All the Queen's Angels

Ch. 19: You Again

The relentless torrent of water beats down on us with icy teeth, piercing through skin and bone.

Like rabid hounds, the foaming waves tear through the ship, the roar of endless ocean echoing through the walls.

I scramble out of Leander's arms only to get dragged to my knees by the current. The lights flicker ominously and I watch his face grow pale at the sight behind me. Struggling to my knees, I turn.

The cabin is blown out; in its place lies a vicious whirlpool leading to the frigid abyss of the channel. A splash in the distance reveals Penthia trapped on the other side by the deadly current. Every second the walls sink lower into the ocean. General Amaryllis stumbles out of the captain's quarters with a curtain rod in hand, and I hurry to her side. As the water swirls around our legs, I hold the general steady while she extends the rod over the whirlpool. Slowly, we pull her across the pit. But the water is merciless, and both Penthia and General Amaryllis's hands begin to slip.

"Leander—!", I grit out before Penthia screams.

"What are you waiting for, Lover Boy!". Just before the general's hands slip, Leander pushes off the wall and takes my place, pulling her the final meters. I help Penthia back into intact floor and the general supports her tired frame.

"Thank you," Penthia chokes. Suddenly, the ship shudders.

"Vlahos!", Leander cries, reaching for me too late. A wall of water pulls me under. Beneath the foam, I watch the lights die.

...

Hands cold as fire stroke my cheek. I open my eyes and the stars wink back. The roar of water is muted, overcome by the faint howling of gas planets. A familiar void.

How kind of you to visit me, a voice murmurs. It conjures memories of the birth of stars and death of planets. Not my memories. Golden eyes flash, the face hidden in obsolete shadow.

Help! I want to ask. I choke on the words, salt water burbling from my lips. Tears stream from my eyes and his thumb brushes them away. Unthinkingly, I grab his hand.

Please!

Please what?

Help me. I'm dying.

Close your eyes, Angel.

I do as he says. His hands leave my face and for a moment I fear he's tricked me. Just as I'm about to open my eyes to gaze at the stars one last time, I feel his hand on my neck.

And then his lips are on mine. Impossibly soft and cold, as if sculpted from ice. My quivering lips part and as he kisses me deeper, he seems to draw the weight of death from my chest. Instinctively, I bury my hands in his hair and pull him closer, kissing him deeper and deeper, gripping him like a lifeline. He presses me into his body like he's molding my bones to his. I kiss him until my jaw is sore. After a dizzying eternity, we break away.

Better? He whispers onto my lips. I take a deep breath, but just as I'm about to respond, I'm pulled out of the water.

...

"You're alright, Vlahos, I've got you," Leander pants as he hoists me into his arms. The world is cold again. Shivering and utterly disoriented, I cling to his shoulders, savoring his body warmth.

"What in the name of Hell," I rasp, realizing I was moments away from drowning in the whirlpool.

He carries me aboveboard, where Penthia, General Amaryllis, and the Captain await in lifeboats. We climb in and row south, towards Forsythia, and watch as the ocean swallows the ship.

...

General Amaryllis tries her best to hide her shivering, but Penthia still notices and pulls her close. As the wind whips savagely around us, Leander sternly pulls a life jacket over my head and wraps his arm around my waist.

For two hours, the world falls away. We press our frigid bodies into one another's, enemies huddling for warmth side by side. Eyes closed, teeth chattering, hair dripping, wind howling. After an eternity, I open my eyes to watch as the barren Forsythian coast emerges from the gloom with the royal troops waiting along the shore. One by one the others step off. Only then do I realize Leander had been holding my hand the whole time.

My fingers are still stiff when we reach the palace. Servants usher the our sopping-wet forms into the throne room, where King Lucius and Queen Lillian await. The cavernous room is adorned in black, the queen's dark gown glittering beneath the Angel wings propped above them. Just before entering, Penthia breaks away from the group and disappears down the hall. The captain enters first.

"We commend you for protecting our precious cargo in these tumultuous times. You will be generously rewarded, Captain," the queen declares, dismissing him.

And then there were three. We enter.

"What is the Gardenian bastard doing here?", King Lucius finally speaks. I liked him better when he was mute.

"To ensure her safety and arrange her engagement, Majesty," Leander replies.

"You're using your brother's funeral as a courtship event?", the king darkens.

"Hurry off to your rooms, then, girl. No one will marry a hypothermic corpse," the queen dismisses me. I leave, starkly aware of Leander's searing gaze following me down the marble halls.

The palace is devoid of life, nearly all servants dismissed after Laurent's death for fear of plague. I eventually make my way down to the medical wing, passing by some nurses. When I enter the clinic, I find Penthia with her back to me searching for heating blankets. She lets her tunic fall from her shoulders and I swallow a gasp.

Two identical, wicked scars tear down her back, from shoulder to waist.

I press myself against the wall, trying to subdue the tremors wracking my body. She is a Lady, a medic, and friend to the General. How could she have been defiled in that way?

Those are the thoughts I carry with me as I search for a room to prepare for the funeral.

...

I stand before the floor-length mirror, dressed in a mermaid-style gown, the black lace hugging my curves. An onyx brooch glints from the choker around my neck, with matching earrings. For a moment I worry that Ambrose's ring won't match, and my hands instinctively move to twist it.

My blood freezes. I look down.

The ring is gone.