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jumped.
    Sailing …
    Freedom …
    Aros hit the far roof in a joyous surge of triumphant laughter, rolling to his feet just in time for the roof of wood and mud brick to collapse beneath him.
    He plunged down into a bedroom, where an astonished, pale, and naked man was being ridden by a busty woman old enough to be his mother. He only glimpsed them, however, because the floor beneath his falling feet gave way as well. Surrounded by a cascade of rotten boards and plaster dust, he plunged through into a tavern filled with soldiers.
    They stared at him, and he at them, and then all dissolved into a milling chaos of fists and feet. While Aros defended himself with heroic strength and skill, the falling of his personal night was inevitable, and welcome when it finally pulled him from a world of pain.

 
    FIVE
    The Proud Abyss
    O NE MONTH LATER
    Quillia’s gold and crimson flag waved bravely against the ocean rain. The Proud Abyss , the royal fleet’s most prized vessel, was a three-master riding high in the waves. Its prow was blessed with a mermaid statue with improbably blue eyes and blond hair, consecrated by priests to ferry the princess Tahlia safely to her destination and home once again. Ahead of them, the Triton . Behind, the Domino .
    Tahlia leaned against the railing of the center ship, looking out at the rain-swept sea, mourning her life.
    Zatch’s wedding had been wonderful, for the fun of it, but also for the chance to see her cousin, whom she adored. With whom she had been raised, knowing that in days to come that relationship, fostered in childhood, would be the thread that bound their kingdoms together.
    Her life had been like a clockwork toy, all jewels and tightly choreographed lessons, social engagements, travel … all designed to lead to the moment when she would be offered to the highest bidder in marriage.
    No, it wasn’t quite like that, but close enough. All of the royal privilege was merely preparation for her future role as royal wife: a jewel on the arm of a king or prince, a ravishing and limber bedmate, an advisor in matters of state.
    And, most important, one of the anchors holding the kingdom of Quillia in the firmament. This was more important than ever after the death of her father. A widowed queen could be seen as weak, a potential opportunity for adventurous rulers who thought to pressure the kingdom by threats of war into more advantageous trade relations. Tribute. Gifts of land … or daughters.
    That was what had happened to her cousin Zatch. The kingdom of Nandia had nibbled at Quillia’s northern borders until the queen had agreed to release a disputed province and gift the dullard prince with one of Tahlia’s beautiful cousins.
    Only with trepidation had Tahlia traveled up the coast to the kingdom of Nandia. Captain Dinos had been a perfect host, even if his first mate, Chastain, made her skin crawl. Their ships were welcomed at harbor, and her cousin Zatch had greeted her warmly, sweeping her to a palace less imposing than her own, but of necessity more martial. Their neighboring kingdom of Shrike was not to be trifled with.
    When she met the prince (And the oaf in question wasn’t even the eldest! He would inherit lands and titles, but not a crown. And if the eldest had any doubts about his sibling’s loyalty or ambitions, Tahlia hoped that Zatch would stay alert for poison…), she had been impressed by his manners if not his silhouette, which suggested he enjoyed food more than swordsmanship. She had been on the verge of mourning for her childhood friend, when she caught the brief, shielded glance between Zatch and the captain of the prince’s guard, a handsome rogue with shoulders Atlas might have stood upon to lift the world.
    Tahlia had hardly been able to control her curiosity until they were alone.
    â€œZatch!” she said, astonished by her cousin’s boldness. “You aren’t even married, and already