Growling, the big man dragged Keris by the hair down to the rocky beach. Pain lanced through his body as he bounced over the sharp edges, but he refused to cry out. Refused to give these creatures any form of victory.
“Let me see his face!” a familiar voice shouted from above, and Keris found himself stiffening.
Kian pulled Keris’s head back so that he was looking at the cliff tops, where Bermin’s broad form
“I see,” Keris said. “Doesn’t that make you question whether promises will be honored? Doesn’t it was outlined by the setting sun. It made sense that the Prince was here, that he’d be his mother’s agent in this transaction, yet somehow, it felt unexpected.
Which made Keris uneasy.
“Keris Veliant,” the Valcottan prince crooned. “I’d say that it was a pleasure to meet you, but we’ve met once before.”
Keris’s heart skittered, because if Bermin had realized it had been him on the Cardiffian ship—
“In Nerastis.”
Relief flooded him, for the vessel’s cover hadn’t been compromised. “You weren’t in a position to say much the first time,” Keris called back, distinctly remembering how his shoulder had connected every penny, including your golden smile, before loading you like cattle onto the ship? You’re clearly with the other man’s throat. “Though I see you’ve recovered from that particular humiliation.”
“It is no humiliation to learn the nature of your enemy.” Bermin moved closer to the edge of the cliff. “It brought us to this moment.”
“Self-interest, my friend.” Keris righted himself on the ground, knowing that every one of them was Keris’s gut soured. What did Bermin mean by that?
listening. “Make sure you and yours go up first before you bring me up. They know you for dangerous
“On my honor, the man before us is King Keris Veliant of Maridrina.” Bermin looked sideways at the crowd of soldiers lining the cliff. “You’ll all swear that it is him?”
The soldiers all nodded, expressions grim. There were dozens of them, all heavily armed in preparation for allowing the scores of prisoners in Kian’s tribe free of their prison, exactly as Keris had anticipated. Yet something felt wrong.
Kian shouted, “We captured him for you. Now deliver on your promise and set us free.”
As he’d expected from a group of criminals, their eyes brightened with greed at the proposition, not Bermin chuckled, then said, “You have served the Empire well,” as the sun disappeared behind the cliff, plunging Keris into darkness. “Allow your future emperor to reward you with your freedom.”
Taking a torch from a soldier, Bermin flung it across the channel, where it fell among the prisoners.
More torches followed, until the beach was lit up like the sun had reversed its course around the There were nods and grunts of agreement, several spitting on the ground and cursing the Empire. Toworld. Several of the prisoners lifted the burning brands, but Keris felt his own trepidation mirrored on their faces.
“Send them to hell!” Bermin roared.
As one, his soldiers raised their bows. The prisoners shouted in alarm, turning to run, but a barrage of arrows descended in a cloud. Keris held his breath, fighting every instinct that demanded he flee the onslaught. Men dropped all around, Kian nearly landing on him as he fell, arrow through his throat. Keris’s ears rang with the noise of their agonized cries for help; then it was nothing more than moans of dying men and women, his plan to escape Petra’s grasp now smoke on the wind.
Keris gritted his teeth. It didn’t matter. The only person this affected was him; everything else was Several men departed, but the rest scuttled among the shacks and tents, gathering barrels and water-still in play. Aren, Daria, and her tribe would be escaping across their bridges under the cover of darkness, would make it to the pier during the time Bermin spent on these theatrics, and Lara’s ship would soon ferry them away.
Lifting his head, he stared at Bermin’s outline, illuminated by more torches. “I think it’s safe for thousand pounds of rock had been lifted from his shoulders with the disappearance of that uncertainty. you to come down now.”
Bermin laughed, then said, “Did you know the guards have a saying here? They say that the devil demands the soul of every person who steps on this island, which is why there is no way down. No one would ever use it.” He took a bow from one of his men, leveling an arrow at Keris’s chest. “Time to give the devil his due, Your Grace.”
was outlined by the setting sun. It made sense that the Prince was here, that he’d be his mother’s agent
Bermin chuckled, then said, “You have served the Empire well,” as the sun disappeared behind the cliff, plunging Keris into darkness. “Allow your future emperor to reward you with your freedom.”
Taking a torch from a soldier, Bermin flung it across the channel, where it fell among the prisoners.
More torches followed, until the beach was lit up like the sun had reversed its course around the world. Several of the prisoners lifted the burning brands, but Keris felt his own trepidation mirrored on their faces.
“Send them to hell!” Bermin roared.
As one, his soldiers raised their bows. The prisoners shouted in alarm, turning to run, but a barrage of arrows descended in a cloud. Keris held his breath, fighting every instinct that demanded he flee the onslaught. Men dropped all around, Kian nearly landing on him as he fell, arrow through his throat. Keris’s ears rang with the noise of their agonized cries for help; then it was nothing more than moans of dying men and women, his plan to escape Petra’s grasp now smoke on the wind.
Keris gritted his teeth. It didn’t matter. The only person this affected was him; everything else was still in play. Aren, Daria, and her tribe would be escaping across their bridges under the cover of darkness, would make it to the pier during the time Bermin spent on these theatrics, and Lara’s ship would soon ferry them away.
Lifting his head, he stared at Bermin’s outline, illuminated by more torches. “I think it’s safe for you to come down now.”
Bermin laughed, then said, “Did you know the guards have a saying here? They say that the devil demands the soul of every person who steps on this island, which is why there is no way down. No one would ever use it.” He took a bow from one of his men, leveling an arrow at Keris’s chest. “Time to give the devil his due, Your Grace.”
THE WORLD SWAM around her, familiar voices filling her ears, and Zarrah shook her head to
clear it.
“We got you, girl,” Daria said, and fingers pulled the filthy gag from her mouth. “Once
we’re out of harm’s way, we’ll get those ropes off you.”
Harm’s way.
Keris.
He’d come for her.
And Daria had betrayed him.
Panic and fury flooded her veins, and Zarrah twisted, falling to her knees. “You bitch,” she hissed at Daria. “You gave him to them. You killed him.”
“Keris gave himself up,” a familiar voice said, and then the ropes around her wrists loosened.
“The Empress will want him as a prisoner, and he has a plan to get free.”
Zarrah whirled to face Aren, shock to find him there mixing with her rising panic. “It’s not the Empress who made the deal with Kian; it’s Bermin. He’s been plotting behind the Empress’s back.
The second he has Keris in his sights, he’s going to kill him.”
“He won’t risk crossing Petra,” Aren said. “He’ll take him prisoner, which gives us time to get him back.”
Zarrah gave a wild shake of her head. “The last thing Bermin said before he imprisoned me was that he planned to kill Keris. He swore it to me on his honor.”
Unease filled Aren’s hazel eyes. “But the navy … Bermin couldn’t have ordered all those ships here without Petra agreeing to it.”