not from the ship. Benu met his gaze with a frown and a slight shake of his head. Now was not the time to draw attention to themselves.
Fortunately, the rest of the crew went back to their work without further discussion. As soon as he felt safe, the physician got to his feet and slipped back into his cabin to lie down again.
Mynta spent a long time calming down her first mate, Rei, to apologize for locking them into the contract. “I’ll keep my word,” she reassured her old partner. “At the first sign of trouble, we’ll dump the monsters and drop the batty mage off at the first port.”
Rei just shook her head and looked unhappy. “I don’t trust him.” She shivered. “I’ve heard the stories about those cultists who claimed they could control Wyld Magic and tame monsters, and they almost destroyed Kyratia a few years ago because they were messing with dangerous powers. What if this guy goes down that same path?”
Mynta laid a hand on Rei’s arm. “Then we’ll stop him. But I don’t think he’ll go that far. He was one of the people who helped Galenos clean up the mess after that incident.” She leaned closer and dropped her voice. “I’m not supposed to tell you this, but part of the reason why the duke is funneling so much money into this research is because he wants to prevent future outbreaks. He thinks this mage could be the key to better defenses against the Wyld.”
Rei reached up with her other hand and touched Mynta’s fingers lightly. Warmth spread between them. “Just be careful.” Then she pulled away and skulked off.
Mynta sighed and ran her hand through her hair. She wasn’t any happier about the way this contract was turning out, but she needed the support of the crew behind her to keep the ship running. There had to be a way to make everyone get along better.
She turned and walked aft. She started to open the door to Genara’s cabin, but then she heard music drifting out, so she stopped herself and knocked.
“Come back later, I’m busy,” her mellifluous voice called.
Mynta pushed the door open anyway.
Genara lowered her flute and looked up with a start. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Mynta’s face. “What did I tell you about just walking into my cabin?”
The captain crossed the room and flopped down on the bed. “I thought my impulsive actions were just one of the many charms that endeared me to you.” She tilted her head to one side. “What song were you playing? That sounded pretty.”
Genara pulled the flute apart and began cleaning the inside with a cloth by pushing it on a long stick. “That’s no business of yours.” She put the flute back in the case, closing it forcefully, then turned to glare at Mynta. “Did you have a reason for barging in here besides idle curiosity?”
The captain leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees. “I need to smooth things over with everyone. I thought maybe some music would help them relax.”
The musician sniffed and turned her back. “I’m not a member of your crew who you can just order around. Find your own way to entertain them.”
“You play music all the time,” Mynta pointed out. “We can all hear you practicing in here. Walls on a ship are very thin.”
“But I only perform for paying customers.” Genara held out her empty hand. “Unless you’d like to give me my usual fee?”
Mynta coughed. “What if I just take it out of your room and board?”
Genara whirled back to stare at her. “I’m not even sure that I should be paying you full room and board right now. The food’s coming from your new client, and he’s also dictating where we go—to some backwards little island where there’s not a single concert hall for me to perform in.” She threw her hands up in the air. “How can I pay you if I’m not able to make any money?”
Mynta clenched her hands into fists in her lap, but she looked down at the floor and kept her tone even. “When I took this contract, I offered to let you off so you could find another ship. We can still stop somewhere—like Sympaia, your hometown—if that’s what you want.”
For a long moment, the other woman was silent, and Mynta feared that she was seriously considering the idea. At last she raised her eyes again.
Genara flinched and turned away again, but her face was still reflected in the looking glass on her dressing table, showing her mouth drawn into a thin line and her brows furrowed. “I’ll give it a little while to see how things go,” she said in a quiet voice. “Now, will you leave me alone?”
Mynta got to her feet. “Sure, I’ll get out of your hair,” she said, forcing a lighthearted tone. She knew Genara would only be angry if she let on that she’d seen that look of distress on the other woman’s face.
She walked out, careful to close the door behind her.
