Cassia lowered her hand and sat in the boat, her eyes trained on Elias' back until he disappeared around the foot of the chalky white cliffs that protected Levitum's port. It had been a shock—and an unpleasant one at that—to see him there, chasing after her like one of Malitech's hunting dogs.

Behind her, Nasir began to swear, stripping off his sodden cloak and throwing it into the bottom of the boat with a wet smack. Cassia shivered against the cold leaching from her own soaked clothes. She hadn't been planning on going for a swim this morning.

They'd had to leave earlier than initially thought, once Corax got wind of the raid on Nasir's frigate. Askari—the man who had accompanied Nasir to the tavern last night—hadn't had the time to get to the beach.

Cassia began to wring out the edge of her cloak, grimacing at the squish of water in her boots. As the boat began to make its way toward the caravel, Cassia stared back toward Levitum, her heart pounding wildly in her throat. Her blood seemed to shimmer in her veins, her breath coming hard. Part of it was due to the wild dash from the Raven's Well to the sea. The rest was excitement.

Excitement and fear at finally setting sail. She was leaving everything she had ever known behind. There was nothing and no one left to catch her if she fell.

Fingers suddenly knotted in her hair. A startled yelp burst from her as she was jerked backwards. Craning her head, she found Askari snarling down at her, his dark eyes filled with fury. Something sparkled in the corner of her eye. A knife, she realized as it came closer. She stopped trying to pry his fingers loose from her hair, her hand instead latching onto his wrist, halting the knife's progress toward her throat.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, fury filling her so abruptly she felt almost like she might float.

"It was a trap," Askari said, wrenching her head farther back. The muscles in Cassia's arm began to tremble as he pressed the knife closer. "Corax used his bitch to try and kill you."

Cassia's scalp was screaming as she struggled against the man. At the edge of her vision, she could see Nasir sitting on one of the benches, a frown on his face. There would be no help for her there.

Keep that hidden.

A million thoughts jumbled through her mind, but she latched on to the most important. Left boot.

Much to her horror, Askari's knife surged closer. A whimper slipped from her mouth as she leaned back into him, trying to escape the deadly edge. The fingers of her free hand slipped down her own leg, straining toward the shaft of her boot.

Tears sprang to her eyes when the smooth, cool hilt of the knife she'd put there this morning met the tips of her fingers. Baring her teeth, she yanked the blade from her boot and stabbed wildly downward. A yowl of pain pierced her ear and Askari's hands flew away from her. Cassia lurched upright, taking the knife with her. The Sorian screamed as it was pulled from the flesh of his outer thigh. 

The boat rocked wildly, nearly sending her back into the ocean as she scrambled away. Panting, her scalp on fire and fear wrapping dangerous coils around her throat, Cassia retreated to the stern of the boat, bloody knife held aloft. Nasir hadn't moved, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully while Askari swore and clutched at his wounded leg.

After a moment to regain control of herself, Cassia swallowed hard. "You had best warn your men that I will demand a price of blood from any who would touch me." 

She shot a glare at Askari and, meeting his eyes, slowly used the edge of her cloak to clean his blood from the knife Corax had given to her yesterday. Hatred flared hot in his eyes and he opened his mouth, but she had already turned her attention back to Nasir.

"If Corax wanted you dead," she said flatly, pleased by the steadiness of her voice, "he would simply kill you himself. He doesn't need my help. Or anyone else's, for that matter."

Cassia wasn't sure that was the best argument for her innocence, but at the moment it was the only thing that came to mind. She met Nasir's eyes, surprised to find a small smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. He stood and took Askari's place at the oars, bringing them carefully alongside the caravel.

He called up to the deck before he looked at her and tapped the hilt of his sword. "You stopped me from killing that man." It wasn't exactly an accusation.

Her muscles locked up at the memory of the fear that had shot through her when Nasir had swung his sword and, a moment later, she had realized who he was swinging at. Mixed as her feelings might be about Elias, she didn't want him dead. Then she remembered Elias' black cloak, she remembered Corax's description of the men laying in wait for them.

Black Crests.

"That man was part of Prince Malitech's personal guard," she said, her heart twisting at the words. "If you had stopped to fight him, the others would have been on us and we wouldn't have made it to the boat."

Nasir continued to study her for a long moment. A ladder came rattling down the side of the hull, shouts floating over the ship as the crew got ready to sail. When Nasir stood and extended a hand, Askari hissed, "No!"

