And as the Merrow girl seemed determined to keep Adeline in her sights at all times, they’dbothhad a front row seat to the sailor’s antics.
Adeline supposed it was a fine way to pass the time. The storm having set them back, the passage to Dhalias would now take closer to two weeks, and for the non-crew members, there was little to fill those long, slow days. Having Pike show them around had actually been interesting enough to breach the fog that seemed to cling to Adeline’s mind and cloud her every thought. They’d learned the layout of theArabidae, and the proper terms for every part of the ship—though the only details Adeline could recall were thecastleandforecastle. Words that stuck purely because Ceri declared they could each rule a kingdom from either end of the deck. The crabby old Captain Aegus, who’d stood at the helm at the time, had not taken kindly to the suggestion that someone else might rule his ship, but Pike had just laughed and corrected her;It’s pronounced foxle, actually.He was, however, notably quick to usher them out of the Captain’s sight and off to meet the rest of the crew.
There were thirty Dhali sailors aboard, ranging in age from grizzled Captain Aegus to their cook, Patch, who seemedyounger even than Ceriwyn with his wide, blue eyes and round ears that stuck out a little on either side of his head. But he’d snuck Adeline a sweet, sharp slice of Dhaliaan lemon tart on their way out of the ship’s kitchen, and at first bite she swore the boy must’ve been cooking before he could walk.
Adeline put as much warmth as she could muster into each introduction, and in truth, it wasn’t hard. They were kind men, most of them, welcoming and happy for a brief respite from the gruelling work of ferrying them over the Common Crossing.
Adeline had yet to admit it to Ceriwyn, but her own respite had helped too. The sunlight had warmed some of her numbed nerves, and the rippling blue of the deep waters parting around them was rather lulling. She couldn’t say she regretted letting Ceri drag her above deck.
But in the quiet moments, when the crew were busy, and Ceri had buried herself in a book, Adeline would stare blankly at the pages of her own book and let her mind wander to a different scrap of paper.
Her mother’s letter had moved with her day to day, from dress to dress, and slipped beneath her pillow at night. She hadn’t yet had the courage to open it, but knowing it was there, folded into the heavy linen of her skirts, was a source of both comfort and endless torture.
Even now, as she sat beside Ceri on the forecastle, their backs braced on the wooden railing, her fingers grazed the wilting edges of the parchment. She stared out at the waves between the rails, dully aware of the book in her hands having slid to the deck. Her mind tripped back and forth over the few words she’d seen inked out in her mother’s hand before she’d folded the letter away in a panic. The ghostly strikes and swirls of each word played out against the deep blue surface of the water, asthough some invisible hand had taken a quill to the inside of her skull and scrawled them over and over again.
Adeline.
Your note.
Adeline, I received your note—
“Adeline!”
“Hmm?”
Ceri’s voice swiped at her wandering attention, but she turned around to find the other girl still hidden behind the hardback in her hands, though her arms were tensed around her knees. Adeline blinked at her, waiting.
“Your book, for the love of Adhlas,” said Ceri. She spoke hurriedly from one corner of her mouth, the words running together so quickly that Adeline couldn’t quite keep up with their meaning. “Quick, your book,pick up your book—”
“Well, hullo, Your Highnesses.”
Pike bounded up the stairs, and Adeline could have sworn Ceri gave a muffled groan beneath the shelter of her novel.
Ah. That’s what she was talking about.
It was too late, though. Pike had spotted her unoccupied, and even if he hadn’t, Adeline wasn’t sure she’d have had it in her to outright ignore him. She knew he’d been getting under Ceri’s skin, and she couldn’t blame her for that; he had been following the Merrow girl around the ship since their initial tour, either unaware of her growing discomfort or too arrogant to care either way. Adeline had known plenty of men like him; had been blessed to have Ger as a buffer most of the time. But years of noble manners had been so thoroughly drilled into her that shefound herself compelled to return Pike’s greeting with a polite smile and a nod, as though he were a courtier passing by on the ballroom floor.
Pike swaggered forth from the stairway and planted himself squarely before them with one hand curled around a spoke of the Captain’s wheel and the other resting on a jutted hip.
“Beautiful day!”
Adeline had to crane her neck to look up at him, and she squinted against the sunlight bouncing off his glorious golden curls.
“It’s lovely. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a sky so blue.”
“Oh ho!” Pike exclaimed, with such vicious delight that Adeline regretted her throwaway remark even before he spoke another word. “Grey skies over the Silver Kingdom, eh? You won’t miss that, I’d wager, not once you behold mighty Dhalias in all her beauty.”
“I’ve had the pleasure,” said Adeline, though this was far from the first time she’d told him so. “My father comes from—”
But Pike was plainly not listening, already having lost interest in swapping niceties. His eyes drifted magnetically to the sleek dark crown of Ceri’s head, the only part of her that was visible behind the heavy shield of her book. His lips ticked to one side in a smirk that was just a shade less than predatory; the smug smile one might bestow on a prized trinket, something pretty and coveted by all.
Ugh.Adeline found herself wishing she’d had the pluck and mental energy to ignore him in the first place. Especially as he spoke his next words in the oily drawl he seemed to reserve for Ceri alone.
“And what of you, Merrow Princess?”
Ceriwyn lowered her book slowly, let it rest on the slope of her skirt over her bent knees. She spared him a glance and the barest of smiles.
“My brother is a king, Mr Pike,” she reminded him. She spoke politely, but Adeline could feel the tension thrumming from her. “I am not a princess.”
