Page 20 of Empire of Death
Jack suddenly stood up and addressed the room with just his stare.
It took less than a few seconds for the entire room to reach silence.
“Queen Lily Rothschild of the Southern Isles asks for our aid in an impending war against the Barbarians, a group of ruthless men who seek to claim the kingdom and their neighbors forthemselves. They sail on unsinkable, golden ships and yield swords that inflict permanent wounds. I will not command my fellow pirates to fight in a cause, but I will ask for volunteers. Raise your hand and say aye if you’re with me.”
Everyone stared at him and then at one another, like there was something missing.
I stood up beside Jack. “I promise to grant you the golden ships they sail on as your reward for your bravery.” I turned to the pirate beside me and spoke under my breath. “You left that part out.”
Again, I was met with silence, pirates exchanging looks with one another. The bar maidens continued to work behind the counter like they couldn’t afford to slow their service with such demand.
When no hands were raised and I wasn’t greeted with any ayes, I realized the golden ships weren’t enough.
Jack returned to his seat and crossed his arms again as if the matter was settled.
Conversation returned to full volume, as if the intrusion had never happened. I returned to my seat and dropped into it, my eyes scanning everyone around me who carried on their conversations as if nothing had transpired. My eyes eventually fell on my brother, who stared at me with his chin propped on his closed knuckles. Then he gave a dramatic shrug that said, “Hey, we tried our best.”
My eyes found Jack again. “Let me think about it.”
I told Hawk everything, the two of us standing near the edge of the terrace, the city lit up with torches, the sounds of monkeys howling in the trees nearby. The waves had quieted as they came to the shore, but they could still be heard.
“I don’t think they’re worth the investment,” Hawk said. “King Ithaca has an entire armada trained for battle, so his obnoxiousness is worthwhile. I’m not even sure why you thought this was a good idea in the first place, honestly.”
Because Wrath said it was, and I trusted him with my life. We wouldn’t have won the battle at Riviana Star without his intervention. My mother would have lost her husband and her eldest daughter, and our souls would be compromised if the Barbarians understood the significance of the Great Tree. And he saved my life from those assholes the first time too. If only I could tell Hawk all of that.
“I’m sure it would be easy for Zehemoth and Movack to destroy that fleet with their fire, but we’d be asking them to kill a bunch of men they don’t know. Despite what most people think, dragons are only violent when they feel threatened. A killing crusade without reason goes against their reputation they fight to preserve.”
“I know,” I said simply. “But you weren’t there, Hawk.”
He leaned against the rail, the light of the torches reflecting perfectly off his shiny armor. His eyes were locked on mine in full concentration, like he wanted to hear every thought that floated in my head.
“You weren’t there when they killed my crew. You weren’t there when they challenged Riviana Star. Trust me when I tell you they’re a formidable enemy that could easily crush us under their might.”
“If that were true, we would have lost the forest and everyone in it.”
My eyes dropped as I tried to find the right words to say. Hawk hadn’t asked me about what I’d said to King Ithaca, that I commanded the dead. Maybe because he thought it was an idle threat. Maybe because he’d never heard of such a thing. Our father had been a necromancer, but that had been purposely kept from both of us, so he didn’t have a clue.
“Unless there’s something you aren’t telling me…” His eyes narrowed on my face as his stare became suspicious rather than intense.
I felt the humid breeze move through my hair, felt his stare and could see his eyes in my head even though I was still focused on his shoes.
“Lily.”
I lifted my chin and looked at him.
“Are you saying when you told King Ithaca that you commanded the dead, you meant it?”
I fell still in his gaze, locked in place by his shock and incredulity.
He suddenly shifted his weight, his expression concentrating as he tried to compute the problem before him, as he tried to understand what was right in front of his face. “That wasn’t some kind of exaggerated threat.”
I said nothing, unsure where to start or how to explain. I could still replay my father’s voice in my head, how devastated he was to know that I’d broken my promise to him and did the one thing he begged me not to do.
“Lily.”
“No…it wasn’t.”
His eyes narrowed hard, and he looked at me completely differently after a single heartbeat. “What—what are you saying right now?” He shifted his weight again, visibly uncomfortable with this revelation and unsure how to carry the burden of knowledge.
