Corroded

by Becca Andre

  Briar sighed. “I believe our quiet time has ended.”

  “I see.” Grayson faced her once more, though he looked more amused than annoyed. “We’ll have to get creative. Perhaps you might join me for some berry picking along the towpath.”

  Plucking berries from a tangle of thorns beneath a hot sun wasn’t one of her favorite tasks, but the idea had suddenly become more appealing.

  “That might work.”

  “Good.” He glanced toward the bow. “I’m tempted to see who can wait out the other, but I don’t want to stand here all night.”

  “I think you have the right of it.”

  He sighed. “Well, I guess I’ll go make my bed in the weeds.” They had tied up in a particularly overgrown patch along the heel path.

  “What if I got you a metal bed frame?” She didn’t know where they’d put it, but if he wasn’t going anywhere, shouldn’t she try to make him comfortable?

  “That would help, but there’s something about being isolated by water that wears on me.” He shrugged. “I’ll be fine.” He abruptly bowed. “Goodnight, my lady.”

  “Now you sound like Perseus.” She rolled her eyes. “Good night, Sir Dragon. Pleasant dreams guarding the moat.”

  His expression turned knowing. “They will be pleasant.” He winked, then walked away.

  Briar woke with a gasp and stared up into the darkness above her. She didn’t think a dream had awakened her.

  A questioning whirr preceded the poke of a little metal nose.

  “What woke me, Lock?” she whispered to the little mechanical dragon.

  He answered, sharing the recollection of a hollow boom and the accompanying shake of the boat. Had something hit them?

  Briar sprang to her feet and reached for her pants, finding them by feel. She pulled them on under her night shirt and hurried from her curtained alcove.

  Moonlight seeped around the window curtains, illuminating the cabin well enough to see. Nothing looked amiss, and Molly’s even breathing suggested that the noise hadn’t awakened her. But then, she wasn’t as attuned to the boat as Briar.

  Not wanting to disturb her passengers who slept in the aft cargo hold, Briar used the hatch to climb out onto the deck.

  The canal glittered in the moonlight, a mild breeze riffling the surface. She didn’t see a log or other large object moving downstream that might have struck them.

  Heading across the catwalk, she walked toward the bow to get a better look. Before she reached her destination, the hatch in the bow deck opened and Eli climbed out. She wasn’t the only one who had been awakened by the mysterious collision.

  He turned, inspecting the area around him and saw her.

  “You heard that, too?” he whispered when she joined him.

  “Aye.”

  The others must have slept through it, though with the rattle of Jimmy’s snores echoing out of the cabin below, it was no surprise.

  “Though I had to have Lock clarify what had awakened me.”

  Eli glanced at the little dragon perched on her shoulder. “Same here—without the construct’s input. I’d about convinced myself it was a dream, but with all our recent troubles, I thought I’d better take a look.”

  “It was probably a log or something.” Briar studied the canal, hoping to see evidence of her claim. “I can’t think of what else it could be. Let’s do a quick check for leaks, then—”

  “Miss Briar?” Eli cut in, nodding toward the stern.

  Briar turned to see Kali climb up on the stable deck.

  “Perhaps she felt it, too,” Eli suggested.

  Briar didn’t bother speculating. She crossed to the stable deck, Eli following.

  “We think something struck the boat,” Briar explained. “Most likely some canal debris. Is that what woke you?”

  Kali frowned, raking a hand through her loose hair as she looked around them. “Where’s your ferromancer?”

  Unease tightened Briar’s stomach. “Sleeping on shore. Why?”

  “I could have sworn it was soul iron animation that woke me. Are you certain he’s sleeping?”

  “Lock?” Briar prompted.

  An impression of stillness and even breathing reached her. Apparently, Grayson didn’t snore the way Jimmy did.

  “He’s asleep,” Briar told her.

  Kali frowned, looking like she wanted to argue.

