So I Married a Sorcerer (The Embraced #2)

Gwennore straightened. “I suppose she sent him to guard us.”

Brigitta studied the dog closely. “I’m more curious about the first time we met him. How did he end up on the Isle of Moon?” A strong breeze whipped some of her hair loose from her braid, and by the time she pushed it away from her eyes, the dog had slipped away.

At least, the cool spring breeze was making her stomach feel better. With a quick glance up, she noted the sails were full. They were mostly white, but two stripes crossed each sail diagonally in the colors of red and black, the royal colors of Eberon.

“What are ye doing here?” Mother Ginessa grabbed her and quickly pulled the hood of her cloak over her hair. “Ye mustn’t let anyone see you.”

Brigitta’s breath hitched as a tingling sensation crept along her nerves and blurred her vision for a few seconds. The older woman’s touch had triggered her special gift, and Brigitta was reminded once again that Mother Ginessa was hiding a great number of secrets.

A loud whistle sounded, and the drums abruptly stopped. The oarsmen were belowdecks, so Brigitta couldn’t see them, but she felt the ship slowing down. After another whistle, crewmen began lowering the sails.

“Goddesses, protect us!” Sister Fallyn cried as she made the sign of the moons. “We’ll be dead in the water!”

“Nay!” Mother Ginessa scrambled up the stairs to the quarterdeck where Captain Shaw was standing with the first mate and helmsman. “We cannot slow down! We must evade them!”

Them? Brigitta turned toward the bow of the ship, and her heart lurched. With the sails furled, she now had a clearer view. Three large ships were fanned out before them, blocking their passage to Eberon, and each ship had sails bordered with blue and gold.

“The royal colors of Tourin,” Sorcha breathed.

Holy goddesses. Here was clear proof that the fate of the Telling Stones had begun. A sharp twinge shot through Brigitta’s stomach, but she ignored the pain and stumbled up the stairs onto the quarterdeck.

“We tried evasion,” Captain Shaw was explaining to Mother Ginessa. “But with three ships, they can continue to block our every move.” He crossed his arms as he studied the ships. “They haven’t gone to battle stations, so I believe they mean us no harm. I can only conclude that they want something.”

“Please, Captain.” Mother Ginessa latched on to his sleeve. “Ye cannot let them catch us!”

The captain gave her a curious look. “Do you know why the Tourinian Royal Navy has stopped us?”

Mother Ginessa quickly released him. “Of course not. But if we cannot move forward, then we must go back.” She glanced at Brigitta. “We should go back to the convent. We’ll be safe there.”

“Not necessarily.” Captain Shaw frowned. “If we return to the Isle of Moon, they could simply follow us.”

“We have cannons.” Sister Fallyn clambered up onto the quarterdeck. “Why don’t we shoot at them?”

Captain Shaw gave her an incredulous look. “That would be suicidal. They have us outnumbered and outgunned.”

“Holy goddesses!” Sister Fallyn made the sign of the moons. “We’re doomed!”

“Calm yerself, Sister!” Mother Ginessa fussed.

“There is no need for you to worry,” Captain Shaw assured them. “If they meant to attack, they would have already done so. And I seriously doubt the Tourinian king wants to start a war with Eberon. King Gunther’s hands are full right now. Norveshka has been attacking him from the east, and on the west along his coastline, he’s constantly plagued with pirates.”

“Sir.” The first mate handed him a spyglass. “The middle ship is waving a flag.”

Captain Shaw peered through the spyglass. “Ah. White flag with a sun. I was expecting that.”

“What does it mean?” Brigitta asked.

The captain lowered the spyglass. “Even though the mainland kingdoms are often at war, we have one thing in common—the worship of the sun god. That flag means they come in peace and merely wish to parley.”

“Peace?” Sister Fallyn scoffed. “Tourinians don’t know the meaning of peace. They are violent, vicious, and cruel! A bunch of murderers and thieves! Nothing good has ever come from Tourin!”

Brigitta gave the nun a surprised look. “I thought ye came from Tourin.”

Sister Fallyn huffed. “Well, aye, but I escaped as soon as I could.”

Brigitta wondered what had happened to the nun, but the ship suddenly tilted to the left, causing her to stumble toward the side railing. One look at the churning water below made her stomach lurch. Quickly she looked away, but even the sound of the ocean slapping against the sides of the ship nauseated her.

Mother Ginessa grabbed her by the shoulders. “Ye must go below. We cannot let the Tourinians see you.”

Brigitta swallowed hard at the bile rising up her throat. “Why me?”

“Aye, why her?” Sorcha demanded as she and the other sisters scurried up the steps to the quarterdeck.

Captain Shaw winced. “Begging your pardon, ladies, but you’re not supposed to be on my deck without my permiss—”

“Look!” Gwennore pointed at the middle Tourinian ship. “They’ve launched a dinghy.”

The captain groaned as it became clear that his quarterdeck would remain overcrowded. “They’re sending an envoy over to talk to us.” He gave Mother Ginessa a pointed look. “I will ask you once again, madam. Do you know why they are so interested in us?”

“Aye!” Sorcha aimed a frustrated look at her. “What do ye know that ye’re not telling us?”

Mother Ginessa heaved a resigned sigh. “Very well. I’ll tell Brigitta after she comes belowdecks with me. We cannot risk the Tourinians seeing her.”

“This is my ship,” Captain Shaw growled. “I need to know what’s going on.”

A whistle sounded from the crow’s nest above them. “Incoming from the south!” the sailor yelled.

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.