Page 109 of The Traitor Queen (The Bridge Kingdom 2)

Torchlight flared behind him, flickering off the water and illuminating the sea of corpses and men.

“Got you!” Hands hauled him back into a boat, Jor’s face appearing above him. “They’re retreating. Looks like the storm chased them off.”

“I heard.” Aren closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath.

Then a deafening screech filled the air, and he jerked upright, watching as the portcullis was dragged a dozen feet forward only to catch where the tunnel narrowed. Then the chains slackened and slipped into the sea.

There was no longer a way into Eranahl.

Which also meant there was no longer a way out, and dozens of enemy soldiers still swam on this side of the twisted metal gate. They pressed against the portcullis, fighting to pull it free, but to no avail. And almost as one, they turned to face Aren and the rest of his soldiers.

Instinct demanded he cut them down. Demanded he kill these men who’d been intent on slaughtering his people and destroying his home.

But in their eyes gleamed fear and desperation. “Care to surrender?”

There were swift nods of assent, and Aren inclined his head once in acknowledgment. “Drop your weapons, then come one by one. You cause trouble, you get your throat slit. Understood?”

More nods, and Aren said to his soldiers, “Tie them up. We’ll deal with them later.”

Boats approached from the underground harbor, voices shouting the news that the fleet had abandoned the attack, that the enemy soldiers still on the island were surrendering, and what were Aren’s orders for how they should be dealt with?

“Accept their surrender. We’ve had enough bloodshed today to last Ithicana a lifetime. We’ll keep them prisoner until Maridrina has fully withdrawn from Ithicana, and then I’ll—” He broke off, uncertain of exactly what he’d do with these men. The last time he’d allowed an outsider into Eranahl, it had not gone well for him.

But Ithicana had to change. He had to change. “I’ll negotiate their return to Maridrina.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

The soldiers swam forward one by one, his people taking them into boats and binding them before retreating into the harbor. Aren climbed a ledge on the cave wall, resting his knees on his elbows. Breathing. Just breathing.

“Aren!”

He turned at the sound of Lia’s voice, and through the dim light, he saw the boat carrying his bodyguard fighting its way closer against the force of the surging sea.

“You need to open the portcullis!”

Glancing at the twisted metal wedged in the cave, he gave a shake of his head. “That’s impossible. We’re going to have to cut it out.”

“Then cut it!” Her voice was shrill. Desperate.

“Why?”

The boat reached him, and Lia leapt onto the ledge next to him, her arm wrapped with a bandage. “Because Lara’s out there.”

His skin turned to ice. “That’s impossible. We left her on Gamire without even a boat.”

“Well, she found a way.” Lia held out a torch, illuminating the water surging into the cave, then retreating with equally violent force. “She challenged her father. Killed him. It’s why they retreated when they did. She saved us, and now we need to save her.”

The sea and storm reduced to a dull noise, and the torch light was suddenly too bright. “Get the tools to cut the metal!”

One of the soldiers holding a paddle said, “But Your Grace, the storm is almost upon us! We need to get out of the tunnel before the surge becomes even worse!”

“Get the goddamned tools!” Aren screamed the words in the man’s face. “If we get it down fast, we might be able to catch the ship.” And do what once he’d caught it, he didn’t know. All that mattered was that he do everything he could to save her.

Lia gripped his arm, her fingers digging into his skin. “Lara’s not on the ship, Aren. She’s in the water.”

As she said the words the sea surged, froth and water storming through the cave, carrying with it a slender form.

“Lara,” he screamed, right before her body slammed against the steel of the portcullis.

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