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“Captain,” I returned with a heavily mittened salute.
The final member of the company was Charles Grant. He joined me beneath the oak as the others began to confer. Samuel cast us a lingering look, but was soon wrapped up in planning.
“I feel as though I should apologize.” Grant glanced warily at the branches above us and settled in at my shoulder. “Though honestly, you are the one who ran away at the palace.”
“You’re a terrible bodyguard, Charles,” I replied, but my eyes crinkled. With Lirr closing in, the vestiges of Grant’s and my enmity seemed particularly irrelevant. “You practically told Lirr where you were, shouting like you did.”
“I’d hardly have drunk so much if I’d known there would be fighting,” Charles grumbled.
I smiled. “Well, I’m glad you’re here.”
“As am I.” Charles squinted down at the rest of the company, currently listening to my mother. “Though I’m most interested to know how you two escaped Lirr. I assumed you would still be locked in the belly of his ship.”
I remembered just how many peoplewerelocked in the hold of Lirr’s ship, and suppressed a shiver.
“We walked,” I said with intentional lightness, and was rewarded by his stunned expression.
“Walked?” the former highwayman flustered. “How?”
“Magic,” I replied with a wink.
Grant gave me a flat look, but before he could press further, Demery’s voice interrupted.
“Now,” the captain said, looking at the assembled company before resting his eyes on Anne. “We plot.”
***
Our council transitioned to Demery’s cabin, where I settled in gratefully beside the stove as the captain, my mother, Samuel, Athe and Olsa Uknara fell to business. Grant sat on the other side of the stove from me, one leg hooked his knee and a cup of steaming, rum-spiked tea in his hands. I balanced my own cup on my lap, watching as Widderow shouldered into the room with her ledgers.
She shoved in beside Samuel and set the books down with a solid thump. “Mines. I can give you mines, James. Enough mines and grenades to turn Lirr’s folk into spittle and toothpicks.”
Samuel startled, either at the old woman’s sudden proximity or her talk of munitions. I concealed a smile.
Grant, blowing at his cup of tea, frowned at me.
“That would be helpful, Old Crow,” Demery replied. He braced on the table, palms flat, fingers splayed. “Simply put, we need to lay a trap. Mary will be the bait, at the heart of the Wold. Without her, Lirr can’t finish this, so even if he realizes we’re waiting forhim—whichhemay—he’llstill have to make a play.”
Samuel’s lips thinned to a line.
My mother spoke up. “Mary and I will wait. We escaped Lirrtogether—hemay sense if we separate, and be suspicious.”
“Lirr can track you as well, Ms. Anne Firth,” Samuel said, more of a clarification than a question. He surveyed the group and I noticed an odd distance behind his eyes, as if he wasn’t quite here. He chose his words carefully. “The lot of you havea…light,in the Other. Except Mr. Grant. Olsa is a Sooth, both our Ms. Firths are Stormsingers, so that’s to be expected. But are you a mage, Captain Demery? Or you two?” At the last, his eyes skimmed Athe and Widderow.
It took me a moment to understand what Samuel was saying. Demery, Athe and Widderow all had reflections in the Other, even though they were not mages. But Demery, I knew, wasghiseau. So were Athe and Widderow too?
I nearly spilled my tea, but only Grant appeared to notice. He offered me a handkerchief, plain but obviouslystolen—theinitials on the corner were not his.
“Don’t look at me too long in the Other, lad,” Widderow chided Samuel, back at the table. “This mortal frame is not so lovely as it once was.”
Samuel cleared his throat, his hand contracted in his pocket, and the distant look in his eyes vanished. “I saw only your light, Ms. Widderow. I assure you.”
“Sure you did.” Athetsked, trying very hard not to laugh.
Samuel’s neck flushed red, Widderow cackled, and my mother cracked a smile. She nearly glowed now, her eyes filled with grim good humor and determination. She was at home here, with these people, and my heart warmed to see it. I suspected she was more herself now than she’d been in a very long time.
“Leave the boy, Crow,” Olsa chided from her spot, leaning against the wall with her ankles crossed. “He does not realize what company he’s in.”
“We’reghiseau, Mr. Rosser.” Demery faced the other man across the table and offered a resigned, half-smile. “Do you know what that means?”
