Guya glanced to Carth and nodded. “Maybe Anisa should get below deck again. The wind is picking up.”
Carth briefly looked to the sea before nodding. She’d agreed to do what she needed to help, and as far as Guya was concerned, that meant that she would cook and keep the others as well as possible. With her knowledge of herbs—as slight as it might be—the sailors would value what she knew.
As she headed below, she tried to listen to their conversation, but without pulling on the shadows and risking them detecting what she did, she didn’t have any way of hearing them well.
A single covered lantern hung beneath the ship. It glowed softly, leaving most of the space darkened in shadows, not that she minded. Carth used them, less afraid here, and wrapped herself in the dark.
Carth found below deck to have a foul odor, one that she hadn’t noted on the Levelan. It was a mixture of filth, one that filled her nose and she couldn’t shake free. There was something else with it, a hint of sweetness, one that she had detected before. She still hadn’t found where they’d hidden the girl—girls, more likely. She’d thought it in casks of ale, but that hadn’t proven to be the case.
The shadows swirled around her, a welcome cloak that she stayed within, holding them against her so that she could hide. Wrapped in the shadows, she listened, fearful that Talun or one of the other crew might hear her, but so far they had not.
During her time on the Goth Spald, she had met a few of the crew, but never shared with them the same conversations she once had with Tessa or Adam. Thinking of them, she wondered, did they miss her the way she missed them? Did they think of her, wondering what had happened, or had they given up as they continued their trip south, where Jhon would meet up with the others he aligned with? There were times when she lamented the fact that she had lost contact with them, but returning to the north—and learning whether there was anything she could do that would help stop the Hjan—was worth the hardship.
How had she believed that she could simply leave? She might not have had a single home while growing up, but weren’t all the places she had visited her home in some way? Should she not value that, and try to protect what she could?
A sound caught her attention.
Carth hovered in the shadows, pressing her back against one of the walls of the hold. What had she heard? There was a scraping quality to it, one that reminded her of something dragged across the ground, but she saw nothing that would make her think there was anything else here.
A light flickered on.
Carth held her breath.
She might be cloaked, but would she be strong enough to hold the shadows in place so that whoever was down in the hold would miss the fact that she was here? Would the shadows appear unnatural? That was a risk as much as discovery, one that would allow whoever was here to know that something was amiss.
“What do you see?”
The voice hissed in the darkness, the sound like the boat creaking against the waves.
“Thought I saw someone coming down here.”
Carth recognized Talun’s voice. Somehow, she didn’t see him. Either he was obscured by another power—and she had seen the light do that for Ras, so she wondered if maybe that might be the answer—or he remained low enough that she just hadn’t seen him.
Light surged, pressing against the shadows.
Carth had her answer.
She hadn’t expected to find someone else like Ras here, but then, how else would he control the girl, especially if she really did have some ability with the light?
“See? There’s nothing.”
Carth clung to the shadows, even as she felt the pressure of the light against her. Whoever used it—and she wasn’t sure that it was Talun based on the comment—had some strength, but not quite as much as what Ras had possessed.
She shifted her focus to the A’ras magic, using the anxiety fluttering her heart to help her reach the steady burning within her blood. Since getting free of Ras, she hadn’t attempted the A’ras magic, hadn’t reached for the flames, but she needed to now, if only to reassure herself that if they managed to press away her ability with the shadows, she had another option.
Only… that was the wrong way of thinking, wasn’t it? That had been what Ras had tried to show her—that she didn’t need the A’ras flame or the shadow gift in order to find a way to victory.
Carth still held on to her connection, hesitating to do anything more than what she had.
“Where are they?”
“As I told you, they are secured.”
“Secured. You also told me that you would be captain by now.”
Talun grunted softly. “That is something I have less control over. I tried to eliminate him, but your men were too noisy with her.”
Had Talun intended for Guya to die? She had thought he had shown compassion, wanting only to incapacitate him, but what if that hadn’t been the case? Guya was a strong man and might survive something that would kill a lesser man.
“It is fortunate that you found another way to conceal the cargo.”
“With the way you appear, why do we need to do this at all?” Talun asked.
Appear. That sounded too much like what the Hjan did.
Carth took a small step forward, dragging the shadows with her. It risked them noticing her, but if the Hjan could control the light, then she needed to know it, and she needed to know whether Talun worked with them.
She reached a point where the light pushed on her again, and she dared not go any further. Doing so risked exposing herself, and losing the connection to the shadows. What she needed was knowledge.
