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If Hedd was anyone else, he’d have already filed his write-up of the end of the hunt, but he’s notorious for being late on such things. His laziness is our boon right now.
Not to mention, if we have Nox in close quarters, they can’t dodge our questions forever. We can find out more about the network of safe houses used to send people home. We can find the best place in the underground organization to be the most helpful.
And we have the best chance of staying alive while doing it.
Lizzie crosses her arms over her chest and glares down at us. “This plan—my plan—is all well and good, but neither of you is at full health currently. You’re dead weight. You’re about to pass out, Evelyn. And you.” She turns her cold shark eyes on me. “All it would take is one good hit to put you in the grave. Maybe I should put you out of your misery and take care of it right now.” She flashes her fangs.
“Lizzie, we’re past the point of threats. If you could do this on your own, you would’ve already done it and you wouldn’t practically be rolling out the welcome mat inviting us on to be part of your murder party. You want your jewels. They’re on the Crimson Hag, and you need our help to get them back without bringing the whole of the Cwn Annwn down on you.” Evelyn uses my shoulder to push to her feet. “We’re going to town right now to get patched up, and then we’ll board the ship under the cover of darkness.”
The vampire’s lips thin, but something almost like amusement flickers over her face. “I see that you’ve embraced the pirate life.”
“Of course I have. Swashbuckling, thieving, and looking good while doing it? It’s like it was made for me.”
“Mm-hmm. And I’m sure the fact that the Cwn Annwn murders all nonhuman beings while calling them monsters doesn’t offend your soft, beating heart.”
“Oh, that?” Evelyn waves that away. “We’re just going to have to bring down the Cwn Annwn. Easy peasy.”
The vampire laughs, and I find it upsetting that the sound is particularly pleasing. I suppose it makes sense though. Vampires are predators, through and through. It makes sense that everything about them is designed to draw in unsuspecting humans. My power shifts around me, but I make an effort to calm it. Our plan isn’t foolproof, but it’s also not the worst I’ve come up with. However, if Evelyn and I try to do it without the help of the vampire, we’ll have a significantly more difficult time.
Besides, there’s nothing to stop me from tossing Lizzie in the ocean if she becomes too much of a threat.
I stagger to my feet, ignoring Evelyn trying to step in and take my arm. Perhaps it’s foolish, but I don’t like the way the vampire’s looking at me. There’s no reason to show more weakness than I absolutely have to. “Cato should be able to get us all patched up in short order. Then we’ll see about the best way to reach the ship.” If the Audacity hasn’t left by now, I highly doubt they’ll sail off before morning. We have a little time.
As we retrace our steps toward Kanghri, I can’t help wondering if I’m really going to go through with this. It’s one thing to passively disobey the laws, but what we’re talking about is treason. There’s no two ways about it. Even if we’re successful at installing Nox as the captain, there’s nothing to stop them from turning us over. Even if they really are part of some rebel group, it would be a clever way to ensure suspicion never lands on them. It’s ruthless, but they haven’t gotten to their position by being a bleeding heart.
Still, it’s the best plan we have. We need answers, and Nox is the one who has them.
Once we reach the edges of town—again—I lead the way down to a little storefront tucked in an alley near the docks. In all the years we’ve been coming through this route, Cato has never moved locations, even though ze definitely has the funds to do it. I think ze gives away all large number of zir services for free, and the best place to be able to do that is here in Kanghri.
Not over the strait with the rich in Mairi.
“Let me do the talking,” I say softly. I’m not too worried about Evelyn making a smart comment because I have a feeling that Cato will find her incredibly amusing. The vampire, on the other hand? Less so.
I knock on the door. It’s only a minute or two before it opens, revealing Cato. Ze looks much the same as ze did the last time I saw zir. Short and round, with close-cropped curls and dark brown skin. Ze frowns at me. “What are you doing here? I didn’t get word that the Crimson Hag had made port.” Zir gaze lands on my bandaged neck. “Hounds’ tits, what did you do to yourself? Come in, come in.” Ze moves back and motions me with flapping hands into the depths of zir home.
Evelyn sticks close to me, and I can sense the vampire behind her, doing the same. It’s just as well. Cato keeps a chaotic household. Ze is a collector of sorts, acquiring trinkets and treasures from every corner of Threshold and beyond. And every single piece of it seems to be stacked in this room alone. There is a narrow pathway that I have to concentrate to follow, ensuring that my shoulders don’t knock into any of the towering piles on either side. It looks like the worst kind of disorganization, but I know from experience that Cato knows the location of every single item. It upsets zir when people mess with it, so I take great pains not to disturb anything with my passing.
By contrast, zir workshop is practically bare of everything except the tools of zir trade. Cato all but shoves me down onto the chair in the center of the room. It’s at that moment that ze seems to realize I have company with me. Ze narrows zir eyes. “You both look nearly as bad as he does. Sit your asses down and I will see to you after I deal with this one.”
They sit without argument.
For the next fifteen minutes I am the object of Cato’s tender mercies. Ze curses me quietly under zir breath as ze examines my wound. “Well, at least someone had the insight to see to you before you bled to death. That’s about the only thing you’ve done right since you acquired this injury.”
Over zir shoulder, I see Evelyn stiffen in outrage, but I meet her gaze and try to convey the need for patience. Most medics I deal with have terrible bedside manner, Aadi being the sole exception. And even then, she gets plenty snippy when her patients ignore her medical advice. Not that I have to worry about that now that I’m no longer sailing on the Hag. There will come a day when that realization doesn’t feel like a bucket of cold water in my face, but today isn’t that day.
As grateful as I am that Evelyn asked the questions that shone the light of truth on the situation in Threshold, I miss my crew. Not all of them, of course. I could go the rest of my life without seeing Miles again. But some of the others. Kit and Aadi and even Lucky, though that one is a bit of a reach.
Cato finishes sewing me up and then administers a magical patch that should seal the wound completely within a couple hours. I know from experience that it will be sensitive and prone to reinjury for a little while, but it’s better than walking around with an open wound.
“Thank you.”
“I’m not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. You’re not as bad as the rest of them, most of the time, but your gold keeps this place running, Bowen. So best believe I will be charging you extravagantly for my services.”
Like any good seafarer, I have a number of gold coins sewn into my cloak. If I had access to my cabin before we were kicked off the Hag, I would have more. As such, I expect that this will bankrupt me. Which begs the question of how the fuck I’m going to pay for things going forward.
A problem for another day.
I’m certainly not going to short Cato for zir work. Ze moves to Lizzie next, and it takes only a few minutes before ze pronounces her perfectly healthy, if covered in filth. Evelyn receives a few small bandages for her cuts, but none of them require stitches. That’s a relief. I still haven’t fully addressed that stunt she pulled, and I don’t have the words to do it properly without threatening to throttle her again. She scared the shit out of me, and I don’t know how to deal with that.
