Page 16 of Empire of Death
I know the difference between sadness and fatigue,Sunieth.
I continued to pack despite the interrogation, ignoring the way his shovel dug into my earth.
What troubles you?
Nothing, Zehemoth. We’ve got a long day ahead of us, so let’s save our energy, alright?
But you feel…devastated.
Because I was fucking devastated. Wounded by a cursed blade just like my father…and I would never heal. What should have been a single night to repay an old debt turned into something so beautiful…and painful.I slept like shit last night and can barely keep my eyes open. Let it lie.
Zehemoth continued to stare at me.You used to share everything with me,Sunieth.
A twinge of guilt burned every inch of my flesh. But I continued to keep it bottled inside, knowing it was too big a risk to share. Wrath was right when he said I shouldn’t fuse with Zehemoth. If he was already able to feel my despair as if I were just another dragon…imagine what he would deduce if we were a single entity.
I secured my pack to Zehemoth’s saddle before I locked all the pieces of my heavy armor into place. The rain had finally passed,and I could tell by the intensity of the sunlight that it was late morning.
Hawk secured his blade across his back before he looked at me.
I met his gaze and nodded. “Let’s go.”
“Should we make a plan?” Hawk asked. “There’s no way to ask for the allegiance without admitting that Father is no longer fit to rule. Every time we share this piece of information, we leave ourselves vulnerable.”
“I disagree,” I said. “If they want to come for me, I’ll sink their entire fleet to the bottom of the ocean with dragon fire—and they fucking know it.” I turned to Zehemoth and climbed up his side. My long hair was secured in a braid then wrapped around into a bun, just so I wouldn’t accidentally cut it off when I unsheathed my blade. It was tight on my scalp, but as the ruler of a kingdom, I couldn’t let my hair flow freely anymore. “Let’s go.”
Skull Island was easy for me to find because I’d been there many times. My father and I had sailed there together ever since I was a child, and all those adventures had given me a strong understanding of the geography of the immediate lands around our kingdom. With just a compass, I’d be able to find my way anywhere.
It was sunset when we arrived, the center of the large island a mountain that pointed to the sky. It was an active volcano, and I’d seen lava with my own eyes. But its eruptions were petite, mostly smoke, and people seemed to worship the island’s moods rather than fear them.
There were many ports and wharfs around the island where the galleons could secure their ships while they came to land. An entire city with restaurants and inns and shops, the perfect hub for news because pirates from all over the world sailed to these shores.
Our dragons landed on the beach away from the main town, but I was certain the pirates on lookout in the island’s crow’s nest had spotted us long ago. It was warm and humid here, and the heavy armor on my body and the cape across my back felt suffocating, but I wouldn’t be stupid enough to go in there without it.
“I could use a pint right now,” Hawk said with a sigh.
“I need you able-bodied and able-minded.”
“It takes a lot more than one pint to prevent that.”
We began our walk across the sand, eventually reaching the wooden planks in the dirt that acted as a path. Our boots thudded against the wood, and as we got closer to the town, more pirates appeared over the rails of the different levels, looking down at us as we approached.
“Know where to go?” Hawk asked quietly.
“Yes. Skull Island has no king and no government. They only have a Keeper.”
“A Keeper?”
“Keeper of the Code. A permanent inhabitant of the island. He doesn’t have power over the other bands of pirates but great influence…obviously. I doubt we’ll have to look for him, as I’m certain he’ll come to us.”
Hawk continued to look at all the pirates who stared at us openly, a form of intimidation that wouldn’t work on Rothschilds like us. “Alright, where should we wait for him?”
When I made it up the stairs, the pirates backed away but continued their stares.
I stared at each one with the same intensity of eye contact before I looked at the line of shops and pubs. One stuck out the most to me.The Mermaid’s Tale. I’d never been there before, but I recalled my father mentioning it when he shared snippets of his travels. “Here.”
I stepped inside to the loud conversation of the boisterous patrons inside, but as the men at the tables and the bar maidens behind the counter took notice of us, the chatter died down. People turned in their seats and craned their necks hard to get a good look.
There was an open table in the corner, so Hawk and I claimed it for ourselves.
