Chapter 65

Pirates board Captain Jones’s ship as cannon fire closes the distance. Trystan forces his unruly magic to obey, freezing attackers and highlighting their wounds, but he refuses to snuff out a strange rainbow glow over their hearts that reminds him of Evie. He disables rather than kills, while Clare blinds foes with green ink.

A towering pirate admits the raiders are mercenaries working for King Benedict. As the melee tilts in their favor, Evie returns and saves Trystan with a thrown dagger, bantering suggestively. Captain Jones asserts command, orders the surviving pirates to surrender, and prepares to treat them under seafaring law.

In the lull, Trystan learns it is Evie’s birthday and that she has rarely been celebrated. Against his instincts, he publicly declares it, effectively promoting her to “accomplice,” prompting Tatianna to organize a party and Kingsley to flash handmade signs. Trystan’s possessiveness spikes when a chained pirate insults Evie; Trystan throws the man overboard and threatens the rest to behave.

As the prisoners are led below, Trystan’s office crystal flares. Rebecka Erring’s alarmed voice cuts through: “Where are you? Everything’s gone wrong!”