Page 132 of The Prince from a Cruel Summer
“Aren’t the shackles and chains enough to convince you?” I huff.
“They help. A bit,” he answers with a mix of worry and humor. “Seth also vouched for you.”
Last time I saw Seth Devine, the illegitimate prince of Spring and Storms, it was during the winter solstice, when he disappeared trying to stop his brother’s escape. We were watching the Tidecaller’s attack that night to intervene at the right time, but Seth had vanished without a trace before I could even make it out to the lake.
“Seth?” I call out loudly. “Are you here?”
“And here I thought you didn’t like me, Betty Snow,” a smooth, familiar voice answers from the other side of the pyramid of crates.
My lips quirk. While his promiscuous attitude irks me, I’m still relieved to know for sure that he survived the attack on Wintermere. “Have you been here all this time?”
It’s beenweekssince he went missing, and even Elio and Damian couldn’t track him with their powers combined.
“Afraid so. A ship makes a brilliant prison. It’s almost impossible for anyone to track,” Seth laments. “But it’s been a little more fun around here since Aidan recovered this morning.”
The occasional stretch or snap of ropes tightening or loosening with the movement of the sails and rigging, along with the faint footsteps of our captors on the deck, echo through the air.
I squint at the light filtering through the crack. “I count only two sets of footsteps. Do you think there’s more of them?”
“So far, I’ve only heard Luther and his pal Imogen, but she never comes down here. Luther comes alone when it’s time to feed me, which is usually once a day, but he never gets close enough for me to try anything,” Seth explains. “Dinner will be soon, though. It’s almost sunset.”
“What are his powers?” Aidan asks.
“He was born a talented Storm Fae with a keen affinity for Shadow magic, but he’s embedded Mist jewels inside his skin, so he’s all juiced up.”
“What do they plan to do with us?”
“Me, I think I just got unlucky, but the Lord of the Tides has plans for you both. I’ve heard them talking. He plans to take Aidan’s place at the coronation.”
Take Aidan’s place…If the Lord of the Tides manages to fool every other royal, he could steal Aidan’s crown and access the magic of his lands. He could even assume his identity for good considering most of Aidan’s family is dead. And I doubt he’ll want the real Aidan around for much longer if that’s what he intends to do.
“They have to wait ten days before crowning a successor, right?” I ask.
Aidan shakes his head, looking a little green. “Not necessarily. I’ve been the heir from the start.”
I swallow hard. The possibilities for chaos and violence are endless if the leader of the rebels manages to steal the Summerlands’ magic and become its one true king. “Who is the Lord of the Tides? What do we know for sure?”
“My younger brother appears to be his number two, but I have no clue who he is,” Seth answers.
I bite my bottom lip, trying to piece together our quick exchange. “He knew me, and there’s not a lot of Fae on this continent who do.” I search Aidan’s gaze. “Whoever this Lord of the Tides is, he was at the academy at the same time we were.”
He nods, understanding my logic. “Yes, and that narrows it down quite a bit.”
“Couldn’t it be someone from your past?” Seth argues.
“No. I’m a moth. I don’t know any High Fae but for the ones I met at school.”
“A Fae with Light magic both powerful and refined enough to reflect my exact image… It’s got to be Ezra,” Aidan says. “It makes sense. No one has seen him in decades, and with everything that happened before he vanished, it wouldn’t be so surprising.”
Seth’s voice booms from the dark. “Don’t jump to conclusions. Mist jewels are stronger than we knew, and it only makes sense that their leader would be the most juiced up.”
“He’s the only one who knows me well enough to emulate me so perfectly, and it would explain why we’re not dead,” Aidan adds with a pointed look.
“How did Willow die? Was it Ethan?” I ask quietly.
We exchange a heavy glance, and the corners of his mouth fall.
“Maybe. Officially, it was a suicide, but I wouldn’t put it past Ethan Lightbringer to have manipulated the investigation to conceal her murder.”