Rei untied the last of the gaskets and watched the sail drop down below her. Then she wrapped her arms around the yardarm to brace herself, her bare feet still curled around the footrope, and looked out over the expanse of open water and golden sky.
The ship and all hands on board had followed the coast south for as far as they could go without passing the Melusine Islands. Now they had to turn west again into the setting sun, braving the empty ocean. They would reach their destination by dawn of the next day—so long as nothing rose from the depths to meet them.
Rei hadn’t feared sailing into the open ocean since she was a young woman on that first ship leaving her homeland. With modern navigational instruments and a night sky full of stars, there was little risk of losing her way out of sight from land. On sea or on land, there was always some danger to face—a storm, a monster attack, bandits, disease. Somewhere in the world, her death waited for her, but knowing that didn’t make her afraid. She faced her fate with a grim stubbornness that some might call bravery.
But the dark shadow following Miscreation just that morning had sent chills down her spine in a way that she couldn’t explain. Something told her that whatever had hunted them before waited there still, watching for them to come back into reach. They’d evaded it for a little while, sailing in shallow waters where it could not venture, but it would find them again. The wind felt strange on her skin, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, like a sound just below the threshold of hearing or a smell she couldn’t identify. But although she shielded her eyes and scanned the horizon, she couldn’t see anything—yet.
She shook the presentiment off and stepped back onto the ratlines, climbing back down to the deck. Descending was easier than going up, and she went quickly without thinking too closely, her mind drifting to what Leina was making for dinner. She was almost down, past the first platform, when her foot slipped on one of the wooden slats.
She grabbed for the shrouds, and for a moment her feet kicked in the empty air, unable to find purchase. Then the ship bobbed on a wave and the momentum pressed her back against the slope of the rigging, safe again.
Rei clung there for another moment, breathing hard. Climbing aloft felt second nature to her after years of sailing—and yet she’d thought she was going to fall. Her heart still pounded in her chest as she forced herself down the last few steps and felt the deck steady her again.
Yuri must have seen her misstep, because he watched her from the steering wheel with his eyebrows furrowed. “Are you alright?”
She turned to her husband with a forced smile. “Yes, I’m fine.” She went to him and wound her arms around his waist, moving in for a kiss. His warm lips banished her fears as they melted together.
He pulled back and looked at her again. “Are you sure?”
Rei stiffened. “Do you think it would be better if we waited until daylight tomorrow to leave the coast? We could drop anchor and stay here for the night.”
Yuri frowned. “We’ve never had a problem sailing at night before.”
She glanced over her shoulder at the open water. “I just think it might be safer this time. You never know when you’re dealing with…magic,” she finished lamely. Somehow, she didn’t quite want to say her real fear aloud.
He shook his head. “I’m sure we’ll be fi
ne. We’re not very far from the islands now. Just try to relax.”
Rei tried to follow his advice. All through supper, she avoided checking the horizon. It helped that the food was delicious—seared lamb legs with honey and spices, and a green salad with olives and fresh goat cheese. She ate slowly, savoring each bite.
But after they’d cleared the dishes and the first evening stars appeared in the sky, Yuri beckoned for Rei and the captain to come over to the railing.
“I saw the birds first,” he said in a low voice. He pointed off the starboard bow—north, the direction they’d originally come from.
Rei looked where he indicated and covered her mouth to hide her gasp. There was the cloud of gulls circling in one spot over the water, and when she looked below them, the dark shadow following them had reappeared.
Mynta pulled out her spyglass and focused on the shadow. Just then, something broke the surface—a massive head. With a grim expression, she quickly turned and handed the spyglass to Rei.
When she looked, her blood ran cold again. Staring back at her was a triangle-shaped head covered in scales with a spiky fin on top and slitted reptilian eyes.
“Sea serpent,” she whispered as she passed the spyglass to her husband. A sailor’s worst nightmare. Some of them were long enough to wrap their coils around a ship and squeeze until it broke apart, then pick the drowning sailors out of the water;
The Voyage of the Miscreation #1: The Voyage Begins Page 7