Come.
And together…
The three Krakens vanished beneath the glowing waters of Merlin’s Gate. Heading for open sea.
Heading for Edith.
33
Edith was developing a plan,granted it was not agoodplan, nor was it a particularly survivable one. But it was, at the very least, emotionally satisfying.
Her current objectives were…
One: remove silver cuffs.
Two: sink boat.
Three: throw Gerald into the sea.
Possibly in reverse order, depending on opportunity. Edith sat against the railing pretending to listen while Gerald continued discussing their future, like this was a perfectly normal engagement trip and not an active kidnapping.
“The western estate would suit you,” he was saying smoothly. “It’s isolated enough to avoid unnecessary social obligations during the first few decades.”
Edith blinked slowly. “Did you just saydecades?”
Gerald smiled faintly. “Marriage requires adjustment.”
“I would literally rather eat this boat.”
The ghost pirate looked offended. “Oi.”
“Sorry,” Edith muttered automatically.
Honestly. Years hiding in Krakens Hole had ruined her ability to behave properly during hostage situations. Gerald sighed softly like she was exhausting.
“You’ll settle eventually.”
Edith smiled sweetly. “One of us will.”
Mark snorted suddenly before catching himself. Well, that was interesting.
Gerald shot him a glance and Mark looked away immediately… very interesting.
Edith narrowed her eyes slightly. Because the bounty hunter had gone from emotionally constipated to outright tense over the last hour.
He kept glancing toward the water out toward the horizon, literally anywhere except toward Gerald. Good. She hoped guilt gave him indigestion or acid reflux. Edith shifted slightly against the railing, subtly testing the rope securing her wrists again. It was still tight and still bloody annoying. The silver cuffs burned cold against her skin, suppressing every instinctive push of magic beneath it.
She hated them. But more so, she hated the helplessness and the containment. It meant she couldn’t shift, she couldn’t use her claws or light things on fire… mainly Gerald.
She was just human.
Her gaze drifted toward the sea. Endless blue stretched around them now, open water swallowing the coastline entirely. It was too far to swim. Edith squinted thoughtfully at the pirate steering the boat. Actually, maybe she only neededoneperson overboard. Then chaos would ensue… then possibly freedom. That seemed perfectly reasonable and Binky would, of course, approve. The sea beneath them shifted suddenly. The boat rocked once sharply to the right, hard enough that the pirate swore loudly.
“What was that?”
Gerald barely looked up. “Current change.”
“No,” the pirate muttered immediately. “That ain’t current.”
