Sea of Sighs (Empath Book 2) (31 page)

“Vance has been parading noble ladies around
the court. More for the benefit of my brothers. It’s been
mentioned, but I’m not betrothed. I’ll tell Vance, Quinn, when we
get back to Everfell. I’ll tell him that I want you. He wants me to
be his chamberlain. I’ll reject my father; my position in
Sevenspells. I’ll join Vance’s service. Then I can pick whatever
wife I want.”

Quinn gasped, biting her lip. Was he telling
the truth? Or was she already losing control of her new abilities,
and was Eden just saying what he knew she wanted to hear? How did
she even know if she wasn’t affecting Eden right now? She didn’t
feel linked to him; she couldn’t be manipulating him if they
weren’t linked, could she?

“Stop, Eden. Please. I need to tell you what
I am before you can make this decision. Sevenspells is your home;
your father is a proud man. He’s not just going to let you reject
your heritage.”

“Tell me, then. I know you want me too,
Quinn. You can’t put me off with words.”

“I’m not just an empath any more, Eden.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve heard the stories of Nerren, in the
wars? That he could control emotions, and made the armies of
Sha’sek fight more fiercely than they would?”

Eden nodded.

“It’s true. Strong empaths can control
emotions. I’m one of them, Eden. I can force other people to
think…believe they’re feeling something that they’re not. Courage.
Fear. I can manipulate that. That’s how I stopped Tarik, yesterday.
I was scared for you, and I forced him to submit.”

“How?”

“
I don
’t know,
Eden. I just know that I can do it.”

“How do you know, then? What if he was just
reacting to the Sighs?”

“Because it happened on my first crossing
over. I made a man jump overboard.”

“But…”

“It was one of Sammah’s mercenaries, Eden.
He wasn’t gifted. He wasn’t being affected by the Sighs. I was
disgusted with him. I wanted him to die. I made him jump overboard,
just by thinking about it.”

Eden stilled, and couldn’t look Quinn in the
eye. She felt a tangy taste just in front of her. He was disgusted.
Unsure, but disgusted. Quinn was devastated.

“Please, Eden, say something.” Quinn’s voice
sounded pitiful in the creaking quiet of their cabin, and Quinn
sneered at how pathetic she sounded.

“What do you want me to say, Quinn? You can
do that…I mean…it’s petrifying. How long have you been able to do
that?”

“
I don
’t think I
can still, not reliably at least. It’s impulsive, not something l
have control over. Like before, with my empath abilities. It just
happens. With this, though, it’s different. Not constant. If
I’
m doing it
—changing someone—I feel a
link to them. Like I’m pushing my own will on them. It’s draining.
And I don’t know how to stop doing it. That’s why I needed Ross to
hit me. I couldn’t stop any other way, and I was scared that I was
going to kill Tarik.”

Eden looked away at first, but Quinn could
sense him relenting. What she said had made sense. He was scared of
her now, she didn’t need any special ability to tell that much. But
he wasn’t revolted. That was what Quinn had feared the most; that
Eden wouldn’t want her any more. “Have you ever done that to me?
When did it start?”

Quinn shook her head. “It only started the
first time I crossed the Sea of Sighs. Like when I nearly died,
when Maertn had to bring me back from the Beach, and I could
suddenly control my ability? I think the Sighs unlocked something.
We still know so little about empaths. I was hoping to find out
more in Sha’sek, but everyone there treated me just like Sammah
had; like a little girl, and someone to be controlled.”

“If you’re still not sure about what you can
do, don’t you think that’s maybe a good thing?”

Quinn was annoyed. “I’m not a child any
more, yet they all called me girl. I have more control of my
abilities than most my age, I’ve been told that. Only Maertn has
comparable skill, because we’ve both used what we have so often. So
why should I be treated like an infant?”

“I can’t answer that Quinn. I wasn’t
there.”

“But you think I should be controlled? Is
that why you want to marry me, Eden? So you can control me,
too?”

“Quinn, no, I just want the best for you. I
want you to be safe.”

