He did not sound optimistic and Sera’s heart sank—they were not the only ones headed for Braxos. The humans believed the island was filled with treasure or possessed some magical properties. Could they damage the tether if they reached the island before Sera did? She bit her lip and tried to swallow her fear. Right now, the important thing was to stay quiet and escape detection.

It seemed forever before she heard shouts and cries of, “Hold there!” Agnes and Vada were lined up on the deck alongside the other sailors, hands clasped, heads bowed. There was the sound of wood creaking and then the thudding of footsteps. Sera barely held back her gasp as the most frightening woman she had ever seen stalked into view.

She was very tall and wore a high-necked sleeveless leather tunic of mottled black and purple that covered her thighs, split in front and back to allow for freedom of movement. Heavy boots laced up to her knees over dark, rough-spun pants, and her forearms were enclosed from knuckle to elbow in leather cuffs woven with overlapping circles of copper. Her high collar was adorned with matching disks and her hair was cropped short, sticking up in spikes to frame a face cold and devoid of emotion as she stared down at Vada.

“Who is the captain of this ship?” she demanded.

Violetta stepped forward. “I am. Violetta Murchadha, at your service. The Maiden’s Wail is a simple merchant vessel, returning from a journey to Kaolin.”

The woman snorted. “Merchant vessel.” Then she turned to others Sera could not see. “Search it.” Other women dressed in similar garb passed by the bench—Sera heard some of them going down into the hold. She felt Leo tense beside her.

The woman turned back to Violetta. Her tunic was belted with an assortment of short, curved knives that glinted cruelly in the sunlight. A silver moon was emblazoned on her chest. “I am Rowen Drakos, head of the Aerin’s guard,” she said.

The Aerin was one of the queens, Sera recalled. Another one was called the Renalt, and she couldn’t remember the name of the third. When they ascended the throne, Vada had explained, they gave up their first names and assumed only the family name. Sera thought that rather strange and sad—she could not imagine having to suddenly call Agnes the McLellan.

Violetta gave a curt bow. “An honor to meet you,” she said. “My family has paid its respects to the Aerin since the days of my grandmother’s grandmother.”

“I am not interested in your respects, I am interested in the truth. Do you carry any Kaolin passengers, perhaps ones seeking the sacred shores of Braxos?”