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The captain turned to face me fully, a single hook growing out of her hand to clasp onto the halyard. “The queen gave you an order months ago, General Steeler, and we’re no closer to taking this island and getting our Good Council back than we were the day you first stepped foot on this deck as a boy.”
“Looks like you and I both suck at our jobs, then,” I deadpanned, but the captain threw back her head and howled with a laugh that melded with the wind.
“Don’t bullshit me, boy! Fate knows you by name. She appointed you as the leader that would never fail—the only reason I was only ever allowed to patrol this damned island and never allowed to take any real action! Because we were all waiting for you to grow up and step into the role that Fate designed for you. So what—” She removed her hook, slackening the halyard. “—are you doing?”
Stalling. Trying to find a way out of this. Betraying my queen.
The captain couldn’t hear any of those thoughts of mine, though, because she wasn’t a Mind Manipulator. All she could do was grow weapons out of her flesh.
As if to prove this power useful, she curled her hands into fists that burst with steel spikes from her knuckles. “Use your magic to Walk us all to the top of that mountain right now, just like you did all those months ago to save the humans in Hallow’s Perch.”
I shook my head. “You talk like we can annihilate them in seconds. Like we’re the superior species.”
“We are.”
The world seemed to steady, and a coldness crept up my throat, into my voice. When I spoke, the wind flatlined, and every syllable rang out loud and clear. “Believing that will be your downfall, Captain. I lived with those humans for ten years and I assure you, they’re as formidable a foe as any faerie army.”
It was true. Over the last five centuries, Dyonisia had created and cultivated so many magical humans that I didn’t know how the hell we’d break through her defenses and get Jagaros on the throne even if we could find the tiger.
Silence dripped over us, and I turned to find the waters still and black and clear beyond the rails, the ship bobbing peacefully under a cloudless night sky. The last remnants of rain trailed down my face as Terrin came toward us, wiping his brow.
“That was a harder storm to tame than usual,” he breathed heavily, then noticed the captain’s spiked fists. “Oh. Are we fighting? I just want to point out that it’s not fair to start a brawl when I’m all spent. I need a few minutes to catch my breath.”
The captain’s eyes ripped away from me as she sneered at Terrin, completely ignoring him before addressing the rest of the crew, who were all trying not to stare.
“Officers, get me a headcount. Everyone else, secure the deck! We can’t have our ship looking like the alley behind Tor Tavern when the General is aboard.”
And she stalked off, spikes melting back into her knuckles.
“Damn,” Terrin muttered out of the corner of his mouth. “Why don’t you just throw her overboard already?”
I’d imagined it. Honestly, I wouldn’t hesitate if she ended up threatening my real mission. But for all her sneering and chiding, the captain had never told Queen Mydusia about any of her misgivings… or about her knowledge of Rayna’s existence.
“Maybe one day,” was all I said, then pivoted toward the hatch near the helm, making sure nobody was watching us before gesturing for Terrin to follow.
“How long are you staying this time?” he asked right behind me as we descended the ladderwell, down into the lower deck.
Technically, I had a room in the Sorronian palace, but I slept in my old crew quarters here on the flagship whenever I could—only overnight, though. In the mornings, I was always gone, either to the island or Sorronia.
“Not long,” I admitted as we strolled past the steward’s room, the floor creaking beneath our feet.
“Well, you should visit Nara before you leave again. She wants to check on that scratch of yours.”
I couldn’t help but smile at his choice of wording. Twenty-four hours ago, the gaping, greenish wound in my side couldn’t have been called a scratch, but now? That might actually be the right choice of word. Nara, no doubt down in her apothecary making sure that all of her ingredients and potions hadn’t toppled over in the storm, had nothing to worry about regarding me.
Still, I nodded at Terrin. “Okay.” Before we made it to the next hatch, I pulled him aside between hanging cots and stacked barrels of ale, taking a deep breath.
“Do you want to help me convince a giant wildcat to commit mutiny?”
Terrin blinked at me. Blinked at me again. He scratched the back of his head.
Then shook it.
“You know what? Sure, brother.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “Why the hell not?” A grin lit up his face before he glanced around uncertainly. “Does this mean you’re taking me back to the island, or did you bring a cat aboard?”
I was about to inhale to explain when a dry voice beat me to it. “Oh, please. You’re not going to get anything done with that loser.”
Terrin and I both cranked our necks to find Dazmine stepping out from behind the barrels, and I cursed. Sharing half of my Mind Manipulating power with Rayna meant the magic was half as strong; it was harder to keep my mental blockades open, to sense other people hiding in the vicinity if I wasn’t actively focused on that.
