But she knew better now. Despite all her wanting and longing.
The tide was dangerous. She could not float in its waves and survive.
But they had Thom. Soon they would be taking him to some far away kingdom called Irongate, where he would face judgement for crimes that Kestrel wasn’t even convinced he had committed. Apparently her aunt was. And Leighton, and Micah, and all the others in their company, could take Kestrel to this woman, to her aunt, so that maybe she could plea on Thom’s behalf.
The tide could be learned. Studied. Understood.
And Kestrel was beginning to understand she couldn’t allow herself to believe everything the prince was telling her. He was still hiding things, she just didn’t know what yet.
But she didn’t see any other options either. She didn’t know where she was, or how to get back to Mutiny Bay on her own. And even if she did, there was nothing left for her there. There was only Thom now and his fate.
“Fine, I’ll go with you and speak to your queen. But I want to see Thom first.”
Micah’s head jerked back in surprise. He either hadn’t expected her to agree, or hadn’t expected that to be one of her demands.
Leighton, however, didn’t flinch.
“Of course.” He bowed his head, a gesture that might’ve been meant as a show of respect, but Kestrel knew better now. It was all part of a façade to him. A game. And he was all too good at playing his part. “But I must warn you, it will not be aneasy sight to see him in chains. And you will not be permitted to speak to him, nor see him unsupervised.”
Kestrel stood taller, even though something twisted deep in her gut. “I don’t care, I just want to make sure you have him and that you’re not lying to me again.”
A crack of guilt fissured Leighton’s regal façade, but in the blink of an eye it was gone again. “Of course. I would be glad to prove our honesty to you.”
Kestrel barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes.
“I’ll be the judge of that,” Kestrel said before twisting on her toes and heading for the front side of the fortress.
And as the two princes followed after her, Kestrel felt that swirling in her chest again. That fluid energy that seemed to churn with more might than the ocean. With every step she took, it pounded through her. A force like the rising tide. But as unyielding as the stones of her tower.
With each step, her foot ached a little less.
She asked the brothers to lead the way, telling them she didn’t know her way back. But once they were ahead of her, Kestrel snuck a peek at the bottom of her foot. Blood caked the side of her heel. But the cut was gone.
Suddenly, Kestrel felt even more confident about her plan. Because now she had leverage the queen would want.
Now she had magic.
And magic, as it turned out, was power.
Chapter 15
A Kingdom of Iron Spires
KESTREL
Before they left the fortress grounds, Leighton noticed Kestrel’s bare feet. He ran back inside to retrieve her shoes for her, likely hoping that it would go a long way in mending some of the damage he had wrought, but it would take a lot more than a simple good deed.
While Kestrel waited with Micah outside, she realized she’d forgotten something else.
“Micah?” she asked. “What did you do with the fox?”
She dreaded hearing the answer but wanted it anyway. Better to get one more betrayal and heartbreak out of the way while she was still tender and healing.
Micah jumped, twisting away from where he’d been gazing out across the settling sea and huddling in closer.
“Leighton told me to get rid of it.”
There was a twisting ache in her chest. “As in?—”
