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She glares up at me, completely fearless even as her magic flickers around us, her strength obviously coming to its end point. “Why?”
Why. Why. Why. All she asks is why. “Drop the shield, Evelyn.”
“No.” Her voice shakes as badly as her body does. She has her hands planted to the deck and the glyphs glow sporadically as her magic attempts to keep them charged.
True fear makes my voice harsh. “You’re draining yourself too fast. Drop the fucking shield right now.”
“No,” she gasps. Evelyn jerks her head to the side. “Look.”
Even as I tell myself not to, I obey the command in her voice. The dragon has quieted, the wounds inflicted by Miles and Kit knitting themselves back together, aided by the creature’s natural healing magic. It surges downward, creating a wave that sends us farther out to sea.
Then it dives below the surface. A few moments later, it breaches the water before diving again. This time it’s not alone. A smaller dragon winds around the mother, and then they’re gone, heading away from the island.
At my feet, Evelyn collapses and the shield drops.
It doesn’t even occur to me to chase the dragon. I bend down and scoop my witch into my arms in a single motion and then start for the stairs. Miles meets me at the top. He’s so furious that his movements are sharp and more reptilian than humanoid. Even his claws are longer.
The only thing that gives lie to his fury is the triumph in his dark eyes. “What the fuck was that, Captain?” He flings a hand toward where the dragon has disappeared. “We have to go after it and finish the job. Or have you fallen so far, so quickly that you will renounce your vows?”
I’m not entirely certain that Evelyn is breathing. This is the moment. The breaking point. If I don’t say or do something right now, I run the risk of losing everything. I open my mouth, but … I glance down at the woman in my arms. Too pale. Even as I watch, her green eyes flutter shut and she goes limp. “Fuck.”
I shoulder past Miles and charge down the stairs, roaring for our healer, Aadi. The crew mills around, looking uncertain, but Aadi alights next to me almost instantly.
“Take her to your cabin. I’ll look after her while you deal with this.”
I don’t know how I’m supposed to deal with anything when I’m so fucking worried about my little witch. She aggravates me unlike anyone else, but the thought of her not recovering makes me sick to my stomach. I kick open the door to my cabin, Aadi close on my heels. “I need her to be okay.”
“And I need you to give me some space to work.” She waves an azure-and-silver wing at me. “Give me ten minutes to stabilize her and then you can come back.”
I don’t want to leave for even that long, but I can hear Miles and the crew arguing just outside the door. I have to think. I have to deal with this. If they vote me out now, they’ll kill Evelyn. Fuck, they might kill me, too, but that’s less of a concern.
I drag in a deep breath and square my shoulders. I will never be the most charismatic captain, but damn them, I will have obedience. At least for now. I stalk out onto the deck. The whole crew isn’t here, but enough of them are for it to be a concern. “Set course for the island. I want to talk to the person who made the report to the Council.”
Miles shoves to the front of the crew. “We’re wasting time. That woman is a traitor, and if you’re not willing to do your duty, then give her to the sea and let nature take its course. We need to finish what we started with the dragon.”
Some of the crew rumble in agreement. I take the time to meet each of their gazes individually. One by one they fall silent. When I speak, everyone listens. “I will find out who among the villagers gave the report and ask them the questions I have after this encounter. At that point, I will make the decision about what to do with the witch. Should we need to hunt down the dragon, we will hunt down the dragon. It headed to the west, and it will take days before it reaches another island. If it even does. Hunting is what we do, and I will not rush this.” I motion at Dia. “Take us around the island to the village.”
“Careful, Captain.” Miles doesn’t raise his voice, but the threat is clear nonetheless. “If you keep defying orders of the Cwn Annwn, you might be in danger of being branded a traitor alongside that witch.”
I stare at him until he drops his eyes. It takes longer than it normally does. At this rate I wouldn’t be surprised if Miles skipped the vote and tried to slip a knife between my ribs. “Everyone to their stations. I will go into the village after the witch awakes. Everyone else will stay behind.” It’s a risk, but Dia will keep them in line. At least long enough for me to return.
Taking Evelyn is also a risk, but I need her to understand once and for all that we are not monsters. She’s so determined to think the worst of me—of us—and maybe if she hears how many people the dragon killed, she’ll stop fighting me.
Maybe then she’ll stop trying to escape.
The opinion of one woman should not be enough for me to alter the entire course of our ship, but right now I don’t give a fuck. I turn on my heel and walk straight back into my cabin.
Evelyn, the damned troublemaker, is awake. She blinks up at me while Aadi coaxes healing magic in the air above her body. “What happened?”
It’s Aadi who answers. “It’s not safe for you to drain your magic to such low levels. Thankfully, your body gave out before your magic did. Otherwise, we might not be having this conversation.”
It’s been only a couple days since she saved my life against the cat-sìth. Surely she’s recovered enough that this magical incident stands on its own. I can’t help the guilt that viciously courses through me. She’s the one who fucked up and yet I’m the one who’s feeling bad about it. I don’t know how she does this without saying a single word, but she manages to again and again.
“Get her up and walking. We’re making a stop.” I should leave it at that, but I hate how fear crests in her green eyes. I should be happy—if she’s afraid enough, maybe she’ll start making smarter decisions—but I never want this witch, this woman, to fear me. “We’re going to talk to the villagers about the dragon attacks.”
“I’m ready to go.” Evelyn sits up, disrupting the beautiful ribbons of magic Aadi is weaving.
The bird woman huffs. “You’re as terrible a patient as the rest of them.” She pins me with a look. “She’s going to be dizzy for a bit. Don’t let her fall and hurt herself further.”
