Mistress Jardena (100% Exclusive)

Jardena refused. Locke smiled and left. That night, the sea bit harder than it had in years; storms rocked Halmar and a fishing longboat disappeared without a light.

The fight spilled into the rain. Toman and Old Hal moved like windmill arms, trading blows with hired men. Mira dove beneath a thrown blade to knock a soldier into the tide. Jardena fought Locke on the quay; his sword was clever and practiced. Around them, the town's folk formed a ring, some with pitchforks, many with frightened faces. The blue rose in her pocket hummed against her palm, a steadying pulse. mistress jardena

He laughed. "You think to take them by village order? The south pays well for new routes. I've sailed farther than your lighthouse sees." Jardena refused

Locke smiled the kind of smile that promises both danger and delight. "Because what your family kept was never meant only for you." He indicated the crowd with a sweep of his arm—merchants, soldiers, a woman with a child's shawl. "The maps show places water forgets—harbors that drift into other worlds when the moon leans a certain way. My employers want those paths for trade; they want to open new routes. They don't want your family's rules." The fight spilled into the rain