"She's right," Nasir said simply. He lifted an eyebrow, still offering his hand. "If he had wanted us dead, we would be dead. And I doubt he would wish to draw the attention of a prince, just to gain an upper hand in any dealings with us."

"There would be no advantage to gain," Cassia said, biting the inside of her cheek as she took his hand and allowed him to help her to the edge of the boat. He grabbed one of the lower rungs of the ladder, keeping it steady for her.

Askari took up the oars to keep the boat beside the ship's hull. "How do we know that man is what she says? Prince's guard." He spat in contempt. "He probably worked for the bastard. You know Metians can't be trusted."

"Nor can Sorians," Cassia retorted as she began to climb. "If you had only honored your original deal, I wouldn't need to be here."

Askari muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "impudent bitch", but didn't otherwise respond.

"Corax was the one who allowed our escape," Nasir reminded his unpleasant second in command.

Allowed my escape, Cassia thought bitterly. She barked her knuckles against the hull of the ship as she climbed. The pain gave her something to focus on other than the grim look on Corax's face as he'd shoved her down into the cellar and told her she would owe him if he survived. More than I already do.

The wind whipped her hair into her face as she climbed. She could feel the ladder swaying as one of the others began to come up after her. Cassia tried to move faster, her boots slipping on the wet wood as she scrambled up over the railing, flopping onto the deck. 

Dead silence met her as she shook her hair from her eyes and looked up. Sailors stood arrayed before her, frozen in the middle of their tasks, making it look like the ship had been hit by some sort of malevolent enchantment. Cassia pushed herself to her feet, lingering by the rail as Nasir slung a leg over the railing, alighting on the deck with much more grace than she had managed.

Nasir grabbed her elbow and began to lead her toward the quarterdeck. "Back to work," he said, voice carrying across the ship. "I want us underway in ten minutes. Any more and we'll have a fight on our hands."

The crew continued to stare at Cassia for a long moment.

"Now!" Nasir bellowed, making her jump. The crew scrambled into action, Sorians climbing the ratlines and beginning to let the sails down. The canvas snapped taut under the early morning wind and the caravel began to cut through the waves.

Cassia was content to stay beside Nasir until she realized he was leading her toward the captain's cabin—perhaps his cabin, she didn't know. Her heart thumped wildly and before she could think it through, she drove her boot down, stomping hard on Nasir's foot. He sucked in a pained breath, his fingers loosening their hold.

She broke into a run, sprinting up the stairs that led to the helm. A tall, loose-limbed man who was standing at the wheel gave her a startled look, but she darted past him all the way to the back of the ship. Cassia caught herself against the railing, eyes wide and unblinking as she watched the expanse of water between herself and her homeland stretch wider with every passing second.

At the sound of boots behind her, she let her hand rest on her hip, just a few inches from the blade she kept there. In plain sight.

All Nasir did, though, was take up a place beside her, resting his elbows on the railing. He didn't say a word.

Finally, she let out a little sigh, recognizing that she couldn't make too many enemies here, even if she couldn't make friends. "I'm sorry about your foot. I just...wanted to see."

It annoyed her when he only laughed in response.

Cassia kept her gaze firmly on Levitum. She had left the capital before, of course, but never in a way that felt so permanent. The wind bit at her nose and ears, but that wasn't what caused the shiver that ran down her spine. 

No. That was caused by a sense of foreboding. How different would it be when she returned. How different would she be?

"That wasn't very wise of you," Nasir said. "What you did in the boat." The beads of gold in his braids clinked musically as he tilted his head. "Askari is well liked by the crew."

Cassia mulled that over for a moment.

"Would it have been wiser to let him sink that blade into my throat?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the shore. When Nasir didn't answer, she turned toward him. "Would it be wiser to let your crew think I'm defenseless? To let you think that?"

Then she frowned at herself, realizing it might well have been wiser to let them think so. Calix had told her often enough that always being underestimated would be one of her greatest strengths.

"Oh," Nasir said with another laugh. "I never thought you were defenseless." At her surprised expression, he continued, "The wharf is a dangerous place to be a woman. Particularly a woman who happens to be Corax's lover."

The denial was on her lips so fast, she barely managed to choke it down. In Soria, they respect another man's property. Though it turned her stomach, she gave a short nod. "It is not only the wharf that is dangerous," she said. "Only a fool would walk around with nothing to protect themselves."

