Page 251 of Captive of Secrets and Storms

I reach deep into my chest, searching for any sign of my light magic. Its presence would offer a modicum of reassurance, the slightest hope that I’ll be able to defend myself if this turns ugly.

But the familiar warmth is absent.

Not even a spark flickers to life despite my desperation.

The ship is now ten feet away.

A tall wooden plank rises into the air from the second ship. It slams onto ours with a forceful thud.

I hold my breath.

A cloaked male steps forward. The dark hood conceals his face.

A pulse of darkness radiates from the stranger, and the ship under my feet seems to recoil as it sinks into the waves.

The man crosses the bobbing plank without swaying.

Hali shifts closer. A glance reveals her pinched lips. Leto’s features, too, are drawn tight. A flash of fire crosses his gaze.

“Careful,” Anders mutters over his shoulder.

Leto’s expression cools.

The cloaked male’s boots reach the edge of our ship. He steps onto the deck with effortless grace.

No one speaks.

Even the sea hushes, the waves no longer slapping against the hull.

Shadows skitter from the stranger’s feet then coil back around to surround his legs. His hood shifts as hidden eyes sweep the deck.

Then long, tan fingers rise and lower his hood.

Black hair.

Cruel eyes.

A face eerily similar to Darius’s, aside from the silver streaks marring his temples.

King Marek.

The truth knocks the air from my lungs. My legs tremble.

When Rian and the others drop into low bows, I know I’m right.

The Shadow King stands on this ship.

But…why?

I don’t dare breathe as King Marek’s sharp, appraising eyes scan the deck once more.

When they land on a man and child huddled near the stairwell that leads below deck, his nostrils flare.

“Half-breeds,” he growls.

Utter contempt threads through his deep voice.

I exhale a shaky breath.