She had to think about it as if she were playing a game of Tsatsun. Were she playing, this would be a time when she would try maneuvering pieces around the board to gauge how her opponent would react, only this time, the pieces she might move included herself.
“My strength is not in traveling with another,” the man said.
“What are your strengths, Marlin?”
Light surged for a moment.
Carth dropped to the ground, curling into a ball so that the shadows would hopefully protect her even as she barely managed to remain hidden from the surge of light. She didn’t understand the magic and realized now that she should have questioned Ras more about it, but whatever this Marlin possessed was very potent. How had she ever believed that he wasn’t strong?
“There are many paths to power, Talun. If you succeed with what you promised, you will learn what they are.”
Carth understood now. Talun wanted to be one of the Hjan, and whatever he did now would help facilitate that.
She had known there would be others of the Hjan, and while playing as them on the Tsatsun board, she could tell that they would throw themselves at whatever their target might be, but she hadn’t given as much thought to why men would be drawn to the Hjan, though the answer was obvious: power. She had seen it in Nyaesh, just as she saw it now. Those without any natural power would be drawn to those who claimed the ability to grant it.
“As I said, the cargo is intact.”
“How many?”
“Only five this time. Will that be enough?” There was a certain longing in his voice.
“That will help.”
“Will it be enough?”
The Hjan chuckled. “If you succeed in bringing them where we agreed, it will be enough. You will be given your gift.”
The light flashed out.
Not flashed, Carth decided as a familiar nausea rolled through her; flickered. And the Hjan was gone.
17
Carth rested on her bunk, trying to make as little noise as possible. Even here, with the sea sending the ship swaying from side to side, she heard a steady groaning that she couldn’t quite convince herself came from the wood heaving beneath the waves.
She hadn’t managed to find Talun’s “cargo.” The girls would be here, and the ship was not large enough for them to hide, but so far, she hadn’t managed to find anything.
She
didn’t know how much more time she had. When they reached Wesjan, either she would have to reveal herself, or she would have to follow Talun as he attempted to make the exchange. A part of her considered revealing to Guya what she knew, but she wondered if he would believe her. Were she in his place, she didn’t know that she would believe.
No… she had to find where the girls might be held. They were on the ship—that much she did know. And likely with the casks of ale, but those she’d checked had been what they were supposed to be. The only rooms she hadn’t checked had been the sailors’ quarters, and she couldn’t easily get in there.
Carth jumped down from the bunk, pulling on the shadows as she did and holding them in such a way that they concealed her landing. She padded out of the room, ignoring the three other of the crew still resting. They would be no help. The crew she had approached, trying to get to know them, would all clearly side with Talun. Some of them, she suspected, would side with him over Guya. That answered the question of what would have happened had Guya actually died while on the shore. She had hoped that the crew wouldn’t have responded to Talun, but they all seemed to respect him.
A steady tapping came from above her, and Carth made her way up the stairs at the end of the narrow hall that led up to the deck. There, under the light of the moon, she realized that the ship was pulling into a port.
Lights glowed in a way that reminded her of Odian or of Nyaesh, and she wondered if they had reached Wesjan. If so, then she would be too late to do anything other than follow Talun.
The ship eased toward the dock just as a powerful wave crashed against its side, sending her skittering across the deck and slamming into the railing. She held on to it tightly, trying to keep from going over and into the water.
The sudden change forced her to use the shadows. Without really meaning to, she pulled on strength from the shadows as she hit the railing. Momentum carried her up and over the edge and into the air. Carth held on to her connection, letting the shadows carry her into the night.
Wind whipped around her, and she held her breath, trying not to react too much, but steeling herself for the landing.
She splashed into water.
Her breath burst from her lungs and she kicked.
The current here was faster than she had expected, explaining how the ship had slammed into the dock. She had always been a strong swimmer, and she immediately began kicking, splashing more loudly than she thought made sense.
Carth caught herself, calming her mind. She couldn’t make too much noise. There would be those on the ship who would recognize the sounds. They might search and attempt to help her, but she wasn’t convinced that they all would, and she didn’t want to get caught by Talun. If she did, she might need to do something that would expose her.
Carth popped her head above the water and peered around her.
The port city glowed in the distance. The current had dragged her away from the city, pulling her much farther than she would have expected. She didn’t see anything that would be the Goth Spald.
