by Becca Andre
She glanced up, meeting his warm gaze.
“Or rather, in mine,” he whispered.
She suddenly realized that the image in her mind hadn’t been from her point of view. It had been his. The brush of warm lips had been her own.
“We’re here.” Grayson nodded ahead of them.
Briar looked up and saw that they had reached the dock where her boat waited. The mule team had been switched out and the Briar Rose was ready to go. Perhaps they could get another twenty miles closer to their destination before night was upon them.
Giving her hand a squeeze, Grayson released it. Good thing because Eli hurried across the gangplank as soon as they stepped onto the dock.
“Did you see Andrew?” Eli inquired before Briar could ask if something was wrong.
“Yes,” she answered. “He ripped up another wanted poster, then instructed me to meet him at the toll office in Roscoe tomorrow. I’m starting to see a theme here.”
“Then he won’t be coming by the boat,” Eli concluded.
“That’s right. Why does that matter?”
“The less Miss Molly sees of that bastard, the better.”
“True.” She bit her lip to keep from smiling. The way Andrew had treated Molly when he came aboard in Cleveland had really upset Eli. He might be a simple canaller, but Eli was a true gentleman at heart—unlike Andrew.
“Was your cousin responsible for what happened at Navarre?” Eli asked.
“He denied it.”
Eli’s eyes narrowed. “And you believed him?”
“At this point, I’m not sure what to believe. We’ll just have to stay alert for more trouble.”
Eli nodded, though he didn’t look satisfied with her answers. “So what took you so long? I feared you’d missed the bastard and he was going to show up here.”
“We stopped by the market for some blueberries.”
Eli frowned. “I’ve been stewing while you shopped?”
“Um, I guess?” Briar wasn’t sure what to say. “Sorry?”
“Mr. Martel.” Molly had stepped up to the other end of the gangplank. “Are those blueberries?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Grayson answered cheerfully. “I thought I could teach you how to make those tarts I mentioned.”
“Delightful.” She glanced among the three of them. “Well, come on. Those tarts aren’t going to bake themselves.”
“You heard the lady,” Eli said, stepping aside to clear the way to the gangplank.
Grayson caught Briar’s gaze, a twinkle in his eyes, but he refrained from comment and hurried across the gangplank.
“Sounds like another promising dinner,” Briar said to Eli. “Shall we get the boat underway?”
“Yes, Captain.” Eli’s annoyance had faded, but then the prospect of a good meal always cheered him.
Chuckling to herself, Briar crossed the gangplank and hopped onto the boat. Molly had played that well, once again.
They followed the canal south, passing through the villages and small towns lining its shores. The elevation change wasn’t that dramatic in this part of the state, requiring only four locks over a ten-mile stretch. And with each unsabotaged lock they passed, Briar felt a little more confident that perhaps Andrew hadn’t been lying. Maybe they’d just had some bad luck this morning.
As was her habit, Briar joined Eli under the awning on the tiller deck, escaping the heat of the afternoon sun. She’d brought along another of Esme’s journals, but she had no more luck deciphering it. Frustrated, she snapped the journal closed.
“Nothing?” Eli asked.
Briar closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. She’d given herself a slight headache. “Even if there was something here, I don’t think I could translate it,” she admitted. “No wonder Esme thought I was an idiot.”
“Miss Briar.”
“I know. I have no background in this stuff, but still. She was one smart lady.”
“I suppose, but—”
A sound of a crash carried up from the cargo hold, followed by the clash of metal on metal.
Briar looked up. “What was that?”
“I believe our Scourge passengers are practicing again. Sounds like swords today.”
“Huh.” Briar got to her feet. “I must have been really absorbed.”
“They just began.”
“Ah.” She stepped up onto the aft deck and walked to the edge to look into the cargo hold. Eli was right. Kali and Perseus were indeed sparring in the open space below her.
Eli had suggested swords, but the weapon they each held looked more like a large dagger, not much smaller than Perseus’s short sword.
Briar sat down on the edge of the deck and watched the exchange with interest. She had never had any kind of weapons training—she never had any kind of combat training aside from the experience she picked up in tavern fights—so she didn’t know how to judge what she watched. But she was fairly certain that Kali and Perseus were quite skilled. The most surprising aspect was how well Kali kept up with him.
A particularly rapid exchange followed. Then the pair drew apart as if by unspoken agreement.
“You were holding back,” Kali complained, wiping her brow with her sleeve. “A ferromancer wouldn’t hold back.”
“You would not go hand to hand with a ferromancer. We would take him down together, using our individual talents.”
Kali frowned. “But my talent is much better suited to finding a ferromancer, not fighting him.”
“And your talent in that area far exceeds mine. I cannot begin to compete with you in that regard.”
“Then maybe you should practice that as I should practice this.”
Perseus sighed. “Why are you suddenly so adamant?”
“Because Farran got the advantage of me immediately, and after watching you fight Grayson, I knew I could have never kept up. I need more practice. Real practice. You’re ferromancer fast, Perce. Make me the same.”
