Page 91 of The Queens and the Kings
“Are you fighting for the General or not?” Pedr parried.
“With,” Einar countered with a hint of black steel in his tone. “I don’t fight for anyone but myself these days.”
Well.
Maybe Einar wasn’t so bad.
Henrik’s hand pressed to Britt’s back, steering her toward the front of the ship. She made a move to slip out of his coat, but he pressed his hand to her shoulder. She left it in place. Pedr’s eyes narrowed at the warm look between them.
Maybe therewassomething to worry about.
“How was your picnic?” Einar asked.
“Jolly.”
“Oh?”
“Found a lost wyvern on the sea.” Pedr tilted the wheel a few pegs to the right. The ship banked, heading more west than south. “Thought we’d fly over and save it. Britt sprouted wings, flew in a storm. A current swept up, threatened to kill everyone on the ship so she naturally saved the wyvern and left the sailors to die. The wyvern dropped her in the sea, which almost drowned her, but I wouldn’t let it. Because of a wooden circle, naturally.”
Einar tilted his head, clearly calculating whether he should take him seriously.
Pedr left him to stew on it.
Britt approached with Henrik at her left. She gave Einar a low smile. Her littlepicnicwith wings had drained more energy than Pedr expected. She’d handled herself well, considering she did everything he told her not to do. Speaking to, touching, and saving that bound up animal bastid.
She should have drowned it.
“Well,” she said with a little sigh. “I suppose we all have some sort of story to tell.” She met Pedr’s eyes. “Who’s going first?”
Twenty minutes later, Einar whistled long and low. “You’re telling me,” he said slowly, “that you think the mainland is attempting to transport wyverns?”
“No,” Pedr countered. “I’m telling you that we found a wyvern at sea following a ship of the line. It landed on that ship,and they chained it. As soon as it landed, the current of the sea changed and began to take it?—”
He choked.
Demmet!
Einar frowned. “Take it where?”
“West,” Britt offered.
“What’s the difference from what I said?” Einar spread both hands. “Sounds like they’re transporting wyverns. They had it bound to the ship, according to Britt.”
Britt shrugged in response.
Everything, you imbecile,Pedr almost snapped, but a telltale heat crawled up his throat. He’d mentioned the wyverns several times today . . . but not while thinking about the Siren Queens. Knowing the ruthlessness of the Siren Queens, they might have sculpted the curse to work off of intent as much as actual betrayal. Thinking their names must trigger the forced silence.
Which galled him.
“The rip current taking the ship of the line to the west sprang out of nowhere,” Britt said quietly. “Pedr says he had nothing to do with it, which is a big problem.”
Einar’s expression grew troubled. “As Arcanist of the Sea,” he said, “thatisvery troubling.”
Pedr didn’t bother confirming his position as Arcanist, though the lessening restriction would have allowed it.
“What created the current, if not you?” Henrik asked. He no longer stood right by Britt, but near enough.
Pedr opened his mouth, but his throat locked again.The one thousand year banishment is over and the Wyvern Kings are preparing their revenge.That definitely played into the Siren Queens, so he gave up on trying. There was no battling the curse.
