Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

Bowen

EVERY SO OFTEN, I’LL BE OUT ON THE DECK AND WITNESS a storm brewing on the horizon. Even with the warning, even knowing it’s coming, we still get caught up in it. Sometimes it even kills people despite all our experience, all our preparation.

That’s what it feels like having Evelyn in my bed. This moment of safety, of happiness, is only temporary. And it’s not because her ex wants to murder her. It’s not even because the Council may end up demanding an explanation about the dragon and ruling me a traitor.

It’s because she still hasn’t changed her mind about leaving Threshold.

I’m not a man of honeyed words. Even if I was, it feels wrong to try to convince her to do something against her nature. She’s told me time and time again how important it is for her to be free. I may want to tie her to me, to be the anchor that slows her down, but even I’m self-aware enough to know that it will ruin us eventually. And if it didn’t?

No, there’s no use clinging to useless hope. I know the stories of selkies as well as any sailor. They always go back to the sea, or face the fate of dying of sorrow. I can’t stand the thought of the bright parts of Evelyn being leeched away by my love.

It doesn’t stop my words from getting away from me every time we have sex. Even as I promise myself that this time I won’t let my possessiveness take the reins, the moment I’m inside her, I find myself saying the most unforgivable things. I’m nearly certain they make her orgasm harder. Speaking such forbidden words certainly heightens my pleasure.

But once the sweat has cooled on our bodies and our heartbeats have returned to normal, we both pretend that we weren’t begging and agreeing to things while in the moment.

There’s no reason to think Evelyn will leave me at Three Sisters, but dread takes up residence in my stomach when Nox comes to inform us that land has been sighted. They don’t comment on the love bites coloring my upper chest and throat. It’s just as well. Nothing I could say in response would be appropriate.

I shut the door and turn to face Evelyn in the bed with the mess of our sheets. “They’re hunting mermaids. If you take issue with that—”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me this time. Mermaids are fucking malevolent and there’s no reasoning with them. They’re blocking off access to this trio of islands. The people will starve without ships being able to bring in food and goods, and the mermaids will definitely kill anyone who tries to sail past.”

I give her a long look. “Someone’s been talking with the crew.” As much as I would’ve liked her to stay in my bed the entire time, the reality is we both have shifts to cover and responsibilities that come with being on Hedd’s ship. There are no free rides in Threshold. At least not with the C?n Annwn.

Evelyn shrugs. “I’ll be the first to admit that not every creature in existence is misunderstood. Normally, I would argue for rehabilitation or relocation even with a dangerous being, but the mermaids swarm and they’re insatiable. They’ll just end up in another place, doing the same thing. Eating all the food and killing all the people.”

“There are several kinds of mermaids.” I don’t know why I say it. She’s right. Once the shallow-water hunters show up, the only way to get them out is to kill them. The sole exception I’ve seen in all my years is Atlantis, the port city that sits out of time and space. It’s technically part of Threshold, but a long time ago, they managed to secure a deal that means they govern themselves and the C?n Annwn aren’t welcome on their shores for unsanctioned hunts. I had to visit a year or so ago while tracking down an unsecured portal that was stolen from one of our people.

I’m not sure how they manage to keep the mermaids contained. Even then, they lose a decent number of ships and crews attempting to sail into the bay and make port there. I clear my throat. “The deep-water ones keep to themselves for obvious reasons. There is a swarming season, but no one smart goes near those waters during that time of year. Not even a full crew of C?n Annwn are enough to guarantee survival.”

“So what you’re saying is that you respect the natural rhythm of them and don’t murder them for doing something within their nature.”

I see her point, but I can’t help pushing back. “They kill people.”

“So do the C?n Annwn,” Evelyn says softly.

I open my mouth, but my rebuttal dies before the words can leave my lips. “So do the C?n Annwn,” I repeat slowly.

She goes up on her toes and kisses me. “I know, baby. It’s going to be a long process of unknowing. Go easy on yourself.” She moves away to pull on a long coat and slips her dagger—because it is her dagger now, it’s no longer mine—into the sheath at her waist. That sheath is new, too.

This time, I don’t bother to question where it came from. Evelyn has proven herself to be canny with a mostly excellent sense of timing. If she bargained yet more stolen shit, she did it in a smart way. “Stay close. This is Hedd’s show, so no big moves on our part. It’s my job to ensure no mermaids make it aboard. Try to avoid using fire unless you’re aiming it into the water.”

“Don’t use fire on a ship. Brilliant.” Her reply is snarky, but I now know her well enough to detect the nerves under the words.

I take her shoulders and wait for her to look up at me. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

Evelyn wets her lips. “I damn well know that in a fight, there are no guarantees, but when you say that so confidently, I believe you.” She shakes her head. “I’ll be a good little sailor and obey orders. I’m not trying to be a hero today.”

“Good.” I lead the way out of the cabin and follow a stream of people up the stairs to the deck. They look haggard, their clothing worn and dirty. It’s nothing more than I’ve noticed before, but it strikes me all over again how much the crew are at the mercy of the captain. It’s impossible to know how many of them happily follow Hedd and how many do it out of a dearth of other choices.

You could take captainship. A few months at most to win them over. They’d have to be fools to prefer Hedd to you.

For a moment, I actually consider it. Nox frustrates me to no end, but they’re irritating—not a bad person. If we worked together, we could get this ship running like the Hag in no time.

And then I’d be right back where I started. Dancing to the tune the Council sets, with no original thoughts of my own. Being … the villain.

