Page 7 of A Song of Shadow and Starlight

"You're not going to lock the door again?"

He turns around with a smirk. "Where exactly would you go? We're in the middle of the Infinite Sea."

So, I'm definitely aboard some kind of water vessel -

"Wait! How long have I been asleep? Is it daytime?" If I miss my wedding, I'll be irate.

"We've been at sea for a day now."

I missed my wedding day! My parents must be sick with worry and Bastian -

My eyes once again settle on my kidnapper. "I want to speak to the captain."

"That would require you following me, which you seemed very much opposed to before."

This brute is too sarcastic for his own good. I grit my teeth, swallowing every insult I want to hurl his way, and flash my best courtly smile.

"Lead the way, Tronovian."

He seems almost delighted I've picked up where he's from based on his accent, mannerisms, and appearance. But it's not difficult. There are only two kingdoms with humans and Tronovians are our sworn enemy. No Midorian would betray their kingdom or the crown. No, this kidnapping and plotted assassination had the filthy Tronovians written all over it.

With a nod, he walks down the narrow hallway toward a set of five steps leading to the upper deck. We pass two other doors before climbing the stairs.

The fresh, salty sea air fills my lungs and my nearly forgotten childhood desire for adventure rears its ill-timed head.

Throughout my formative years, I dreamed of sailing the Infinite Sea, trekking through the jungles of Bava, seeing the ice castle of the Frost Elves, journeying to the Dwarven kingdom inside the mountains of Durne, and even swimming amongst the Sea Elves of Hydra. I even secretly hoped to one day see the Kingdom of Tronovia, hearing tales of the canals in their city and the rows of colorful buildings with pointed roofs and numerous windows. But that is a thought I'd never admit to anyone.

"So, you're awake."

I tear my eyes from the clear starry-night sky and find another Tronovian beast leaning over the helm. His piercing green eyes catch me off guard. I've never seen anyone with eyes that color before, and to my annoyance, a wicked, but dashing smile snakes across his face, as if he can read my mind.

"Are you the captain?" I ask, garnering snickers from the skeleton crew scattered on deck.

The third male is more cerebral looking than the other two men. His large, circular, gold-rimmed glasses frame his face nicely and I dare say the spectacles make him handsome for a kidnapper. The bottom half of his head is shaved but the top half is long and tied in a knot at the back of his head. He has golden tattoos marking his arms and rings on almost every one of his fingers. He is muscular, but not as broad as his two companions, and his eyes are kind, which is unsettling for a criminal.

The brunette woman beside the scholarly-looking Tronovian, has bouncy ringlets, brown skin, pointy ears, blue eyes, and ivory tattoos on her fingers. When our eyes meet, I could swear I've seen her before, but that's impossible, because I've never met anyone from Hydra. Not only is she from the Water Kingdom, but the tattoos inked in her fingers are the markings of royals who have magic. I'm sure a Sea Elf in cahoots with Tronovian kidnappers is quite the story, but it's a tale I am not interested in at present.

"What did I say that was so funny?" I narrow my eyes, taking a moment to stare at each one of the four crew members, before focusing on the one stretched over the helm like a lazy cat.

"Nothing, Princess." The green-eyed one straightens. His dark hair is shorter on the sides and longer on top, so strands of hair brush across his forehead as he struts toward me. "We don't have a captain. We aren't pirates."

"You've stolen something valuable, so the term pirate seems to suit you." I cross my arms over my chest as a light breeze whips across the deck. Suddenly, I am uncomfortably aware that all I have on is a thin, silk nightgown, and the green-eyed man is staring at me as if he can see straight through the fabric.

"Are you the one in charge or not?" I hiss, tilting my chin up to look at him.

There's a small scar on his right cheek but it doesn't detract from his appealing looks. It's a shame he's just a bull-headed Tronovian. Why do I even think he's attractive?

"I suppose you could say that."

"You're the one who hit me!" Realization sparks as I listen to him speak. Which would make him Atlas, the one whose cot I was sleeping on, and the one who was arguing with Selene in the Golden Palace.

"I would apologize," he smirks, crossing his arms over his chest, "but you stabbed my brother. Call us even."

"Not even," I snarl. "You kidnapped me! You kidnapped me the night before my wedding!"

Wait!

The Tronovian I stabbed said I'd been knocked out for a whole day and it's dark out. My tea! I need my tea before I find out exactly why my parents are so adamant I don't miss drinking it.

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