by Elle Cardy
“The Guardians are careful in everything they do. They must be certain before they make any moves.”
She remembered the strength of power swirling around the captain. It was as plain to her as her cooking. The captain was a dangerous man. “How good are they at detecting a wielder?”
“They are well trained,” Finn said.
“Does a wielder have to wield before they can sense the power?”
“These are questions you should’ve asked before you summoned them.”
Jasmine scowled in the dim light of the shielded lantern. “Just answer me.”
Finn sighed. “Some can. I don’t know if these Guardians have that ability. Maybe.”
Power shimmered in the room like a summer shower. Jasmine gasped and vanished. Finn frowned. “Jasmine?” His eyes searched the corner she had occupied but he couldn’t see her. “Did you sense that?”
“Sense what?” she lied, remaining hidden. “I’m struggling not to wield. It’s harder than I thought.”
Finn’s brows knotted together. “The Guardians are scanning the ship. They know I’m here. It’s only a matter of time before they find you.”
She ignored his warning. There was nothing she could do about it now. “Will they help you?”
“Unlikely. They don’t like to get involved.”
“But if it means your life?”
Finn smiled at the emptiness. “I am just a single man, and not even a man they particularly like.”
She laughed. “What’s not to like?”
Finn rubbed the back of his neck and didn’t seem to know where to look. She had no idea why he reacted that way. Maybe there was a reason the Guardians didn’t like Finn and he didn’t want to share that information with her. Maybe it was only that he wasn’t one of them and yet he knew all their secrets. That didn’t seem like enough of a secret to squirm over. Besides, she already knew he didn’t approve of the Guardians. She wondered what other secrets Finn kept.
Jasmine grew restless in the silence between them. She stirred. “I’m going back on deck to see if I can find out what’s happening.”
Finn caught her. She hadn’t realized she’d reappeared to him. “Don’t go.” The urgency in his voice made her hesitate.
She loosened his fingers from her arm. “I can look after myself.”
“Jasmine, I’m worried about you. You’re wielding too much. You’ll deplete yourself again if you’re not careful. Then how will you look after yourself?”
“I’ll be careful.”
“Don’t underestimate the Guardians. They’re more powerful than I.”
She knew that already. Finn’s power was a gentle hum that filled him with a soft glow. He glowed brightest at his ring. There was also a warmth that radiated from him which came from his heart. She wasn’t sure what that was but, comparing him to the Guardians, it was clear he was no match for them.
“If I stay, can you protect me?” she asked, knowing the answer.
“Yes,” he lied.
She laughed and left him alone in the dark with his troubled thoughts.
*
“If I didn’t know better I’d swear this ship had ghosts,” Langer said and rubbed his arms as if a spirit had just walked through him.
“You feel it too?” Brill asked with surprise.
The lanky man nodded. His pale hair made Jasmine think of clumps of brittle straw. It gave him an unkempt appearance regardless of his clean shaven face and tidy clothes. “When I think I’ve found the source, it disappears.”
He sat on the bench next to Brill and lost himself in thought. Jasmine had followed them to the crew’s mess hall. Brusan had served them a bowl of stew each but none of them seemed hungry. Others of the Prize’s crewmates played cards at the far end of the room. They sent furtive glances at the strangers but mostly minded their own business.
Angelica tapped at a birdcage hanging from a hook. The canary inside shuffled on its perch as it adjusted to the sway of the ship. The Guardian grew bored and turned her attention back to her companions.
“We will, of course, have to have a little chat with Finn.” She sat opposite them at the table and pushed her bowl away.
“Why do you think the captain denied Finn’s presence?” Langer asked.
Angelica pursed her lips together. She didn’t have an answer but she didn’t seemed bothered. “It is the captain’s right,” she said. “Just as it’s our right to find the source of that power we felt.”
“You don’t think it was the captain then?”
“He is powerful, but I find it difficult to believe he could wield with such…abandon. Everything about Kahld is controlled. I’m not certain he’s a threat to us or anyone else.”
“Unless we stood in the way of his gold,” Brill murmured.
Angelica flashed him a look of warning. “Remember that is none of our concern.”
Langer scooped a lump of stew onto his wooden spoon. He sniffed at it and screwed up his face. With a wet plop, the spoon fell back into the bowl. “What will we do if he should decide the Wild Rose is too tasty a treat to let pass by?”
Brill looked shocked. “That would be piracy.”
Langer shrugged. “He’s done it before. What’s to stop him from doing it again?”
Angelica gave the two a wolfish grin. “It’s none of our business unless, of course, he makes it our business.”
Jasmine wondered how often Angelica made sure issues became their business. The woman seemed to relish the idea of the captain attempting to take the Wild Rose. She either had a very high opinion of herself, or she had no real clue of the captain’s strength as a wielder. Jasmine felt afraid for these Guardians.
Langer straightened. “I sense something.”
Jasmine backed toward the door. She hadn’t felt their power touch her. At the same time, she couldn’t wholly trust she was safe.
A look of concentration came over Angelica’s sharp features. “It’s Finn.” She smiled. “He is trying to get our attention.”
“Shall we make him wait?” Langer asked.
