21. A Familiar Screech

"I'm sorry, Miss Eldemyer," Carlos calls from the Sea Rose's rail. "We can't have you bringing sick men aboard the ship. They need to be quarantined."

I take in a calming breath through my nose. "I already told you—I've diagnosed the condition, and it's not contagious."

"It appears you're a proper healer yourself then, miss, so it doesn't sound like you need our assistance."

My fingers twitch; I'm so tempted to light the power-hungry weasel on fire.

"I've already asked Tiago for his permission," I tell him.

The man in the pompous black and yellow coat extends his arms. "Do you see Tiago? When the captain is away from the ship, the next in line is in command. The next in line is me, and I'm telling you, you're not bringing sick men aboard the Sea Rose."

"Let's go back to the Serpent," Wilder says, tired of dealing with the man.

I look at him and then at Gregory. The mercenary might pull through on his own. But I'm not confident Gregory will make it through another night.

"Fine," I call up. "But may I at least return after the men are settled to consult with your mage?"

Carlos purses his lips, thinking about it.

"Please?" I add, doing my best to keep my tone pleasant. Honey over vinegar and all that.

"You're not ill?" he asks.

"No."

He scrunches his mouth to one side of his face and then the other, really pondering it. "I suppose."

"So gracious of you," I can't help but say. "I'll return."

"Looking forward to it, Miss Eldemyer. Shall I have our cook prepare tea?"

He can't be serious. But whatever gets me on the ship.

I force a smile. "Certainly."

As soon as the boys begin to paddle the dinghy back to the Serpent, I let my smile turn into a scowl.

Wilder chuckles, which quickly turns into a cough. "Try not to kill him while you're over there, all right?"

"I'll do my best."

Thirty minutes later, after Wilder and Gregory are on the Serpent and the remaining dinghies have been sent to collect the rest of the team, Jorgin and Brantley return me to the Milindrian ship.

The pompous currently-in-command greets me once I'm on the main deck. "Hello again, Miss Eldemyer. It's a pleasure to see you."

"A pleasure," I respond, hoping my tone doesn't betray my irritation.

"I've ordered the tea, and it will be ready shortly."

I force a smile. "May I speak with your ship's mage while it's being prepared?"

"Of course. Let me lead you to her quarters."

As I follow the man down the stairs to the ship"s lower decks, a horrible screech fills the stairwell.

"What was that?" I demand.

Looking vexed but not particularly alarmed, Carlos sighs. "Prisoner in the brig."

Uneasy, I follow him to a closed door. He raps on it twice and then enters the cabin, which appears to be empty.

"Looking for Albertina?" a crewman asks, pausing in the narrow hallway. "I think she's at the brig."

With the prisoner.

As if on cue, another screech echoes throughout the hall—a familiar screech.

"Very well." Carlos sighs as if put out. "We'll look for her there."

I follow him deeper into the belly of the ship. The irate, inhuman screams get louder as we go.

The hall ends at a door with a small, barred window in it. A mage in red robes speaks with an officer in front of it, both looking solemn and a bit perturbed. Another angry cry is followed by a full-bodied attack on the door.

The mole troll launches at the bars, snarling with its long, sharp teeth. Its milky eyes are partially closed, likely because of the bright magelights they've sent into the cell.

The mage and officer turn when they spot Carlos and me, too at ease with the situation for my liking.

"What are you doing with him?" I demand, jerking my hand toward the bars.

The mole troll screams again and leaves the door, his talons scratching against the iron flooring as he searches for an escape route.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" the woman asks, narrowing her eyes at me.

I draw in a calming breath, realizing I shouldn't get on the mage's bad side before asking her for a favor. "I'm Soleil Eldemyer, the Greybrow Serpent's current dragon slayer. I've come to inquire about a disease two of our men contracted in the caverns." I glance again at the mole troll, feeling ill. "He startled me. That's all."

The woman's face softens. "Understandable. He's rather ghastly, isn't he?"

Casually, I ask, "Why do you have him?"

"We're taking him to King Marcelo," she says. "He has a right to know what beings live in his territory, especially when they're hostile."

Perhaps, but I don't agree this is the way to go about that. But I'm in no position to question what the Milindrian monarchy does on Milindrian territory, nor do I think it would do Cassandra Marie or the team any favors if I gave them my opinion on the matter. Swallowing my revulsion, I say, "Are you familiar with Miner's Rot?"

The mage frowns, shaking her head. "I haven't heard of it."

"It's a disease we see often in Kalae. You pick it up from dirt in cave systems. My father is an alchemist, and I know how to make the concoction. I just don't have the ingredients aboard the Serpent."

"I have a small supply. You're welcome to take a look."

"I would appreciate it." I try not to let relief creep in too quickly. There's an excellent chance she won't have what I need.

