it was stable. I press my hands to my abdomen and wonder what’s keeping him. I saw the flicker of worry in Captain Blakemore’s eyes when he looked at the sky.

Rapid footsteps cross the floorboards overhead, stepping with purpose. I try not to wonder if the storm is worse than they expected, if we’re too late to leave safely. A large porthole sits on the opposite side of the room, heavy glass crossed by steel bars, and rain has been steadily beating at the window since I walked in. I’ve been trying not to look through it because all I can see are the gas lamps on the dock shifting up and down.

When Captain Blakemore showed me to this room, he said, “We’ve given you all the rear quarters since you’re not used to being at sea. The going should be a bit smoother here.” He then pointed at the ceiling and said something about the officers’ stations and navigational rooms being above us, but by that point, I was trying to keep from stumbling into him again.

It’s bad enough that it happened once.

I wonder if Kilbourne will say something to Corrick. I remember the flare of intrigue in the captain’s eyes when he asked if I would be sharing quarters with the prince. It feels like the kind of detail a guardsman wouldn’t leave unremarked.

A knock raps at the door, and Kilbourne calls, “Miss Tessa. An audience has been—”

My heart leaps. Oh thank goodness. He’s here. I don’t even wait for Kilbourne to finish his announcement before I stride to the door and throw it open.

I stop short. It’s not Corrick. It’s Lochlan. His eyes are hard and his jaw is set.

My heart’s leap turns into a stumble.

I haven’t seen Lochlan since he caused a scene in the candy shop, and I was doubtful when I learned he’d be on this journey. A willowy young man in palace livery stands behind him, but it’s very obvious that he’s been charged with keeping Lochlan out of trouble. He looks more like a student than a guard.