Page 36

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

IN WHICH THE PARTY BECOMES SEAFARERS

I couldn’t remember if I’d ever been on a ship before.

Cars, sure. An airplane, certainly. But a ship?

Such was a feature of books and movies, not my life—which had been relatively humdrum since crossing The Rift.

I liked it that way and had no complaints, especially not after the events of the last two weeks showing me what life in the fae realm could be.

Then again, a little excitement once in a while never hurt anybody.

Busying myself with these thoughts was how I’d decided to cope with the raw absence of Yrra and Daethie.

I had to pull myself away from the railing so as not to be tempted by the urge to watch them leave.

Hands balled into fists at my sides, I took my time examining the crafted wooden deck, the great wooden masts holding swollen sails, and the base of the smokestack where it disappeared into the hold beneath.

It wasn’t long before the giant wheels on either side lurched into motion, and we pulled away from shore. I fiddled with the pinky ring made from Daethie’s hair as the visible expanse of water between us and the dock lengthened.

“That’ll be eighty vodt .”

I knew I wasn’t alone on the ship, but the voice still made me jump. It was Gerda, who wasted no time in motioning me to hand over my coin.

“Half now, half on arrival, wasn’t it?” I checked. Gerda nodded her assent. As I counted out the amount, I made polite conversation. “About how long did you say the trip was again?”

“Two days in fair weather. We’ve got a galyak with us, so that’s all but guaranteed.”

My hand paused on the way to Gerda’s. “A galyak ?”

“A weather hag,” she clarified.

I was passing over the money when a timely voice shrieked, “Did you bring me an eye?!”

Startled for the second time in as many minutes, I stepped back to make room for the body that pushed itself between me and Gerda. A wrinkled face framed by wild gray hair stared up at me—or, stared as best it could with shadowy pits where eyes should have been.

It was a good thing she couldn’t see my expression.

“It’s got to be fresh! I won’t have an old one!” she exclaimed, waggling a gnarled finger.

“She’s having you on,” Gerda said dismissively, stepping out from behind her. “They have a strange sense of humor, hags.”

The galyak dropped her finger and grinned. “You’re younger than most of the folks who come looking for the Kereti heiress. What’s a fledgling like you doing so far from home?”

So she could see, somehow. I gave her a cursory once-over. While she didn’t appear to be a threat, there was clearly more to her than met the eye… No pun intended.

“I’m making my way in life, same as anyone,” I answered stiffly. “Is the interrogation included as part of the transportation fee, or is that extra?”

A short bark of laughter escaped Gerda. “Keep your secrets, little one. It’s curiosity, that’s all. You’re not the first group that’s come through here, and I’m sure you won’t be the last. We’re happy where we are, but I can see the attraction. Even if I don’t trust the islanders. ”

“You’ll do business with them, though.”

“Sure,” Gerda agreed. “Their money’s as good as the next guy’s.”

The statement hit home. I’d been there—doing strange jobs for questionable people to afford food and a roof over my head. After a certain point, the money was all that mattered.

“Oi!” Gerda snapped her fingers at someone loosening the sails. “Excuse me,” she said to me briskly, already moving to intervene. “I’ll show your group around once we’re off!”

The hag regarded me a moment longer, head tilted to one side, before wandering off to prepare the ship. I watched her go, thoroughly confounded. Her kind was new to me. How did that even work? And what came after vampire gremlins and weather-controlling crones?

“Nothing quite like the sea air,” Luthri remarked from behind me. Being on high alert, I’d whirled about and slapped him straight across the face before realizing who it was.

“Sorry!” I exclaimed, holding the offending appendage in front of me.

Rather than hurt, Lu appeared faintly amused. One hand came up to probe his reddening cheek. “No harm done; I’ve had worse. If that’s how you greet a friend, though, I think I would do drastic things in order to see how you receive an enemy.”

“It was an accident,” I informed him, sweeping my braid over my shoulder. “You startled me. Maybe you should consider being more deliberate with your approaches.”

“That’s odd. I should think I’ve been quite deliberate in my approach.” His eyes had gone molten gold. How did he manage to turn something innocent into flirting so effortlessly?

