The Hidden Stars by Madeline Howard

Author:Madeline Howard [Howard, Madeline]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
ISBN: 9780061841149
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

12

The last red light of sunset burned on the water, reflected off brass-plated figureheads, as a vast fleet of black ships, powered by great banks of oars, rounded the point at Apharos, glided past the last of the nine grim fortresses guarding the harbor and the bay, and came out on the open sea.

Standing on the foredeck of his flagship, which alone bore Ouriána’s likeness cast in solid gold, Prince Cuillioc gazed out across a seemingly boundless expanse of fiery ocean, and for one moment it seemed that all the world had turned to blood and flame.

Then the water began to swirl and shimmer with a sorcerous light. An almost impossibly beautiful vision appeared on the surface: Ouriána, her face pale as pearl, her eyes as deep and dark as the night sky, her ruddy hair stretching out across the sea from horizon to horizon in burning streamers of crimson and gold. The night fairly swooned with her presence, like heady incense.

He saw her red lips move, heard her voice chiming like crystal against crystal inside his head: Do not fail me. This time, do not disappoint me.

Cuillioc’s mouth went suddenly dry; he clutched at the rail, his pulses quickening. For a brief time more she was there, filling the night; then her image faded, and the sea went dark and empty. The Prince released a long slow breath, and his shoulders sagged.

This time, do not disappoint me. It was, he knew too well, meant for a warning as much as a command. If Mirizandi did not fall; if he did not return to Apharos in the autumn, his ships richly laden with silks and perfumes, gold, gemstones, jade, and rare spices; if instead of the fabled wealth of the southern continent he had nothing to lay at her feet but another tale of misfortune and miscalculation…

Ouriána had excused much in the past simply because he was her son, yet she was not, as a rule, either patient or forgiving. The thought that he might spend the rest of his days banished from her presence, crushed by the terrible knowledge of her implacable displeasure—Cuillioc felt a familiar pain twist inside him, and it was almost too much to bear.

The sun went down beneath the water, and a young moon painted the sea in shades of silver. It was after midnight before the wind freshened, the sails were set, and the Prince abandoned his vantage point on the deck for his cabin and his narrow bed, hoping to catch an hour or two of sleep before sunrise.

But his mind was overwrought, his nerves unstrung with anticipation. And every time he closed his eyes, he could feel the horror of the nightmare pressing down on him; all his hopes and fears chased each other through his brain. He tossed and turned, threw off his silken comforters, and beat at his goose-down pillows, until finally the very effort to rest exhausted him, and he rose from his bunk, cold and haggard in the chill grey hour before the dawn.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.