29. Chapter Twenty-Nine

Like fuck she was staying behind .

Kalia raced out on Rahmi"s heels, so close that she could feel the phantom breeze that tore from him as he ran. She was almost thankful for the interruption. The kiss would have been life-changing, soul-altering. She already knew it. Somewhere along the way, somewhere in their hatred of one another, she had begun to appreciate his steady leadership. And that appreciation evolved into a tentative understanding of one another, which then took on a life of its own.

She didn"t know what it meant now, and she certainly didn"t know what would come after that kiss. She was still meant to disembark the ship, and he was meant to carry on as a cursed captain, sailing the Aeglecian Sea for far longer than she would even be alive.

And Wright Thackeray…gods, the whole fucking thing had turned into a knotted, complicated mess. Rahmi was pledging to spend the rest of her time on the ship earning her trust, and she contemplated working against him. That didn"t even touch on the issue that she wasn"t a djinn.

Rahmi would certainly find out, one way or another, through Wright, through her inability to free the Luminaria. And she had almost told him. It was on the verge of slipping out before she had apologized for the sea urchin instead. She needed to tell him; she couldn"t wait any longer.

Even though she knew it would break her heart. And possibly end her life.

Rahmi"s thundering footsteps came to a screeching halt, and Kalia nearly ran headlong into his back. She expected an attack, perhaps another ship firing on The Mark of Malice, men scurrying around the deck to their places at the cannons. From Rahmi"s reaction in his private cabin, she believed he thought the same thing.

Instead, they found Elodie trembling, her hands balled into fists at her side as she stood over Cora, a murderous glare on her pale face. At her feet was a piece of metal rigging that had come loose from above, the rope still coiled inside. Cora"s eye was already blackening, blood trickling from a split above her brow.

"I am not worthless," Elodie shouted, her face contorting from a glare into one of rage that Kalia hadn"t seen on her before. Until now, she wasn"t sure that sweet, innocent Elodie had it in her. Even if she had been using Reshef as target practice. "You are the one who is worthless."

Despite her position against the deck, Cora scoffed. "I"m worthless? You think I"m worthless?"

"Yes," Elodie retorted with a curt nod that bobbled the blonde bun on her head. She drew the wool shawl around her shoulders, though Kalia had a distinct feeling it wasn"t due to the chill. "Because I am more than the guilt I harbor for killing my abusive husband. And despite his death coming at my hands, I am worth ridding myself of the pain and the anguish that he caused me. You have been on this ship for longer than I have, and you have more to learn."

Kalia took it back. She knew that sweet, innocent Elodie had it in her all along.

Cora had the decency to look abashed as she swiped her sleeve across the injury, wincing when the fabric touched the cut. Shirin placed a comforting hand on Elodie"s forearm, who sucked in a breath as though she were coming up for air. The crew stopped dancing; even the fiddle whined to a stop as Cora and Elodie stared at one another.

Elodie reached a hand down, still offering it to Cora despite how cruel she had always been. Cora hesitated for a moment. Her eyes darted between Elodie"s pale face and the hand. Swallowing thickly, Cora took it, and Elodie braced to help the woman get to her feet. They said nothing to one another. Cora turned on the toes of her boots and slunk away, disappearing into the depths of the crowd.

The fiddle strung to life once more, pulling the attention away from the scene near the back of the crowd. Alaric, who had needled his way to the new cask of fion, slammed his stein against the spout. The crew cheered as the alcohol began to pour again, steins and mugs fighting their way under the steady stream.

"I"m proud of you, El. It takes courage to stand up for yourself," Shirin said, shaking Elodie"s arm. She looked at the woman like a proud mother, her tawny face bright and beaming. "How did it feel?"

Elodie swiped away the tears that formed in the corners of her eyes. "Hard. Good. Like a weight has simultaneously been lifted and placed." She paused to rub her sternum as though she could wipe away the feeling if she tried hard enough. She glanced around, startled when she spotted Kalia and Rahmi. "I"m sorry, captain. I know the rules of the ship—"

Rahmi held up his hands, shaking his head. "We"ve had these conversations for a long time now, Elodie. Are you ready?"

