by Rachel Grace
“The brass holds darts coated in poison and the sweet, shiny gold ones contain a sleeping draught. Big men will either die or take to bed, depending on which trigger I press.” She folded her fingers toward her palm, indicating what Dare had believed to be dangling clasps. She hummed playfully. “I believe I hit him with a gold dart… but in the heat of the moment you can never be sure.”
When she noticed Dare’s expression she stopped smiling. “You are no fun to tease. He will wake up in a few hours, I promise. I told you I knew Lucy Thrice, and she knows her tonics.” Dare remained silent and Phina huffed. “I refuse to accept responsibility for this. You were not supposed to be in his room. He put you down with the guards. One of the more foolish decisions I have seen him make. You should have woken up near sunset with the others, feeling as though you’d had a tipsy night with the girls, and then you would be free. But no, you had to have your fun without me. Any day other than this I would say good on you for seducing the boss.” She fingered the pistol’s barrel absently. “Any other day and I would have joined you both and made sure you thanked me for it. I was disappointed, to say the least, that we weren’t able to finish our performance. Speaking of that, in case you were wondering about Lennis? He is no longer a danger to anyone.”
The way she’d said that, and the satisfaction Dare could feel rolling off her, made it clear that she’d killed him. Seraphina had killed Lennis. More difficult to swallow was the knowledge that Dare wasn’t sure she wouldn’t have done the same, given the chance.
“I prefer being conscious, just the same, thank you.” Protecting Bodhan and getting closer to the Deviant. Phina, however, still hadn’t given her much to go on. “Why are you doing this? Why to him?”
Dare felt the sand turning to hard, dry dust beneath her boots as they moved further away from the sea. She could see the angled rooftops of the coastal town and recalled how excited she’d been to come here, to be on land again, but not like this. Not at gunpoint.
“Bodhan has always been good to me.” Phina shrugged, her brilliant green eyes narrowing in thought. “Let me come and go as I please, scratch my itches while lying low. But I won’t apologize for this. My loyalty lies elsewhere. Some secrets he has to share, for all our sakes.”
Loyalty. An image of the queen laughing at something Cyrus had said flashed in her mind. They were where Dare’s loyalty should lie.
Why, then, when she was closer than ever to her goal, was Bodhan’s well-being all she could think about?
They headed farther inland, away from the town. And the bay. “I thought we were being brought to the Deviant.”
The feline smile that first made Dare shiver returned to Phina’s lips. “We are, Dare. Trust me.”
She took Dare’s arm and turned off the path into the tree line. She felt the wide, waxy leaves of palm bend and break as they brushed past. The terrain grew rougher, and with every step Dare grew more confused.
When they reached a large outcropping of rock, barren of growth, Dare noticed four new arrivals, men weighted down with large barreled rifles, swords, and other assorted weaponry standing guard. What kind of battle had they been waiting for?
“We got company? More women. I like it. Hope one of ’em cooks.” The dust-coated man with the long braids in his beard smiled when he spoke, but it did not improve his appearance.
The man beside him was nervous. Twitchy, with shifty eyes and a piercing voice that hit Dare’s ears like bullets in the early morning air. “I thought the plan was to steal things, not people. I was against it. You know that, right? Against poking at the Siren in the first place. Bodhan is near scary as you, Captain. What if his men come after us? You know they will. You don’t think they’ll find us? You’d have to be pretty thick to believe tha—”
Dare jumped when the woman he had been walking toward whirled in the dirt to face her. Without a word she reached out to pull Bodhan’s pistol from Phina’s already outstretched hand and spun back around in one graceful, elegant action.
In an instant the two men who’d spoken were dead on the ground, their insides revealed by gaping holes in their chests, as Dare attempted to process what she had witnessed.
She had never seen a theorrite pistol before. No other explanation existed for the focused emerald light that had blazed from the steel barrel like a bolt of green fire.