"And you are no fool."

Cassia decided not to respond to that.

"But," he continued, making her glance at him, "you do seem to have a knack for angering those who would make better allies."

You haven't the slightest idea, she thought wearily.

"I won't apologize for defending myself," she said, thinking quickly. "Corax needs me safely in Soria. Askari was foolish to believe he wouldn't do everything possible to make that happen. It's not my fault your man thought it would be a good idea to threaten my life."

Nasir nodded, pursing his lips. "Would it be worth my time to ask why he would send you to Soria? Far from his protection." He smirked. "Far from his bed?"

"That's Corax's business," she said, watching as Levitum seemed to grow just a little smaller as the ship continued to cut through the waves, the sleek caravel moving at a rapid clip. "You should stay out of it."

"I wonder, do you wish someone had given you the same advice?" 

Before Cassia could formulate a response, Nasir straightened and turned away from the railing. "You can keep your secrets, raven girl. The water knows the truth." Her hand shot to the knife on her hip when he leaned forward, the gold in his hair shining in the morning light, but all he did was whisper in her ear. "I hold to my promises. But I can't play nursemaid and I don't speak for every member of my crew."

Cassia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, just for it to be immediately blown back across her face. Learn to sheathe those claws, kitten.

"Then I will not be held responsible for any mistakes they make," she said.

All that earned her was a short laugh. Nasir brushed the stubborn lock away from her face and said, "You might find you don't have a choice." His boots thudded on the deck as he walked away. "You'll be staying in the captain's cabin," he called over his shoulder. "I hope it's to your liking."

Cassia didn't bother to respond. She stood at the railing, shivering in her wet clothes as they traveled farther and farther out to sea. 

She didn't know how long she stood there. Time seemed to move in strange fits and starts as she watched. The new sun climbed slowly into the sky, its rays not doing much to ward off the winter chill. Whenever she looked up, she was shocked to find how much it had moved by.

It took a long time before the land really seemed to start receding. 

The crew shouted to one another in Sorian, their coarse accents and slang making the language almost unintelligible to her ears. She had only ever learned court Sorian. Gulls squabbled overhead, coasting along on the air currents, occasionally diving toward the water in pursuit of the fish stirred up by the caravel's wake. The smell of salt and ship's tar was sharp in her nose.

The wind blew her hair in her face, just as the Metian shore slipped behind the horizon. Cassia stared at the spot where her homeland had been, then glanced up at the sky. It was still clear above them, but she could see clouds beginning to build to the south.

So far, there had been no sign of pursuit.

Cassia chewed at the inside of her lip, then ran her fingers through her hair, trying to tame the hopeless snarls. Her scalp still ached where Askari had held her.

Again, she glanced up at the sky. Slowly, she looked around to see if anyone was watching her. But everyone was too busy to pay her any mind, keeping the ship moving at full speed, tacking correctly through the wind and waves.

She pulled the knife from her belt, studying the glimmer of steel. Then she grabbed a chunk of hair and, before she could second-guess herself, she sliced the blade through the strands. For a moment, Cassia stared down in horror at the cut hair, laying like a dead snake in her hand. Her fingers unfurled by themselves, letting the wind catch the hair, lifting it into the air and away from the ship.

A slow breath escaped her and she snatched at another curl. Grimly, she cut through each lock, letting the wind carry it away. 

When it was done, her hair barely reached the edge of her jaw. Just enough to tie back, but not such a tantalizing handhold for anyone who might attack her. Cassia slowly sank to her knees, scrubbing her hand repeatedly through her hair, her fingers surprised each time by the lack of length.

Cassia returned the knife to its sheath, silently mourning the loss of her hair. It had always been her favorite feature—long and thick, a rich brown that held strands of gold in sunlight and could look black as pitch in the dark. Even her mother had been jealous of her beautiful curls.

No court lady would ever be caught dead with hair as short as a man's. It was as much a symbol of her status as any of her gowns or jewels. 

So perhaps it was appropriate that she rid herself of it. It was certainly safer.

But that didn't keep her from hating it. Again, she ran her fingers through her hair, breath hitching slightly.

When she closed her eyes, her mind immediately conjured up an image of Calix burying his fingers in her hair when he kissed her. How he would press his face into the sweet-smelling strands, bewildering her as he instantly dropped into heavy sleep. How he would wrap the locks around his hand to guide her head back so he could kiss her throat as they moved together.

