Sam just stared at him, wavering between bitterness and grief. She wasn't sure who deserved her anger moreâNasrin, for letting an old wound fester, or the grandfather she'd never met, who had decided his daughter, as much a warrior as he, needed his protection.
"You never told me that," the emperor said to his Lord Marshal with a hint of accusation. "In the stories you told me, the aliah was a boy."
"I didn't think it mattered," Azi admitted. "The aliah was dead."
"The child could have been me," Braeden said hoarsely. "I thought it was me."
Sam tried to catch his gaze, but he'd disappeared somewhere inside his own headâsomewhere dark and desolate.
The emperor studied Braeden with mild interest. "What a strange man you are," he remarked. "Most men try to prove their innocence, not dispute exculpatory evidence."
A surprised laugh burst out of her. "You've just met, and it's like you already know him."
His Imperial Pain-in-the-Neck smirked. "I know his type. They're happiest brooding."
Braeden blinked and then scowled as the words registered. "I do not brood."
Silently, Sam thanked the young emperor for bringing Braeden back from whatever dark place he'd disappeared to. Grinning now, she gave him a patronizing pat on his left shoulder. He flinched as if it hurt. "What is it?" she asked worriedly.
"Samâ" he started to say.
A terrible screech pierced the air, a long, high-pitched note that sounded of nothing human. Sam shoved her fingers inside her ears, but nothing could drown it out. Fine, spidery cracks spread out across the glass pane of the cabin's porthole. The bulwarks shook, and the floor rattled beneath them, jostling the furniture. One of the vials in the medicine cabinet rolled off its shelf and smashed into smithereens and a pale green puddle. A second vial followed suit, its liquid contents bubbling and frothing.
Then just as suddenly as it started, it stopped.
"What was that?" demanded the emperor. No one answered him. Sam's eardrums hadn't yet stopped ringing. Braeden was in worse shape than her. He'd broken free of his binds and held his hands clamped over his ears with his eyes squeezed shut. Neither Azi nor Emperor Kazan seemed to care he was no longer bound, or maybe they hadn't noticed.
"Sir!" came a desperate voice from outside the closed door to the cabin. Whoever it was banged thrice with his fist. "Sir, you're needed up top!"
Azi wrenched the door open, and one of the imperial guards stumbled in. The guard bent over at the waist, coughing. His red and gold uniform was covered in what appeared to be soot. "Lord Marshal!" he managed to get out between gasping breaths. Another fit of coughing seized him. When the coughing finally let up, he clicked his heels together and stood at attention. The position was spoiled by the slight widening of his eyes as he finally noticed the emperor.
The emperor gave a dismissive flick of his hand. "Just get on with it, man."
The guard sketched a perfunctory bow and then straightened. "There are two more of them, sir."
"Two more what, officer?" Azi ground out.
The guard swallowed, his throat bobbing. "I believe you called them fire drakes, sir."
Azi muttered a curse. "Your uniform appears to be smoking, officer. What's the damage to the ship?"
"The sails on the mizzenmast caught fire, but we managed to put it out with seawater. It's reduced our topspeed by a few knots, but she's still sailing." The guard made an attempt at a grin. "We're all a little toastier than we'd like, but we haven't lost any more men beyond those fools who abandoned ship."
"And the rest of the convoy?"
"No flares spotted, sir. They've given us a wide berth, but not so far we wouldn't have seen them signal."
"Do the demons have riders?" Braeden cut in. They all turned to look at him. He was sitting up now, one hand cradled protectively over his left shoulder, where Sam had grazed him earlier.
Sam knew the moment the guard noticed Braeden's unusual eyes, because he blanched and began to tremble. "S-s-sir?" he beseeched the Lord Marshal.
"Answer the man's question, officer," Azi snapped.
The guard took a deep breath to steel himself, though he still directed his response to his superior instead of Braeden. "We weren't paying attention to any riders, what with those beasts breathing fire at us. Thank the Gods their aim is worse than Jarod's is, or we'd all be dust and ashes."
"Their aim is just fine," Braeden said, lurching to his feet, still holding onto his shoulder. "If they wanted you dead, you would be."
"They're demons," said the emperor disdainfully. "Everyone knows they're too stupid to do anything but fight or feast. What else could they possibly want?"
Braeden gave him a level look. "These aren't ordinary demons, Your Highness. And it's me they want."
The emperor's brows lowered. "Why?"
"The same reason they stole me away from the convent," said Braeden. "The same reason my master keeps me alive, despite everything I've done to betray him."
"Why?" repeated the emperor.
Braeden's gaze met Sam's, revealing the depth of his desolation. "Because Teivel wants out of his prison in the Afterlight. And apparently, I'm the key."
A/N: I'm back! Sorry, this is just a little short something to get myself back into the swing of things. My job is killing me, man. I haven't left the office at a reasonable hour since oh...June. Thank you all for your patience with me. Please know that my inability to write more frequently is as frustrating for me as it is for you.
Love you all, and here's hoping I get the job thing straightened out sooner rather than later.