He eyed her a moment, then abruptly glanced up and offered Briar a smile. “Good afternoon, my lady. Did you need something?”
That got her a glare from Kali, but Briar ignored it.
“I was just watching. Don’t let me interrupt.”
“There you go,” Kali said. “She practically commanded you to continue.”
Briar thought he might protest Kali’s command comment, but he sighed and sheathed his dagger.
“All right,” he relented, “but no blades. Not until you’ve practiced more.”
Kali tossed her dagger onto a pile of gear leaning against the stable wall. She spread her hands, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“The objective is to disable your opponent, don’t try to dissolve his soul iron heart on the first touch.”
“I know how this works.”
“A reminder never hurts.” He stepped closer. “The joints of the limbs are good targets. A damaged joint restricts motion, plus the area is small, making it easy to dissolve the soul iron with a momentary touch.”
Kali propped her hands on her hips. “Are you about done talking?”
“But don’t focus too much on offense. Your target can kill you with a single punch, and he will be going for your heart. And if you ever face a dragon, he doesn’t need to touch the organ to take it. He needs only touch you.”
Briar gripped the edge of the deck. As she suspected, this lecture wasn’t for Kali. It was for her.
Perhaps Kali realized the same thing, or she had grown tired of the talking. Without warning, she sprang.
Well, it was without warning for Briar. Apparently, Perseus saw it coming. He sidestepped her at the last moment, and she went stumbling past.
“Don’t telegraph your moves,” he said, facing Kali as she turned toward him. “Your eyes dropped to my left arm. Maintain eye contact. You don’t ne
ed to focus so much on your target.”
Kali sprang up again, and though Perseus still eluded her, she got closer.
“Better,” he said.
The scene repeated several times, but Kali never managed to catch him. He was simply too fast for her.
Kali growled in frustration after another miss. “This isn’t a good test. You know what I’m doing.”
“A ferromancer would also know, wouldn’t he?” Briar asked. “I mean, he would have already figured out that you’re Scourge, right?”
“That’s right, my lady,” Perseus agreed.
Kali glared at her. “If you’re so smart, let’s see you do it.” She lifted a hand toward Perseus, inviting Briar to try.
“All right.” Briar slipped off the roof and dropped into the cargo hold. “But this isn’t really fair. I’m physically just human. Although, I’m pretty good in a bar fight.” She shrugged, then smiled. “But that’s probably more from practice than any… genetic advantage.”
She turned to Perseus. “That is the word Esme used, wasn’t it?”
“That sounds right,” he agreed. “Though I only read a few of her writings.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask.” Briar stopped before him. “Would you mind taking a look at some of her other journals?”
“I could,” he agreed. “Although, I don’t truly understand the science like she does.”
“But you do get the context.”
“What about Grayson?” Kali demanded. “He ought to get the context, and he was Esme’s ward. I bet he even knows the science.”
“He knows some.” Briar turned to Perseus. “But…” She gave the open door to the aft cabin a worried glance. “I hate to remind him of how quickly he’s devolving,” she whispered. “Remember that chart I showed you?”
“I remember.” His expression sobered. That chart had given Grayson a few months.
“So you’ll take a look?”
He dipped his chin. “Of course. I truly want you to succeed.”
“Thank you.” She squeezed his wrist in gratitude. “Oh, and Perseus?”
“Yes?”
“A wrist is a joint, right?”
He had a moment’s confusion, and then he glanced down. Her fingers circled his wrist where she gripped it while thanking him.
Perseus threw back his head and laughed.
“Hey,” Kali protested, suddenly understanding. “That’s cheating.”
“How is it cheating?” Briar demanded. “I wouldn’t stand a chance against him physically, just as I wouldn’t stand a chance against a ferromancer. Perseus said to use my strength.”
“So you talked your way into closing with him.”
“Well, I wouldn’t do that with a rogue ferromancer, unless it was a distraction to enable me to escape.”
“You’d run away?” Kali’s smile wasn’t kind. “You’re really not Scourge.”
“No, I’m not. So I have no need to get close to a ferromancer.” Lock?
A burst of static encircled her throat as Lock became the little dragon. He sprang into the air and morphed into the silver fiddle. She caught it by the neck, then lifted it to her shoulder to pluck out a series of harsh notes.
Both Kali and Perseus gasped.
Briar took the fiddle from her shoulder. “I’m not weak or defenseless, but I also know my limitations—and my strengths.” She held up the silver fiddle and released it.
Lock morphed into the little dragon in mid fall and flew back to her shoulder.
“Maybe you should do the same,” Briar said.
Kali clenched her fists and took a step toward her.
“Kali.” Perseus’s tone was stern. “It is a lesson you would do well to learn.”
“Why am I not surprised that you would side with her?” Kali spun away, then climbed up onto the stable deck and left them.
Perseus released a breath. “It seems the more I try, the more I fail.”
“If you succeeded, you wouldn’t keep trying,” Briar said. “That’s like continuing to look for something after you found it.”
He glanced over, smiling faintly. “That does have a certain wisdom.”