Eden sat up, and their blankets dropped down
to the bed. He was shirtless, and Quinn took in his body. She
recalled their sparring yesterday, and the intricate dance they had
shared. Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with her situation. That what
she had said about control, was likely the ultimate truth.
Somewhere, someone would always want to control her. If she wanted
to live amongst either the people of Everfell or the people of
Sha’sek, she would have to subjugate to someone, be it a lord, a
baron, or her husband. With the way the world was, she would never
be in control of her life.

Quinn was sick of it. She wanted to take a
piece back for herself. Eden was hers.

As the thought left her mind, she felt the
channel open. She regretted it almost immediately, but she couldn’t
take it back now. She didn’t know how. Quinn reached her hand out
and placed it on Eden’s chest. His skin was warm, and his heart was
beating fast. He looked down at her, but he didn’t speak. His mouth
hung slightly open. He was waiting on her every move, as if his
whole world revolved around Quinn alone. She revelled in that
feeling, and she felt their link grow stronger, rising with the
level of her lust.

She sat up, and pushed Eden down onto their
bed. Her life wasn’t her own. It was inevitable. She would have to
serve a baron or a ruler, or live in isolation. Eden would be
married to a noblewoman to produce noble heirs. One day, Quinn
wouldn’t have a place in her life.

So tonight, Eden was hers.

Somehow, her headache
was worse. Yes, using the new ranges of her ability was definitely
draining. Eden snored lightly beside her. Quinn rose, quietly
dressed herself, and headed for the deck. The men avoided her gaze.
Some even made a point of turning their back when she came past.
The child Quinn would have been upset by this. The adult Quinn
understood why they felt this way.

She wanted to find Ross, and it didn’t take
long. The ship wasn’t large; nothing compared to the merchant
carrier used to transport goods between the islands. Those fleets
were vital to the functioning of Sha’sek—without their
inter-trades, most of the islands would suffer from some form of
loss vital to their infrastructure, be it food, drink, or goods
such as clothing and building materials. No, they were on a small
vessel, built for speed and for the sole purpose of ferrying people
between the clustered islands of the Sha’sek people.

“How are you feeling?” Ross asked. He didn’t
shy away from her like the other men had, but Ross
had
known
her for her entire life. If he’d rejected her, she’d have likely
considered running away as soon as they reached shore.

“As you’d expect. You have an impressive
right hand.”

Ross winced. “You asked me to, Quinn. I
didn’t exactly relish it.”

“No, and I shouldn’t make fun. That can’t
have been a nice thing to do.”

“It wasn’t. I could see what you were doing,
though. How did that feel?”

“I’m more concerned with how it affected
Tarik.” Quinn wrapped her cloak closer around her body as a chill
wind shivered across the deck. She looked around, wary of fog
rolling back in on them, but there was none. “Eden says he’s still
asleep?”

“Aye, and that’s still true this morning. We
don’t expect him to wake up, not without the help of a healer.”

Quinn dropped her head to hide her eyes from
her friend, “And I caused it. You must hate me.”

Ross pushed Quinn’s chin up gently, forcing
her to look at him. “I think we’ve had a very similar conversation
not so long ago. You can’t help who you are Quinn, any more than I
can help liking wine and roasted boar. And if you are going to have
an excuse for using your abilities anywhere, it’s the Sighs. If you
hadn’t, Eden would likely be dead, and we’d definitely have a war
on our hands.”

“Do you think that’s what the baron wanted
all along? For one of us to kill someone from Everfell with our
gift? To ignite the war?”

“
I don
’t know what
that callous bastard wanted. I understand him even less than I
understood Sammah, and I didn’t think that was possible. I thought
I knew what their motives were—and for Sammah, it was clear. But
his brother is a different prospect. I think he truly believes that
he needs to lead his people off the islands and back onto the
mainland, for their future prosperity. Why he can’t just come to
Everfell with a peace treaty, so that we can start officially
trading again, remains to be seen.”

“I think he’s more like Sammah than anyone
lets on. He thinks we’re better than other people, Ross. He doesn’t
think we should ally or trade with Everfell, because the people of
Sha’sek should be ruling…well, people like you.”

“And that’s the kind of thinking that
does
start
wars. We
’re in a mess, Quinn.”