Before she could reply, Durne approached their table. Angelica sat up straight but did not stand to greet the first mate. He surveyed the three wielders. It was impossible to tell what he thought. His gaze stopped on Jasmine and the faintest flicker of surprise registered in the shadows of his permanent grimace. Jasmine’s heart leapt in panic. He could see her. How could he see her? Angelica followed his gaze but couldn’t see anything. Or didn’t react if she could.
“Can we help you with something?” she asked the stocky man.
Durne coughed and turned his attention back to Angelica. “Two barrels of salted food are being organized, plus the other supplies you requested. On the captain’s instruction, a complimentary cask of rum has also been included for your pleasure.”
Jasmine relaxed. It didn’t seem that the first mate would do anything about her presence.
Angelica smiled disarmingly. For a brief moment Jasmine toyed with the idea of learning such a smile, then she reminded herself, as a boy she would never have need of it. “Your captain is most generous,” the wielder crooned.
“The captain also tells me you have accepted his offer to stay onboard overnight?”
“Indeed.”
Durne nodded. “We have little room so I offer you my quarters for the night, ma’am. Your men and I will stay down here with the rest of the crew.”
Her smile broadened. “That suits me just fine,” she said and dismissed him as if she were his superior. Durne did not respond to her slight, but bowed, gave Jasmine a brief yet pointed stare, and left.
Angelica watched Durne walk off. “I don’t trust that man.”
Langer seemed surprised. “Any reason?”
“I’ve played this game long enough to listen to my instincts,” she said. “It might be best if we don’t delay our visit with Finn. Langer, come with me. Brill, stay here.” Angelica rose and
adjusted the gloves on her hands. “And watch yourself. Finn knows our ways and he can sense when we wield. There will be no surprising him.”
Chapter 20
“Leave now, Jasmine,” Finn warned. “I don’t want you here.”
The rejection from Finn hurt more than she thought it would. “The Guardians are on their way.”
He squeezed his eyes shut. “I know. I called them. I didn’t get their attention just so they could find you here.” He opened his eyes and implored her with a look. “You have to leave.”
“I won’t leave. I can hide.”
“Don’t argue with me on this. It’s too dangerous.”
Jasmine backed into the corner of his small prison cell and vanished from his sight.
“Jasmine?” He glowered at the emptiness. “Jasmine, don’t be a fool.”
She scowled back, refusing to leave. She needed to know what they would do with Finn. She needed to be sure they believed the captain was a threat that had to be dealt with. For all the power she could supposedly wield, she felt helpless. She had to do something. Running away was out of the question.
It wasn’t long before the wielders found Finn. She felt their power enter the cargo hold. She could tell Finn had sensed them as well. He buried his fear and made himself look relaxed. Now there was a skill, Jasmine thought.
The door rattled open and Angelica stepped in with Langer. She took in Finn’s position, the shackles on his wrists, the bruises on his face, and smiled.
“I told you, you’d met your match,” she gloated.
Finn looked up at her but did not return the smile. “Angelica,” he said in greeting, and glanced at her companion. “Langer.”
Langer winced as his gaze traveled over Finn. He turned to Angelica. “May I?”
“To heal him would be to interfere,” she said. “You may examine him only.”
Jasmine realized then who Langer was. He was the one who had tried to heal her after Doc and Finn had tried to hide her power from the Guardians. The lanky man suddenly fascinated her. She wondered what it would be like to be able to heal.
Langer crouched and rested his bony hand on Finn’s shoulder. He bowed his head and wielded. Jasmine watched as the power flowed out of Langer. Finn braced himself against the power. This wasn’t a healing power Langer used, but merely a searching one. Jasmine could see the tendrils twine through Finn’s body, seeking damage. After a short time the power vanished like mist in a breeze.
Langer opened his eyes and sat back. “He has deep bruising over most of his body, some minor lacerations, and two broken ribs.”
Jasmine held her hand to her mouth. She hadn’t realized Finn’s injuries were so serious. How he had moved around with broken ribs, she had no idea. He should’ve told her.
Angelica seemed unconcerned. “He’ll survive. For now.”
“I could mend his ribs perhaps, and leave the rest?” Langer offered hopefully. “No one but Finn would be the wiser.” Jasmine liked this man.
Angelica rounded on him. “What did I tell you about interfering? You must learn to never involve yourself in affairs outside Guardian business.”
Langer bowed. “My apologies, ma’am.”
She ignored the apology and turned her full attention on Finn. “Do you know the origin of the power we felt?”
Something sly passed across Finn’s expression. Jasmine had never seen that look on him. She didn’t think it suited him. “Heal my broken ribs, and I’ll tell you.”
Clever, Jasmine thought.
Angelica smiled. “You know we don’t make bargains.”
“You do give incentives. I’m simply handing you an incentive you could offer in exchange for my help.”
Her small eyes studied Finn for a full minute before she spoke. “The Guardians were wrong to let you go. Very well, Langer, mend his ribs. Nothing else.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Langer crouched beside Finn.
Jasmine edged closer so she could watch.
“It’s easier if I can touch the localized area,” Langer explained to Finn.
