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I laughed, pulling my hand away. “Don’t you have more important things to concern yourself with, Chef?”
He scratched at the faint stubble on his chin, not answering.
“How did you become part of the crew here, anyway?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I worked odd jobs in restaurants. Some restaurants were for more…colorfulcrowds than the others. I heard Adrian was hiring for his ship, and I jumped at the chance.”
“Did you know Adrian before this voyage?”
“Only by reputation. Surely you heard about the fires at the courthouse and the hijacked food carriages?”
“Thatwas his doing?” I gasped.
Luc nodded nonchalantly. “Among other things.”
There had been multiple shortages of supplies across the country due to groups of thieves ambushing traders on their routes. The courthouse fire was the grandest talk of the town right after Mother had passed. The authorities struggled to find any suspects of the damages that had injured nearly half a dozen people, deemed a terrorist attack by someone who was clearly against the king himself.
“And despite all that,” I said, “you decided to work for Adrian anyway?”
Luc opened his mouth to answer, but a loud cheer came from above the kitchen. He shut his mouth again, laughing to himself.
“A story for another time, it appears,” he said, reaching over and preparing the trays for me to take. “The men are ready to eat. Take this food on up, dove. The last thing we want are hungry men bound for hell.”
***
“Better,” Henrik said after our fourth lesson. “You’re sharper today.”
I smiled at the compliment, handing him back his sword. I felt more powerful during this lesson, and I was happy that Henrik noticed it as well.
“This is where you’re supposed to say that it’s because I’m an excellent teacher,” he said after some silence.
“I wouldn’t want to ruin your humility,” I replied.
He chuckled, putting the swords away. As he mounted them back to the wall, I was reminded of Father. How was Father now? Was he still healthy? Did he have hope at my return?
My smile faded, and I sat in the chair next to Henrik’s desk, tracing the maps on the pages of his books.
“What’s wrong?” he asked after a moment.
I sighed. “You know, I’m not sure what’s worse: being kidnapped, or the life I have to return to once I’m set free.”
I leaned my chin against my hand, looking down at the books. The map in front of me was the same islands Henrik had been looking at before: the Winged Islands. The ones that Father had promised to show me before Mother died. He could probably never show them to me now.
“You know my family is completely broke,” I said.
Henrik hesitated. “Aye.”
“Did you know I was betrothed?”
I could nearly feel Henrik’s shock behind me. “What?”
“I don’t know him,” I admitted. “He’s an old colleague of my father’s, from the navy. I’m sure he’s very honorable, but when I go back, I…”
I couldn’t finish the sentence. Henrik’s bootsteps came closer until he was standing right in front of me, his presence lingering over me like seafoam. His jaw was tight, his eyes shifting into something deeper than before.
“You said you were in the navy too, didn’t you?” I asked, wanting to avoid his possible questions. “What happened? Why are you on this ship now looking for the Eros? A mission for the king?”
He flattened his lips as if he wasn’t meant to tell me. To my surprise, he began to answer.