  “Might it have been Perseus’s crossbow?” Briar offered. “Maybe the release button got bumped.” Grayson had designed the bow to run off ferromancy.

  “The button must be depressed and slid forward. You can’t just bump it.”

  Briar knew that, but it was the only thing she could think of. “Then you must have been dreaming.”

  Kali frowned, looking ready to protest, but Briar’s attention was drawn to Molly who had climbed out of the aft cabin hatch. She spied them, and with a wave, encouraged them to join her.

  Briar hurried across the catwalk to the aft deck.

  “I think there’s a leak,” Molly said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The boards beneath my bunk are wet.”

  Briar rushed to the hatch and climbed down the ladder. She walked over to Molly’s bunk and found that she was right. Moving closer to the wall, Briar discovered almost an inch of water lapping at her bare feet.

  She pushed open the curtain to let in more light. “Could someone light the lantern?” she asked, aware that the others had followed her.

  “I’ll get it,” Molly offered.

  “Miss Briar?” Eli prompted.

  “There’s close to an inch of water by the wall.”

  “Are we going to sink?” Kali asked.

  “If we don’t get this patched.”

  Golden light brightened the room as Molly lit the lantern. Lifting her nightgown and robe above the wet floor, she carried the lantern over.

  “Looks like we’re going to need the medicine spoon,” Eli said, eyeing the water.

  “Medicine spoon?” Molly asked.

  “It’s a small wooden box filled with sawdust,” Briar explained. “When placed under the leak, the water flowing into the hole pulls the sawdust in after it. Sawdust swells when wet and plugs the hole until a more permanent fix can be made.”

  “How do you get the box under the leak?”

  “Eli,” Briar answered. “I think he can hold his breath for ten minutes.”

  “Hardly,” he said with a laugh.

  “You all know better than me, but should he be swimming under the boat in the dark?”

  Briar eyed the growing puddle of water. “I have no doubt that he could manage, but I don’t think the medicine spoon will plug this leak.” She glanced up at Eli, and judging by his concerned expression, she could see that he shared her concerns.

  “Lock?” Briar turned to the little metal dragon perched on her shoulder. “Would you summon Grayson? Tell him we’ve got a leak.” She didn’t want to alarm him with a mysterious summons in the middle of the night.

  Eli crossed his arms over his bare chest, but to Briar’s surprise, didn’t complain.

  Briar got a groggy impression of weeds, trees, and a canal boat in the moonlight.

  “He’s on his way,” Briar announced.

  “That is so strange,” Molly muttered. “Though I must admit, I’m not so sure I would like someone in my head.”

  “He’s not,” Kali spoke up before Briar could answer. “She holds a piece of his soul.” Kali turned toward the door. “I’m going to gather my things in case this doesn’t work.” She left the cabin without waiting for an answer.

  “She’s mad about Perseus giving me his oath,” Briar said into the silence.

  “Seems like she should be mad at him,” Molly said.

  “She is.” Briar shrugged. “I’m leaving it for
him to sort out.”

  A light rap sounded on the door.

  “Come in,” Briar called.

  Grayson stepped into the room. His dark hair was tousled and his shirt untucked. With his boots in one hand and his blanket slung over his arm, he fully looked the part of a guy who had just crawled out of his bed in the leaves.

  “There’s a leak?” Grayson asked. “Or did I dream that?”

  “Something collided with the boat and must have ripped a hole in the hull.” Briar gestured at the growing puddle.

  “Something?” Grayson set aside his boots and blanket.

  “Maybe a log or some other debris. It hit hard enough to rock the boat. I didn’t see what it was.”

  “Odd.” Grayson glanced at Eli, lifting a brow.

  “What?” Eli demanded.

  “Is this display to intimidate me or to entice the ladies?”

  “Huh?” Eli appeared confused.

  Molly swatted Grayson’s shoulder. “Really, Mr. Martel. Was that necessary?”

  Grayson grinned.

