No response.
“Ever since we captured your ship—no, ever since I met you—I have been having dreams. Visions.”
Still nothing. Her eyes did not even turn toward him.
He swallowed. “Many of the visions I don’t understand what they mean, but I think they are true. They feel so real, as if I am a part of the scene. And one, one I . . . I saw my father’s palace and I saw your cousin Queen Eleanora. She was dressed in white and in chains and—and she was dead.”
Elea’s head whipped around toward him. “What?!”
“I believe that your cousin is either dead or will be soon,” Gerard said gently. “I am so sorry for the part I played in her capture.”
She shook her head incredulously. “Nora is too strong. They could never kill her.”
“I only know what I saw. There was blood everywhere. She hung limply in the chains, lifeless,” he said, blinking against the images in his mind. “I would not have told you this if I didn’t believe it was important for you to know. I began to have the visions when I met you. I think they are supposed to help you in some manner. Especially now that you will be the Queen of Urka.”
“I was already the Queen of Urka.”
Her words hit against him but could not seem to penetrate his slow wits. “You are Queen Eleanora?”
“My cousin and I were born with violet hair, so we were both given the name Eleanora. It was used as a precaution to protect me. When your ship attacked, Nora pretended to be me so that she could get me back to Urka safely. . . . I appreciate all that you have done for me, and I consider your life debt fulfilled. I do not trust your visions. I will see that you are rewarded amply for your sacrifices, but I think it is best that you go now. For your own safety. You are an enemy of Urka.”
He grabbed both sides of his head, which felt as if it had been hit by a cannonball. “You used me. You used your gift to manipulate me.”
She shook her head again and her beautiful purple hair swayed. “I was attracted to you . . . I am attracted to you, but that doesn’t change who I am or who you are. Or that you must go.”
“Why did you not tell me who you were once we arrived in Urka? Why did you not trust me with the truth?”
“Please understand that I was born to fulfill a prophecy, and I made a blood oath that I would free the serfs and restore Yakura to its former glory. Everything I have done has been for my country and my Màthair. I regret nothing, except for the pain that I may have caused you. I should not have kissed you, when you didn’t know who I am.”
Her words were like daggers stabbing his heart. She’d used him, and now she was discarding him. What could he expect? He was an unwanted, illegitimate child. His own father didn’t want him. She was cruel, but she was right. He was not worth her notice or her time.
Elea held out a small bag to him. “Payment for your assistance. It should be large enough to take you back to Kaul and to join your crew, as well as extra for your efforts. I truly wish you the very best.”
“Anywhere but here.”
“It is for your own safety that you must leave,” she said stiffly, still holding out the bag to him.
“I’ll leave, but I won’t take anything from you.”
Gerard’s feet finally moved and he was able to walk out of her room. How could he have been so mistaken? He felt as if he’d been underneath some spell and Elea’s harsh words had finally removed it. He’d been her fool. Her chump. Used and discarded. He retrieved his uniform from his own chamber and left the castle and the village. His feet kept taking step after step until he reached the edge of the water. There were close to fifty ships in the dock. All of them were small fishing boats, but they would be large enough to cross the Dark Channel.
He needed to get as far away from Urka and Elea as possible.
He would need money.
Ironically, the only thing of value he had was a chain with a golden trigon medallion on it. He had worn it his entire life. It was the one item that his mother had left with him, when she’d abandoned him on the steps of the palace. Left him with a father that did not want him or care for him. Left him, never to return. Gerard had worn the necklace every day as a child, hoping that if he did, his mother would come back for him. Would be able to find him.
After twenty-six years, he knew that she was never coming. That she didn’t care about him.
Taking the necklace off, he offered it to the first sailor he saw. It was pure gold of ancient and intricate work. It was worth more than the battered sloop boat that he traded it for. But that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was getting away fromher.
11
NORA
Her arm was on fire and her neck felt stiff. Nora fluttered her eyes until they opened and she realized that she had spent what was left of the night on a chair—in Queen Maria’s sitting room. She’d brought Nora here after saving her life in the hall. Glancing out the window, she saw a full battalion of soldiers surrounding the palace.Seven purgatories.There was no way she could get away when so many stood between her and freedom, particularly wearing a ripped and bloody chemise.
As if on cue, two maids came into the sitting room and clucked and shook their heads over Nora’s clothes and appearance. What they said precisely, she didn’t understand, but they clearly were not happy with her. They brought her a tray of food and watched her eat it. They each took an arm and led her through a different door from the room. There was an enormous bathing tub; it was already full to the brim with steaming water and bubbles. Nora needed no persuading to shed her tattered nightgown and climb into it. Sinking below the bubbles, she felt the steaming water sooth her arm and bruises. There was nothing she loved more in the world than a hot bath.