Silver Bounty


 
 
 Acclaim for
 The Royal Rose Chronicles
 “It’s a rare gem, a second book that’s better than the first in a series, but this is definitely one of them. And that’s saying something, because Oathbound is so, so good.”
 —S.D. Grimm, author of the Children of the Blood Moon trilogy and A Dragon by Any Other Name
 “In this nautical fantasy, McCombs keeps the stakes high, maintaining a melodramatic dynamic between the protagonists that emphasizes their youth . . . alongside the threat of mutiny.”
 —Publishers Weekly
 “This story has all the beloved elements of a classic pirate tale, including ferocious sea monsters, captivating merfolk, legendary treasure troves, and haunting black ships.”
 —Manhattan Book Review
 “Filled with danger, romance, and a good dose of piracy. Arn’s ship, The Royal Rose, is a good backdrop for laughter and heartache alike . . . A story that’s sure to awaken readers’ thirsts for adventure.”
 —Foreword Reviews
 
 Books by Victoria McCombs
 The Storyteller’s Series
 The Storyteller’s Daughter
 Woods of Silver and Light
 The Winter Charlatan
 Heir of Roses
 The Royal Rose Chronicles
 Oathbound
 Silver Bounty
 
 Silver Bounty
 Copyright © 2023 by Victoria McCombs
 
 Published by Enclave Publishing, an imprint of Oasis Family Media, LLC.
 Carol Stream, IL. USA.
 www.enclavepublishing.com
 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, digitally stored, or transmitted in any form without written permission from Oasis Family Media, LLC.
 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.
 ISBN: 979-8-88605-026-4 (hardback)
 ISBN: 979-8-88605-027-1 (printed softcover)
 ISBN: 979-8-88605-029-5 (ebook)
 Cover design by Emilie Haney, www.EAHCreative.com
 Typesetting by Jamie Foley, www.JamieFoley.com
 Printed in the United States of America.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
 Cover
 Acclaim for The Royal Rose Chronicles
 Half-Title
 Books by Victoria McCombs
 Title Page
 Copyright Page
 Dedication
 Chapter 1: Arn
 Chapter 2: Arn
 Chapter 3: Emme
 Chapter 4: Emric
 Chapter 5: Arn
 Chapter 6: Emric
 Chapter 7: Emme
 Chapter 8: Emric
 Chapter 9: Emme
 Chapter 10: Emric
 Chapter 11: Arn
 Chapter 12: Emric
 Chapter 13: Emme
 Chapter 14: Ontario
 Chapter 15: Emric
 Chapter 16: Arn
 Chapter 17: Emric
 Chapter 18: Arn
 Chapter 19: Emric
 Chapter 20: Arn
 Chapter 21: Emme
 Chapter 22: Arn
 Chapter 23: Emric
 Chapter 24: Emme
 Chapter 25: Arn
 Chapter 26: Landon
 Chapter 27: Emme
 Chapter 28: Emric
 Chapter 29: Emme
 Chapter 30: Emric
 Chapter 31: Emme
 Chapter 32: Emme
 Chapter 33: Arn
 Chapter 34: Emme
 Chapter 35: Arn
 Chapter 36: Emme
 Chapter 37: Arn
 Chapter 38: Emric
 Chapter 39: Emme
 Chapter 40: Emric
 Chapter 41: Emme
 Chapter 42: Arn
 Chapter 43: Emric
 Chapter 44: Emme
 Chapter 45: Arabella
 Chapter 46: Arn
 About the Author
 Acknowledgments
 To Kinnick
 Thanks for being the one to wake me up in the morning.
 Without that, I wouldn’t have had the time to write this book.
 
 The gold buttons beneath my fingers felt oddly familiar, as if they’d tricked my mind into believing I was sixteen again and preparing to fight for the king of Julinbor. The once-vibrant blues were now faded, the buckle stripped of its shine, and the shoulders were tight—that part pleased me—but the look was the same.
 Behold, a man of the law. Ignore the tattoo of a bleeding rose on my forearm. No relation to the pirates who sail under that flag.
 I swung to face Emme and spread my arms as wide as the tight blue coat would allow. “There you have it. A proper navy man.”
 Emme absentmindedly traced a finger along the strip of octopus tentacle inked into her skin. I tried not to let my eyes linger on the way her arm’s strength had clearly decreased as her disease continued wearing her thin. Even now her sea-green tunic appeared to hang off her shoulders rather than cling to them as it used to, and her bronze skin seemed paler. Life was fleeing her body.
 She claimed we still had months together. I feared it was less than that. If we didn’t get the healing tonic from the Elmber Nut soon, she’d fade away, and if we didn’t fulfill her oathbinding, the ink would kill her. Two perilous means poised to end Emme’s life, and yet she smiled fondly at me as if her mind knew nothing of worries.
 “It’s what you were wearing when I met you,” she said.
 “Almost.” I tugged on the lapel with my right hand, finding it harder to place correctly now that I’d lost my other hand. The echo of my missing fingers was still there, and more often than not, I’d move to use them before remembering what I’d lost when we fought on the Island of Iilak. That list was lengthy. For now, I refocused my mind elsewhere as I shoved my stubbed wrist into my pocket. “That particular outfit got a fair amount of blood on it and had to be destroyed.”
 Her smile faltered. “Right. Well, you look the part.”
 Emme’s attention stayed on my attire—the deep cream-colored cuffs, the knee breeches and stockings, unstained by sweat or sea, and the cerulean sash pulled taut across my waist. It was far more constraining than my open-chested tunic, and my trusted cutlass would be left behind, but for good reason.
 Tonight I had a role to play.
 She moved away from the table in the middle of the captain’s quarters. “Can this sleeve come down further? Your pirate tattoos are showing.” She fixed the cuff, then stood back with a hand pressed against the table for stability. “There,” she announced. “I’m frightened of you already.”
 “You should be. I’ve never seen the king so determined to rid his lands of pirates. We are taking a risk by docking at Resyor.” I closed the silver latch to the box that had held my naval outfit for so long. This box contained the only memento I had of those few years with the king’s navy,