  “He’s teasing you about your shirtless state,” Molly said to Eli.

  “Oh.” He unfolded his arms and looked down at himself. “I’m sorry. I’ll go find a shirt.”

  Molly turned her frown on Grayson.

  “Did I spoil your fun?” Grayson asked her.

  “Yes, you did.” Molly’s tone was matter of fact.

  Eli had turned toward the door, but looked back at her admission, his expression one of surprise.

  Grayson laughed and dropped to a knee to pull his trunk out from under the table where he kept his surplus soul iron.

  Eli hesitated a moment longer, then left the cabin without a word, a bemused expression on his face.

  “I should smack you with my skillet,” Molly said to Grayson. “But since it’s made of metal, that doesn’t work so well with a ferromancer.”

  “You could use the wooden rolling pin,” Briar suggested.

  “It has an iron bar through the center,” Grayson said, digging through his trunk. “That’s what the roller turns on.”

  Molly shook her head, but she was smiling.

  “So you, um…” Briar didn’t know how to phrase her question, but Molly didn’t seem to need her to speak it.

  “He’s like a brother to you, so you’ve never noticed, but Mr. Waller is put together quite well,” Molly said without so much as a blush. “The odd thing is that he doesn’t realize it. I’m hoping that’s why Mr. Martel did that.”

  Grayson grinned, then carried a lump of shiny soul iron over to the leak.

  “If he caught me looking and is trying to imply otherwise,” Molly continued, “I should point out that the ink isn’t dry on my divorce papers.”

  “It casts me in a more favorable light if I’m trying to boost Eli’s confidence,” Grayson said. “So I’ll go with that.”

  Molly shook her head, but amusement shone in her eyes. She wasn’t upset.

  “I might need to disassemble the apple peeler,” Grayson said.

  Briar glanced over and saw that he stood in two inches of water. “It’s coming in fast,” she said, alarmed.

  “Are you certain a log did this?”

  “Eli and I both went topside as soon as it happened.” She waved away further explanation. It didn’t matter what caused it. “Can you fix it?”

  “The boat is made of wood. I have no idea how big the hole is on the outside. I can stop the leaking in here, but I can’t see what’s going on below us.” He looked over. “I’m going to need to get wet.”

  “And now we get the true reason he made Eli go put on a shirt,” Molly said.

  “The guy makes me feel anemic,” Grayson replied.

  Molly laughed. “You’re a good sport, Mr. Martel.”

  “That really wasn’t a joke, but I do have the metal bits that all the ladies find hard to resist.” He set aside the chunk of soul iron and gripped the hem of his shirt. “Brace yourselves.”

  Molly laughed and Grayson pulled off his shirt.

  Briar was standing behind him and pulled in a breath.

  “See?” Grayson said to Molly.

  Briar ignored the banter and stepped forward to lay a hand on his back. “When did this happen? I saw your back the day before yesterday.” When he had faced Perseus at Lucrezia’s command.

  “It’s a gradual thing. You just haven’t noticed.”

  She ran her hand along his spine. A silver orifice marked the point of each vertebra where it covered one of his retractable dorsal spines. But the area around each orifice had grown—or rather, the skin had receded. His spine looked less like flesh dotted by silver rivets, and more like a solid strip of metal down the center of his back.

  “When you finish patching the boat, I’ll play for you,” she said.

  He faced her. “Briar.”

  “Don’t argue.”

  He held her gaze, but didn’t comment.

  “I know you’re thinking it’s too little too late, but maybe it’s a ploy on my part to get you to leave your shirt off longer.” She tried to force a smile to go with the teasing, but wasn’t certain she pulled it off.

  “Of course. I should have seen through your ruse.” He picked up the lump of soul iron. “I’ll go fix your boat.”

  “Thank you.”

  He left the cabin, the lantern light catching on the metal in his back.

  Briar glanced over to see Molly staring after him. A hand pressed to her heart.

