Page 139 of Liar Witch

The words drop like bombs between us. His eyes snap to me, waiting, checking to see if the Goddess will smite me for uttering a false vow.

Nothing happens.

His shoulders drop slightly, his whole frame relaxing. When his dark eyes meet mine again, there’s an unvoiced gratitude there that I don’t think he’ll ever express.

The awkward silence is back. Where do we go from here? Now that he finally believes me, will he do anything about it?

No. That isn’t Val’s style. Something he proves when he struts towards the door like the arrogant ass that he is.

“You’ll have to stick close. I don’t want to test how far we can be apart while we’re technically unbonded.”

I shake my head. “A thank you would be nice.”

“For what?”

I roll my eyes and follow after him, striding through the door with a small smile.

Only to gasp at where we’ve ended up.

Before us, the towering cliff falls away into a huge, subterranean cavern that’s open to the sea. Almost as if the Goddess herself took her hand and carved out the land. It’s so large that buildings have been constructed within and goes so far inland that I can’t make out the back. There are so many other ships here that the dusky sky is difficult to make out past all the masts and rigging.

The sounds of raucous laughter, yelling, and the smell of gunpowder fill the air as we draw to a stop. Ropes lash out to hold the ship tight to the dock.

“Welcome to Cirio’s, witch.” Val smirks as the ship’s plank lowers at his command. “Try not to get shot.”

Shot? They actually use pistols here?

Immortals generally despise them. They’re too slow to do any damage to most of us, too loud for a sneak attack. Yet a rope drops one from the rigging into Val’s hand as he considers the trip down the plank.

He’s hesitating. Fiddling with the gun instead of descending.

“Maybe he needs a little push,”Opal murmurs, and I silently agree.“I’ll stay here and guard the ship with the slobber factory. This place is too loud.”

I nod at her, and stride past Val, taking my first steps down the plank. The second I reach the bottom, I’m forced to stop in place as a man runs past—well, it’s as close to running as he can get, considering his trousers are caught around his ankles. Pursuing him is a ruddy-faced woman with her tits swinging free, brandishing a bottle, and… a pig?

“Welcome to Cirio’s, indeed,” I mutter, waiting for the galloping swine to pass before I leave the gangplank.

A man in a long, tattered coat with a rather patchy beard sidles up to me straight away. “Where’s yer docking fee? Will yer be paying gold or flesh?”

“Up your ass, where your head will be if you don’t cut that out.” Cas sweeps up beside me, eyes flashing. “Cirio’s made it quite clear theDeadwoodnever needs to pay the fee and flesh has never been an option before.”

The man looks up at the ship as if seeing it for the first time, blasting me with a breath which reeks of stale beer as he does so. When he glances back at Val, he looks decidedly unimpressed.

“Don’t matter if yer a friend of the dead. E’ryone pays the fee now.”

Val’s down the gangplank in a rush, but he still doesn’t take that final step. Doesn’t let his foot touch the dock. “Cirio’s not dead.”

“No? Then how come no one knows wha’ ‘appened to ‘im? He’s gone, and he’s been gone fer months. Prob’ly at the bottom of the sea feeding the fishies by now.” The drunk man waves his hand at a group of dark strangers lingering behind him. “Either way, yer gotta pay the fee or you’ll be joining him.”

Chapter Thirty-Six

Nilsa

“Who’s in charge? Grayson? Tilly? Fitz?” Val demands, but my attention is no longer on him.

“All gone.” The group of what must be enforcers shifts closer and closer. “Followed the Cap’n down into the drink. Now the place runs itself, and entrepreneurial types like me’self make sure there’s a functioning economy.”

Val growls, but Rysen steps forward, fangs bared. “If there’s no one in charge, no one will care when we hang you by your guts from the rafters of the throne room.”