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“Something like that,” he said. “The truth is—”
“So here you are,” a third voice said. “I wondered where you kept disappearing to.”
We both turned to Adrian in the doorway, eating an apple as he stared at both of us. Henrik straightened while I rolled my eyes.
“Can you knock?” Henrik asked.
Adrian shrugged. “It’s my ship. I’m thecaptain, remember?”
There was a low growl from Henrik’s throat, barely audible. Adrian approached us, still chewing on his apple.
“I didn’t think you’d be so hospitable, Henrik,” he said. “You never show any of these types of courtesies to the men on this ship.”
“She’s your captive. Not mine.”
Something in my chest fluttered as Henrik said it, as if he was protecting me instead of keeping me against my will.
“That’s true,” Adrian agreed. “Sheismy hostage. So why does she keep coming toyourroom?”
He looked around the room, his eyes stopping at the swords on the wall. His eyes narrowed.
“You’re teaching her sword fighting,” Adrian said, answering his own question. “Why?”
Henrik stepped forward. “Because the moment we cut her open—”
“Please stop saying it that way,” I interjected.
“The spirit world is going to open up with her,” Henrik finished. “It’s best to be prepared.”
My heart sank into my stomach. No one told me about the opening of the spirit world. This week had been busy enough already.
Adrian only laughed. “What? Are we going to get attacked by demons and angels, sea monsters or fairies? Don’t be crazy.”
“I’m not crazy,” Henrik huffed. “And no, it won’t be what you expect, but there is still a great power in the waters that you don’t understand—”
Adrian interrupted, “The only reason I agreed to all this nonsense was for the Eros. I agreed to all your voodoo methods until this point, but we’re reaching a new level of psychotic.”
Henrik’s face went red, his eyes deepening to a dark void. It was such a subtle shift, but something that probably happened often.
“You still think I’m crazy, don’t you?” he asked. “Even after everything?”
Adrian shrugged. “You’re family. It doesn’t matter much to me if you’re crazy or not. But you’re going to end up like Uncle Leo at this rate, muttering insane babel—”
Henrik took the apple out of Adrian’s hand and threw it against the wall. It splattered, the pieces hitting the ground around Adrian’s feet.
“He wasn’t crazy because he could speak to spirits!” Henrik threw back. “He was crazy because no one believed that he could!”
I came to my feet, the sudden urge to calm the tension in the room. “Gentlemen, gentlemen. Let’s not forget thatI’mthe one getting sliced the day after tomorrow. I’d rather you both keep your wits about you if you insist on this.”
I had no reason to say such things, of course, but if these two were really planning to cut me open, I didn’t want them to be so emotional as they did so.
I touched Henrik’s shoulder. He softened at my touch, looking over his shoulder at me. There was a pain in his eyes I hadn’t seen before, mixed with the obvious anger I had seen often.
Adrian leaned over and grabbed my hand. His grip was harsh, as was his voice, as he pulled me away from Henrik.
“I’ll be taking my hostage back to her room now,” Adrian said. “One of us has to do this right. And your voodoo better come through, older brother, or else you’ll be the same stain on the family crest that Uncle Leo is.”
Henrik’s eyes blazed as Adrian dragged me out of his room, and despite how hard I struggled, Adrian only held on tighter.