  Molly’s damp eyes met hers. “Briar.” She didn’t seem to know what to say.

  “Yeah,” Briar whispered. “Contrary to what he thinks, the metal bits aren’t doing anything for me.”

  Chapter 4

  Briar drew the bow across the fiddle strings, letting the song of her soul fill the cabin. It was so hard to play, to focus on happy healing thoughts and not lose herself to despair.

  Though her fiddle was still strung with soul iron, she had chosen to use Lock. The silver fiddle he morphed into had the pattern of his scales along the back while the strings were golden like the accents on those scales. Using Lock to play for Grayson made sense. After all, Lock was part of Grayson. What better way to heal him than to use part of himself?

  Have you considered that I don’t need to be healed? This is who I am. Grayson’s words weren’t truly words, but she understood him as if they were.

  She brought the song to a close and wordlessly stepped around behind him to look at his back. Nothing had changed.

  She walked to the table and numbly put away her fiddle bow. The moment she set down the fiddle, Lock morphed into the little metal dragon and sprang up to her shoulder. He rubbed his cheek to hers with a mournful whirr, though she knew it was in reaction to her sadness rather than his ultimate fate. She never got any despair from him about that. Maybe he looked forward to the day he could be one with Grayson again. It was a disturbing notion.

  Closing the fiddle case, she returned it to the shelf above the table where she stored it.

  “Briar?” Grayson touched her shoulder.

  She turned and collapsed against his bare chest, but didn’t wrap her arms around him. She didn’t want to touch the warm, living metal in his back.

  He kissed her forehead and rubbed a hand over her loose hair. “You have a beautiful soul.”

  She lifted her head and looked up at him.

  He rubbed away the dampness on her cheeks. “So bright and warm.” A slight smile curled his lips. “And human. Powerfully human.”

  “What good does that power do?” she whispered.

  He shrugged one shoulder. “Who knows. Perhaps you still need to learn to wield it.”

  “I want to scream and rant, and tell you you’re an idiot.”

  He caressed her cheek again. “I’ll bear it, if it hel
ps.”

  Heart full, she didn’t answer. She rolled up on her toes and kissed him.

  His hands slid over her shoulders down to her lower back. He pulled her closer, his kiss passionate and demanding.

  She clung to him, trying to fight off the despair and enjoy the moment, but she couldn’t seem to do it. “Grayson.”

  He pulled back, though he didn’t release her. “I know. Someone could walk in.”

  That wasn’t what she was worried about. “How can you be this accepting?”

  “About being interrupted? That’s—”

  “About your fate,” she let her frustration out. “How can you be this calm?”

  He held her gaze. “I’ve had a little longer to come to terms with this. And it’s on my back, so I can’t see it.” He winked.

  “Don’t make jokes.”

  “Briar.” He cupped her chin and tilted her face up toward his. “I want to enjoy the time I have left.”

  “You make it sound like you’re giving up.”

  “I’m not, but I also accept the possibility that we could fail to find a solution.” He gazed intently into her eyes. “I’m going to focus on the moments I have, and not what I’m losing. All right?”

  “All right,” she whispered.

  He smiled. “So back to this moment…” He leaned down, but the rattle of the door knob stopped him. “Damn it,” he muttered and took a step back.

  Briar couldn’t help but laugh as she scrubbed her hands across her cheeks.

  Molly stepped through the door and cast them an uncertain glance. “It sounded like you were finished playing. I thought I’d better start breakfast. Everyone is up and dawn isn’t far away.”

  Briar nodded. “We might as well get an early start.” That would give them plenty of time reach Canal Dover by Andrew’s appointed rendezvous time. Thank goodness Grayson had been able to stop the leak. The damage had been more extensive than he expected, but as she pointed out, the boat was old and a lot of the planks should have been replaced last winter—or the winter before.

  At some point, she would need to dry dock and seek a more traditional repair. Until then, they would have to pray that the damaged planks didn’t split more.