20. Chapter Twenty

The whole thing was a terrible fucking idea. Considering that Kalia had once poisoned one of the wealthiest dukes on the continent, she had firsthand experience with what may be viewed as a terrible idea. She was itching to get off the ship, itching to return to the continent, itching to get away from Rahmi- fucking-Abada and his band of guilt-ridden pirates.

And she was getting desperate. Even the stash of tobacco leaves and coins she had plundered from the crew in the dead of night, now hidden in a slit in the mattress, wasn"t enough to save her.

As she tossed and turned in bed that night, loud enough that Shirin let out a groan of frustration and stuffed the flat pillow over her head, Kalia considered marching to Rahmi"s cabin to come clean. She would tell him she was a Voyant and say that she had no power outside of her gods-given ability to manipulate the mind.

Then she would get on her knees and beg— or whatever else he may have in mind— to convince him to let her off the ship, preferably not in the middle of the Aeglecian Sea.

But when Kalia imagined how that scenario would play out, she also imagined how his jaw would clench, and his brow would knit together. Rahmi was not a man who allowed disobedience lightly, and she had already pushed her luck a few times. She knew she was fortunate she hadn"t been keelhauled and strung from the crow"s nest alongside Ralston.

And that was if Rahmi didn"t return her to the capital, only to sell her to the king. A shudder ran up her spine. She had heard of Clairs, or those with various gifts of mind magic, being sold to the palace. She had heard how the crown enslaved men and women to do his bidding and warm his bed.

Audients, or those who can change thoughts. Sentients, or those who can manipulate emotions. Cognizants, or those who have the gift of knowledge. Or those like her, Voyants. All of them Clairs, all of them meticulously hunted by the king.

Kalia distinctly remembered hearing one from Pete about a young girl with the ability to shift the emotions of others. She had lived a handful of blocks from the bordello and used to skip on the cobblestones, careful not to step on the cracks between the stones. Pete had always said he would remember her bouncing, blonde curls for the rest of his days.

Pete had woken one morning to the news that she had been stolen from her family in the middle of the night. The only clue to her whereabouts was a single eagle feather on the kitchen table. The king"s calling card. She had never been seen again.

Kalia never shared her true story with Pete, but he had brought up flashbacks of world-ending screams, begging that turned to sobs, blood splashing on the clay-tiled floor that had just been scrubbed the day before. That was always a detail that she remembered. And she had nightmares for days after Pete"s bleary-eyed confession.

She reflected on the sea urchin and the mask of irritation Rahmi had struggled to pull over his features. Would it be possible to annoy him into letting her off the ship? She considered it for a moment. She may end up in the brig, but it would be better than death. Or to be used as the king"s plaything.

Kalia let out a long sigh, flipping over once again to stare at the ceiling of their small room, the bed creaking loudly underneath her. Thanks to the lock Rahmi had installed on the door, Elodie was asleep, but Kalia"s mind was too busy coming up with every possibility for tomorrow.

She had no idea what to expect and couldn"t even begin to prepare. Rahmi didn"t seem to have any idea either.

Kalia sighed again, but Shirin gave a sleep-filled grunt this time and whipped her pillow at Kalia.

Dawn hadn"t entirely broken when Kalia stepped onto the quarterdeck, the sudden shift from stifled, stale air to the fresh breeze startling. The impenetrable wall of fog still surrounded them, and the haze that slid over the unknown landscape curled eerily against the gentle waves that lapped at The Mark of Malice.

The mist only seemed to magnify the salty scent of algae that must have been coating the nearby shipwrecks, and the cold, dewy sensation against her skin sent her shivering.

The only indication that it wasn"t quite morning came from the breaks in the clouds, where Kalia could spot the spackling of stars against the navy sky. Streaks of golden orange had begun to paint the mist"s underside, dimming the moon"s silver light. The stars started to blink their exit, bowing to the glimmering warmth of the sun that certainly wouldn"t be felt on the ship. She was suffering without that warmth, a piece of her frozen with the constant cold.

"All right, Kalia?"

The voice was an unexpected break against the quiet, creaking from the masts, and it forced her attention away from the beads of water that collected on the gunnel. Reshef approached her, his boyish, brown eyes dancing with joy as he bit into the apple he was carrying. She crossed her arms over her chest, watching the black stone necklace sway in the hollow of his collarbone.

"You"re cheery," Kalia replied, catching the second apple Reshef tossed her. She wiped the waxy exterior against her dress before sinking her teeth into the fruit. It was sweet, if not a little bruised, but it would do the trick. It was better than the leftover fish stew Doc had forced on everyone. And Kalia was not convinced that eating fish from this part of the sea was exceptionally healthy, considering what else lurked beneath.

Reshef leaned an elbow against the gunnel as he took another crunching bite. "I heard you and I are going on an adventure today."

A pair of men trundled onto the deck as if on cue, wiping away the sleep crusted at their eyes" corners. They headed directly toward a set of rowboats tethered against the ship"s side, yanking at the ropes holding them in place. One of them fell to the sea with a splash, lost to the depths of the fog.

