Page 72 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

Blue flame flicked across Ursula’s face. Her eyes lowered as she dredged up a memory.

“My mother was her favorite handmaiden. I grew up in the halls of the Undersea Court, which, as you may or may not know, is half above water and half below so we could entertain those courts who did not have gills. My mother and father, a soldier, accompanied the queen on a diplomatic trip. They were attacked by a band of barbarians—no doubt hired by another court. Both my mother and father died defending the queen, and in return, she promised to care for me as her own. I wanted to ensure no one would ever hurt her or me again, so I became an assassin.”

“Blood is always thicker than water,” Baylis said, laying a hand on mine.

Ursula nodded. “It is easy to be thrown into the depths of the Undersea. Many orphans are taken to the underwater mines to work for room and board. The queen spared me that fate, and I am forever in her debt.”

Amolie and I exchanged knowing glances.

“Your queen is just.”

“As any good ruler should be. She does what she feels is best for her people. And I hope I am a part of that.”

At that, we finished dinner, the conversation much lighter.

Finneas and the other satyrs cleared the plates sometime later.

Turning to Ursula, I leaned in and whispered, “Why don’t you and I have a drink in the study? Just the two of us?”

A flirtatious smile full of sharp teeth brightened her face.

“I’ll see you two ladies in the morning. Ursula and I have business to discuss.” Taking Ursula’s hand in mine, I led her into the study, where rows of books lined the walls. The roomsmelled of leather and parchment. I poured her and I a glass of brandy, and we took seats on the couch.

She swirled it around the finely cut crystal.

“The Alder King knows how to stock a bar.”

“Nothing but the best for our guests.”

“Oh, I’m just a guest now? A few weeks ago, you were nearly in my bed. And now we are just friends?” She leaned into me—the smell of brandy heavy on her breath.

“A lot has changed since the Yule Revelry, Ursula. I was a mercenary out for revenge, trying to save my sister. Now, I am the Hand to the Alder King, trying to save the continent. Perhaps the world.”

Her bright expression darkened.

“Oh, you mean Gideon and Erissa? I heard their kingdom burned to the ground.” She moved closer. Her breath made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. “They had to flee. What a pity. You land dwellers love to burn each other. The sea folk know the order of things.”

I tightened my jaw, the weight of our actions pressing down on me, the realization of the destruction we had caused. “Tell me what your queen wants, Ursula.”

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

“It’s really a very simple ask. She wants the siren’s song.”

Fuck. I downed my glass of brandy, letting it burn away everything I wanted to say.

“Can’t the queen of the Undersea get that herself? Are the sirens not her subjects?”

Ursula twiddled her webbed fingers.

“It’s complicated. Calypso, the queen of the sirens, is my queen’s sister. And she can’t very well go and just take it from her. They struck a bargain long ago. Calypso would rule the sirens while Calliope ruled everything else. But my queen has grown tired of her sister’s antics and wants the song for herself.She would pull back the monsters guarding the Isle of Fate so a boat could dock to get it.” Her sea glass eyes narrowed on me.

I swallowed hard.

“What is your queen planning?”

“She just wants to be prepared.” Ursula twirled a piece of my hair around her finger. “You know how monarchs are… Always scheming.”

I bit my lip. Ididknow how monarchs were. There was more to this than she was letting on, but what choice did I have? I needed those monsters cleared.

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