“If Miss Winters is on theArcadia, they won’t simply arrest her.”
Further up the deck, leaning over the railing side by side as they stared out to sea, were the officers who’d questioned himand Rune. Gideon angled himself closer to a nearby post, keeping himself concealed.
“You think they’ll kill her?”
“Witches are executed on sight in the New Republic. This spy will have the same orders.”
There’s a spy on theArcadia?
Gideon remembered Harrow’s telegram.THE COMMANDER NO LONGER BELIEVES YOU’RE THE BEST MAN FOR THIS JOB. HE’S SENDING SOMEONE MORE QUALIFIED TO COMPLETE IT.
Of course Harrow would plant a spy onboard the one ship barring working Blood Guard soldiers and their witch-hunting hounds. He should have suspected as much.
Under every other circumstance, he would have approved the measure. But if there was a spy in his midst, he couldn’t let them discover Rune, never mind assassinate her. He needed her alive to barter with.
Worse: if the spy on board was Harrow’s, there was a good chance they’d recognize Gideon. It would look highly suspicious if a report was sent back to the Good Commander’s spymaster saying Gideon was returning with a secret wife after failing to assassinate the Crimson Moth. Harrow would assume the worst: Gideon had fallen prey to Runeagain.
He couldn’t—wouldn’t—let that happen.
Once Gideon figured out who this spy was, he’d stop their interference by telling them his plan. But if they discovered Rune first and killed her, he’d not only be left empty-handed, he’d look like he teamed up with a criminal. He’d be seen as a traitor.
Gideon needed to stop that from happening at all costs.
And Rune…
Rune.
His chest knotted. What if this spy had already found her?
SEVENTEENRUNE
BY SUNDOWN, THE BOATwas out at sea and Gideon still hadn’t returned. Hungry and tired of being confined to their cramped cabin, Rune donned a pastel green evening gown and a pair of cream-colored gloves, then set out to find dinner.
TheArcadiahad six decks, and after asking for directions from the staff, Rune eventually found her way to the third-class dining saloon on the lower deck. Through the portholes, the sea churned beneath a blackening sky. Caelis’s harbor was long gone on the horizon.
The saloon was abuzz with the sound of conversation and the clink of silverware. The narrow room was dimly lit by candles burning in sconces on the wall, and there was no reception desk, forcing Rune to choose a seat herself. But diners crammed every table, most of them shooting glances her way.
I’m overdressed,she realized.
Overdressed and drawing unwanted attention to herself.
She found a vacant booth across the room and slid into it.
Two menus lay on the table. Picking one up, she pretended to skim it while simultaneously scanning the saloon.
At least this is theArcadia.
TheArcadiawas governed by Caelisian laws. That’s why she’d chosen it. The safety it provided, along with the illusion disguising her features, gave her enough cover to relax, at leasttemporarily. The spell would wear off later tonight and need to be recast tomorrow morning.
But once Rune stepped into the New Republic, she would be unprotected. As soon as they arrived in port, witch hunters and their hounds would board and check every cabin. Only after everyone was accounted for and thoroughly searched would they let passengers disembark.
Rune would never get past the dogs, who would sniff out her magic immediately. If Gideon couldn’t circumvent them, this would all be over.
She was completely at his mercy.
What have I done?
“Why is a pretty girl like yourself dining alone?”
