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I lurch forward, slashing at his stomach. Riden deflects the blow and reaches for my legs with his sword. But I leap backward.
“Why didn’t you stop me?” I ask, sending a volley of strikes at him.
“Stop you from what?” He quickly defends himself against each strike, but I keep them coming as we talk.
“You saw me fighting him. You know your captain doesn’t want me mistreated in any way, yet you let him try to take me. You just stood there. And—oh.”
He gets his bearings and puts himself on the offensive. I like learning how he moves. It will let me know how to beat him. Later, of course. Tonight I have to let him win.
“You wanted me to kill him,” I say. “Of course. You hate what he does. What with you being sohonorableand all. But you can’t kill him yourself because for some reason you’re loyal to your brother, and you can’t be seen killing a member of his crew. I’ll never understand this loyalty; you seem to hate everything Draxen does.”
I cut him on his arm. Riden is going a bit easy because he doesn’t actually want to hurt me. It definitely gives me the advantage. Of course, I don’t want to kill him, either—hurt him, though, yes. Part of what I told him the other day is true. I don’t want Riden dead, because he is my preferred choice for an interrogator. Draxen would assign someone even worse to watch me if Riden weren’t an option.
“That’s why you were angry on the day you captured me,” I say as a realization hits me. “I brought out the worst in your brother by challenging him, by killing members of his crew. You had to step in and remind him of his humanity. But he always seems to have a hard time finding it, doesn’t he? He’s more like your father in that way.”
I gasp as pain burns against my leg. He actually slashed me with his sword. I must have touched on something too personal.
“You ruined my breeches!”
“Lass, shut up,” Riden says.
“But why do you do it?” I say, forgetting my clothes. “You’re clearly miserable among the crew. You probably don’t even enjoy pirating! Why do you stay?”
I get in another cut, this time at his side. I make sure it’s shallow. A victorious smile tugs at my lips, but then Riden does the unthinkable. Instead of flinching away from my sword, he leans into it, grabs my wrist with his free hand, and raises his sword to my neck. Before I can blink, the hand at my wrist grabs my sword, and he’s pointing both blades at me.
I stare at him, stunned. He let me cut him so he could take my weapon from me. It’s a bold and stupid move.
I like it.
I’m so impressed, I can’t even muster up the right amount of anger. I have underestimated Riden.
He sheathes his blade, tosses Kearan’s back to his sleeping form, and then grabs me by my upper arm. “I stay because he’s my brother. Because he is the only family member who loves me unconditionally. Something you could never understand.”
I want to deny it, to defend my relationship with my father. But no words spring to mind. So with my free hand, I hit him where my sword struck him earlier. He winces with pain, then moves me over to the other side of him.
“It seems we both managed to uncover things better left buried. Now, let’s get you back to the ship.”
My leg throbs as we walk, but that’s nothing compared to the fire in my chest that has ignited from his words. He keeps getting me angry. So very angry. I want to hit him some more. It takes every ounce of strength I have to let him take me back aboard that cursed ship.
I try to get out of the lifeboat once, but Riden kicks me, and I act as though the blow knocked the air from my chest. When a rope ladder is let down for us to climb aboard theNight Farer, I punch Riden in the face and try to jump into the water, but he catches me and practically carries me up the ladder. He’s stronger than he looks.
These fake attempts at escape are the only satisfaction I allow myself for his daggered words.
Riden returns me to my cell. He ignores Azek and Jolek as they try to offer explanations for how I escaped. He simply orders them to leave.
Riden disappears from the brig for only a moment. Then he returns. I’m surprised when he locks himself into the cell with me.
“Have you decided that you deserve to be behind bars as well?” I ask.
“I decided that long ago, but that’s not why I’m here.”
I notice now the clean linens and bandages. A little while later, another pirate brings down a bucket of hot water before disappearing again.
“You want me to clean your wounds?” I ask with a snort.
“Of course not; I’m here to clean yours.”
“I don’t follow.”
