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King Bakari Ezrathen Au'Pearl's lips curled into a smile I would almost call cruel. His eyes gloated in victory as the jaws of a trap snapped shut around me.
"The Avarien royals have been invited to El'Tide. They will also celebrate the Azizien Rite. You are to deliver their invitations. They must all be here. The king, queen, their princess, and their two princes."
Heavy stones sank in my gut. I struggled to breathe, blinking rapidly to keep from crying. My hearts constricted. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be...
My eyes fluttered shut. The only sound I could hear was the thump, thump, thump of my racing hearts. Then I rushed out of the king's study, raced into an empty chamber, shut the door, and tumbled into a silent scream.
Chapter 8
Arrival of the Pirate Prince
YAKOBBA
Dropping our anchors in the Clouthren Harbor was a small mercy. We could dock and enter Avari without fanfare. I looked back at the Ashweaver. The crew stared with anxious expressions, their muscled arms crossed, and their wings flapping in the breeze. They looked beyond me at the Airveillers with unveiled rage. They weren't used to taking orders from anyone but me. None of them enjoyed being this close to the Avarien king's radar. They were all staying on the ship except for Engèli, Nyala, and Jabari. Jaspen, Dakri, and Ifu were none too happy about that. Ifu spat, eyes blazing at Tombabi.
Engèli, Nyala, and Jabari balanced on the cloudy ground by my side, hands on the hilt of their cutlasses. If Tombabi and his Airveillers had their way, I would be headed to the Cloud Castle alone. I snorted to myself. How naïve did they think I was?
"Stay ready so you don't have to get ready."
I looked at each of my pirates. Their frowns slowly curled into lethal grins. They each nodded, knowing exactly what I meant.
Satisfied they would stay put, I swaggered my way to the back of a kingly chariot. The vehicle was trimmed in white gold, painted like the lavender sky, crafted from the finest materials. I was almost certain mamè had ridden in this very chariot more than once.
On either side were large mechanical wings. In front of the vehicle stood seven stareagles—the giant birds with eyes like the stars and feathered coats like fresh falling snow—tall and proud. Their golden beaks and talons were resplendent. I look at the creatures and marveled.
My emotions warred inside of me, fighting for dominance. I couldn’t process, couldn’t handle my feelings. The opulence, the princely treatment, was all too much.
There wasn't a chance in all of Elledelle that King Izakaya had a hand in any of this. This had Queen Rekani's touch all over it. She was a lover of lavish things, and she spared no expense for her seedlings. Even if they were wayward pirates lost at sea.
Skies.
I looked at my mates. Jabari and Nyala entered the chariot, observing with quiet wonder. Nyala took in every single detail from the seats, to the windows, to the food, to the plush rugs and decorative jewels. Jabari felt the seat beneath him, unsure if what he was looking at was real.
The interior of the chariot was designed to resemble the stars. On either side of the vehicle were long and narrow protrusions covered in food, desserts, and the finest Avarien skywine. Come to think of it, this was the chariot mamè had ridden in. She'd made it her business to take me with her on trips in it in times past.
"High Prince indeed," Jabari whistled.
I turned away, flushing at his admiration, and found a stareagle staring at me. I nodded to him in respect.
"It's good to see you again, High Prince Yakobba."
His low, melodious rumble seeped into my body, washing me like rain.
"Thank you. It does my hearts a lot of good to see you, too."
The stareagle tilted his head. His eyes gleamed as if hiding a secret.
"You don't remember me, do you?"
I looked at him again. Was he different from the rest? They all looked the same. Snowy feathers, golden talons, golden beaks, and?—
Skies!
On the stareagle's beak, right where his nostrils were, was a broken, jagged line of ivory. It looked like an intentional crack. But I remembered as a youngling finding a newborn stareagle, who'd tumbled from the mountains, with starlike eyes and a broken beak. We didn't think he'd survive, especially since I'd found him all alone, but I kept him and nurtured him anyway after begging the king to let me.
Wait.
Could it be?
