These Gilded Seas

Chapter Forty-One: A Bond Forged with Gold

Eero takes two massive steps into the room, his eyes scanning the four of us. They widen at my sad state, narrow at Finn laying in the bed, furrow at Amaia's shock.

Then, they settle on Sam.

The noise has apparently roused the man, and he's staring at the prince with confused eyes, wild and delirious.

If I was able to cut Eero in half at that very moment and lay his brain out, I'm sure I would see the actual thoughts connecting. See the little fires spreading across his mind.

He blinks once, and confusion floods his face.

Another blink; suspicion takes over.

A third blink crosses his features, and this one is laced with concern.

But it's the fourth blink that worries me the most.

It's anger. Pure, unfiltered rage.

Before any of us can react, the prince storms across the room, standing to tower over Sam's bed. He props one knee on the edge of the bed, reaches for Sam with a trembling hand, almost makes contact. Time seems to slow to a crawl as what he's about to do dawns on me. There's no moving my feet, though. The shock coursing through my veins has stuck me to the spot.

He's going to hurt Sam. I know it, but I can't move.

The door behind Amaia and I slams open once more, and a larger-than-life figure fills it. Magnus, hair slick with moisture, clenches the frame and tries to catch his breath. His eyes flit over Amaia and land on me. They widen just a bit before he gives me a short nod and focuses on his prince.

Eero still hasn't moved. He's just as frozen as I am, body quivering with anger, shaking with the desire to hurt someone.

Magnus must know what he's about to do. He strides across the room in two large steps and grabs Eero by the shoulder. With a huff, he wrenches the man away from Sam, nearly toppling the two of them to the floor.

Eero's eyes seem to flash with anger as he regains his footing. "Don't do this, Magnus," he seethes. "Don't get in the middle of it."

"I'll get in the middle of whatever I want, your majesty," the guard whispers, respectful even when he's just laid hands on his charge. "Your head isn't in the right place. You're going to do something you'll regret."

Eero glances at me, and his eyes harden further. "He hurt her. He has to pay."

Then, before any of us can stop him, he turns and lunges out at Sam.

Amaia screams as chaos erupts in the infirmary.

Magnus slams his shoulder into Eero's back, catching him just before he reaches Sam. The prince hits the floor face first with Magnus collapsing on top of him. The force of their impact rattles the beds. Sam scuttles away—as much as he can without getting up.

The two men merge into a mess of fists and grunts, of blood and swears. Magnus flips Eero onto his back and yanks him to his feet, but the prince wrenches around and tries to grab at Sam again. Magnus throws his body between the two of them, takes a couple solid hits to the chest, then to the face, and then, he gets mad and starts hitting Eero back.

Before long, it's hard to tell the two of them apart as they back towards Amaia and me.

Magnus takes up the defensive whenever possible, but Eero is relentless.

No, Eero is terrifying.

I've only seen him this angry once—when his father came in and demanded he have dinner with Ursus. Eero's face twists; his eyebrows nearly touch as he tries to tear past his friend. A nasty, feral grimace knots his mouth. He's filthy, I notice, coated in mud from head to toe. His clothes are drenched from the storm.