Salt Storm: The Salted Series: Episodes #31-35 by Galvin, Aaron (top 5 books to read TXT) 📗

“My, my, my, what have we here?” he asked. “Could it be the master schemer of today’s events opted to save me and my Orc brethren the time of tracking him down? Decided to surrender himself instead, eh, Your Grace? A rare, noble act from a feral savage?”

“So it would seem,” said Darius. “And he claims you have some crimes of your own to answer for, Blackfin.”

“Well, any lying beast would do, wouldn’t he?” Malik replied. “A Nomad will say anything to win some benefit, or else to create discord when finding himself cornered. Then again, this one is only half-savage, so . . . perhaps some of what he said is true, Your Grace. Depending on the tale he told, of course.”

Darius perked. “My son is alive, then?”

“The pretender prince is most surely dead, my king,” said Malik. “You saw the boy’s body when I laid him before you.”

Quill laughed in haughty reply. “Pretender prince, indeed. That one you cast into the tank and showed before the masses was no trueborn son of Nattie’s, nor the king’s either. He were a pretender for you though, I grant you that.”

Darius looked to Malik. “What say you to this, Blackfin?”

Malik’s lip curled. “You think to doubt me over this savage who sired a bastard with your wife? I say your most hated enemy spits more lies at you.”

Quill sneered at that. “I sired no bastard,” he claimed. “The love that Nattie and I shared was true, Blackfin. And I’ll warrant my soul that the king’s son, Prince Jun, still lives. If his guardians heeded my advice after I found them ashore, the boy was no doubt secreted away to whatever place Nattie’s people deemed him safely tucked away from the likes of your ilk and his father too.”

“Who then to secret him away, savage?” Malik laughed. “All the queen’s people are here.”

Quill smirked. “Not all of them,” he said. “From those I saw that were locked in your cages, Blackfin, I counted two, at least, from Nattie’s zoo not among your prisoners. For all the speed and strength of your seawolves, it would seem to me you were all outsmarted by an older, wiser Merrow.”

Wilda! Sydney thought then, the elderly Merrow the only friendly face she could not remember seeing among the prisoners from home. Could Jun be with Wilda?! Both of them alive and safe?

The Blackfin was unmoved by Quill’s claim. “I presented both the boy and his guardian’s remains as the proof of my claim. If the prince is alive as you swear him to be, then let you produce him before us now, savage.”

Quill smiled, his gaze flickering from the Blackfin to the king instead. “I Salted your son myself, Darius. Hear me when I tell you that the dolphin tail produced by that act was a Longbeak in twin match of yours. In truth, I meant to kill your son then and there at the proof of his lineage. Fortunately for all, a wiser mind rightfully swayed me from it and stayed my hand.” Quill shook his head. “Still, I know what it is to suffer with the same knowledge. The wound you burden yourself with now – that your lady and love was shared by another. Unlike you, however, I have made my peace with it for the true love that I will always bear Nattie.”

“And my love for her is lesser in your eyes, is it?” Darius chirped. “You think my affections pale in compare to yours?”

“I think you have known that since the day you laid eyes on her and wanted,” said Quill. “Aye, and for every time that you took her anyway, despite what was forbidden to you.”

“And yet it was my actions that both saved the queen today and kept your daughter safe,” said Darius.

“One cannot claim victory and righteousness when it was their actions and choices to place the ones they saved in harm’s way, Darius,” said Quill. “Had I any love for you, I would name it a shame that you cannot see those same choices have led you to your end today.”

Darius laughed. “Even now, you remain the fool I always knew you for, Quill. The arrogance of youth and the desire to witness your lingering torment led me to err when having you thrown into the oubliette to suffer for such folly before. I won’t make that same mistake again.” He glanced at the one beside him. “Blackfin . . . bring me his head.”

Sydney paled at the command, her gaze flitting between them both . . . but the Orc leader did not move.

“Blackfin?” Darius asked. “Did you not hear me? I said bring me his head!”

Again, Malik did not stir. “I heard you the first time, Your Grace.” He shrugged. “Shouting it over and again won’t change my actions now.”

Sydney’s eyes widened when Darius’s grip upon her lessened.

The king cleared his throat, then looked to the Orcinian’s second-in-command. “Solomon,” he said sternly. “Kill these traitors for me . . . kill them, and I shall name you the Pod Father in the Blackfin’s stead.”

Sydney’s throat ran dry when neither Solomon or any other Orc dared to heed the king. What is this? She wondered as the king turned from them, looking to the lone other living Merrow inside the tunnel.

“Bowrider?” The king’s voice was soft in question.

Sydney looked to the Merrow lord and her former friend too, finding that Rupert stood resolute in likewise denial.

The Blackfin started forward, his armor clanking. “It would seem you are beset by enemies on all sides, Your Grace.” He bent over to pick up a sword from one of Rupert’s fallen soldiers. “Then again, a true king needs no subjects to carry out his orders. No,” he said, returning to face Darius. “A true king knows his worth, through and through. It does not matter to him what those beneath him think or do. A true king does more than act the