Page 11 of The Malice of Moons and Mages (The Broken Bonds of Magic #1)

Eleven

Xiang

J ayna and Nori were sheltered from the morning rays beneath a silk screen hung between two beams. The mages’ spells filled the sails with another gust that hastened them forward.

Smoke rose from a mid-grade vessel in the distance. It was built for hauling and storage but had been modified. They’d doused the fire, but one of their sails was browned along the edges. Through the spyglass, he saw several men tending to it. They broke off when their lookout alerted them to the larger vessel approaching.

The Bulou’s sails died as it drew near the Requin. The ragged captain waited at the bow with a small, disreputable looking group of men surrounding him.

Xiang could have yelled over, asked if they’d seen anything, inquired about the fire, but experience told him these men would only respect threats of violence. Twenty archers took aim at the Requin’s crew as Xiang, a handful of soldiers, and a well-covered Jayna, rowed toward the ship. They lowered the ladder without being ordered to.

The captain was a middle-aged man and, like the rest of his crew, stank of poor hygiene and too much islander wine. But there was a wariness to his expression, a fatigue born of poor sleep and worry. The largest of the men had red, swollen eyes and a deep purple bruise that bloomed across his head and down his face.

The Requin’s captain cleared his throat nervously. Sweat beaded his brow.

Xiang didn’t offer introductions, there was no need. Their black and silver sails were well known, and the tremble in the captain’s hands revealed an appropriate fear.

The odor of the burned rail and mast still hung in the air.

The captain feigned bravery. “I’m Chon Gioni, the captain here. What do we?—”

“What happened here?” Xiang asked.

“Lightning. Nearly caught the entire ship on fire,” Chon said quickly.

The crew stood too stiffly for Xiang’s liking. The large man with the bruise glowered at the back of the captain’s head. “Have you seen anyone?” Xiang asked.

The men exchanged glances as Chon replied, “Who would we have seen in the storm?”

With a flick of Xiang’s hand, the soldiers spread out. Jayna pulled her hood back enough to expose a round face with large eyes that glanced at Xiang before disappearing below deck.

Chon’s gaze followed the mage, his hands worried together. “Th-there was someone.”

“Who?” Xiang asked.

“I don’t know. Truly,” Chon said. “We pulled him from the water. His robes were black, like your mage’s.”

“And where is he now?”

Chon licked his lips and pulled his shoulders back to retain some dignity. “He stole our dinghy before Starling rose.”

Xiang stood a full head taller than the captain. His black silks were covered by matching tightly plated armor. “Did he feed on anyone before he left?”

Chon paled. “F-feed?”

Jayna reappeared carrying a bundle of familiar clothing beneath one arm and clutching an object with her other hand. She walked lightly across the deck, stepping through the men’s shadows before handing the object to Xiang.

The bolt was heavy in Xiang’s hand. “Tell me.”

“It was damaged but still working,” she spoke softly. “It would have contained him eventually if it hadn’t been removed. These are his clothes, but his robes are missing. The bolt was in a separate room. Someone must have helped him.”

Xiang held the bolt up for everyone to see. “Who took this out of him?”

Chon glanced at his crew before speaking. “No one so much as talked to him. He was only on board a few hours before...”

“That boy, Alver. They escaped together,” the bruised man said. His voice wavered. “After killing Munk.”

Xiang stowed the bolt in his pocket, his tone changing to one of sympathy. “What boy? What happened to Munk?” Fearful expressions crossed the crew’s faces. “It’s all right. Tell us what you know, and we’ll be on our way.”

Chon ran a hand over his face and sighed. “Alver’s not a boy.” The men murmured behind him. “She’s a thief—ever heard of the western mouse? No? I suppose you wouldn’t up north. She stowed away in Callaway. I only realized who she was after we threw her into the water to get your friend. She took care of him. The way the man looked, those clothes, I thought for sure there’d be a reward. I didn’t know about that thing.” He gestured to Xiang’s pocket. “They waited until we were exhausted from the storm to escape.”

“And Munk?”

Chon looked ill. “What’s left of him is still in his bunk. Whatever they did, it’s as if everything was drained from him.”

Xiang motioned to a few of the guards, who scampered below.

The bruised man sobbed, one of the others patted his shoulder in consolation. “Our poor Munk.”

The soldiers returned with a corpse held between them. Its skin was ashy gray, limbs rigid, and face frozen in wide-mouthed horror. The eyelids were drawn open, revealing papery eyes. There were cries of offense as the soldiers dropped the body none-to-gently on the deck. A cloud of dust spewed into the air. One arm crumbled beside the torso .

The traces of the bolt had doomed these men. The Oji could have tossed it overboard to try and spare them, but Xiang knew that kind of consideration wasn’t in either of the Koray sibling’s natures.

“Thank you, Captain Gioni. You’ve been very helpful.” Xiang nodded to each of the men in turn. “We’ll leave you to your repairs.”

He motioned the soldiers back down the ladder and into their rowboats, with the weighted gazes of the Requin’s crew upon his back.

Xiang stood on the deck of the Bulou , Galia beside him. He’d dismissed Jayna to the shade below deck. They didn’t need her for this. Nori brought a wind, just enough to move them to a safe distance while the archers lit their arrows with their all’ights. The Requin’s men couldn’t see the flaming arrows from their lower angle. Their deaths would be quick, a mercy Lua should have given them.

Xiang raised a hand to the Requin . Misunderstanding, Chon raised one in return, his crooked-tooth smile a deep shade of yellow.

Xiang’s arm fell. “Fire.”