Page 72 of The King's Man 4

“Only some. I’d have to drop the shield to do it.”

“Don’t!”

“Now you like my magic.”

He huffs. “What about you, healer?”

I grimace toward my sack, now lying behind armed men.

“Well, aren’t you caught in Sylgja’s tides,” comes a thickly accented voice.

In front of us, the blonde, leather-clad men part, making way. The captain. He gestures to two of his crew, who scurry off at his command.

Torchlight flickers against his stoic, broad-shouldered profile and his golden mane. Like most Skeldars, his beardless cheeks give him a deceptively youthful appearance. Along with their renowned attractiveness and tall, large frames, Skeldars are difficult to calculate. They look strong, but too beautiful to be truly dangerous.

That’s how they trap their enemies.

Even Megaera sighs. But not me. I grip her arm tightly. “Don’t be fooled.”

She stiffens.

Behind us, Lykos mutters.

The captain laughs, his brilliant blue eyes locking onto me. “Ah. You’re part Skeldar.”

Megaera snorts lightly beside me. “Finally explains what everyone sees in you.”

I elbow her.

The captain removes his weapons, passing them to his men, and whisks off his fur-lined cloak, revealing a reinforced leather breastplate adorned with intricate patterns, imagery of Skjaldur, their God of war, and runes for bravery, victory, and protection.

“You were too eager. If you’d waited longer, we might’ve been too far into the hills to see you scurrying over our deck.”

I grit my teeth against the urge to deflate. We can’t give up now; we have to find a way...

Gravity shifts as the boat rises and falls more deeply than before. I glance sideways—

We’re already drifting away from the dock. The briny tang of the stirred sea grows stronger.

My heart pounds wildly. This ship will sail over the channel to Iskaldir. I want to get there, but as a free person. Not as a slave. Megaera notices the movement too; her shield quivers before she regains her composure.

The captain smiles, leaning toward our dome, lowering his voice. “Nice shield.”

His unspoken challenge:You’ll be drained of spiritual energy soon enough. Then what?

Megaera speaks first, her tone light, unaffected. “We acted out of familial duty. This prisoner is young, a child to us. Let us go, and in our retellings of this adventure, you’ll emerge as merciful, honourable.”

Lykos seizes his moment. “Let me and my boy go, and you can have these two. Along with valuable information about our king.”

I stiffen. What does he know? What would he dare tell these enemies? I can’t let that happen.

“Drop the shield.”

Megaera hisses at me.

“Drop the shield or let the captain in.”

“I could kill you in one sweep,” the captain says.

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