Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 97188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
“Lizzie, you wound me.” They don’t sound like they mean it, though. It’s just as well. If they were to push in the slightest, I wouldn’t hesitate to separate their head from their body, captain or no, elemental magic user or no.
Trust Evelyn to come to a different realm and end up in a plot to overthrow the current power structure. I’m still not quite sure why I haven’t left this ship and crew to go my own way, but at least with Nox acting the part of a double agent and working for the rebellion in Threshold, things are never boring. In the three months since I reluctantly joined with the crew, we’ve fought monsters, ferried refugees to portals that will take them home, and drank our weight in wine in nearly every port we’ve put in at.
Our current task falls on the rebellion side of things. A week ago, Nox got word on the wind—the literal wind—that one of their assets had been taken by a Cŵn Annwn crew. Technically, we are a Cŵn Annwn crew as well, one of the peace-keeping monster-hunting crews that sail the seas of Threshold.
In reality, Nox and their people would like nothing more than to bring down the Cŵn Annwn and the Council that rules them, as the Cŵn Annwn are like any other policing force across history—inclined to abuse their power over the very people they supposedly protect.
I won’t still be around when the rebellion finally takes the fight to the Council. I wish Evelyn wouldn’t be, either, but she’s up to her nose in this rebellion, and I don’t see that changing no matter how many times we argue about it. At least tonight there will be some action to keep boredom at bay. I might even get to murder people soon. That should cheer me right up. “How close are we to the ship that took this asset of yours?”
Nox narrows their eyes, shifting from flirty rake to ruthless captain in the space of a heartbeat. “Close. The Drunken Dragon completes the same circuit from Viedna to Khollu to the Three Sisters and back again. Brady isn’t smart enough to know what he has, so he’ll still be heading north on the same path he always does. We should be able to catch sight of them on the horizon soon.”
All this cloak-and-dagger shit is a pain in the ass. I prefer a more simplified—and hands-on—approach to dealing with my enemies. Sneaking around, pretending to be part of the very group they want to bring down . . . It’s all so tedious. Better a bloody fight that lets everyone know who the victor is. If it’s bloody enough, you won’t have to fight again. Not while the memory is fresh.
If this asset of Nox’s was important enough to divert us from our previous course, they should be good enough to take care of themself. “What’s so important about this one person that you’re willing to risk someone finding out that you’re not a perfect little Cŵn Annwn soldier?”
“Maeve is a vital part of our network, and I need her back where she belongs.” Nox speaks coldly, but I think I detect a softness under the words. They like this little victim.
“If you say so.” I don’t really give a fuck about the cause everyone on this crew seems to believe in so strongly. There have been corrupt governments since the beginning of time, and if the rebellion somehow manages to depose the Cŵn Annwn’s Council, something even worse will step into the power vacuum left behind.
This rescue mission is wasting my time. I don’t care about this asset who’s been taken by the Drunken Dragon or whatever noble purpose Nox and Bowen have dragged Evelyn into. The only reason I’m still here is because Threshold is a big watery world, and without a ship and crew of my own, it will take me years to track down the Crimson Hag and my stolen family heirlooms.
I can’t go home without them. If I’m even able to go home at all when the portal back to my realm has been destroyed. I push the thought away. There’s no point in worrying about how I’ll get home until I have the stolen jewels, and I won’t have those until I find the Crimson Hag. And before I can do that, we have a damned rescue mission to pull off.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “This Maeve could be dead.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a terrible pessimist?” Nox’s grip tightens on the helm. “It’s possible that she’s dead. But we’re going to act like she’s not until I have proof otherwise.” They curse under their breath. “Maeve’s a good girl. People talk to her, share secrets that they never would with a stranger. Even if she wasn’t good at her job, she deserves better than to suffer at the hands of Brady and his crew. They’re the worst that the Cŵn Annwn have to offer. They should have been put down years ago, but they’re too damn good at their job, and the Council ignores any complaints that are filed against them.” Nox shakes their head and gives me a mocking smile. “I realize that you don’t care about any of this, so I’ll stop now.”