My throat thickened. “Did no one try to save him?”
Beaurick peered down at me, the scar on his face from the last Mission still fresh. “Yes. Perci, Cray, and I started after them, but the others ran, saying we couldn’t all get captured or no one would know what’d happened.” His voice broke. “We were outnumbered and eventually had no choice but to retreat.”
My fingers dug into the side of the boat. “Let me guess. It was Vane’s idea to bolt.”
“Yes. He’s a cowardly arse. All the Girts and Dundrys are. Hag, Ivy, you don’t know how hard it was to leave Dorian behind. Twice, Perci and I attempted to turn back for him, but Honour met up with us and said we’d need reinforcements, that we couldn’t do it on our own.”
My stomach clenched with nausea. “Did you guys ever recover the Hag’s Crest when you were on the Mission?”
He nodded. “Yes, but that was lost, too. Dorian had it on him the night he was captured.”
Well, that was strange, seeing as how it was now on Honour’s boat. So how did it get there? “But if he had it on him, then why was it in the ransom demand? Is there any chance that Vane or Barthe might’ve taken it from him?”
He snorted. “I’m not sure, but at this point nothing would surprise me.”
I patted his arm. “Don’t worry. We’re going to get Dorian back.”
“I hope so—if anyone can pull it off, it’s you, Ivy Archer.” He gave me a small wave, then moved to go sit by Percivious Blackiron, “Perci” for short.
A moment later, I caught sight of Pudge’s familiar form coming toward me. His color was back to normal and his breeches loose-fitting. His dark hair was a bit disheveled.
“Hi.” I smiled. “You look like you feel better.”
He patted my back, leaning against the railing next to me. “Much better. Can’t believe I’ve spent the last two weeks in bed. Even the bones didn’t predict that.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s because the bones don’t know squat about the future.”
Pudge raised a finger to his lips. “Shh…don’t let them hear you say that. You’ll curse us. They predicted your bad luck times three, after all.”
Not wanting to argue, I moved to sit down on a barrel. “Do you want anything to eat?”
“Nah, I had a chunk of bread before I came up.”
Honour moved across the deck toward us. “Well, I see the weak stomach has loosened its reins on you. Should I have a bucket ready, just in case?” He grinned, socking Pudge in the shoulder.
“Only if you’re going to use it to piss in,” Pudge said in a cold voice.
Honour frowned. “Glad to see you’re in a great mood.”
I shot Honour a look, hoping he’d remember the conversation we had about laying off his brother.
He caught my eye and smiled. “Sorry. It’s good to have you up and around again. At least Ivy will have someone to pass the nights with now.”
“And here I thought you would’ve kept her company,” Pudge said.
“I spent most of my spare time practicing swords with Thezriel and avoiding Vane at all costs.”
Honour glanced between us. “I’ll leave you two alone for a bit. I’ve got to check the charts one more time.”
When he was out of earshot, Pudge sat down next to me, staring at his feet. “So, did you spend a lot of time with Honour?”
I laughed. “No. We ate a couple of meals together, and we talked some.”
Pudge smiled. “Good. Not that I don’t like my brother, but I worry about his intentions. I mean, he’s always watching you like a wolf hunting sheep.”
“And I already told you, I’ll be fine. Do you really think I’d do anything with him? Not to mention how gross that’d be. He’s like my brother.”
He shrugged. “But he’s got a way with females.”
“Then it’s lucky I’ve got a sword,” I said. Since when had Pudge been so worried about me?
Across the deck, crew members tossed dice, betting everything from whiskey to jewelry on the roll. Everyone seemed at ease, like this was just another shipment of cargo they were delivering. Or maybe they didn’t want to admit the seriousness of the situation.
I sucked in a lungful of salty air. Dorian, where are you? Hag, what if he was dead? Or being tortured. My nails dug into the wood I sat on. Maybe I’d be too late.
“What’s wrong?” Pudge caught my arm.
Forcing a smile, I said, “Nothing.”
“It’s about Dorian, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“So what, you almost kissed your brother in the Archives and then got betrothed. It’s not like you knew.” Pudge stared at the sky.
“Pudge!” I said in a loud whisper. “I didn’t almost do any such thing!”
“Well, it could be worse.”
Bloody hell, sometimes he was thick-headed. “How? How could it be worse?”
This time he chuckled. “Two words for you. Vane Girt.” He nodded in the direction of the other goblin, who was taking a swig of whiskey. Was it horrible that I hoped he got a hangover?
“If that’s your way of trying to make me feel better, it isn’t working.”
“Got you smiling, didn’t I?”
My fist connected with his shoulder. “Yeah. But only because you’re being ridiculous.”
“Ow.” He rubbed the spot where I punched him, then turned serious again. “Listen, Ivy. I wondered if you might be willing to do some sword work with me, too.”
My mouth dropped open. “What?”
He stammered on. “It’s just that I want to be able to do my part in a fight and not fail. Especially since we’re going to be on our own—or, well, mostly by ourselves.” He stood and walked back toward the railing. “What if something happens out there and I’m not able to protect you or help you in a fight?”
“You really want to learn?” I moved up alongside him.
