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I wasn’t sure in the dim light, but it seemed like he smiled just a little. “As you said, you chose not to kill me three times—perhaps four, as of last night—so it might be possible for me to choose not to hate you.”
I laughed, amazed that this perpetually uptight man was on the verge of humor. The tension in the air seemed to dissolve a little between us.
“To answer your question,” he said, “I’m not sure what to believe from Keane’s story. My grandfather must have been mistaken about his death or assumed it to be so since he was banished to such a violent island. It would only be natural for him to surmise that Keane died there.”
“And your mother?”
He shook his head vehemently. “It can’t be true. My grandfather has always told me she was an upstanding person and a loyal citizen. She wouldn’t have done such a thing.”
“Searching the Academy for a weapon hoard? Trying to expose a potential secret? Why would that be wrong?”
Dominic looked at me as if I were crazy. “Loyalty to the Academy should come first, always. The Immortals faithfully follow Irvine’s will. They wouldn’t do anything he didn’t order.”
“And what if he did order weapons to be hidden?” I asked.
“Then he did it for a wise purpose,” Dominic replied without pause.
I noted the confidence in his words. The lack of an “if” to that statement.
“So, it’s real?” I asked.
The whites of his eyes glinted in the shadows as his expression grew fearful. “I didn’t say that.”
“But you’re not surprised by its potential. And we all know the radios and strange guns came from somewhere.”
“I’ve never seen a hoard like that, and I don’t know anyone who has,” said Dominic.
I smiled at his obvious avoidance. “But you’ve heard rumors of it.”
“That doesn’t make it real,” he said in a rush.
“You don’t want it to be real,” I said. “It would alter the story of peace we’ve been told. It would make you question whether or not Irvine was the person you believe him to be. And,” I continued, my voice soft, “if Keane’s story is true, it would change your mother’s legacy. Instead of an innocent victim, she might be more of a rebel. And then who would you be?”
He held his head high as if determined not to show any weakness, but the action ended up revealing uncertainty more than anything else.
When he was unwilling to say more, I left the cabin, wondering if I’d gotten any closer to earning his trust or if I’d simply disturbed the poor man with my questions.
We sailed ever closerto Cambria, Keane and his men making plans in the meantime. I kept Dominic locked up but safe. Thankfully, no one had called us on the radios for the past few days, keeping us from having to pretend or give Dominic a chance to speak to them. They thought the boat was three daysfarther away than it really was, so hopefully they wouldn’t be watching for its arrival.
To be as stealthy as possible, we planned to arrive at night. The men who didn’t want to go back to the city would stay with the boat and take it out of sight once the rest of us took my fishing boat to shore. Dominic would remain their hostage, but Keane insisted that they keep his son safe. With the power and weapons the Academy had, we all agreed that keeping Sir Pearce’s grandson as a bargaining chip could serve us.
Any alliance I’d had with Cael in the past was now completely gone and I knew he’d use any means to silence me—not to mention the fact that he’d eventually find out the crew had killed Enforcers he cared about, Fiona Merrick in particular.
When night fell, the clouds reflected the faint warm glow of Cambria's light. The wall hid the city lanterns and street lamps from us directly, but the illuminated sky gave us a sense of how much farther we needed to go to reach our destination. We were lucky this night was so dark, with no moon yet risen to reveal us.
My fear rose as we approached, but so did my excitement. Apparently, I’d developed a taste for rebellion even amid my uncertainties. I wanted to set my father free—both for his sake and because I couldn’t keep my anger to myself any longer. I needed to confront him and make sure he knew that what he’d done was despicable and that I hated him for it. And, though I barely admitted it to myself, part of me desperately hoped he’d have an explanation I hadn’t considered—something that would change everything and allow my heart to be whole again instead of torn between the two extremes of love and hate.
A crackle followed by a voice came from the radio on my belt, startling me.
“Enforcer Dunn?" It was Cael. His voice was urgent and angry.
"Dunn? Come in, Dunn!" Cael hissed when no one answered.
The sound unnerved me. Cael and Enforcer Cadwaller had only requested Merrick when they’d called before. And it had been days since either of them had tried to contact her. The radio had been with me constantly since I took it from Dominic and not once until now had Cael said a word.
And now he was asking for Dunn.
He knew. My instincts had been telling me all along that Dunn had used the radio. I just hadn't wanted to believe it.
