A knock sounded on the door. Ashen looked up. The person in the hall knocked again.
Groaning, Ashen said, "Go away, Smiegal."
"Ashen, this is Alena. May I come in?" her aunt's voice asked. Ashen sighed and pushed herself onto her feet. She felt a jolt of pain in her hand when she turned the doorknob. Trying not to let it bother her, she peeked out into the hallway. Alena stood in front of the door. The gashes on her neck and cheek were still bloody, though they seem to have clotted. Her aunt seemed concerned, anxious even.
Of course, Ashen realized. She wanted to know if her daughter was alright.
Stepping aside to let the queen into the infirmary, Ashen noticed Alena wasn't alone. Behind her was Nikolai. Ashen suppressed a scowl.
Her stepfather did not look nearly as good as her aunt did. His entire front was covered with blood. Two medics escorted him into the cabin. They helped him lie down on a cot near Natalya. Ashen tried not to look at him.
"Ashen, are you alright?" Alena asked. Ashen glanced at her.
"Oh, yes, your healing elixirs really helped."
Alena gave her a small smile, then walked over the cabinet. She pulled out several more vials of the solution, drinking one herself and setting the others on the night table next to Nikolai.
"Is this really necessary?" Nikolai asked impatiently. "I feel . . . I feel fine."
He sounded—and looked—weak. Ashen wasn't surprised when one of the medics shook her head.
"We cannot have the king dying on us," the medic told him, "and your wounds are quite serious. You will need two vials to heal them completely."
"Two vials!" Nikolai exclaimed. "Two vials will force me into the long-sleep."
"The long-sleep will ensure you do not overexert yourself before your injuries have healed," the medic told him.
"No," Nikolai said. "I am the king! I cannot afford to be lying unconscious in the infirmary."
Alena pleaded, "Please, just rest. You need to heal by the time we reach East Sienna—"
"Are we still going there? After everything that has happened? Alena, we can meet with the Bahari another time. We need to get back to Azure. Natalya can better recover. We can find someone who might be able to help Markael. There is a man in the capital who does work with children like that. Remember, he was the one we had work with Veida."
"No," Alena said sharply. "We have come all this way. Not only would refusing to stay with them be discourteous, but we need supplies. If we must stop there anyway, we might as well carry on as planned."
"The queen is right," the medic said. "With these elixirs, I have no doubt that you and Princess Natalya will be fine and awake by the time we dock. It would not be worth risking a diplomatic incident over a small skirmish with pirates."
Ashen scowled. "Tell that to the guards lying dead on the deck. I don't think they would think it was a mere skirmish."
Everyone turned to her. They seemed to have forgotten she was there.
"I am thinking of them," Alena insisted. "If we turned back and head for Azure, it would take nearly a month to return. We would have to bury our dead at sea. Their families would be distraught. In East Sienna, though, we may be able to convince the Bahari family to let us bury them on land."
Nikolai's face slackened slightly.
"Fine," he relented, taking a vial from the night table. He raised it to his lips, then hesitated. "Who will take command of the ships? We do not have enough people to stretch across four ships. Perhaps we could get three of them to East Sienna, but four? We cannot just leave the pirate's ship in the middle of the ocean. Alena, I must handle this matter. I must stay awake and ensure we reach the kingdom safely."
"Someone else can take command," Alena said. "There are many capable people aboard. One of them can take care of things for you. As for the ships, sink Markael's ship and The Jolly Roger if necessary. All that matters to me is getting my family to land in good health."
Ashen tensed. They could not sink her ship. She had to do something! But, Alena and Nikolai were right. With so many dead, there could not possibly be enough Azurians to man all four ships.
An idea occurred to her. She didn't think Nikolai would agree—in fact, she knew he wouldn't. But if she could get Alena alone . . .
"I could take command," Ashen said suddenly. Again, her stepfather and aunt glanced at her. Nikolai seemed surprised.
"You?" he asked.
"Me," Ashen repeated. "I am to be queen one day. It would be good practice."
Her stepfather seemed to consider it.
"Very well," he decided, "but what about the second ship?"
Alena took the healing elixir and pressed it to his lips.
"Ashen can handle that now," she told him. "Drink this."
This time, Nikolai complied. He drank the entire vial, then another. Within seconds, his eyelids started to droop. Ashen turned back to Natalya. Her cousin, too, was in the long-sleep. It was a healing technique medics had discovered during the last war with Viridian. Sorcerers could sleep for a day or so and be healed completely, just as good as Carminian healing. Ashen never used it. She wasn't willing to risk being unconscious for more than a few hours. Better to deal with the injuries than to leave yourself vulnerable for so long.
Sometimes, though, she supposed it could be worth it. She didn't know how Natalya would survive without the elixirs.
Once Nikolai was asleep, Alena left his side to join Ashen beside Natalya's cot. Stroking her daughter's hair, she whispered to her.
"You shall be alright, my child," Aunt Alena whispered. "You shall awaken, and all will be well." Ashen peered down at her cousin's unconscious form. Natalya's face was peaceful, her eyes closed. Ashen prayed that Alena was right and Natalya really would be fine.