“Yes.” He awkwardly reached for my hand and squeezed it. “I know what everyone thinks about me. That I’m clumsy and all I care about is food. But it’s not true.”
I stared at him, his jaw tight, eyes focused away from me. “How about we start tonight?”
He turned to me with a grin, releasing my hand. “Really?”
“Yeah. Why don’t you get changed into a clean tunic while I grab the practice swords?”
Pudge nodded and hurried away. I hadn’t seen him this excited since he won free gizzards from the Gob Market. Pushing away from the rail, I headed toward the stairs, too, where I stopped long enough to grab the wooden weapons from Honour.
When I reached the cabin, I opened the door to find Pudge standing with his back to me, his tunic off. I gasped. There, situated between his shoulder blades, was a tattoo. The Hag, holding a sword.
Shutting the door, I crossed the room to him. “Pudge, when did you get this?”
He whipped around. “Last night,” he said. “I woke up to a sharp pain, then noticed the tattoo. I was going to tell you but wanted to wait until we had more privacy.”
“The Hag’s mark.” It made sense now. His sudden recovery. His wanting to train. Pudge was now just as much a part of this as I was. My fingers traced over it, along his broad shoulders, and I felt him tremble under my touch.
“Ivy.” His voice sounded hoarse.
“What?”
“I, uh… Let me get my shirt on.” He stepped away from me, tugging on his tunic, then spun to face me. “Don’t tell anyone,” he said, eyes as round as dragon eggs.
“I won’t.”
The door burst open, and Grr appeared. He stopped in front of Pudge and me, and he bowed. The three of us. We were all in this together now.
Pudge offered me his hand, and I took it. My gaze shifted to him, and warmth flared in my chest and stomach. His hand was so big compared to mine, like it swallowe
d mine up. But something about it offered me comfort. Security. And not that I’d admit it to him, but I kind of liked it.
“I suppose we ought to start practicing,” I said, clearing my throat. The Hag had spoken—maybe not in words, but in gestures—and there was no way I’d ignore her. Danger loomed on the horizon. We needed to be ready. Both Pudge and I were a part of this. To what end, though, I couldn’t even venture a guess.
Chapter Eighteen
Pudge’s wooden practice sword flew through the air when I jarred it loose with mine. It skidded, coming to rest at Honour’s feet.
“You need to move around, Pudge.” I wiped a bead of sweat from my forehead. “If you stand still, you’re making it too easy to disarm you.”
He glowered. “We’re on a ship. You may have your sea legs, but I don’t.”
He wasn’t making this easy.
“You asked for my help,” I reminded him. Honour tossed me Pudge’s practice sword, and I caught it midair. “Do you want to go again?”
Pudge muttered something under his breath but came to take his sword from my hand. He stood facing me, weapon raised. I maneuvered left, then twisted around to the right, and this time he brought his blade up to block.
“Good, now spread your legs farther apart and go on the offensive.” I let him get close enough to make the move, then countered him, sending his weapon to the deck once more.
“This is impossible,” Pudge said.
“Bet ya one day’s wages she’ll knock him on his arse,” one of the crew members said with a laugh.
Another one grinned, sticking his hand out. “Bet she lets him win one round.”
“He won’t get a hit in.” Barthe Dundry picked a piece of meat from his teeth. “He always fails during sparring practices at school.”
Pudge’s face scrunched up in anger.
“Don’t you guys have anything better to do?” I asked before he said or did something he might regret.
“Nope, not a thing.” Vane plopped down next to Barthe. Hag, he made my skin crawl.
Pudge retrieved his sword. He waited only a moment before lunging at me. Thezriel came up behind him, grabbing his arm.
“What are you doing?” Pudge jerked away.
“Attempting to help you,” Thezriel answered. “If you let me guide your arms, you’ll get a feel for the correct motions.”
“You don’t need to climb on my back to do it,” Pudge snapped.
“How about you take a break and just watch then,” I suggested. Why was he being so difficult tonight?
“No.” Pudge stood firm. “I’ll never get this right if I don’t work on it.”
“Then quit being so damn pig-headed and let us work with you.” My irritation hung in the air like a swarm of hungry gnats. I knew part of it had to do with the fact that it felt like our travels were taking us forever. Like we’d never reach Dorian in time. But it wasn’t like I could make the wind blow harder against the sails. Even with glamour magic, I couldn’t control the weather.
“I’m doing the best I can. This doesn’t come easy for me.” Pudge shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
“Do you think it came easy for me?” My eyes met his. “If you’re going to do this, then listen. You can’t stop fighting when you’re in the middle of battle. Your enemy’s not going to sit back and let you pick up your sword.” I knew I wasn’t kind, but I had to get through to him. This wasn’t a romp through Gob Hollow or a lame practice session on the school grounds.
“Why did you choose me, then?” He turned his back on me.
“Because you’re the only friend she has.” Vane laughed.
“Go to hell, Vane.” Pudge glowered at him.
He chuckled again. “Let’s go below deck,” he said to Barthe. “I can’t watch this catastrophe any longer.”
