Page 76 of Queen of Serpents and Shadows

The joy hanging in the air around us faded, and I watched as Vanth and Ara tensed, their expressions hardening into those of warriors.

“Let’s go help them determine which threads they should cut, then, shall we?” Ara asked.

29

Ara

There werea dozen ships in the harbor as Athos came into view. “Those aren’t fae ships.”

“No, those aren’t,” Rvyin agreed.

The captain approached us, his face pale. “We have to turn around. Our ship isn’t prepared for battle.”

“They aren’t here to fight us,” Vanth told him.

“It’s Thebes, isn’t it?” I said, recalling Aspasia’s promise.

Ryvin nodded.

“Vampires? Here in Athos?” The captain was sweating now. “I thought we were expecting the fae. We can’t fight off both.”

“They’re here to help,” I said. “We’ve made an agreement with them.” It was a bit of a lie.Athos had never negotiated with the vampires as far as I knew. We were taking all this based on Aspasia’s word.

“She’ll honor what she said,” Rvyin whispered.

I gave him a look, hoping he could interpret it. It was both annoying and reassuring when he guessed what I was thinking. He took hold of my hand and gave it a squeeze.

“There’s nobody in the ships,” someone called.

The captain walked toward the bow, squinting into the distance. “I don’t see anyone either.”

“They must be in the city,” I suggested.

“Maintain course,” the captain called.

The sailors were quiet as we pulled into the harbor. I could see the empty ships sitting there. Though they were similar to the ships used by Athos and Konos, they were just different enough in their shape that they stood out. “They’re going to tip off the fae that we have help by leaving those there.”

“I’m sure there’s a plan,” Rvyin said. “I hope.”

“We won’t be here when this all goes down,” the captain said suddenly. “We’re restocking supplies, then we’ll travel to Telos to wait this out.”

Ryvin removed something from his pocket and handed it to the Captain. “If anyone questions you, show this.”

The Captain inclined his head. “It’s been an honor sailing with you, your highness.” He turned to me. “Princess.”

He left us and began to shout orders to prepare for docking. I looked over at Ryvin. “What did you give him?”

“Fae coin with my father’s royal seal. They’re very rareand only used by the inner circle. It should help him survive if we aren’t successful.”

I turned and stared at the city, trying not to dwell on his statement. It was the first time I’d heard him mention the possibility that we’d fail.

The city was nearly abandoned when we walked through. I longed for the days when my biggest fear in town was the stares I’d get from the citizens who knew who I was. As we neared the road out of town toward the palace, we saw a few groups carrying bags and bundles.

“Looks like your sister opened the gates,” Vanth said.

“That’s good. Hopefully, we’ll be able to keep them safe,” I replied.

None of the people walking seemed to notice us as we passed them. They were too focused on carrying their goods and keeping their children moving to worry about anything else.

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