Elaina realised she hadn’t spoken – she hadn’t even breathed – since she’d looked upon the Drurr. She let out a ragged breath and then quickly sucked in another lungful. Her eyes felt moist, and they weren’t the only part of her. Elaina’s heart was racing, and she just wanted this woman to love her.
“Captain Black?” the Queen of Blades said.
“What is this?” Elaina’s voice quavered, pathetic. She wanted to drop to her knees and worship the woman. Only her pride stopped her. She was the daughter of Tanner Black, and she would worship no one. Elaina clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms, using the pain as an anchor against the wave of love that was attempting to sweep away her sanity.
“It is a glamour, and quite a powerful one,” the Queen of Blades said with a wide smile that enhanced her beauty despite the wolfishness of it. “I’m impressed you are able to withstand it.”
Elaina wasn’t sure what a glamour was, nor was she certain she was withstanding it. Her mouth felt dry, and she couldn’t even blink her eyes for the fear that she might miss a moment of the Queen’s grace.
Elaina staggered and tore her eyes away from the Drurr, furiously blinking away her tears and struggling to get her breathing under control. Her heart hammered in her ears, her knees wobbled, and her stomach was ripe with the fluttery feeling she got every time she saw Keelin.
Straightening her back and taking a deep, calming breath, Elaina looked up at the Queen again. The woman was still beautiful – there could never be any doubt of that – but the crushing feeling of love was gone. Instead, Elaina felt sadness at the loss of such a deep adoration. She had no idea how the Drurr could do such a thing, but she hated that any person could have so much power over her emotions.
“What did you do to me?” Elaina shouted, unable to control her rage. Her hand went to her sword hilt before she realised what she was doing.
“I would advise against any acts of aggression, Captain Black,” the Queen of Blades purred. “I assure you, you would not survive it. It was magic both subtle and blatant all at once.”
Elaina barely understood a word the woman was saying. “How dare you!”
“I dare that and much much more, Captain Black,” the Queen said, her voice now cold and heartless. “It was a test, and it pleases me that you passed where countless others have failed. Now, I understand you are currently a little on edge. Would you like a moment to calm yourself? We have much to discuss.”
Elaina shook the cobwebs from her head and glared at the woman. She wanted to tear the Drurr’s head off and tear down her entire guild while she was at it, but common sense won out.
She shook her head. “Then we’d best get to the discussing. Don’t you dare use that glamour shit on me again.”
“And exactly what would you do if I did?” the Drurr said with a wide, toothy smile. “You are entirely at my mercy, Captain Black.”
“I ain’t at no one’s mercy, and you’d do well to curry my favour rather than coerce it.”
The Queen of Blades laughed. “I like your fire, Captain Black, but I negotiate how I will regardless of your preferences. Come, let us take a seat while we discuss. Would you like some wine?”
Elaina would have liked to decline the offer, but her throat was dry and she needed a drink to fortify her nerves. She nodded and followed the Drurr into one of the chambers to the side of the hall. This new room appeared to be an aviary of sorts, with birds of a hundred different kinds littered about the place, some caged and some not. A hole in the roof allowed them to fly free if they wished – at least, those not in cages – and a number of the winged beasts were sipping from a small fountain that bubbled away merrily in one corner. In the centre of the room was a low, ring-shaped bench. The Queen of Blades moved over to it and gestured for Elaina to join her.
“Birds, huh?” Elaina said, still trying to control her emotions. “My ma has monkeys. Lots and lots of monkeys. She treats them like they’re all old friends.”
“I like birds,” the Queen said. “They have a grace and attentiveness that very few other animals do. Their variety and individuality are akin to our own and…”
“Our own?” Elaina said. “You mean Drurr or human?”
“Both,” the Queen said with a smile. “We are far more alike than you realise, Captain Black. Ah, the wine is here. I own the vineyard, so I can assure you it is of excellent quality.”
Elaina accepted the glass from yet another pudgy boy-like man and sipped at it. The taste was pleasant, but she wasn’t the type of person who could tell the difference between good wine and poor. She preferred her drinks in the form of fiery rum or bitter ale whenever possible.
“I’ve been offered ships and the men to sail and fight aboard them by four other guilds,” Elaina said, wishing to get right into the negotiations so she could be away from the Queen of Blades as soon as possible. The woman’s beauty was a constant reminder of the false love Elaina had felt, and the absence of that love felt very much like a broken heart.
“Straight to the point. You pirates are direct. I have some questions for you first, Captain Black. When you requested an audience, you introduced yourself to my Blades as the future queen of the Pirate Isles.”
“Aye,” Elaina said. It had been a rash claim. The idea had grown on her since leaving Chade, and she’d decided that Rose was right; Elaina would make an excellent queen of the isles. More than that, though, Elaina had realised it was something that she wanted.
“And how can you be queen when you do not even have a ship?”
Elaina had prepared herself for the question. “My ship is away on my business. It will be back when I need it.”
The Queen of Blades let out a chuckle and sipped on her wine. “That lie may convince some, Captain Black. Should I still be calling you captain? But you will not pull the blanket over my eyes. The Starry Dawn did not leave Larkos by your leave and is not currently under your command.”
“Just a temporary setback,” Elaina said, dropping the bluff immediately. “She’ll be back under my boots soon enough. It don’t change my position one drop.”
“Hmmm. And what of Drake Morrass? I hear he is first in line for the pirate throne.”
“Morrass is dead,” Elaina said quickly. “Killed on Ash. My da is ready to plant his arse on the throne, and I’m the heir.”
“You are woefully misinformed, Captain. Drake not only survived your father’s little trap, but also convinced him to take a knee. He has yet to officially claim a kingdom or his crown, which I must say has me a little confused.”
Elaina clenched her jaw. She couldn’t imagine her father kneeling to Drake, nor even working with him. If the Queen of Blades was telling the truth it meant things must have gone sideways, and she now wondered what sort of place she would be sailing back to once she reclaimed her ship.
“Do you still claim yourself to be the future queen?” the leader of the Blades said, with a slight lift of her eyebrow that only served to make her look even less human.
Elaina shifted on the bench. She could drop her claims now and look even more foolish, or she could stick to her course. Confidence had always been one of her strengths, and she refused to look weak to the Drurr bitch.
“Aye. I got the backing of the Wilds. One way or another, you’re looking at the queen of the isles.”