Page 12 of Stars Above the Never Sea (The Last Faeyte #1)

Chapter six

Callan

“ CALLAN! ”

My head lifts. “Was that—”

“ CALLAAAAAAAN! ”

Beside me, Esme’s head shoots up from the map we’re both staring at, plotting a course back to Asteria.

We share a single, panicked glance before I take up.

Vaulting down the steps from the upper deck, my feet eat up the space from one end of the ship to the other within seconds, Esme close on my heels.

Leo’s face is pale and filthy and panicked. Merrick kneels in front of him with his hands on his shoulders. “Breathe, lad. It’s alright. Just breathe and then tell us what the matter is.”

I drop down to my knee beside Merrick, assessing. “Are you hurt?”

At the shake of his head, some of the energy burning through my body dissipates. Settling back on my heel, I take him in again. My gaze narrows on the green tinge of his cheeks. “How much cocoa did you eat?”

The green is swiftly replaced by a flush, but he shakes his head furiously. “There’s a—a monster . In the cargo hold.”

Behind me, Esme lets out a breathless, relieved laugh. “Gods, Merrick. Stop telling him those stories.”

“No!” Leo pushes back from Merrick’s hold. “I’m not making it up. She’s real. She spoke to me!”

My brows knit. “Leo—”

“She has wings,” he bursts out. His hands spread wide as his eyes bounce between us. “And her hair glows !”

My body turns to stone. “What?”

He nods furiously, sensing the change that sweeps over all of us at his blurted words. “I think she’s a—”

“A faeyte.” Merrick is still kneeling, his face level with Leo’s. “You’re telling us there’s a faeyte in the cargo bay?”

It’s not possible.

But Leo’s nodding furiously. He slips his sticky hand into mine, tugging on it, only to jerk to a stop when I don’t move. “Come and see!”

A gods-damned faeyte.

It’s not possible.

“No,” I say finally. My voice is hoarse. “Leo, you stay with Merrick.”

His face falls. “But—”

“No buts.” My words are firm. “You wait for me here while I go and look.”

His head slumps forward, but he nods. I turn. Sol and Rio have joined us, Rio’s eyes wide while Sol wears his customary frown. “Esme. You’re with me.”

She steps forward, keeping her voice low. “You think it’s some form of wraith?”

Turning over the possibility in my mind, I consider it. “Maybe.”

“I’ve never met a wraith that could talk,” Rio mutters. “And not on this side of the Never.”

Esme looks incredulous. “You haven’t met a wraith at all.”

“I’ve been attacked by one,” he points out. “Close proximity. It counts. And I can tell you that they don’t speak. Just scream.”

“It didn’t attack you. It flew over your head.”

“It could have attacked me. If I hadn’t moved.”

“You were asleep .”

“Enough. I agree that a wraith is more likely than a faeyte.” Sol crosses his arms, his eyebrows raising. “We should all go. It could be dangerous.”

“She’s not dangerous,” Leo pipes up. We turn back to him. He’s worrying at his bottom lip. “She’s chained to the wall.”

All eyes immediately move to my face.

“Is she now?” I murmur the words, even as a chill runs through my gut. “What else did you learn, Leo?”

The chill doesn’t dissipate. It only grows, along with the sense of betrayal in my chest.

“Smee, you’ll stay here. It seems that this wraith can hold a conversation.” Ignoring her protests, I stride over to the door that leads down to the cargo bay and yank it open, disappearing inside.

A stowaway is one thing.

But someone chained to the ship is entirely another.