"Aunt Alena," Ashen said quietly. "I have an idea for how to deal with the ships."
"Oh?"
"Sink my br—sink the pirate ship. Let The Jolly Roger's crew take care of their own ship. Nikolai intends to release them anyway. What does it matter if they make off with it? They can sail the ship to East Sienna."
The queen looked skeptical. Peering up at her aunt with pleading eyes, Ashen said, "Please, do not sink the ship. It means a great deal to me. I promise the crew will obey my commands, they will not betray or harm you and your family."
Alena's expression softened. "It is a clever idea, Ashen. Nikolai said that you may command the ships. If you wish to release Captain George's crew and allow them to man the ship, you have every right to do so."
Ashen grinned. "Thank you."
Her aunt took her hand off her daughter and placed it on Ashen's shoulder.
"You remind so much of her," Alena murmured. "So, so much." Ashen didn't say anything. She didn't have to ask who Alena was talking about. A wistful look crossed the queen's face. Her eyes seemed so sad.
"My dearest sister," Alena said. "Oh, how I miss her. And you! You must miss her a thousand times that."
"I do," Ashen stated.
"Did she know? About your brother, I mean. Did she know what Markael was like?"
"Some of it," Ashen told her. "He . . . he got much worse after she was killed."
Nodding, Alena said, "His father is much the same. He is not quite as . . . his symptoms are mostly limited to mood swings. Like Veida and your brother, though, he requires a calming presence."
Ashen squirmed. She wasn't interested in discussing her brother with Alena, or anyone. She didn't want to talk about her stepfather either. Still, it was a little comforting to know that some people were aware of what Nikolai was capable of, even if they did not know the full extent.
Clearing her throat, Ashen turned away from Natalya and her aunt. She took a step towards the door.
"I need to speak to the captain," Ashen explained.
"Oh, alright."
Her aunt seemed sorry to see her leave. Now that Alena was watching over Natalya, though, Ashen didn't have any reason to stay. She had things to do. Her stepfather had agreed to leave her in command; she was going to take advantage of that.
When she reached the door, she noticed a blank piece of parchment and a quill and ink. Hastily, Ashen scrolled a message. Once she was done, she replaced the quill and slipped out into the hall. She peered around and saw several guards pacing near the stairs. Holding her head high, Ashen marched up to them. They stood at attention when they saw her approaching.
"King Nikolai has put me in charge while he recovers from the attack," she announced. "If you wish to verify this, you may ask my aunt. In the meantime, the crew of The Jolly Roger is to be released. They will be allowed to return to their ship and sail it to East Sienna." A guard opened his mouth to argue, but Ashen continued, "See that this gets to Captain George." She handed one of the guards the roll of parchment. It wasn't much, nothing that could get either her or her father in trouble. Just a quick reassurance that she was alright and would try to speak with him once they reached East Sienna.
As much as she would have loved to see him and tell him in person, she couldn't face him, not after everything with Markael. She still wanted to be alone. She needed to let the day's events sink in and come to terms with who her brother had become.
Gripping the parchment, one of the guards said, "As you wish, your majesty." He gave her a curt nod, then turned and walked up the stairs. After a moment, the other two followed. Both kept glancing back at Ashen. She didn't care. She headed to her cabin. What she would do there, she wasn't sure. Maybe she could practice more with her daggers. The guards would have to retrieve them for her.
Or she could work on her magic. She hadn't practiced her spells in years. They had always come easily to her. But that spell Markael had used, the one that sent her flying . . . that was one she had never seen before.
Ashen quickened her pace. She practically ran to her cabin. Bursting into the room, she closed the door behind her hurriedly. She crossed the room to the edge of her bed. At the bottom was her carpet bag. It had been delivered to her room the day after her fight with Veran. At first, she had worried her stepfather or the guards might have confiscated something. Fortunately, though, they hadn't. Her doll, her blanket—everything of hers was still there.
A smile spread across her face when she found what she was looking for. A book of spells. It wouldn't take her long to flip through it. There weren't many enchantments available. Most spells only enhanced the natural abilities of whoever or whatever it was cast on. But the magic her brother had used wasn't like their usual enchantments.
Ashen tensed. She stopped flipping through pages. Her breath quickened. It hadn't been an enchantment. It had been raw magic. She hadn't thought it really existed, but her mother's line was supposed to be able to do things like that. Ashen hadn't seen Arrow use it. She hadn't been able to tap into it either. Markael could, though. How? How had he been able to hone the ability when she never even realized she had it?
She could have asked him. Ashen regretted thinking it the second the thought crossed her mind. Seeing Markael wouldn't help her. Until she understood how she really felt about him, she wanted to stay away from the brig. She couldn't face him, or her father. When they reached East Sienna, she wouldn't have a choice. There were just over two days until they reached the desert continent. To her knowledge, Nikolai was still going to have George killed sometime during their stay. She had to get him out. Two days. Hopefully, that was enough time for her to come to terms with what had happened.
Hopefully.