Heiress of the Sea

Chapter 16

Soren's gaze immediately switched from Zeus to me. "No."

"Come on," I groaned. "I can defend myself. I successfully combatted one hundred of the men in your army. Surely I can fight off some peasants."

"Let her come along, son. Once she gets this out of her system, she'll be fine hanging low for all the other fights, in the future," Zeus said.

I furrowed a brow.

"No, she won't," Soren responded, eyeing me quickly, before turning back to his father. "If she comes with us, she could get hurt, or worse. She is only mortal, and so young."

"I'm old enough that I can keep myself safe in a fight. I'm just as good at fighting as one of your men, if not better. You could use my help," I told Soren. "Your father is okay with it. If he thought I was going to die, I don't see why he would let me come. He wants the prophecy fulfilled just as much as you do."

Soren nodded, sighing gruffly. "May I speak to you privately for a moment?"

He grabbed me by the wrist, and pulled me a few yards away from Zeus, and out of the palace, where he spoke in a hiss-whisper.

"What are you thinking?" he exclaimed.

"I want to come help you and your father. I don't understand why you're so against that," I responded, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Because you could get hurt. You don't know what to expect form this revolt—I don't even know what to expect."

"Exactly," I replied. "So you need all the help you can get."

"Not from you, Ailith," he gasped.

I narrowed my gaze. "Oh really?"

"You matter more to me than anything else," he said. "If anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself."

"If anything happens to me, it'll be on me. Not you. Now, you can take me with you, or I can just follow you. And if you try to lock me in my chambers, I swear to the Gods and Goddesses"—

"I won't do that," he interrupted, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "I just...I wish you weren't so stubborn."

"Are you saying I can come?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes. But under one condition."

"Yes?"

"You have to stick with me," he said, gruffly adding, "the whole time."

I sighed. "You won't regret this."

"I'm sure I will," he muttered as I sauntered back into the palace.

~

The early morning sky was a color combination of hazy blue and iridescent orange. The moon was barely visible through the fog looming around the horizon, dancing on the surface of the sea.

I awoke naturally, my heart seeming to ricochet off the sides of my ribcage as I smiled and dressed. My cheek glowed that morning, sparkling from where I had been kissed. I pulled my hair into a long braid that hung over my shoulder limply, and found a fur coat in my wardrobe that I slung over my shoulders. Its heavy weight draped over me, but I knew it would keep me warm in the day's journey.

I floated down the spiral staircase, and was met by a newly sober Lazarus. His auburn hair was tousled and messy, and his face pale. He rubbed at his temple as I approached, letting out a pained moan.