Page 137 of The Endless War

Keris moved to rest his elbows on the railing, surveying the storm-tossed sea ahead of him, Nerastis faintly visible on the horizon.

“Her blockade still holds,” Aren said. “Reports say there are ten ships on patrol, though Maridrina still holds the harbor.”

“Can you sink them?”

Aren snorted. “Of course I can. But are you sure you want to? It’s a declaration of war, and as yet, you have no army. Only holds full of civilians willing to fight.”

“Sink them.”

Aren was silent. “Are you sure? If we leave them be, we still have the option to back away from this conflict if we need to. There is no turning back if we sink ten of her ships.”

“When I step onto that dock, I want my army to have only one path forward,” Keris answered. “There can be no other choice after what Petra has done.”

All that remained to be seen was whether it would be an invasion or a liberation. If it was the former, he was unlikely to be alive to witness it.

Aren’s eyes went to the seas. He was under no obligation to do what Keris wanted. The fleet was Ithicana’s, as were most of the trained soldiers, and doing this would also be a declaration of war on his part. A war he couldn’t really afford, given his nation was battered and healing from the last.

Aren cleared his throat. “Put every one of those vessels under the waves.”

The order echoed over the ship, the Ithicanians moving without question. While those in the main fleet lowered sails to slow their pace, over two dozen tiny vessels broke ahead, splitting off in different directions to disappear into the storm.

“Now we wait.”

Keris’s heart throbbed a steady beat, his eyes moving over the grey horizon. No one spoke, the world seeming to stand still despite the violence of the seas and fierce snapping of the banners above his head.

Brilliant light bloomed on the horizon, only to disappear.

Keris blinked, for a heartbeat thinking that he’d imagined it, only for another ball of light to bloom. Then another.

Aren made a noise of approval. “They’re only putting holes in the hulls. Most will stagger back to shore before they sink.”

Most.But not all. Keris felt queasy witnessing the ease with which they had extinguished lives. A few words spoken, some explosives, and hearts ceased to beat. Men and women who had families. Friends. Who, a matter of minutes ago, had believed their whole lives ahead of them. “Make port.”

Motion caught his eye. Sarhina stood glaring at him from below, and she lifted her fingers to beckon him. Keris made his way down, following her out of the rain, Dax on his heels.

“Will this do?” She gestured to the large piece of parchment on the table, ink still glistening wet. His eyes drifted over the words. “Yes.”

But as he picked up the pen to sign, his half sister caught hold of his wrist. “This is folly that you can’t afford.”

Keris didn’t answer, only prised her fingers off his wrist and signed his name. Pulling the ring Aren had returned to him off his finger, he sealed the order in red wax. “Dax,” he said. “If it comes to it, you must swear that you watched me sign and seal this with my own hand, understood?”

His bodyguard leaned forward to read the alteration to Maridrinian law that was old as time. “Bloody hell, you do like to kick the hornet’s nest.” Then he huffed out a breath. “You won’t need a witness. Everyone will know you’re behind this.”

“Because it’s stupidity,” Sarhina snarled, sprinkling sand over thewet ink to dry it while blowing on the wax. “And it will be the death of me.” She carefully packaged the document. “Excuse me, Your Grace, I need to leave before I succumb to my burning desire to remove your heart.”

She stormed away, law in hand. Keris gave a faint smile at her back because he’d seen the care she’d taken with the order, the paper carefully rolled up in a waxed wrapping to keep it safe from the weather. No matter what happened here, Sarhina would see it through.

Out the window, Nerastis appeared in his line of sight as Aren captained the vessel into the harbor, and Keris returned to the quarterdeck. The docks were filled with soldiers in Maridrinian uniforms, cloaks hanging sodden in the rain, which fell harder now, pinging against his armored shoulders.

He’d won them over once before when he’d refused his father’s orders to abandon Nerastis, but what goodwill had been earned then would be vanquished by the sacking of Vencia, for there was little doubt that the news had traveled ahead of him.

He’d left openings for those like Lestara to make their moves. His misstep had cost many of them their homes. Lives of friends and family. They had no reason to follow him anywhere, and he didn’t think speeches would work on these battle-hardened men.

Keris didn’t know what he was going to do. Didn’t know what he was going to say.

The sails lowered, the ship drifting toward the dock. Keris recognized some of the men waiting, helmets tucked under their arms, hair plastered to their faces. How would he convince them to do this?

Needing to move, he made his way down to the main deck, where the Ithicanians were tossing lines to those on the docks and readying a gangplank. His own few soldiers massed on deck behind him, their faces unreadable, although he could smell the sweat of nerves. Had heard the whispered comments between them on the journey south that this would result in a coup against the crown. That he’d be deposed. That he’d forever be known as the Veliant with the shortest reign in history.

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