Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
“So what you’re saying is that you respect the natural rhythm of them and don’t murder them for doing something within their nature.”
I see her point, but I can’t help pushing back. “They kill people.”
“So do the Cŵn Annwn,” Evelyn says softly.
I open my mouth, but my rebuttal dies before the words can leave my lips. “So do the Cŵn Annwn,” I repeat slowly.
She goes up on her toes and kisses me. “I know, baby. It’s going to be a long process of unknowing. Go easy on yourself.” She moves away to pull on a long coat and slips her dagger—because it is her dagger now, it’s no longer mine—into the sheath at her waist. That sheath is new, too.
This time, I don’t bother to question where it came from. Evelyn has proven herself to be canny with a mostly excellent sense of timing. If she bargained yet more stolen shit, she did it in a smart way. “Stay close. This is Hedd’s show, so no big moves on our part. It’s my job to ensure no mermaids make it aboard. Try to avoid using fire unless you’re aiming it into the water.”
“Don’t use fire on a ship. Brilliant.” Her reply is snarky, but I now know her well enough to detect the nerves under the words.
I take her shoulders and wait for her to look up at me. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
Evelyn wets her lips. “I damn well know that in a fight, there are no guarantees, but when you say that so confidently, I believe you.” She shakes her head. “I’ll be a good little sailor and obey orders. I’m not trying to be a hero today.”
“Good.” I lead the way out of the cabin and follow a stream of people up the stairs to the deck. They look haggard, their clothing worn and dirty. It’s nothing more than I’ve noticed before, but it strikes me all over again how much the crew are at the mercy of the captain. It’s impossible to know how many of them happily follow Hedd and how many do it out of a dearth of other choices.
You could take captainship. A few months at most to win them over. They’d have to be fools to prefer Hedd to you.
For a moment, I actually consider it. Nox frustrates me to no end, but they’re irritating—not a bad person. If we worked together, we could get this ship running like the Hag in no time.
And then I’d be right back where I started. Dancing to the tune the Council sets, with no original thoughts of my own. Being … the villain.
My brain tries to shy away from that truth, but it is a truth. I don’t know how I never noticed it before, how it never occurred to me to question it, but now I can’t go back to not knowing.
The weather seems to reflect my dark thoughts. Clouds swirl ominously overhead, blocking out the sun and making it nearly impossible to see the trio of islands that compose Three Sisters. I catch sight of Dia leaning against the mast and make my way over to her, Evelyn right behind me. “What are you doing up here?” She’s not a fighter. She never has been. Usually, when it comes time to do our duty, she ends up belowdecks.
“Don’t have much confidence in this crew.” She pulls out a joint, glares at the sky, and tucks it back into her shirt. “I’d rather not go down with the ship if Hedd fucks this up.”
“If he fucks things up that badly, the only option will be to swim for shore, and that is a death sentence with mermaids in the water.”
“Still better than drowning in my cabin when the pocket realm collapses.” She shrugs and turns a keen eye on Evelyn. “It would be ill-advised for you to pull another stunt like you did aboard the Hag.”
“So I’ve been told.” Evelyn cocks her head to the side. “What’s that sound?”
The whole crew goes silent. Only the creak of the ship and the soft movement of people shifting can be heard … until a faint shriek sounds, so high and wailing that it could almost be the wind itself.
“Incoming,” Dia mutters. “Get over here, girl. Stand next to me.”
Evelyn glances at me and I nod. “I’ll protect you both.” I’m powerful, but even I don’t know if I could fly both of them and myself to the nearest island. Probably, in a worst-case scenario, fueled by panic and fear and adrenaline, but that would mean abandoning the Audacity and its crew.
There’s no law against being voted out of the captaincy. Fleeing a fight? That’s a different animal altogether.
No, the only option is to keep this damned ship afloat, no matter how badly Hedd mangles the fight. I’m not being fair—the bastard has survived this long, and it’s not by avoiding doing his duty—but I don’t care.