Of course it would belong to Bodhan. Was he hoarding a cache of the material? It should be no surprise to her after her trip in the Siren. Most of the critical systems in the submersible, from what she had observed, contained more than gears, cogs, and hydraulic power.
But the weapon itself was not the issue. The unexpected use of deadly force was. The remaining men had lowered their weapons, their faces pale with fear and respect.
The woman handed the gun back to Phina without turning, her attention focused on the perfect, seared circles the pistol had created.
“Clean and to the point. I like it. However, I still prefer my sword,” she said, seemingly unaffected by the bodies. “Does anyone else feel compelled to comment on my judgment and irritate me in general, or do you remember your terms of service?”
The men lowered their heads in acknowledgment, and Phina caressed Dare’s arm, whispering with a tone of admiration in her voice. “New crew never last long on her ship. One of the men still standing has been with her for years, loyal to the Deviant. The fate of the other is still any man’s guess. He looks a little green around the edges. Freeman and Gebby, though. She trusts them… as much as she trusts any man.”
Her ship. This was the captain of the Deviant? The woman who, though at the moment appeared to be without her ship and two of her crew, held Dare’s and Bodhan’s life in her hands. And hopefully information on the true queen’s whereabouts.
From the edge of the flames into the fire, Dare mused, thinking of the infernal bit of flying clockwork that had started her on this journey. To date, she had been kidnapped, seduced, and then kidnapped again. The Wode guard had no clue of the current danger lurking in Centre City, and Dare was consorting with increasingly dangerous criminals. She had no weapons, no assistance, and no idea what would happen next. There had to be a way for her to gain the upper hand in this.
“I can feel you eyeing the pistol in Phina’s hand, Blue, but there is no need. Believe it or not, we are on the same side.” The captain turned and Dare got her first full view of the impressive beauty.
When she held out her hands, her jacket lapels opened to reveal a black choker made of velvet and a blooming ivory flower pendant resting against the base of her throat. She wore a man’s dark vest with matching pants and boots, as well as weapon holsters on her hips and thigh.
It struck Dare that she dressed as though she meant to be a shadow to be overlooked or a patch of weather to steer clear of. Her uniquely jeweled and shimmering sword, the flower that was her nod to femininity, and her flawless, heart-stopping face, however, made her stand out like sunlight through the storm.
Phina was exotic in a sensual, fiery way. Bodhan and Idony were singularly exceptional. This captain? She was art. From her thickly lashed hazel eyes framed by perfectly arched brows, to her shimmering, lush lips and stubborn chin. All the more frightening considering the offenses she had committed only moments before. An angel of death without mercy or remorse. And she had none—Dare could sense no traces of regret in her.
“I have seen no proof of our similarities,” she said, indicating the bodies with a wave of her hand. “Quite the contrary, in fact.”
The woman’s expression acknowledged Dare’s words. “And yet I received word to expect a certain blue-haired someone with a birthmark I could not mistake, from a messenger whose seal I honor.” She raised one of those perfectly arched eyebrows, acknowledging the spark of surprise Dare felt pass through her. “I assume you know of what I speak.”
Birthmark? Who was this messenger and how did he know about her birthmark? “Yes, I—” Dare’s words caught in her throat as Bodhan moaned, shifting
on the larger man’s shoulder. Her heart leapt into her throat. Was he in pain? She had to get him back to the safety of his Siren. “We were supposed to meet, and here we are. That man is no part of this. Release him.”
The captain’s expression hardened. “Do not think to question my decisions or command me. It is no matter to me who or what you are. For the time being that man is my prisoner; he has something I need and he will not be released until I have it in my possession.”
She stepped forward, fear for him renewing her courage. “Until? But then he will be returned unharmed?”
The captain put her hands on her hips, her disappointment in Dare obvious even without her abilities. “Emotions are weakness, Blue. But of course, if the flesh peddler gives me what I need, I will land near a cozy shoreline where he will be free to contact his ship.” She shrugged tightly. “If he resists, no promises. Be satisfied—that is the only assurance I will give.”
