“That so?” The young man grinned. As if he wasveryamused.
“Singh,” Gideon growled, already aiming again. “Lay off her.”
“You seem to know my husband,” she said, watching Gideon. “Did you fight alongside him at the New Dawn?”
The boy Gideon referred to as Singh took off his cap. “Yes, ma’am. Abbie and I both did.”
This was new information. Rune tried to absorb it while studying Abbie, who looked fierce in the wind, her reddish- brown curls blowing across her face, her shirt partially unbuttoned with the sleeves half-rolled as she watched Gideon fire.
“How did you end up on theArcadia?” asked Rune. “I thought they didn’t let witch hunters aboard.”
“Oh, we’re no witch hunters,” he said. “In my opinion, the revolution went too far. Something needed to change—don’t get me wrong. No one should cower beneath their government’s boots. But the Republic has become what it meant to correct: a nation ruled by fear. It’s the Reign of Witches without the witches.” He glanced at Gideon. “No offense, Sharpe.”
Gideon said nothing. Just took another shot, shattering a plate into the wind.
Rune liked this boy.
“No politics,” said Abbie. “You know the rules.”
He shrugged, but shot Rune an easy smile. “I’m Ash, by the way. Ash Singh.”
“Kestrel,” she said. “Kestrel Sharpe.”
Gideon missed his next shot. He handed the rifle to Abbie. “Nine in a row. What’s your record?”
“Eleven.” Reloading the gun, Abbie turned to Rune. “Wanna give it a go?”
“That”—Gideon intercepted the gun—“is a terrible idea. Unless you want to get shot. Kestrel shoots like a…”
Rune arched a brow. “Like a what?”
Gideon shut his mouth.
Smart boy.
Rune shrugged off his jacket, grabbed the rifle—which was alot heavier than she’d expected—and hoisted it. She’d watched him shoot several times now. How difficult could it be?
“I’m ready!” she called to the girl throwing dishware.
A white dessert plate shot up into the air. Rune closed one eye, aimed the gun at it, then pulled the trigger.
The shot went wide. The girl throwing plates ducked, covering her head, as the plate dropped into the sea.
“Good effort,” said Abbie, patting her shoulder.
Was that derision in her voice?
Instead of giving the gun back to Gideon, Rune kept trying.
Abbie’s friends all gave her advice. Ash and William cheered her on. She was starting to relax when, after her sixth miss, she noticed neither Gideon nor Abbie was nearby.
Lowering the gun, she spotted them several yards away, at the railing. Abbie leaned her hip against it, staring up at Gideon, while Gideon bent toward her, fully absorbed by whatever she was saying. Abbie brightened beneath his attention, the way a sunflower soaks up the sun.
An old friend,Gideon had called her last night.
Rune doubted it.
She took another shot. Again, it went wide. Ash and William were losing their enthusiasm. The others wandered away, in search of more interesting sport. But Rune was determined to hit a plate. Just one plate. As she took aim again, she saw Gideon and Abbie moving further up the deck, out of hearing distance. Into her line of sight.
