Page 109 of Ship of Smoke and Steel

“Then what?” His voice is a hiss. “If we don’t turn the ship soon, everyone is going to die.”

“I’m not convinced we can turn the ship, even if we find the Garden.”

His eyes narrow. “Why?”

“I have … my own sources.” I still don’t trust him any further than absolutely necessary. “But I think the Garden will protect us from the Rot, if we can make it there.”

“Then we might as well try,” the Scholar says. “At least—”

“If that’s the case,” I cut him off, “then I’m not leaving without Meroe and the rest of my pack.”

His eyes widen in understanding, and he taps his cane on the floor. “I see.”

“So if you want my help,” I continue, “find Meroe and tell her I need to see her. Tell her…” I hesitate. “Tell her I’m sorry.”

“We’re running out of time.”

“Then hurry.” I gesture around the cell. “I’ll wait.”

I hear the Scholar and Shiara talking in the hall as they leave. The Scholar sounds insistent, Shiara annoyed.

I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. I had a plan to get to the Captain, and it blew up in my face. Now I’m playing it by ear. It seems like I have something everybody wants—the Scholar needs my power, Zarun wants me to kill the Butcher, and Shiara and the rest of the Council don’t want me throwing a wrench into their carefully planned administration. And Hagan … I don’t know if Hagan is helping me or taking some kind of elaborate revenge from beyond the grave.

All I know, at this point, is that it’s been nearly a day since I’ve seen Meroe and I can’t forget the feel of her lips, her body pressed against mine. If there’s no turning back from this choice, I have to see her again before I step over the threshold.

22

An hour later, there’s a knock at the door. Not the sharp rap of a jailer rousing a prisoner, but the quiet tap of a polite request to enter.

My princess. I sit up at one end of the pallet and clear my throat.

“Come in.”

The door opens. Meroe is flanked by two nervous-looking crew with hands on swords. She steps inside and they close and bar the door behind her.

I clear my throat again. “Hi.”

“Hi.” She’s wearing a dress in the same style I first saw her, airy and colorful, with the same silver bands on her arms. “I heard … rumors. I didn’t realize they’d actually locked you up.”

“It hasn’t been that bad.”

“Isoka, you should know…” She looks at the floor. “Zarun came and asked me about the dredwurm. He already seemed to know most of it, so I didn’t see any point in lying to him.”

“It’s all right,” I say. “I heard from Jack. No one has tried to threaten you or Aifin?”

She shakes her head. “Zarun’s people are watching us, I think. But that’s all.”

There’s a pause, which stretches on uncomfortably. I shuffle sideways on the pallet.

“Would you like to sit?”

After a brief hesitation, Meroe gives a tight nod. She lowers herself carefully, keeping as much separation from me as the small space allows. Her shoulders are hunched, nervous. Rot, but I want to wrap my arms around her. Another pause.

“We need to talk,” we both say, at almost the same moment. She looks up at me, and I can’t help but smile. She breaks out in giggles.

“Sorry,” I say. “Do you want to go first?”

“I … not really, but I suppose I should.” She takes a deep breath. “If you ask me what I want I’d say it’s to hide in my room for the rest of my life and never talk to anyone again. But that’s probably not practical.”