She raised her voice so the men behind her could hear. “Lash up and stow the landing dodger, then bring up the moorings. I want us well on our way before the locals are done with their morning adulations.”
Her mind reeling, Dare watched them all move with determination and purpose toward the rocks. The only phrase she’d understood was morning adulation. At sunrise and sunset, every civilized population in Theorrey turned their collective gazes toward the location of the Copper Palace. Toward Queen Idony. Or the nearest house idol or automaton facsimile of Her Majesty.
The Wode of her regiment had done it without fail, and she along with them until she’d arrived at the palace herself. Her father had told her it was done in remembrance and reverence. To bless the eternal queen and the peace she had brought out of the chaos of the old world. Here, in Two Moon Bay, they had no idea that they were looking in the wrong direction. The palace had a resident, but it was no longer the true queen.
Phina nudged her with her hip, still dressed in her sensual Siren uniform. “If you stare at your boots for too long you will miss the show. Bodhan thrilled you with the view of his tin bath toy, yes? Be prepared to witness the Deviant. She is the true beauty.”
Dare shook her head, but lifted her gaze obediently. “Do the mixtures in your bracelet induce delusions as well as sleep and death? I see nothing but men clambering atop rock and over corpses on the ground.”
“I knew that would bother you.” Phina fingered Dare’s jacket, distracting her. That she could affect her in this stress-filled situation was a testament to her skills at seduction. No, not skills. Talent. It just came naturally for her to emit sensuality, even when she was speaking of killing.
“I would say the captain is not vicious, but we’d both know I was lying. She is hard and colder than ice on a good day. She is also a good judge of character. Those men were new and they were already balking. They would have run to the nearest alehouse or crowded corner smelling of fear and dripping gossip. The reason the captain is so good at what she does is that only a handful know of her. Know of the Deviant. She does what she must. But if it makes you feel any better, I doubt she has any intention of hurting Bodhan. They are more alike than you know.”
Dare was only partially listening, her heart wrenching a bit at the sound of Bodhan’s name. But it was hard to concentrate on anything but what was right in front of her.
Nothing she had been through thus far had prepared her for all she’d experienced in recent days. The Siren. Ministers purchasing pleasure under cover of the dark and dangerous sea. A Felidae who mingled with humans as an equal, freely and without judgment or impediment. Her first attempt at pretense and seduction and her discovery of intimacy and passion with Bodhan.
And now this…
Perhaps she should have expected to be astounded, though how anyone could expect to see a beautifully ornate, full-size sailing vessel appear out of thin air was beyond where her rational mind could take her.
Not only was it nowhere near the water, but the pile of rock that had stood there only moments before was disappearing as the Deviant came into view.
It was a grand ship made of ironwood, with fin-shaped sails folded against its side and a fanned tail for a rudder—a design that could surely sail the sea with ease, if it were meant to. A contraption reminiscent of a long fluffy cloud floated restrained in thick webbing above the Deviant’s length. It looked nothing like a main sail to Dare.
She squinted, seeing one of the still-breathing members of the crew standing on a high deck near the back of the vessel. His face was red, his arms straining as he worked a braided rope hoist, and his actions caused Dare to notice something else. A curved brass bar elegantly encircled the entire ship. The bar was lined with small rings that appeared in even increments as the illusion dissipated and the real object was revealed. It was an optical illusion, an elaborate one that Dare was at a loss to explain.
The ship’s name, Deviant, was etched deep in the bow and inlaid with gold, making it clear to Dare that this was indeed the ship she’d been sent to find. The woman was the captain she’d been encouraged to trust.
She stumbled as she stepped closer, and Phina put a comforting arm around her. “There now, fair Dare, I’ve got you. Amazing, yes?”
Dare nodded. “How did they do that?”
Phina tugged her forward, toward a rope ladder that had dropped from the ship, which hovered only a few feet off the ground. Hovered. Dare felt the blood leave her face and her mouth go dry.
