They say she is as beautiful as she is cunning. She has never married, apparently scaring off every suitor with a sharp intellect and even sharper teeth.
She has always been the proverbial black sheep of her family. I know she’s here somewhere in the city, but no one has seen her except for select diplomatic visits. According toAranthium Celebrity News, Helena was paraded before the Queen of the Winter Court eighteen months ago, closely watched and even more closely guarded. It was all people could talk about for weeks after the fact.
“... doing so will release you from your debt to me.”
With a start, I realize that the Ice Mer King has continued speaking. I barely hear him over the pull of my memories.
Shit. Shit.
I don’t want to let the King know I didn’t hear him, so I nod and paste a grim look on my face as I try to figure out what’s going on.
Did I just agree to murder the Crown Princess?
Before I can delve deeper into the absolute insanity of…all that, a knock comes on the door.
“Excuse me, King Phelix?” A timid voice comes from beyond the doorway and I turn around to see a very thin Mer swimming in the hallway. She has dark, almost black skin with violet hair that sits in a tight bun on the top of her head. There is a silver band wrapped around her chest, matching her tail.
“What?” the powerful male snaps, pounding a fist on the desk. The entire piece of furniture shakes from the impact.
The Mer shrinks backward and somehow seems even smaller than before. “I was sent to tell you that the um...” she looks at me and then pales, “delivery is here for you. From your... friends.”
“Is that so?” Phelix asks, swimming over to her.
She nods, her tail quivering as she mumbles an affirmative response.
“Fine,” he huffs.
King Phelix turns to me, and I flinch,gods-damned flinch,at the barely contained violence in his expression. A green glow hides behind his pupil-less eyes, and it takes everything in me not to cower against the threat of pain I see there. “Can I assume you will do what you were told? Or do we need to have adifferentkind of conversation? One that ends up in you losing yet another limb?” He looks pointedly at my right hand.
Clenching my prosthetic fist at my side, I take a deep breath before unfurling my fingers slowly. I shake my head. “I understand, Your Majesty.”
“Good,” he says. “She'll be brought to you tomorrow. Remember, don't link this to me. Get her out of Ice Mer territory before you do it.”
I nod. What else can I do?
The Ice Mer King barks at the servant, “Let’s go.”
The Mer in the doorway swims off so quickly that she leaves the water swirling in her wake.
When the King and his guards are out of sight, I slump against the desk.
What in the name of the gods am I going to do now? Stealing is one thing. Cold-blooded murder is another.
Shaking my head, I try to think of a way out.
The problem is, there isn’t one.
I’m just a human.
A scary one, to be sure. But mostly that’s because I’m known around the sea as the Pirate of Death. It’s a title I... inherited more than earned, but I have gone to great lengths to make sure I am well-feared through all of Aranthium.
But being the Pirate of Death won’t help me where the Ice Mer King is concerned.
Dammit. I’m going to have to kill her.
With a sigh, I run my hand through my hair.
At least I’ll be free after this.