She excuses herself, leaving Carlos and the other officer to guard the mole troll. I follow her up the stairs, to the ship"s second deck and the cabin Carlos first took me to.

The cabin is no larger than mine, with a small bed built into the bookshelves along one wall and a tea table with a solitary chair. There's also a desk, a wooden cot, and a wardrobe.

Albertina opens the wardrobe doors and retrieves a large wooden alchemy box. The container is wider and longer than it is tall, with two latches on the front where the lid joins the base. She sets it on the table and flips it open, revealing dozens of cubbies, some larger than others, each holding an herb, spice, or other alchemy supply.

I scan the contents. The first thing I notice is the dull gray tinge to the herbs. They're brittle and old, the stock not used often enough to keep the ingredients fresh. Other items with a long shelf life, such as the various resins, are in good shape.

Even past their prime, I think I can work with her supply.

The valley berry might make a decent substitution for the lemonlace, as they both have anti-rot properties. I can replace night nasturtiums for bittermint and horse tansy for wild peacock thistle.

But there is no substitute for the creeping pepperthorn, and Albertina doesn't appear to have any in her stock. I press my hands together over my mouth, pondering my options.

I need a warming ingredient, something hot.

"I can see your mind working," the mage says curiously. "Do I have what you need?"

"A few things."

"Take what you like. As you can see, I'm not much of an alchemist and use my stock rarely."

I gather the ingredients in the canvas pouch she offers and then look up. "Do you have anything warming?"

She jerks her chin toward the box. "Cinnamon?"

"I don't think it will be enough."

"What are you looking for?"

"Something like fire dragon shell or—" I stop short. "Or that coral."

"Coral?"

What did Lukas do with it? He was going to send it to that reeve in Hill Haven while we were in Kervis Elevra, but then I was abducted—I doubt he had time. It must be on the ship somewhere.

"I think I have what I need," I say, ready to bolt from the room. "Thank you for your help."

Clutching my bag, I hurry back to the main deck, nearly running to the ladder. I'm halfway down when Carlos appears at the rail. "Miss Eldemyer! We haven't had our tea yet!"

"Next time," I promise. "I have a concoction to make."

Looking muddled and disappointed, he gives me a resigned wave.

"Did you find what you needed?" Jorgin asks after I find my seat in the dinghy, rowing us back toward the Serpent.

"Part of it."

Now, I just have to find that piece of coral.

The coral'snot in my cabin, so it must be in Davyn's. Flink follows me across the deck, fully healed but very needy, probably because both Davyn and Lukas are missing.

I scratch his head, needing his comfort as much as he needs mine. "They'll be back soon."

I hope that isn't a lie.

"Can I help you, Miss Eldemyer?" Hudson says when he realizes I'm heading for the captain's quarters.

"I need to fetch something Lukas is keeping in Davyn's cabin," I explain, my pace remaining swift as I cross the main deck.

"I'm afraid I can't let you in without Lukas or Davyn aboard the ship."

I stop in my tracks, turning on my heel. I'm not sure what sort of expression I'm wearing, but it must be frightful because Hudson's eyebrows fly up, and he takes a startled step back.

"I need an ingredient for the medicine Lukas has asked me to make Gregory and Wilder," I say sharply. "It's in Davyn's cabin."

He presses his lips together, unsure as he glances toward the closed door. "You see, we recently had an incident with?—"

"Come with me then. Monitor me if you're worried I'm going to pilfer something from the captain's very empty cabin."

His mouth presses into a frog-like frown, his expression wavering. "I suppose if I go with you?—"

"Good." I continue walking.

I stop in front of the door, nearly growling when I try the handle and realize it's locked. Thankfully, Hudson nudges past me with a ring of keys, opening the door and gesturing for me to go in ahead.

The drapes are drawn over the wall of windows, so I summon several magelights. The parrot flaps her wings and caws, irritated by the sudden light. Chester, the squirrel, sits on a branch in his cage, holding an acorn and watching me with suspicious eyes, like he thinks I came to steal it from him.

Pepper lies on the bed. The cat yawns and then mews a hello.

The awful lizard is probably in here somewhere as well, but I push him to the back of my mind.

I pause just inside the room, looking for Lukas's things. My eyes land on a pack on the floor next to the hammock. I cross the space and kneel. Flink joins me, sticking his nose under the flap.

"Nothing good comes from you nosing through things," I say darkly, nudging him aside.

He grunts pathetically and then lies down next to me with his head atop his front feet.

Hudson makes a questioning noise when I open the top of the pack and begin rummaging through its contents. But there's only clothing…a fresh bar of soap…several keys that likely haven't made it into his collection yet, a few loose coins, and…

I jerk my hand back, cursing under my breath, and study the red skin on my finger. The burn is hot and angry, but the red glow from the pack is reassuring. This time when I reach in, I wrap my hand in one of Lukas's shirts.