The Felidae didn’t notice. “You mean how did a rock become a ship? Would you believe me if I told you this magical invention uses the blood of ancient monsters? No? Well, the skin then. Ancient Felidae would, no doubt, weep for the lack of respect.” The grip on Dare’s arm tightened for a moment. “I choose to think that this way they get to fly while they help to hide our more nefarious doings. That is respect enough.”
“Monsters? Phina, what are you—”
“Seraphina Felidae, get your tail on deck before I leave the both of you behind. Maybe the Siren’s guards will forgive you for their leader’s loss. Maybe the Wode who walk the bay’s perimeter won’t mind the two dead men beside you. Are those chances you want to take?”
“Just my tail?” Phina grinned at Dare playfully but hurried her up the swinging ladder, following closely behind her. “I know how fond of it you are, Captain, but there are other parts of me worth saving as well.”
The captain made a sound of aggravation, pushing away from the wooden railing and disappearing from view—too swiftly to see Phina’s hand reaching up to pinch Dare’s behind.
“You have nice parts, too, Dare,” she teased. “But the entertainment, as well as the grand tour, will have to wait. Our fearless leader is in a snit. She will feel better once we’re sailing and your lover is awake for her to question.”
Bodhan. Her lover. Her first. This morning had turned out nothing like she’d imagined. But then, had anything since she left the palace?
Solid ground was further from her grasp than ever.
Bodhan’s head throbbed and his body felt as though he’d been banged against the spire reefs at Theorrey’s End. What parts he could feel, that was. His hands were numb, no doubt from the shackles digging sharply into his wrists as they were forced to hold the weight of his limp body.
At least someone had the presence of mind to put on his pants.
He’d been sure he would wake with the same sense of peace, of bone-deep pleasure he had fallen asleep to. That Dare would still be in his arms. That she would say yes when he asked her to stay. Or tell him a truth he already knew. As small of stature as she was—Dare was Wode. Training and all. And he would wager she had lived on the Hill until she’d arrived on the Siren.
Dare. He had not expected what he found after they’d shared their pleasure together. He’d been looking for the mark of the Wode, not that. Just when he believed he had her figured out, that he understood what she was, a new mystery arrived to bedevil him.
If anyone had harmed her…
“Are the ac
commodations as luxurious as you’re used to?” A honeyed voice that did not belong to Dare spoke on the other side of the room. Bodhan kept his eyes closed, attempting to gather his wits before he faced his abductor.
She had no need for his acknowledgment. “I hope you enjoy it. Think of it as my gift. Now you can tell the innocent you bought and defiled that you, too, know how it feels to be chained against your will. Fair is fair.”
That brought his head up. He opened his eyes and squinted in pain. Too bright. A large circular window with a view that consisted of clear, unfiltered, sunlit sky greeted him, making it difficult for him to focus.
He sensed the familiar hum beneath his feet, felt the sway and knew. He was in the air, and the elevated rail did not climb this high.
That left two options, neither of them promising. Luckily, if he was right, he’d found his way to the lesser of two evils.
He forced himself to smile, though every tooth in his mouth hurt at the action. Whatever they’d given him had been enough to fell five men. “Captain Amaranthe. As ever, your etiquette is only matched by your ever-present good humor. And beauty, I see. The rumors never do us justice, do they?”
She remained silent. Did she think him so uninformed? If conversation kept her off balance, perhaps he could discover if her reference to Dare meant she, too, was on board. Discover what it might take to get to her and get them off this floating boat in one piece.
“My business is information, you know that.” His tone was reasonable, giving him time to slowly get accustomed to the exceedingly well-lit room and put more weight on his feet. It eased the pain in his wrists slightly. “And before you say it, allow me to correct myself. A portion of my business is information. It is a portion I am known for excelling in. Hence, the successful relationship we have shared over the years. Distant though it may have been.”