Briar shrugged. “Usually, I get told I’m a smart ass.”
“That, too,” he agreed. “But well played. I fell for your ruse.”
“That’s because it wasn’t a ruse. I really do want your help with those journals.”
“Then I shall give it.”
“Now?”
“Allow me to freshen up”—he plucked at his sweat soaked shirt—“and I will join you on the tiller deck.”
She readily agreed and moved off to go collect Esme’s journals and her own notebook. She sincerely hoped he could help—or at least give her an idea where to look.
Afternoon stretched into evening, and the miles passed beneath the boat as the pages of Esme’s journals passed beneath Briar’s fingers. As he’d admitted, Perseus turned out to have little understanding of the scientific explanations in Esme’s notes, but he had a much better idea of why she’d chosen to approach her research as she had.
“I’m feeling especially cruel,” Briar admitted after Perseus explained a ferromancer’s need for mundane iron, both in their diet and their environment. “Although, it also causes me to wonder if I should deny Grayson meat and force him to sleep on the boat.”
“That might slow his devolvement by a few days, but according to Esme’s write up of those experiments, it’s not a solution.”
“It sounds cruel, anyway.”
Esme hadn’t personally performed the experiments. She had just recorded another’s findings. Although, Briar had to wonder if Esme would have experimented more if she’d had a ferromancer to experiment on. Being exiled had put a big crimp on her research.
Briar had also begun to doubt the wisdom of giving Grayson to her. She still wished that Esme hadn’t died, but perhaps things had turned out for the best for Grayson.
She closed the journal she had been reading and laid it on top of the others. “So the only thing the ferra ever found that worked was to take a ferromancer’s heart.”
“Precisely,” Perseus agreed.
“But isn’t that what women do? Steal our hearts?” Jimmy asked. He was manning the tiller while Eli took a break. Eli had claimed he was going down to the kitchen for another cup of coffee, but Briar suspected he’d gone down to check on those tarts. The aroma wafting out of the cabin windows was certainly enticing.
Briar laughed at Jimmy’s analogy. “I don’t think it’s the same thing.”
“Seems like there ought to be some correlation. Isn’t that how you took Grayson from that Italian woman?”
“I used my fiddle to threaten her,” Briar explained.
“But didn’t you prevent her from taking him fully or something? Grayson implied as much.”
“When was this?”
It was Jimmy’s turn to look uneasy. “I hope you don’t think I’m overstepping, but I thought it best to have a talk with him—seein’ as how you don’t really have any family.”
“I still have a godfather who has everything covered.”
“Ah. Good.” Jimmy’s brow wrinkled. “Are you angry with me?”
She sighed. “No.” It was always hard to be angry with Jimmy. He had a nice collection of vices, but he was truly a good person and a dear friend.
“That’s a relief,” Jimmy admitted.
“So…” Briar hesitated, not certain she wanted to belabor the topic, but unable to leave it alone. “Did he pass muster?”
“I’ve already admitted that I think he’s a fine person. If not for the ferromancer thing, I think he’d be an excellent choice for you.”
“The ferromancer thing,” she repeated. His phrasing amused her.
“Yes.” Jimmy took her seriously. �
�He doesn’t like to burden you with that.”
“He and I have discussed it, and I told him it wasn’t his decision to make. If I want to burden myself with it, I will.”
“By studying obscure science journals.”
“Exactly.”
“Why? You already possess the one thing that works, right? I’ve seen you call him back when he goes cold.”
“I can call him back, but I can’t stop his devolvement.” The only thing that could supposedly stop a ferromancer’s devolvement was a dragon—at his own demise. So that wasn’t a solution, either.
“And I thought getting Mildred to notice me impossible,” Jimmy muttered.
“But you proved that it wasn’t.”
“True.” Jimmy grinned. “Now it’s your turn to do the impossible.”
Briar laughed despite the ridiculousness of the statement, and even Perseus smiled at Jimmy’s crazy logic. Jimmy was a sweetheart, but he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.
She was about to thank him for his help when a rumble, followed by a series of splashes, drew her attention.
“Captain!” Jimmy stared ahead of them.
Sitting on the forward edge of the aft deck, facing him, Briar had to spring to her feet and turn to see what he was staring at. She faced the bow of the boat in time to see the last of a large stack of freshly cut logs tumble into the canal. The logs had been stacked on the canal berm opposite the towpath. It was one of several stacks that lay upstream from a sawmill.
Briar leapt up on the aft deck to pull open the hatch. “Eli,” she shouted down into the cabin. She didn’t offer more of an explanation. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted to Benji to stop the mules.
It was an unnecessary command since he was already pulling them to a stop.
“Captain?” Eli emerged from the hatch at the same time Grayson sprang up from the cargo hold, having used the other door to leave the cabin.
“What’s going on?” Grayson asked.
“That.” Briar nodded toward the flotilla of logs ahead of them. With the mules stopped, the boat had slowed, but not enough to avoid the logs they were rapidly closing with.
Eli took the tiller. “I’m good, Captain, but not that good.”