Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 93948 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93948 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
She heads off, and I glance at Eyal. “I’ll be back.”
He waves me away. “I got a solid four hours’ sleep. Callen managed not to run us aground during that time, so I think it’s safe to say he did a good job.”
I make my rounds, chatting briefly with the few crew members up and about. Everyone is exhausted, but they’re putting a good face on it. It’s only once I’ve started back to the helm that I realize I’ve had an audience the whole time. I twist to find Lizzie lurking by the mast. I narrow my eyes. “Eavesdropping isn’t looked highly upon.”
“Oh, please. Save your false superiority.” She waves that away and moves toward me, her long hair swinging with each step. “You’re quite the leader. So willing to tuck your crew away in relative safety while you run off to sacrifice yourself.”
“The goal is to sacrifice no one,” I say mildly.
“And yet that’s never the outcome of these kinds of events.” She stops just out of reach. “You know, I like you better now that you’ve mostly set aside the charming-rake bullshit.”
“Darling, I am a charming rake.”
She smiles thinly. “From the scent of Bastian and Siobhan mingled with yours, I believe you.” She continues before I can decide how I feel about that. “Maeve won’t be content to hide with your crew. She’s determined to see this through.”
I’ve heard about the feats Maeve accomplished in her time seeking her stolen pelt. I’ve also heard about how she almost died in the attack that sank the Crimson Hag. “This won’t be a water battle. She’s better off staying in Yoth.”
“Undoubtedly,” Lizzie agrees easily—too easily. “But Maeve won’t listen to reason.”
I narrow my eyes. “I would think you’d be invested in keeping her out of combat.”
“I am.” She shrugs. “But she’s not a child to be tucked away while the grown-ups talk. She’ll make her own decision about this—and I’ll be there to ensure no one lays a single finger on her.”
While the selkie’s contribution might come into question, no one can argue that Lizzie is dangerous enough for both of them. Her ability to subdue large numbers of people rivals mine. If I were a better person, I’d tell them both to stay behind to keep them safe.
I’m not a better person. I want to live. More than that, I want everyone in Threshold to live a life without fear that a roving crew of Cŵn Annwn will cause havoc in their community. To have even a chance of us accomplishing that, I need Lizzie with us. “I’d be glad to have you.”
“I know.” This time, when she smiles, she flashes a hint of fang. “And if I’m defending Maeve’s life, she can’t get grumpy about how I choose to do it.”
I give her the look that statement deserves. We both know Maeve would rather incapacitate than kill anyone, even her worst enemy. She’s got a big heart, and though she’s a fearsome fighter in the water, she will always look for a peaceful resolution. The fact that she ended up with a vampire who enjoys seeing the light leave her enemies’ eyes will never cease to amuse me.
“Just thinking about it is getting me hungry.” Lizzie turns away. “We’ll be ready when we reach Yoth.”
I watch her walk away. Maybe it was a mistake to change the plan after yesterday’s vote, but the growing certainty inside me says otherwise. A small group is more likely to infiltrate Lyari than an entire crew, and most of the people on this ship have specialties and experience that would be difficult to utilize on dry land.
Or maybe it’s just that I don’t want to lose a single one of them.
It’s tempting to return to my cabin—to my bed with a sleeping Bastian and Siobhan in it—but there’s work to be done. I climb the stairs to the upper deck and nod to Frost and Derry, both of whom weave slightly on their feet in a way that has nothing to do with the movement of the deck beneath our feet. “I’ve got it from here. Go get some rest.”
They exchange looks. “You were in bad shape yesterday, Captain,” Frost says. Ne is a tall half giant with deep purple skin and a mohawk ne likes to wear in rainbow colors. Today, it’s pink fading through purple to blue. “We can finish the shift.”
“I know you can.” The last thing I want to do is undercut my crew’s contributions. “But I had a restful night and we’ve got a long week ahead of us. Rest while you can, because there will be little enough of it in our future.”
Frost looks like ne wants to keep arguing, but Derry nudges nem with her shoulder. “You were just complaining about starving. Let’s go eat.”