Noa mouthed a bad word. Gabriela said, “What was that? Oh, sorry. I forgot.” She spoke in Marrow, and Noa felt her voice return.
She repeated the bad word.
Gabriela frowned. “I see you haven’t thought over what I said.”
“Being tied up isn’t good for thinking,” Noa said.
Gabriela made no reply to that. She looked distracted. She picked up the bowl the servant had brought in and sat down on the edge of Noa’s bed. The bowl was full of onion soup, and Noa felt her mouth water. As much as she wanted to refuse anything from Gabriela, she was too hungry. Gabriela patiently fed her soup until the spoon scraped the bottom of the bowl.
“Better?” she said.
Noa’s thoughts raced. She needed to give Gabriela a reason to leave. “I’m still hungry. Is there any more soup?”
Gabriela nodded, her thoughts clearly elsewhere. “I’ll get you some in a minute.” To Noa’s dismay, she settled on the edge of the bed. Her weight made the blanket shift, almost revealing the torn ropes. Noa’s heart thudded.
“I’ve heard from the king,” Gabriela said slowly. “I sent him a report with one of the wind mages, informing him that you snuck onto the ship—”
“You what?” Noa nearly shouted.
Gabriela didn’t meet her gaze. “He’s ordered me to bring you to Florean City immediately.”
Noa fought against the panic rising inside her. “Of course he did. He wants to use me to hurt Julian.”
Gabriela looked uncomfortable. “He says he’s making arrangements to ensure that you’re happy in the palace. You don’t have to be afraid.”
Noa fell back against her pillow. “I don’t know why I always thought you were smart.”
Gabriela pressed her hand against Noa’s bound one. “Noa, you’re too important to the king. Yes, he will probably send word to Julian about this, to encourage him to surrender. But even if Julian refuses, you’ll be taken care of. I promise.” She sounded as if she was speaking as much to herself as to Noa.
The boat suddenly rocked to one side. Gabriela caught herself on one of Noa’s legs, dislodging the blanket more. Noa’s heart skipped a beat, but Gabriela didn’t look down.
“The wind must be picking up,” she said, frowning. “I’m going to check in with the captain.” And with that, she was gone.
The moment she was through the door, Noa flung the blanket back. She scrabbled at the ropes binding her right hand, taking longer to untie them than she would have if she’d been calm.
The king’s voice floated back to her, just as clear as it had been in the palace courtyard. If I ever manage to get my hands on just one of those brats, I could have Julian Marchena eating out of the palm of my hand. . . .
. . . We could quietly execute them both and finally have done with the whole rotten Marchena line. . . .
Noa’s palms were sweaty. She managed to wriggle out of the rope wrapped around her torso. She rolled off the bed, her palms thudding against the floor.
The shadow. Get to the shadow, any shadow.
The closest one was beneath the table that held the empty soup bowl and the fading lavastick. Noa lunged at it.
“How did you do that?” asked a voice behind her. Noa whirled.
Gabriela stood in the doorway with her mouth open. Behind her were two mages, also openmouthed. Noa lifted the shadow and prepared to leap, but one of the mages gave a sharp command in Marrow, and she froze—literally. Her muscles seized up in an awful full-body cramp, and she couldn’t move. She was crouched on her knees, the shadow gripped in her hand and the safety of Death beckoning underneath it. But it might as well have been a mile away.
“Black seas, Noa.” Gabriela dismissed the mages with a gesture and strode forward, her face white with anger. “Clearly I have to assign someone to guard you at all times. Your powers are more dangerous than I guessed.” She hooked her arms under Noa’s immobile ones, and began to drag her back across the floor. “Let’s get you tied up again, and then—”
The boat rocked, violently this time, and Gabriela fell over and rolled across the floor. Noa rolled, too, ending up on her back with her limbs stuck in the same ridiculous posture, her legs bent and one hand stretched out as if she was in the middle of some weird dance routine.
“What in the thirteen—” Gabriela began, and then something exploded.
Gabriela cried out, her hands going to her head. A long, gaping hole had appeared in the ceiling, as if several boards in the deck had been peeled away. Green vines writhed through the gap like snakes, wrapping around more boards and wrenching them back. People were screaming, and feet pounded along the corridor and across the deck. Thunder crashed and a bolt of lightning illuminated the sky, setting off a new wave of screams. Then a familiar voice called, “Noa?”
Noa’s heart leaped. Slowly, painfully, she managed to wrench open her mouth and yell, “Julian!”
Part IIIWhelm
21
The Dark Lord and the King’s Mage Meet Again
The vines swarmed into the cabin, ripping apart the deck. Boards cracked and thumped to the floor, but the vines made a cage over Noa’s head, and she was safe.
“Noa, climb up!” Julian called. A ladder of vines undulated to the floor.
Noa tried to unclench her jaw again. “Can’t,” she managed. “Gabriela—”
Julian hissed, and there came another flash of lightning. The vines withered and died, and Noa realized that one of Gabriela’s mages must have attacked him. She tried to fight the spell, but it was no use. She was as much help as an overturned turtle.
In the first few seconds following Julian’s arrival, Gabriela sat frozen, her face white and stunned, as if she’d walked into a post. Now, though, she drew herself to her feet, her jaw set.
“Look,” Noa cried. She seemed able