Finn nodded and unbuttoned his blood-splattered shirt. When he exposed his chest, Jasmine had to bite her lip to stop herself from gasping. Even Angelica sucked in her breath. Bruises bloomed across his chest like algae across a lake. One bruise was crescent shaped with ridges made from the heel of a boot.
Jasmine blinked away unexpected tears. They were gone before they fully formed. She couldn’t cry for herself, but it seemed she could for someone else.
Langer rested the palm of his hand against Finn’s side where the bruising was heaviest. He closed his eyes and power filled the room. It was different to the searching flow Langer had used earlier. It was stronger, more focused. Jasmine watched carefully and followed the flow so she could learn how it was done. In her mind, she pictured Finn’s broken ribs. Langer stitched them together with threads of his power. Jasmine felt the pain that coursed through Finn, the pain he hid from her, the pain that took his breath away. She felt sweat break out on his forehead. She reached out and touched his arm and took that pain away from him.
Finn’s eyes widened. Langer rocked back on his heels and expelled a breath. Jasmine swore.
“What happened?” Angelica demanded.
“You didn’t feel that?” Langer’s gaze searched the room. “Our ghost is back.” He couldn’t see her, but it was his power Jasmine feared the most. It sprang out of him like a panther on the hunt. It swept the room, the cargo hold, the entire ship.
Jasmine held still and shrank into herself. She didn’t let go of Finn. She knew he could feel her touch. She didn’t know if he could see her. He didn’t make eye contact.
All three wielders looked up like animals sensing danger to the herd.
“The captain is wielding,” Angelica said. She glanced at Langer. “Perhaps he is your ghost?”
Langer appeared uncertain. “Perhaps.”
Angelica closed her eyes for a moment. “His power is…subtle.”
“Don’t underestimate him,” Finn said.
She looked down on Finn. “I know what I’m doing.”
“He is the power you’re searching for.”
Angelica smiled. “Really?” She peeled off her left glove and revealed a delicate hand. She reached down and touched Finn’s neck, as a lover might. Her pale fingers held him with the softest of caresses. Power flowed out of her and shimmered over him like a cloak. “Feel him as I feel him.”
Jasmine’s eyes widened. Because she was still touching Finn, she also felt Angelica’s ability to share the experience. Jasmine could sense someone wielding on the Prize. She recognized the captain’s unmistakable identity in the power. She couldn’t tell what he was doing with his power, but she could feel his mastery over it.
“Could the man who has such control, such precision, such ability to leash his strength as he is doing now, truly be the one who could’ve abandoned that discipline in a burst of mindlessness only to regain it with such ease?” Angelica asked.
For a moment Finn hesitated. She smiled and dropped her hand. Her power ceased and Jasmine could no longer feel the captain.
“I didn’t know you could do that,” Finn murmured.
“I can do a lot more.” She squeezed her pale hand back into the leather glove.
“I still say the captain is your man.”
“What makes you so certain?”
Finn ignored the impatient huff in her voice. “He is keeping me alive on this ship, not so he can sell me to the highest bidder when we reach port, but so he can learn from me.”
“What do you mean, ‘learn’? Are you teaching him our ways?”
“No. I mean Captain Kahld can continue to learn new ways to wield.”
Langer’s already thin face seemed to drain of all color. Angelica’s reaction was not so obvious. She pursed her lips in thought.
“A Learner hasn’t surfaced in more than a hundred years,” Langer whispe
red as if he were afraid his words might be overheard by devils.
Angelica paced in the cramped space. She stopped. “I am unconvinced. A Learner mad with power might have abandoned all reason and may have been the source we’re looking for, but Kahld doesn’t appear mad with power. If he were a Learner he would’ve tried to take our power the moment we boarded the Prize. And I would’ve sensed that.”
“Perhaps he hasn’t learned yet to sense another wielder?”
Angelica shook her head. “That’s not how Learners work. They don’t need to know if someone is a wielder. They simply pick up the powers in use around them. The growth of power becomes an aphrodisiac and an addiction. Because of that they sometimes come across as untrained. They have little control.”
“We’ve only had five in written history,” Langer said. “How do you know so much about Learners?”
Angelica shrugged. “My trainer insisted I study them.”
“Marcelo?” Finn asked.
She nodded. “Regardless, I don’t believe Kahld is a Learner.” She turned a hard stare at Finn. “I do believe, however, you are desperate enough to tell us anything in an attempt to save your own skin.”
“Kahld is more powerful than you know,” Finn insisted. “He is a Learner and he is dangerous.”
“What if he isn’t lying?” The color in Langer’s face hadn’t returned.
Angelica sighed. “Very well. We’ll test this theory. We’ll tease the captain with a tantalizing taste of power. If he takes the bait, then we’ll know.”
“I don’t think that’s wise,” Finn said.
Angelica arched an eyebrow at him. “I don’t trust you, Finn Baracus. You were once trained by my own trainer. The very best. Why then were you released from the order?”
Finn didn’t answer. He stared up at her with a defiance that surprised Jasmine.
Angelica looked toward the door. “The captain has stopped pushing the wind or calming the sea or whatever it is a captain would do with his power.”