Elodie"s eyes widened as Shirin"s hand slipped from her arm, slackening at her side. "Ready for what?" Elodie asked though it came out as a whisper.

Kalia stepped forward to place herself between Rahmi and Elodie, but Shirin pulled her to the side.

"Wait," Shirin said, her own eyes pricking with tears. "This is a good thing, I promise."

I promise. The words hung heavy above Kalia, but she waited nonetheless. She needed to give them a chance— for her and her mother"s sake. Her family didn"t step between her and the palace guards so that she could live her life alone and afraid. It was time.

"You asked me once what my guilt was," Kalia said, looking at Shirin. "My mother and brother died at the hands of the palace guards hunting me." She looked away to watch Elodie and Rahmi, but not without first catching Shirin"s gaping stare.

Kalia felt that stare on the side of her face but was sure she wouldn"t be able to hold in her grief any longer if she made eye contact with Shirin again. Kalia hadn"t expected the comforting hand Shirin placed on her forearm, similar to the one she had given Elodie. Kalia inhaled as Shirin squeezed her hand, a silent promise for support, something that Kalia hadn"t experienced in twenty years.

Elodie"s eyes were bright and focused, and she shivered as she stepped closer to Rahmi. "Captain, I want to petition my release from The Mark of Malice."

Kalia froze. She hadn"t seen anyone petition their release with Rahmi yet, but she knew what would come next. She had heard the stories. The crewmembers who thought they were ready, the men who were given over to Liddros instead. She sent a side-long look over to Reshef, whose broad smile reached from ear to ear. He wasn"t zipping the black stone along the necklace, a tell for his anxiety.

"Why did you come aboard my ship, Elodie?" Rahmi asked, biting his lip to keep from smiling.

Kalia knew how fond of Elodie he was and how they met once weekly to discuss her guilt. Killing her abusive husband, Kalia had no idea.

Elodie tipped her chin higher toward the night sky, pushing back her shoulders as she straightened her back. Strength, peace, and, most importantly, confidence—that"s what she portrayed at that moment. She was no longer a battered woman running from the ghost of her dead husband but a woman ready to take back the reins of her life.

"I was young when I got married to my husband, and he began drinking soon after. When he had too much, he would find me in the kitchen and put his hands on me—" Elodie began to falter lightly, but the steady nod from Rahmi kept her pushing forward. "One night, I was cooking supper, and he stumbled into the house. He was incensed that it wasn"t done and came to take it out on me. He began to hit me and slapped me to the ground. What he didn"t realize was that I had a knife in my hand, and the blade pierced his heart. He— he died instantly."

"What happened next?" Rahmi asked. "How did you end up here?"

Elodie took in a deep, trembling breath. "I fled my town, knowing that I would be blamed for his death despite my neighbors knowing how he treated me. I used the coin from his pockets to barter passage onto a ship destined for the capital city. I was ready to make a new life. But that ship went down in a storm, and that"s where you found me."

Rahmi nodded his head, and when he spoke next, he raised his voice to soar above the silence that had fallen over the crew as they watched and waited. "Tell me why I should release you from your duty to this ship."

This was it. Kalia sucked in a breath that smelled like wood wax and fresh brine, the scents so strong that they seemed to coat her tongue as she held that air in her chest. As though the mere act of breathing would keep Elodie from forming the right words. Elodie, to her credit, only blinked.

"I realize I"ll hold a version of my grief forever, captain." Elodie turned to smile softly at Shirin and Kalia. Shirin tightened her grip on Kalia"s arm, this time seeking comfort from a companion. Kalia wound her arm around Shirin"s, hooking their elbows together. Elodie squared her shoulders to face Rahmi. "But that doesn"t mean I"m any less worthy of receiving love, nor am I any less worthy of giving it. I"ve learned that…with the help of my friends."