Triumphant, I retrieve the red-hot piece of coral and stand.

"What are you planning to do with that?" Hudson asks warily. "You're not thinking of taking it, are you, Miss Eldemyer?"

I narrow my eyes on the man. He knows the Greybrows, and he knows my family. "Why are you suddenly so suspicious of me?" I demand.

Looking chagrined, he winces. "Felicity."

"Oh." I roll my eyes. "Yes, that makes sense. Don't worry. I only need a small piece of this, and then I'll return the rest."

He still looks unsure.

"Do you want Gregory to die?" I ask bluntly.

"Go ahead," he says with a sigh. "Do what you need to do."

"Thank you." Coral in hand, I head for the door, Flink on my heels.

"Now where are you off to?" Hudson asks, trailing us out of the cabin.

"To the galley." I study the coral, trying to decide how much I should use. Something tells me this is far more potent than creeping pepperthorn. "I need to find a large, sharp knife."

I scanDavyn's collection of books, glad he has "boring" tastes, as Lukas claimed. Most of these titles relate to scouting, which, in turn, relate to alchemy, as most often, scouts are searching for alchemy supplies for their clients. I search the captain's collection, smiling with grim satisfaction when I find an encyclopedia of alchemy ingredients.

It's a massive book, hard to even pull off the shelf. I deposit it on the table and thumb through the pages until I find what I'm looking for.

"Ember carianthan," I read with great satisfaction.

I need to know two things. The first: is it toxic to ingest? The second: if it's not, how much is safe to use in a concoction?

Thankfully, Thomas Orin Fedlemal IV, the author, has answered those questions for me.

I browse the text quickly. Lukas is right. This stony coral is even more potent than elemental fire-hatchling blood. It's also far more challenging to obtain. I glance again at the piece of coral that sits next to the book and my bag of supplies, wondering how much it cost. I don't think I've ever used such a rare ingredient before.

It's a tricky component—no surprise there. The first step is grinding it into a powder, a simple enough feat with the mortar and pestle I borrowed from the Greybrow's cook…as long as the wood doesn't catch fire.

Certain temperatures must be reached during the creation process, and both time and appearance must be carefully monitored. It can be ingested, but only in low, carefully measured doses. Otherwise, it will incinerate the imbiber from the inside out.

And I have no scale.

A knock on the open door makes me jump. Feeding off my reaction, Flink picks up his head and growls softly.

"Sorry, Miss Eldemyer." Jack nervously eyes the lesser dragon. "I didn't mean to startle you."

I pat Flink's head, telling him to go back to sleep, and then turn my attention to the scholar. "That's all right. Has the team made it back?"

He nods. "We're all alive and accounted for."

"Good."

"I have some bad news, I'm afraid."

My blood runs cold. "What is it?"

"Nico's come down with a fever."

"Oh no," I breathe. Though, wretched woman that I am, my worry for the scholar is mixed with relief. I thought something happened to Lukas. "And a cough?"

"A bit of one," he confirms. "Do we need to quarantine him?"

"Not for this."

How many more of us will come down with the Rot before we reach the mainland? And what if my concoction doesn't work? I'm not an alchemist. I've never had any formal training. I could very well create something that kills them on the spot.

But I have no choice but to try.

"I don't suppose you have a scale on you?" I look back at the book, wondering what two miliparcels of the powder looks like. A pinch? Two pinches? Less?

"I do."

I jerk my head up. "You have an alchemy scale?"

"Not an alchemy scale," he says. "But one used for gems. I wasn't sure what we might find in the mine?—"

"Can we measure miliparcels with it?"

"I believe so."

"May I borrow it?"

"Of course. Shall I fetch it now?"

"Please do." I'm tempted to take the scholar by the arm and propel him into the bunkroom, but I control myself.

He disappears out the door and returns a few minutes later, Shawn with him.

"May we watch you work?" Jack asks, fascinated. "I've never seen ember carianthan in person."

"I wouldn't mind the company."

An hour later, I've prepped, weighed, and sorted my ingredients. All the cauldrons and pots in the galley were far too large, so I borrowed a tin cup. It will do in a pinch. I just hope the metal won't react with the concoction.

Jack and Shawn crowd around the table, watching me as I set the cup on a folded tea towel. With magic, I warm the alcohol that will form the base of the medicine. I add the other ingredients in slowly, drawing out and bonding their properties.

"Fascinating," Jack says when I finally add the powdered ember carianthan and the liquid glows a fiery red.

"It's pretty," Shawn says, watching the powder swirl into the thick concoction.

It is pretty.

Let's just hope it doesn't kill anyone.