“Oh, you have,” Vyrain grumbled, coming up on his right. His shortened locks stood to attention in the sea air, bringing to mind the image of an accident involving several volts of electricity. “Do they have rooms on this thing? It’d be nice to put these down somewhere.”

“Oh, Gerda was going to show us.” Hand jerking in an aimless gesture, I scanned the deck until my eyes snagged on the giantess. She was chewing out the green waterfolk male for whatever he had done to the sails. “Hm. She looks busy. Can you hang out for a while?”

With an exaggerated groan, Vyrain stomped over to his brother.

They ended up removing the packs and collapsing on the floor against the railing.

A smart move. I looked forward to being able to take a load off for the next couple of days.

It was too optimistic to hope for a shower and real beds, but the skin under my collar itched something awful thanks to long-dried swamp water and who knew what else.

I’d settle for tipping a canteen over my head at this point.

I turned my attention back to Luthri, who surveyed the horizon with a distant expression. He fit into my idea of a sailor: a well-traveled vagabond going with the flow of life along with the flow of the sea. What sorts of things had he seen? Beyond a myriad of bedrooms.

“It’s been a long time since I was on a ship like this,” he commented without prompting. “Brings back memories.” Clearing his throat, he tipped his head back and, much to my surprise, began to sing a jovial shanty. It took a moment for my brain to catch onto the lyrics.

“ I once knew a girl from a port down south, with golden hair and a mighty skilled ?—”

Grimacing, I walked away before I was subjected to the rest.

When Solfarin was a strip of color and motion in the distance, an apologetic Gerda found us to proceed with the tour.

The ship was large, but most of the available space was reserved for cargo.

We were shown the kitchen and dining space, bathrooms, and finally, our quarters.

Showers and beds had indeed been too much to hope for, but they’d made the most out of what they had.

The toilets were a proper system that flushed waste out to sea.

Barrels of fresh water were available to wash with as well as drink, and our quarters, though little larger than a closet, were private and included clean, comfortable hammocks. I couldn’t complain.

Well, I could, but was that the brightest idea? I could imagine what a refund looked like on a shipping vessel in the middle of the sea, and even for a strong swimmer, the distance from here to shore was dizzying.

On second thought, maybe it was the steady back-and-forth motion of the ship that was dizzying.

My stomach raised periodic protests that would become full-blown nausea if I didn’t find a way to take my mind off of it.

With that thought, I made sure our bags were secure in our sleeping quarters and sought out the others.

My companions were in the dining hall, playing a card game with several members of the crew.

Vyrain mumbled a greeting as I approached.

He and his brother appeared to be finished with the round—that, or they’d already lost. Lu was holding his own against the galyak , who played with her cards face down and seemed to be doing everything in her power to unnerve Luthri with an eyeless glare that would have sent a lesser man cowering.

All seating in the vicinity of their table was taken. As I considered dragging over one of the benches from another, Luthri glanced up from his hand. With the same ease as nominating a particular dish for lunch, he suggested, “You can sit on my face.”

A smattering of laughter rippled through our audience. Vyrain rolled his eyes, unimpressed by Lu’s forwardness, as my teeth ground together.

Couldn’t he be a bit more subtle? Smarmy commentary was more suited to a randy teenager than an adult male. Still, I couldn’t let a statement like that go without a retort. I landed on, “Hardly the time or place for me to break you in, don’t you think?”

Lu slapped his cards on the table and angled his body toward me with a scrutinizing tilt of the head.

Yellow eyes pinned me in place. His gaze swept down the span of my body, as though considering what he could get away with at this time, in this place.

Despite myself, my heartbeat quickened, a swell of heat accompanying my body’s response.

For a moment, it was like we were the only two people in the room.

The waterfolk male, also at their table, stood abruptly, eyes wide. “Was that Gerda calling?” he exclaimed, sidling toward the exit. “I’d better go see what she needs.”

The dwarf slipped off his stool and followed, grumbling something unintelligible.

“Nice job,” I told Luthri. “You’re making our hosts uncomfortable.”

The corners of his lips curved up. “As long as you’re not uncomfortable, that’s all that matters.”

“Oh, I’ve heard worse,” the hag interjected breezily, tossing a card onto the table between them. “And done quite a bit worse than that. There’s a seat available now, dear; come join us. I’m about to show you what your boyfriend looks like when he cries.”