Kalia"s heart cracked open at that, the feeling so filling that she was sure her chest would burst open. She anxiously awaited Rahmi"s decision. Surely he wouldn"t…surely he couldn"t…

But Rahmi smiled as he reached out and took Elodie"s hand. "I"m proud of you. I"m proud of you for taking the time to learn who you are on this ship. I release you from your debt." One of the markings on his forearm glowed against his skin, growing brighter until Kalia shielded her eyes against it.

The taste of ether replaced the brine, a crackling zing that could have been lightning about to strike in a sea storm or the beginnings of snowfall on a cold winter day. The warm breeze blew around them, swirling faster and faster around Elodie until her hair pulled from her bun, and she struggled to hold down the woolen skirts that flared at her knees.

Then, just as Rahmi"s marking fizzled away, everything stopped. Elodie clutched at her chest, swiping a hand into her hair and down to her belly.

"I—I"m free," Elodie said, a breathy laugh bubbling up from her throat. "I"m free!" She spun toward Reshef, who took her in his arms and pulled her into a tight embrace that she returned with ease.

"Do you want to go back to the continent?" Rahmi asked as Elodie threw her arms around him next. He hesitated momentarily before relaxing enough to pat her on her head. "You don"t need to stay here any longer," he said.

Elodie took a step back, shaking her head. "I still have something to do here, captain. I need to help my friends break their curses, too." She snuck one arm around Kalia"s waist and the other around Shirin"s. "If that"s okay with them, of course."

Kalia thought a rock had lodged in her throat, one that she had trouble swallowing past. It had been twenty years—twenty years of being hunted by the guards, beaten on the streets, and hated by the madam. And, in that moment, she realized that she had never wanted something so badly.

To be accepted.

To be chosen.

To not be alone.

Kalia didn"t realize that Rahmi had been watching her until she lifted her gaze, their stares colliding just as Alaric came by with two steins filled to the brim, fion spilling over the edge. A handmade drum had joined the fiddle, the men dancing and stomping on the deck, loud enough that it drowned out the sound of the wind in the sails. Alaric tripped on the rigging that still lay on the ground, both steins of fion tumbling out of his hands. Rahmi rolled his eyes, grasping his quartermaster under the arm and hauling him to his feet.

"Come on, you three," Reshef said, walking behind Elodie to herd the women toward the stairwell that led to the lower deck. "Let"s celebrate somewhere we aren"t going to be dragged unwillingly to the dance floor."

"I thought you would have liked to dance," Shirin said slyly, tossing a smirk over her shoulder at Reshef.

Reshef reached over to tap her on the nose. "I would. But going to dance right now while Alaric is stumbling drunk on the deck means that I would have to take care of him when he inevitably passes out somewhere unsavory. And I don"t feel like ending my night following him around with an empty bucket for his vomit."

Elodie laughed, leaning to place her head on Kalia"s shoulders. "I hope you don"t mind me sticking around for a bit longer," she said, her doe eyes looking up at Kalia through her lashes. "It still means three of us in that tiny closet."

Kalia shook her head, dislodging the lump in her throat long enough to say, "I don"t mind. It makes me feel like I have…friends." The word, spoken aloud, was foreign to her and her tongue knotted against it.

Shirin and Elodie stopped walking. Elodie picked her head up from Kalia"s shoulder. They glanced at one another, and Kalia felt that worming twist of anxiety behind her navel. Had she misread their relationship? Had she looked into something that wasn"t truly there?

"It isn"t like you have friends," Elodie said slowly, cocking her head as she studied every inch of Kalia"s face. "You have friends. We care for you. Deeply."

"I"ve never…I spent so much time alone…" Kalia began with uncertainty, but Reshef cut her off.

"You"ve never been alone when you"re with us, Kalia. Friendship is the guiding light in a storm, leading you to a safe harbor when you need it the most," he said. "All we ever wanted from you…was you."