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“You don’t need to know me. You know her.” Lizzie flicks her fingers at Evelyn. “So let’s stop pussyfooting around and get to the point. Like Evelyn said, we helped you out. In return, they want information. I want a ride until we cross paths with the Crimson Hag. A small price to pay for your new promotion. If you don’t cooperate, I’m sure there’s someone else among the crew we can convince to see things our way.”
I tense, ready to jump in if things escalate, but Nox just laughs. “I can see that you’re going to be a pain in my ass. Great.” They turn to me and Evelyn. “If I tell you this, there’s no going back. You’re either with us, or you don’t leave the ship alive.”
“We’ve already gone too far.” I take Evelyn’s hand and squeeze. She’s still hovering close, as if she’s certain I’m going to slide it right out of my chair. “Tell us.”
“Suit yourself.” They lean on the edge of the desk. “There’s a number of people who don’t agree with the way the laws are set up in Threshold. The Cwn Annwn are more than capable of transporting people back to the portals that will lead to their home realms. There’s no reason that we don’t do so—except for control. It’s a power grab that ensures the Council won’t be questioned, and that the ranks of their hunters are always filled.”
It’s the conclusion Evelyn and I already came to. She saw the cracks in the system immediately. It took her practically smacking me over the head with them in order for me to see them, too. It still doesn’t explain how this rebellion is happening, and how they’ve gone this long without anyone noticing. “So someone decided to do something about it?”
“So someone decided to do something about it,” Nox agrees. They shrug. “I suspect sympathetic people among the Cwn Annwn have been allowing trespassers to slip through their fingers for generations. It wasn’t until …” They hesitate and seem to have an internal battle with themself. Finally, they continue. “Our leader is someone uniquely situated to create a proper network. They are able to manage communications, and ensure that we are able to move more effectively toward our goals.”
“What goal is that? Getting people home … or something more?” Again, I’m nearly certain I know what Nox will say before they speak, but I want to hear them say it. There’s a feeling in my chest, a bubble growing that I’m terrified will pop. Evelyn is mostly joking when she calls me a paladin—at least I think she is. But the truth is that the label fits far better than I’ll ever want to admit aloud.
I need a cause to believe in. I don’t know if I’ll ever follow on faith alone again or without question, but maybe my loyalty means more that way. I don’t know. It’s something to think about later.
Again, Nox hesitates. It strikes me that they’ve had to be so careful with their words and how they carry themselves while serving on this crew. It must be strange to be asked to speak plainly. To be able to. “When’s the last time the Cwn Annwn actually hunted? I don’t mean all of us sailing around on crimson-sailed ships, and I sure as fuck don’t mean those peacocks in the Council. I’m talking about the originals. I’m not certain they exist anymore. The only proof we have is the Council’s say-so.” They shrug, but the move is far too tense. “It’s above my pay grade. All I’ve ever wanted is freedom, and the life we live isn’t free. It just looks that way from the outside.”
At my side, Evelyn shifts a little. “You’re talking in circles. If you really want to be free, we need to remove the Council and hope the originals aren’t around anymore to take interest in the goings-on in Threshold.”
“Yes.” They look at each of us in turn. “It’s not time to make that move. There are too many captains like Hedd out there, too many crews who are happy to misuse the power that comes with flying crimson sails. If we remove the current Council, a new one will pop up in its place. They might not be in a place to make real change for years, or even longer. Making a public move is a huge risk and we’ll get a single shot at it. This won’t be a dramatic, quick battle. If you’re signing on with us, you’re signing on for the drudgery of a long-haul voyage.”
“Speak. Plainly,” Evelyn snaps. “We’re facing a choice just like we were facing when we first came to Threshold—join up, or die. The difference is that we’re going to sail around, pretending to be the Cwn Annwn, occasionally killing actual monsters and saving people.”
Nox smiles thinly. “It seems I don’t have to speak plainly, after all. You understand me well enough.”
If we’re found out, we’ll be executed in a truly spectacular way. This goes beyond making a vow and running, or disobeying a direct order. This is out-and-out rebellion. I wrap my arm around Evelyn’s shoulders. “And this leader? Who are they?”
“Very few people know their identity, and you’ll probably live and die without finding out.” They meet my gaze steadily. “Can you handle that?”
“As long as you—and they—don’t require unquestioning obedience. I won’t spend the rest of my life moving about with my eyes closed. If I don’t agree with an order, I’m going to question it, and if I still don’t agree with it, I will not be obeying. Can you handle that?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” They swivel to face Lizzie. “You. Vampire. You’ve been awfully quiet since mouthing off a few minutes ago.”
“And interrupt this rousing speech?” She sounds absolutely bored. “As I said, the only reason I’m here is to get my family heirlooms. I’m hunting the Crimson Hag. As soon as I find that ship, I’m returning to my realm. Expect no vows from me, but I’m more than capable of pulling my weight and playing nice in the meantime.”
It’s hardly a binding promise, but I’m beginning to understand that it’s as close to one as Lizzie will get. I tuck Evelyn tighter against my body and look down at her. “Well? What do you think?”
She’s a little pale, a little scared. But her smile is genuine. “I do believe that your paladin ways are rubbing off on me. Let’s be the good guys.”
CHAPTER 35
Evelyn
BEING ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS IS A LOT OF FUCKING work. It takes nearly a full day to clean up the bloodbath caused by Lizzie and Bowen. Apparently a burial at sea just means tossing the bodies over the railing. I’d assume they’d wash ashore in short order, but when I say as much to Nox, they get a strange look on their face and say, “They won’t have a chance to.”
I don’t know what that means, but I suspect it has to do with sea monsters, and in that case I’m better off not knowing. I maintain that eliminating the mermaids was a service to the people of Three Sisters. I’m glad that I forced the issue with the dragon; I really hope she and her youngling escaped okay. But that doesn’t mean I want to know about every predator that hunts beneath the surface.
Not when I’m sailing on what amounts to a tiny boat. Yes, the ship is plenty huge, but compared to a kraken or some other beastie that I’ve never heard of? The thought makes my skin prickle, so I very intentionally don’t let myself linger on it.
Bowen and I are assigned the same cabin as before, but there’s no time or energy to do anything but sleep in the bed. We work all day, then collapse into a state not unlike unconsciousness at nightfall. Even so, the change in Bowen is marked.
He’s lighter on his feet. Smiles more often. Even his shoulders seem straighter, as if he set down a burden he’s been carrying for far too long. And when he holds me, he holds me closely, as if he believes I might slip away at any moment.
On the fourth day, Lizzie finds me hiding in the pantry. She leans against the door and crosses her arms over her chest. “What are you doing?”
“Just taking an unsanctioned break.”
“I see.” Instead of letting the awkwardness grow or walking away, she steps into the pantry and drops down on the faded wooden box next to me. “The portal to our home realm is destroyed.”