“
And we
’re heading
into an even bigger one, from what I’ve heard. How do you think
Sammah escaped?”

“We’ll only find out when we get to
Everfell. One of dozens of ways. If I was down in those gaols
overnight, you wouldn’t find me again in the morning, and with the
number of allies Sammah potentially has, any one of them could have
released him. I’m keen on finding out what has happened to Shiver,
too.”

“You and me both.”

Eden joined them, also wrapped in a cloak,
looking for all the world like the burdens of both kingdoms were on
his shoulders. He’d been sent to find Quinn as a means for
maintaining peace. In a way, Quinn knew, Eden
would
see that
burden as his.

“He’ll be okay, Eden, no matter where he is
when we get back.”

“That’s the part I’m worried about, Quinn. I
don’t
want
him to be fine. Because that would mean he was
out of the gaol, and likely allied again with Sammah. What does
that mean for Sevenspells? For me? I don’t want to fight on the
same side as that snake.”

“
You won
’t have a
choice in the matter, lad.”

“Won’t I? What if I renounce my claims, and
ally myself with Vance?”

Quinn was certain this time that she had
nothing to do with Eden’s claims. He didn’t want to be a part of
Sammah’s war, and if his father had picked that side, he was
seriously considering giving up his position. Quinn fought hard to
hide her glee. It was not about her; not for her.

“I think if you do that, you’ll make some
dangerous enemies, not least your own family.”

“I’ll be looking over my shoulder for the
rest of my life, no matter what I decide. Vance trusts me; my
father doesn’t. My brother doesn’t like me. All the men of my
family—and the women, for that matter—are thirsty for this war.
Vance has been trying to avoid it. I know which side I’d prefer to
be on.”

“It doesn’t matter which side you pick,
Eden. You
won
’t escape this without
swinging a sword.”

Eden shrugged at Ross's ominous words.
“That’s what you think. You made a living from war, once upon a
time.”

“And I’ve seen wars start before. The
tensions are worse, this time. Everyone thinks it’s going to be
Sha’sek against Everfell, but that’s not true. The baron is right.
Vance doesn’t trust your father; your father has many of the nobles
on his side. The war is going to be in Everfell, and the soldiers
of Sha’sek are simply going to swarm in and sweep aside the weary
winners. There will be a civil war, and once it’s over, there won’t
be enough of Everfell left to put up any resistance.”

“I can stop that. I can help Vance.”

“Can you? Can any of us stop this?”

Eden glanced at Quinn. “This time, we have a
chance. It’s different. Before the empath wasn’t on our side.
Before, Sha’sek used their strengths against us. This time, we can
use Quinn to help.”

“
I don
’t know how
to control this power,
Eden; I don
’t know
that I can do what you’re asking me to do.”

“We have to take that chance Quinn,” Eden
pleaded. “You can stop my father from wanting war; you can make
Vance trust his lords again. Ross thinks I can’t get through this
without swinging a sword, but you can end all of this before anyone
strikes a blow. Please, help us.”

Ross's eyes were wide. “He’s right. Before,
an empath made the soldiers of Sha’sek fight. You can do the
opposite, Quinn. You can force people into peace.”

“Land ahoy!”

The jubilant cry of the captain broke
through their dispute. All three turned to see the welcome flags of
Port Kahnel
on the horizon.

Both Ross and Eden left Quinn alone as they
rode into port. Their intentions were clear; they had added
themselves to the long list of men who wanted to use Quinn for her
power. She couldn’t deny their reasoning, though. It was an
unthinkable prospect: ending a war before the first drop of blood
even spilled.

She couldn’t deny them. How could she? She
had been adamant, since finding out that another empath had caused
the last war, that she would take no part in one. But, if that part
was stopping the war in its infancy, she couldn’t avoid that. Quinn
didn’t want any part in bloodshed, and to go down in history as the
woman that stood to one side and let the war start, was just as
bad.

“I’
ll do it
,” she
said quietly. Eden and Ross turned to her, both unable to hide the
relief in their eyes.

“Thank you Quinn. This isn’t going to be
easy, but it’s something we have to try.”