Kalia turned back to Reshef, who had regarded her with a giddy, irrepressible smile. "That"s one way to put it. I"m surprised you aren"t being dragged on this adventure kicking and screaming."

Reshef shrugged. "No point. I was told I was tagging along—"

"Used as collateral."

"And I thought, what better way to spend a morning and early afternoon than with my best friend?" He waggled his eyebrows at her, his smile only growing.

Kalia wrinkled her nose as she took another bite of her apple. "You truly believe that, don"t you? That we"re friends."

"Best friends," Reshef amended. He tossed the apple core over the side of the ship, where it bobbed in the waves briefly before being swept below by a gray, mottled hand. Kalia"s stomach turned. "And if anything cemented it for me, it was your brutal beatdown of Ralston in defense of Elodie. You know, some of the men still found his teeth in their hammocks days after his execution." He ran a hand through his dark hair. "I remember thinking— I would like to have a best friend like that. Thank the gods I already do."

Kalia shook her head. "I don"t have friends. People are only there to betray you in the end."

Reshef didn"t miss a beat. "Mmm, deep. But, alas, you aren"t an island. You don"t need to be alone." And, as if he sensed Kalia"s rising discomfort, he let his gaze drop to the half-eaten fruit still in her hand. "I bet you my serving of Shirin"s bread tonight at dinner that you can"t hit Brett Ike in the back with that apple you stopped eating."

Like a cat stretching after a long nap, curiosity awakened in the recesses of Kalia"s mind. "Which one is Brett Ike?"

"The one bent over. Pimples that demand to be extracted, but with an odor bad enough, I wouldn"t bother without three layers of fabric and six freshly cut mint leaves covering my nose."

Kalia paused, canting her chin toward the sky. "What makes it smell so bad, I wonder?"

Reshef pursed his lips, squinting at the man still bent over a set of oars, struggling to undo a tightly bound set of knots. "Doc"s fish stew, wouldn"t you say?" He reached up, zipping the black stone along the chain of his necklace. "Now, will you try, or will you back down? Shirin"s bread is on the line."

Kalia set her feet and hitched her arm back, pinning her attention on Brett Ike"s backside. Just as she readied to launch the apple into the air, a calloused hand wrapped around her wrist, and another removed the apple from her palm. She tipped her head back, unsurprised to see Rahmi"s glowering face within a breath"s distance away from hers.

"It"s too early for you to terrorize my crew, ruehi," Rahmi murmured, tossing the apple over the ship"s side. "Even if that one caught Reshef and Alaric in the storage bays of my ship two nights ago." He quickly withdrew his hand from her wrist, taking the heat of his palm with him. Disappointment cannoned through Kalia, though she tucked that feeling into the depths of her soul, hoping it would never surface again.

Kalia scowled at Reshef, but the man merely shrugged. "He ruined my climax."

"Ugh, gods, don"t say climax like that while you"re looking me in the eye."

Reshef smirked as he stepped forward, threading his fingers in Kalia"s loose locks. He lightly tugged her head back, forcing the exposure of her throat. "Oh, Kalia," he moaned gently, a laugh taking over the tone of his voice. "Climax."

Kalia swatted him away, though she couldn"t quite bite back the grin that stole over her lips.

Reshef removed his hand from her hair, casually leaning against the gunnel once more. If anyone were looking on, he would probably appear unconcerned that he was about to be held hostage in a prison in which no one has ever emerged. "I sense that you"re a sensual creature, Kalia. When was the last time you were touched?"

"That is none of your business—"

"When was the last time you were touched in a way that made you aching for more?"

Rahmi shifted behind her, and Kalia felt his tunic brush against her bare shoulder. Her heart ratcheted at its lightness, and pleasure curled in her core. She stepped forward, putting a measured gap between them as though that could temper the tension in the pit of her belly. Reshef winked as though he knew.

Rahmi cleared his throat just as Brett Ike approached them, though Kalia noticed he didn"t quite look Reshef in the eye.

"You gave him quite a fright, did you?" she muttered as Brett handed Rahmi the oars and ropes.

Reshef snorted. "I do this thing with my fingers where I put my middle one—"

"We"re ready," Rahmi announced, cutting off Reshef. "Let"s head to the boat."

Just as Kalia made to step forward, Rahmi grasped her upper arm. She twisted, coming face-to-face once more with him. The grip against her was possessive and intense, though she may have also imagined it. Reshef was right. It had been some time since she was thoroughly fucked. She suppressed a shudder and the sudden need to arch her back to slyly drag her nipples across his chest.

Gods, this was not the time or the place. Fuck Reshef for putting the thought in her head. And fuck Rahmi for putting her in a position where she wanted one last romp in the sheets before her inevitable demise. Kalia looked at Rahmi again.

The captain would do. He was good-looking enough. She mentally chastised herself. Good-looking enough was a lie she couldn"t even tell herself. He was one of the most beautiful men she had ever seen. It was too bad that her attraction washed away in a cold bath whenever he opened his mouth.

Rahmi"s exploring gaze flashed, and she could have sworn he pulled her closer in a claiming gesture. Kalia"s skin was sensitive, her flesh tightening to her bones as his eyes darted to her mouth. His breath rushed out, fluttering the locks that framed her cheeks.