She allowed herself to linger in those memories for but a moment. 

"Take it as an offering," she whispered, hoping the wind would carry her quiet words to the gods' distant ears. "For..." Cassia frowned, tracking one of the gulls as it dived toward the waves. 

She watched it rise back up to the sky, then stared at the pale blue expanse, her vision growing unfocused. "Him," she whispered. 

Closing her eyes, she was immediately assaulted by her imagination. Calix surrounded by five other men, sword held loose and ready in his right hand, his left gesturing for them to attack. Calix in full armor atop that hellish beast her father had given him. Calix kneeling before something that looked disturbingly like a pyre, his head bowed and shadows darting around him.

A sharp pain through her shoulder had her eyes popping open, her chest constricting as she attempted to breathe. It took her a moment to realize why everything seemed to be sideways. She had tipped over, landing hard on her shoulder. It throbbed where it had connected with the wood.

Slowly, she pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked around. Her head began to ache, the sunlight stabbing into her eyes and nausea putting an uncomfortable pressure on her throat.

"Too much excitement for you, princess?"

Cassia's heart stopped for a beat, then burst into a gallop as she staggered to her feet, whipping around to find Askari watching her from across the deck. He took a few limping steps forward, then stopped, his eyes narrowing as he took in her cropped hair. Cassia raised her chin, even though her stomach continued to roil.

"I wouldn't have expected Corax's woman to be so delicate," he said with a sneer, and her heart calmed somewhat.

It had been meant as an insult. He didn't really know anything. Absurdly, a smile twitched at the corner of her mouth when she realized that.

She let her hand rest on her waist, watching with satisfaction as his gaze darted down to the dagger sitting on her hip. His mouth thinned with displeasure and his weight shifted more toward his uninjured leg.

"Not delicate," she said, wondering if that was a lie. Her stomach growled and she let her smile widen just a bit. "Hungry, though."

Askari didn't seem to know how to respond. Cassia let her smile grow to a full-blown grin, even as Nasir's warning rang in her head. Everything had been too close this morning.

Elias, her brother, Corax. 

She found it very difficult to be afraid of this man, regardless of the sway he might hold with the crew. This journey wasn't about making friends. It was about proving herself against enemies. Proving that she could protect herself and thereby the throne.

Her entire body came to attention when Askari took another hobbling step toward her, and she let her fingers slide just a little closer to the hilt of the dagger. They stood watching each other for a long moment, and Cassia began to wonder just what Askari wanted.

To intimidate her? She wished him luck.

To finish what he had started in the rowboat? Cassia's muscles still remembered every trick of knife play Vestarin had ever deigned to teach her.

She sincerely hoped he wasn't in search of an apology. She didn't think she'd be able to stop herself from laughing.

Instead, he offered a cold smile. "I learned a lesson today, princess."

She resisted the urge to snap at him not to call her that. It sent a shiver of dread through her body every time he did, even though she knew he had no way of knowing how accurate he was. The only response she gave, though, was a short nod.

"I don't make the same mistakes twice."

"Nor do I," she replied.

He just smiled again and limped over toward the man at the helm. His cold eyes never left her as she made her way across the quarterdeck and down the stairs. Cassia kept her spine ramrod straight until she shut the door of the captain's cabin behind her.

"Thank Corlana," she muttered when she found a bolt on the door. She shoved it home, then rammed her shoulder against the door. It shuddered in its frame, but didn't budge.

Someone larger and stronger than her might be able to get past it, but they would make a lot of noise in the process.

Cassia turned to face the room she would be living in for the next two to three months, surprised by the opulence waiting for her. An abundance of light poured through the thick, wavy glass of the windows in the rear wall, illuminating a wide bunk draped in what appeared to be a lion pelt and swags of silk. A desk and shelves were bolted into the wall opposite the bunk, crammed with maps and what she assumed were the captain's personal books.

She ran her fingers along their leather spines, wondering if she should bother asking the captain if she was allowed to read these, or if she should just help herself and make sure she returned each volume to its proper place. Her stomach growled and she sighed. No one had bothered to tell her if lunch would be served, or at what time. And she wasn't about to risk another run-in with Askari to find out.

Something told her it would be wisest to stay in the cabin and out of the way until Nasir could explain her presence. She had made enough enemies for one day.

Cassia gently massaged her temple and sank onto the bunk, staring toward the windows. 

So much for keeping her claws sheathed.