Page 44 of Traitor Witch (The Deadwood #1)

Chapter Forty-Four

VALOREAN

A nother rope rips free and slaps me across the back.

Ever since I knocked that damn witch overboard, the Deadwood has revolted. My own guilty conscience rebounding on me through my bond to the ship.

So far today I've tripped over every rope on board, been smacked in the face by my own cabin door, and almost crushed by a rogue cannon.

It's a miracle I got us to Cawshome from Idos without any of the others noticing.

Well, one crew-member did notice.

Titan stares at me, eyes big and guileless, from his spot on the deck. The mastiff hasn't left my side since Nilsa's tabby disappeared and spends most of his time giving me big, puppyish eyes. Almost as if he misses the crazy feline and wants me to bring his playmate back. It takes everything I've got to ignore that look as I force the ship as far from Cawshome as fast as possible .

I can't hang around to search for the witch. Not with Rysen in the Pits.

Not with a full fleet of Castleman ships sailing out of the bay behind us.

Even if I did go back, I can't even get off my ship to search for them. Our search party would consist of a mute fae, an angry leviathan who can't shift back, and a blind seer. We'd be up against the entire royal guard, searching a city three times the size of any other.

It makes me helpless, and for the first time in decades, I resent my bond to the Deadwood .

If I hadn't lost it when Elsie showed me that tracker...

Another thwack across my shins. The rope slithers back across the deck before I can glare at it.

"Enough already," I mutter.

All I can do is make this trip as quick as possible and pray to the goddesses who abandoned me long ago that I make it in time to save one of my oldest friends from bloodlust, before he does something he regrets.

Nos and Kier break me out of my depressed musings as they climb the steps to the quarterdeck together. I'm no fool, I know they're presenting a unified front on purpose, ready to face off against my decision.

But it's Kier who speaks: "Stop."

"Stop talking," I snap back. "It's torturing you."

"We have to go back." Nos is leaning against Kier, his face pale and lined with strain. "I had another vision."

"I did too. It was of Rysen, hating us for the rest of eternity because we didn't get this run done fast enough and the Pits forced him back to who he was before he joined us."

"Shut up and listen to me!" Nos roars, his whole body flashing with teal scales.

That…has never happened before.

I know I'm staring, but it's just not normal for Nos to show his beast like that. He doesn't shift. Hasn't for two decades.

Too dangerous, he once said. A blind leviathan can do all sorts of damage.

His roar has drawn Cas's beast closer, his leviathan making the boat shake as it rises from the waves beside us.

The sea monster stares at its twin, purring in a soothing, low tone. Cas's turquoise eyes watch as the lighter scales of Nos's beast slowly recede.

It takes several tense, silent moments, but eventually the scales disappear and Nos sags against Kier once again.

The moment he's fine again, Cas's beast huffs, turns, and roars in my face again, and then dives back into the sea, leaving me covered in leviathan slobber.

Titan, who got drenched by the sea water dripping from the beast, takes the opportunity to shake the water out of his fur.

Great. Just great. The only thing that could make this worse would be getting struck by lightning again. I scowl at the horizon, daring the weather to send another storm my way.

"In my vision, Rysen and Nilsa were together," the Seer continues, dragging my attention back to him. "They were in the sea, and he was draining her. He was completely lost to bloodlust. He wasn't going to stop, Val."

"They're going to escape," I whisper, horrified. "Rysen is going to be unleashed in a city with his mate, who has no idea what his bloodlust is like."

Nos just nods, expression grim. "We have to stay or he'll hurt her, and that will destroy him."

Destroy us , he doesn't need to say it, but we all know it's true.

Without Nilsa, Cas is never coming back from his beast form and Kier's curse is never getting broken. Nos and Rysen are already halfway in love with her, and losing the infuriating witch would break them. Plus, my dog misses her cat for some reason.

I'm only doing this for Titan and the crew.

I also…wouldn't be comfortable with leaving our argument unfinished.

The ship starts to turn without my conscious permission, changing course. Titan looks up, plods over, and bumps his head into my thigh, then licks my hand, covering me in even more slobber.

"Yes, yes. Fine. We'll save the witch." Then I'll yell at her some more for putting me in this position.

Save the witch, save the crew.