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)
And we have the best chance of staying alive while doing it.
Lizzie crosses her arms over her chest and glares down at us. “This plan—my plan—is all well and good, but neither of you is at full health currently. You’re dead weight. You’re about to pass out, Evelyn. And you.” She turns her cold shark eyes on me. “All it would take is one good hit to put you in the grave. Maybe I should put you out of your misery and take care of it right now.” She flashes her fangs.
“Lizzie, we’re past the point of threats. If you could do this on your own, you would’ve already done it and you wouldn’t practically be rolling out the welcome mat inviting us on to be part of your murder party. You want your jewels. They’re on the Crimson Hag, and you need our help to get them back without bringing the whole of the Cŵn Annwn down on you.” Evelyn uses my shoulder to push to her feet. “We’re going to town right now to get patched up, and then we’ll board the ship under the cover of darkness.”
The vampire’s lips thin, but something almost like amusement flickers over her face. “I see that you’ve embraced the pirate life.”
“Of course I have. Swashbuckling, thieving, and looking good while doing it? It’s like it was made for me.”
“Mm-hmm. And I’m sure the fact that the Cŵn Annwn murders all nonhuman beings while calling them monsters doesn’t offend your soft, beating heart.”
“Oh, that?” Evelyn waves that away. “We’re just going to have to bring down the Cŵn Annwn. Easy peasy.”
The vampire laughs, and I find it upsetting that the sound is particularly pleasing. I suppose it makes sense though. Vampires are predators, through and through. It makes sense that everything about them is designed to draw in unsuspecting humans. My power shifts around me, but I make an effort to calm it. Our plan isn’t foolproof, but it’s also not the worst I’ve come up with. However, if Evelyn and I try to do it without the help of the vampire, we’ll have a significantly more difficult time.
Besides, there’s nothing to stop me from tossing Lizzie in the ocean if she becomes too much of a threat.
I stagger to my feet, ignoring Evelyn trying to step in and take my arm. Perhaps it’s foolish, but I don’t like the way the vampire’s looking at me. There’s no reason to show more weakness than I absolutely have to. “Cato should be able to get us all patched up in short order. Then we’ll see about the best way to reach the ship.” If the Audacity hasn’t left by now, I highly doubt they’ll sail off before morning. We have a little time.
As we retrace our steps toward Kanghri, I can’t help wondering if I’m really going to go through with this. It’s one thing to passively disobey the laws, but what we’re talking about is treason. There’s no two ways about it. Even if we’re successful at installing Nox as the captain, there’s nothing to stop them from turning us over. Even if they really are part of some rebel group, it would be a clever way to ensure suspicion never lands on them. It’s ruthless, but they haven’t gotten to their position by being a bleeding heart.
Still, it’s the best plan we have. We need answers, and Nox is the one who has them.
Once we reach the edges of town—again—I lead the way down to a little storefront tucked in an alley near the docks. In all the years we’ve been coming through this route, Cato has never moved locations, even though ze definitely has the funds to do it. I think ze gives away all large number of zir services for free, and the best place to be able to do that is here in Kanghri.
Not over the strait with the rich in Mairi.
“Let me do the talking,” I say softly. I’m not too worried about Evelyn making a smart comment because I have a feeling that Cato will find her incredibly amusing. The vampire, on the other hand? Less so.
I knock on the door. It’s only a minute or two before it opens, revealing Cato. Ze looks much the same as ze did the last time I saw zir. Short and round, with close-cropped curls and dark brown skin. Ze frowns at me. “What are you doing here? I didn’t get word that the Crimson Hag had made port.” Zir gaze lands on my bandaged neck. “Hounds’ tits, what did you do to yourself? Come in, come in.” Ze moves back and motions me with flapping hands into the depths of zir home.
Evelyn sticks close to me, and I can sense the vampire behind her, doing the same. It’s just as well. Cato keeps a chaotic household. Ze is a collector of sorts, acquiring trinkets and treasures from every corner of Threshold and beyond. And every single piece of it seems to be stacked in this room alone. There is a narrow pathway that I have to concentrate to follow, ensuring that my shoulders don’t knock into any of the towering piles on either side. It looks like the worst kind of disorganization, but I know from experience that Cato knows the location of every single item. It upsets zir when people mess with it, so I take great pains not to disturb anything with my passing.