My brain tries to shy away from that truth, but it is a truth. I don’t know how I never noticed it before, how it never occurred to me to question it, but now I can’t go back to not knowing.

The weather seems to reflect my dark thoughts. Clouds swirl ominously overhead, blocking out the sun and making it nearly impossible to see the trio of islands that compose Three Sisters. I catch sight of Dia leaning against the mast and make my way over to her, Evelyn right behind me. “What are you doing up here?” She’s not a fighter. She never has been. Usually, when it comes time to do our duty, she ends up belowdecks.

“Don’t have much confidence in this crew.” She pulls out a joint, glares at the sky, and tucks it back into her shirt. “I’d rather not go down with the ship if Hedd fucks this up.”

“If he fucks things up that badly, the only option will be to swim for shore, and that is a death sentence with mermaids in the water.”

“Still better than drowning in my cabin when the pocket realm collapses.” She shrugs and turns a keen eye on Evelyn. “It would be ill-advised for you to pull another stunt like you did aboard the Hag.”

“So I’ve been told.” Evelyn cocks her head to the side. “What’s that sound?”

The whole crew goes silent. Only the creak of the ship and the soft movement of people shifting can be heard … until a faint shriek sounds, so high and wailing that it could almost be the wind itself.

“Incoming,” Dia mutters. “Get over here, girl. Stand next to me.”

Evelyn glances at me and I nod. “I’ll protect you both.” I’m powerful, but even I don’t know if I could fly both of them and myself to the nearest island. Probably, in a worst-case scenario, fueled by panic and fear and adrenaline, but that would mean abandoning the Audacity and its crew.

There’s no law against being voted out of the captaincy. Fleeing a fight? That’s a different animal altogether.

No, the only option is to keep this damned ship afloat, no matter how badly Hedd mangles the fight. I’m not being fair—the bastard has survived this long, and it’s not by avoiding doing his duty—but I don’t care.

As if my thoughts summon the man himself, Hedd appears on deck. He holds a great ax that most people wouldn’t be able to lift off the ground and his shirtless body is painted in gray symbols.

At my back, Evelyn whistles. “A berserker, huh?”

I glance at her. “You have them in your realm?”

“Yes, though they’re rare.” She narrows her eyes. “They also don’t need the symbols in order to shift into their other form.”

“Neither does he. He’s just a dramatic fucker.”

Hedd hefts his ax. “They’re coming! Let’s show these monsters what the C?n Annwn stand for! Death to all!”

A chill shoots up my spine. That’s not what … Fuck, I’m going to keep doing this, aren’t I? It’s like there are ingrained paths in my brain and I can’t quite jump the tracks. Another time, I’d remind myself that it took twenty years to make those paths and they won’t be undone in a matter of days. Right now, I’m not in the mood to be kind to myself.

I reach back and touch Evelyn. “Stay here.”

“You said that already,” she murmurs.

“I did.” I consider my options and decide there’s no reason to pull my sword. Not yet. “And you have a history of ignoring my commands and doing what you want.”

“Well … yes.”

“Don’t do it this time.”

And then there’s no more time for talk because the mermaids arrive. The sea churns as they bound and leap over each other to get to their prey. To us. They’re truly monstrous. No one would mistake their top halves for human, though they have a torso and arms and a head. But human fingers don’t have that extra knuckle—and they don’t end in claws. Human teeth aren’t sharp, jagged points designed for ripping and tearing. Even their approximation of hair isn’t hair at all. It’s closer to tentacles than anything else. Add in powerful tails that allow them to jump well above the surface of the sea and they’re every sailor’s nightmare.

The shrieking noise becomes almost too much to take. There are more of them than I anticipated, but that makes sense. We’re rarely called out for small infestations.

They surge up in a wave almost as a single unit, intent on breaching the deck. I grit my teeth and throw up a wall of power, breaking them against it. The impact shudders through me. Those monsters hit harder than the dragon.

As soon as my magic drops, the crew is there with harpoons and fire and various magical attacks. The shrieking takes on an agonizing tone as those attacks find their victims. The water churns violently, dark purple blood coloring the blue.

And then they turn on their injured counterparts. They’re equal opportunity predators, and a little cannibalism doesn’t bother them in the least. I knew it was coming, and it still makes me sick to my stomach. It’s not enough to stop the next attack, though. They’re insatiable, bottomless destroyers.

“That’s it! Send them to a watery grave!”

The mermaids shouldn’t gather themselves for a singular attack again—not when a portion of their number are eating their injured comrades—but I still keep an eye out for the possibility as I bat individual creatures from the air before they can make contact with the deck. It takes nearly as much effort as the wall did because there’s an element of precision involved. If I’m not careful, I’ll sweep the crew members into the water, and that’s a death sentence.

In the chaos, I catch sight of Nox on the other side of the ship, their crimson duster flaring out behind them as they send streams of fire and air in turn against the mermaids. Very few people with elemental-based powers have access to more than one element. Nox can tap into all four.

Hedd appears next to me, his form shifting and growing. It’s not a pretty sight, but once he’s in his berserker rage, he can go for hours and he’s damn near unstoppable. There’s not a lot of room left for coherent thought, though. “Let them on board!”

I frown. “Excuse me?”

“Is this a fight or is it a fight?” He smacks my shoulder hard enough to stagger me. “Let them come. That’s an order.”

“People will die!”

“You will fucking die if you disobey a direct order. Let. Them. Come!” He raises his ax menacingly. “Or I kill that little witch cowering behind you.”