Page 18 of Traitor Witch

But Nilsa’s mouth has turned up at the corners. It’s the closest I’ve seen to a smile since she stepped aboard, and I want to see her face light with that kind of happiness again.

“Alright, no shirts.” She looks down at the cat for a long moment, frowns, then sighs. “We have a deal.”

Val looks back at Kier, who nods. A bargain made in front of a fae is as good as unbreakable. The nod is just reassurance that Nilsa hasn’t lied since she stepped foot on the ship.

If he wasn’t on our side, his ability to sniff out every untruth would really annoy me.

Her stomach growls, and I almost growl back in answer.

Who the fuck let her go hungry?

I glare at the twins.

Casimir is already on his feet, leading her down to the mess with sweet words. The instant she’s gone, Nos speaks up.

“We have to leave. If we wait too long they’ll close the bay.”

Val glowers at him. “How much fucking trouble have you two brought aboard my ship!”

The Seer doesn’t flinch. “Solar witch, mate to all five of us, wanted for the murders of two high priestesses in one day.”

That shuts Val up. “All five of us?” His head swivels to face Kier, who glares back silently.

“Is she guilty?” I ask, drawing everyone’s eyes back to me.

It doesn’t matter to me—Goddess knows, I’ve got too much of my own murderous baggage to ever judge someone else’s—but I want to know what kind of woman my mate is.

All I’ve heard about Solar witches is that they’re quiet, gentle souls who prefer study and healing to battle and fucking. But there’s a fire in Nilsa’s eyes that disproves that. She stands with the ease of a trained warrior, and her proud posture isn’t the kind that comes from hours bent over books.

The stubbornness with which she bargained over Val’s deal isn’t something I’d have expected from a Solar either.

But what do I know about witches?

Nos shrugs. “I haven’t got a clue. I only found out that last bit while waiting for her to turn up. The only thing I can see for certain is that if we tell her who she is to us, she’ll run. I didn’t even know she was coming so soon until this morning…”

His words drift off, eyelids drooping until they’re half-closed. He gets like this when the visions drag him under, and we watch silently as his mouth starts to move but no words come out.

Kier sighs and pulls the Seer over to sit on the steps up to the quarterdeck to wait out his vision. I watch for a second, hoping it will be one of the times when he just comes back as quickly as he’s gone.

Nos doesn’t wake up, but his vision doesn’t get any worse either, which is a small mercy.

Val waits as well, all of us keeping our eyes on him.

“Where to?” I finally ask the captain.

He shrugs, placing a hand on the mast.

His bond to the ship is so strong he can command it without touch, but Val loves his ship more than he loves anything else in the world. In some ways, I can see why.

Watching the way the ship responds to his magic is poetry in motion. The sails drop to half-mast as if let out by invisible hands. The anchor raises itself back from the depths and the ship glides across the waves towards the mouth of the bay.

"We still have ourobligationsto Galmere," he spits out the word.

Obligations is a pretty word for blackmail.

Somewhere below deck Cas howls with laughter, breaking the solemn silence between us.

“She’s already good for him,” I comment.