"You get us in," Rahmi said, that exploratory gaze hardening into a steel wall. "You get us out. Or Reshef is executed on the spot. Do I make myself clear?"

Kalia glared up at him, yanking her arm from his grasp. "Yes, captain."

Rahmi smirked, taking another step closer and bridging the small gap between them. He lifted a hand, brushing his fingertips against the underside of her jaw as though he couldn"t help himself. Her skin turned molten where his fingers had been, a call from her body to his. "You should call me that more often, ruehi. I like how your mouth looks when you say it."

Kalia kept her eye trained on the vast, endless fog that stretched out in front of her, ignoring the sickening squelch of nasnas against the underside of the boat as they passed by. Every so often, a rotting, gray hand would tear from the surface of the water, lazily bobbing above the waves before disappearing again. She suppressed a shudder when she caught it from the corner of her eye but never turned to face it.

The rowboat, steered by both Rahmi and Reshef, slid to a crunching stop on the shore of a cove. The surf crashed against the black sand, hissing as it gently retreated into the fog. Kalia stood from her perch on the wooden slab spanning the width of the rowboat and stepped onto the beach. A second wave surged forward, spilling cool water over the toes of her boots and soaking the hem of her dress.

Glancing around, Kalia took in the smooth rock walls that stood tall against the gorge, peeks of spindly trees that grew from the cracks in the stone barely noticeable through the heavy mist. Her boots sunk into the sand as she lurched forward, licking the salt water spray from her lips. A tang of minerals and wet rock was in the air, each coated with a briny layer of mildew and algae.

Rahmi hopped from the boat, landing next to her with a sharp splash in the third wave that rolled against the shore. He bent down to grasp the front of the boat and drag it out of the water. Reshef followed, tossing the oars into the shell with a heavy clatter.

Reshef lifted his gaze, and Kalia looked over her shoulder to see him peering at the high arches of rock, his eyes trailing down to follow the water streams running down the walls. As Rahmi shouldered past him, a sea bird squawking as it flew low over the cove, Reshef quirked a sardonic brow.

"Rumor has it that you can only go ashore every seven years, captain." Reshef"s tone was light, though marred by curiosity. He took several steps forward, his boots sinking into the silt. "Does this mean you"re using it on us?"

Kalia couldn"t help the grin that curled the corner of her lips, appreciating the twinkle of mischief in the wake of his wink.

"No," Rahmi grunted, placing a hand on the pommel of his cutlass as he walked forward, squinting against the sea spray that ricocheted from the rock wall. "Places around the continent have always been infused with the old magic of the gods. Can"t you feel it?"

Kalia paused, noticing the crackle of energy against her skin and the taste of ether on her tongue. It was like a brewing storm that swept over the capital"s bay or the lightning Pete always joked about bottling for his potions. It felt ancient and penetrating like the fog, watching them closely from a thinly veiled place just out of sight.

"With locations like these, it"s a wonder you stay on your ship so much," Reshef mumbled, though he clamped his mouth shut with Rahmi"s scowl. His silence didn"t last long. "It"s the perfect vacation destination. Soft sand, the blazing sun, not a cloud in the sky—"

Kalia laughed as Rahmi approached the rock wall, his scowl deepening when he assessed it. Clearing her throat, she pressed forward, boots sliding against the sand, and stopped beside him. "I thought the king outlawed magic."

Rahmi"s narrowed gaze fell to hers before lifting to plant on the wall once more. "The king is very particular about the kind of magic he outlaws. Have you never realized that he doesn"t seem to age?"

Before Kalia could answer, Rahmi withdrew the dagger at his hip and wrapped his palm around the blade. A sound of disbelief rose from her throat as he split his flesh with a quick swipe of the dagger. Rahmi lifted his hand, blood dripping down the creases in his palm, and smeared it across the rock wall.

For a long moment, nothing happened. Kalia turned to send a string of sharply worded curses toward Rahmi, but the ground suddenly began to rumble beneath her feet. Sand bounced and jumped, displacing along the shore. The tremoring deepened, and she threw out a hand to steady herself, accidentally clenching onto Rahmi"s forearm. His muscles tightened beneath her touch. Without warning, everything stilled.

Crumbles of rock dislodged from the arch above, falling to the sand around them. Twisted, brown roots dangled from the cracks in the stone, their swaying beginning to slow as a calm spread around them.

But the tranquility of the cove after the trembles felt unnatural, and the hair on the back of Kalia"s neck rose in answer to an unasked question. Next to her, Reshef had paled. His throat bobbed with his hard swallow, and his hand lifted to his throat, touching the black stone that rested in the notch of his collarbone.

A hazy shimmer, vastly different from the fog around them, drew Kalia"s attention away from Reshef. Her eyes widened as the shimmer grew lighter, webbing from where Rahmi had smeared his blood until the stone itself melted away.

Rahmi sheathed his dagger and took a tentative step toward the new doorway. "This should be familiar to you, ruehi. Old magic always requires a sacrifice," he said before passing over the threshold and into the darkness.