With a sigh, I sat my sword down on a barrel and moved next to him, waiting until Vane was out of earshot. “Because you’re my best friend. We’ve been through everything together.” I touched his arm. He shrugged my hand off. “Why don’t we eat some dinner, then come back and try again?”
“Fine.”
Thezriel gestured for me as Pudge headed below deck, his violet eyes meeting mine. “You might need to take another approach with him.”
I rested my head in my hands, rubbing my temples. “Got any suggestions?”
He chuckled. “We could make targets for him to strike. Maybe use a few barrels.”
“Yeah, but those are stationary. Don’t know of too many soldiers who are going to stand there and let the enemy hit them.”
“No, but we need to go back to the basics. When we trained, we started with the movements, the technique, getting comfortable holding the weapon.” Thezriel rolled one of the barrels to the center of the deck, then lined up two more farther back.
I felt like an arse for being so hard on Pudge. “See, this is why I’m not an instructor.”
“Come on. Let’s get some dinner. I’ll help you with the training when you’re ready.”
In the cabin, I nibbled a piece of herring, washing it down with lukewarm water.
Pudge watched me for a second, then said, “So you really think I’ll get the hang of this fighting stuff?”
“You better. The targets will be stationary this time around.”
His face lit up, then fell. “Wait, are you just doing this because I almost whacked you in the head?”
“No, I’m doing it because you need to get reacquainted with sword fighting.”
“Well, don’t go too easy on me.” Pudge swatted Grr away as he ambled closer to us.
“Sure, I’ll just tell the barrels to fight back.” I rolled my eyes.
Honour came into the cabin. “Thought I’d let you know that tomorrow we’ll be coming into harbor.”
Pudge shoved his plate to the side and stood. “That doesn’t give us much time to work on things.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Honour agreed. “But if anyone can teach you, it’s Ivy.”
“I’ll do my best.” I gave him a smile, then turned to Pudge after his brother left the room. “Hey, I’ve got something I need to do really quick. I’ll meet you up on the main deck in a few minutes,” I said.
“Where are you going?” Pudge stood, glancing down at me.
“For a quick stroll. I want to let my food settle,” I lied. The thing was, I needed to get my hands on the Hag’s Crest before we got off the ship. If we needed it to get Dorian back, there was no way I was leaving it behind. With most of the crew hunkering down for the rest of the night and Honour going back up to steer the ship, this would likely be my last chance to do it before we disembarked tomorrow.
Patting my side, I made sure Archer’s dagger was secured beneath my tunic. I reached down for my leather purse, then pulled the strap across my chest.
“Why do you need your purse?”
Shite. Pudge was asking so many questions. “I’ve got gold in here; I don’t want any of the arsehole crew to try and steal anything while I’m gone.”
Not wanting to answer another barrage of questions, I slipped out the door. The fading night sky was starting to show signs of light in the distance. Soon it’d be daylight, and daylight for goblins was physically draining. Another reason I needed to hurry, as Honour would likely have Thezriel or one of the others take over for him so he could rest.
Making my way across the deck, I slipped into the shadows until I came to a stop outside of Honour’s room. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to steady my pulse. Hand shaking, I gave a loud knock. What would I do if he was there? “Honour, are you in there?”
When no one answered, I twisted the handle and hurried inside. Glancing around, I found a small lantern and lit it with my magic, then dropped to my knees and searched under the bed, where I found the Hag’s Crest still sitting. Thank goodness it hadn’t
been moved. Just as my fingers closed around it, I heard the door open behind me.
No! There was no time to hide. Panicked, I shoved the crest into my purse.
“Ivy, what are you doing?” Pudge said, pulling me out from under the bed by my leg.
“Pudge. For feck’s sake, you scared me.” My gaze met his, and he peered down to see the chain hanging out of the leather pouch.
“What is that?”
I wet my lips, then opened the top flap of the purse to show him.
His brown eyes widened, and he ran a hand through his hair. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Yes. I saw it in here the other day. You realize this is one of the items needed to get Dorian back?”
“Wait, but the goblins who came back said they didn’t have it—what is it doing here?”
“I don’t know. Barthe said that last he knew Dorian had it with him, which means someone took it off him either right before he was captured or during the kidnapping…”
“Vane?” Pudge muttered, his mouth twisting into a sneer.
“Maybe. I don’t know. But the question is, how did it end up under Honour’s bed? Did someone plant it? Or did he know it was there?”
Just then, I heard footsteps approaching the room. Oh Hag. We were in trouble. Pudge went still, worry lines furrowing his brow as we watched the door handle twist.
“Pudge, whatever you do, play along.” I grabbed tight to his tunic, pulling him against me. With my foot, I tripped him, causing him to fall onto the bed, right on top of me.
As if sensing what I planned, Pudge pressed his lips against mine. They were surprisingly soft and warm. His mouth tasted sweet, like elderberry wine. My hands slid up his chest until they wrapped around the back of his neck, and I drew him closer, fingers twisting into the hair at his nape. Heat raced through my veins, and all I could hear was the thrumming of my heart in my ears. My lips moved against his, deepening the kiss, until I thought I might lose myself all together.
Where There Be Humans Page 14