She started swimming toward the shore, using the shadows to strengthen her as she did. With each stroke, she came closer. When she finally reached the shore, she crawled onto a pile of slimy rock and rested her head back, her lungs burning and her arms and legs tired from the effort. Without her connection to the shadows, she doubted she would have survived the swim.
Carth took a moment to get her bearings. The city was lit up in the distance, but close enough that she could see movement. She didn’t hear anything from it, nothing but the steady crashing of waves, a sound she had become all too familiar with.
Surveying the water, she found a pair of dark vessels near the port. One moved away from the port, and the other shadowed it. The shape of the first ship reminded her of the Goth Spald, but why would it go back out to sea, especially after only just coming in? Guya wanted supplies to finish the crossing to Wesjan, and he intended to obtain them here.
A soft splash followed by something that she thought might be a shout drifted to her ears.
Carth hesitated, thinking about what she might have heard. It was probably nothing more than a fish. They could be noisy enough, and there were certainly enough along here. The crew had caught dozens of dapplebass and cod, making for a surprisingly tasty option when she cooked.
The splashing continued.
That wasn’t the sound of fish. It was the sound of a struggle.
Carth stood, holding on to the shadows, unmindful of the fact that she might be outlined against the city where she stood. She strained to see into the night, but even holding on to her shadows, she couldn’t see anything clearly enough to know what she’d heard.
Maybe it really was nothing more than a fish.
As much as she wanted to believe that, she didn’t think it likely. The splashing was too regular, though it was different than the current lapping at the shore.
She tried to ignore it, but she couldn’t. She had to know what it was.
Carth waded back into the water. With the shadows, she at least had the renewed strength that helped, but how long would that hold out? Would she be able to swim out to where she thought she’d heard the sound? Even if she did, there was no guarantee that it was anything. What if she succeeded, only to find herself stranded?
The shadows would help her.
Carth swam into the sea, pulling with steady strokes as she swam toward the sound. As she swam, the splashing became clearer. There was no question about what she heard. Someone had fallen overboard.
She neared where she should find the splashing, but the sound was gone.
Carth treaded water, listening for what had brought her out here, anything, but there was nothing.
She took a deep breath, breathing in the shadows and using that connection to part the darkness. It didn’t work perfectly, but it took some of the edge off of the shadows, enough that she could see through them. Now she saw only the steady waves of the sea, and nothing more.
Would it work underwater?
Taking another deep breath, she dove.
The salt burned her eyes as she tried to see anything. There was nothing there.
Carth reached the surface again and took another breath. Diving once more, she searched beneath her. The water had a translucency to it, and the longer she held her breath, the more she was able to see, almost as if the water took on a soft glow.
That wasn’t quite right. The longer she remained underwater, the more she sent the A’ras flame into the water, using that to help her pierce the darkness.
Light bloomed around her, bright enough now for her to see.
Fish swam away from her, great schools deep below her.
Carth turned, her breath burning against her lungs. As she began to think she wouldn’t find anything, a dark form loomed in the distance, not moving the same way the fish did.
She needed to take a breath, but she feared that if she did, she’d lose sight of the person.
Kicking herself forward, she prayed she would have enough breath remaining to reach them.
Each stroke carried her closer, and by the time she did reach the person, she could barely hold what remained of her breath. She didn’t dare let it out; if she did, she knew she would suck in a mouthful of seawater, and then there would be two bodies floating.
Pulling from reserves she didn’t know she had, she grabbed at the person’s shirt and yanked as she started kicking toward the surface. If this didn’t work, she’d have to try again, but she didn’t know if she would have the strength.
Carrying another with her, especially as weakened as she was, was difficult, but each kick carried her closer to the surface. Carth’s vision began to fade. If she didn’t reach the surface soon, she’d black out.
She pulled on the shadows within the water, trying to reach the flame as well. There was a momentary burst of strength. She held on to that and kicked again, this time with more strength.
Her head pierced the surface and she took a gasping b
reath.
Her heart raced and it took a few moments for her vision to clear so that she could see where she was. She had no idea how far out from shore that she was, or even which direction she would need to go. Reaching for this person had disoriented her.
She kept his head above the surface of the water and rolled him over. With a gasp, she realized it was Guya.
Carth scanned the night, searching for the Goth Spald, but the ship was gone. Talun had wanted to remove Guya from his place as captain, and now it seemed that he had.
Carth tried pushing on his stomach, forcing the water from him, but bobbing as they did in the water, it was difficult for her to get the necessary leverage. She tried again, and this time, she held on to his hands and used her feet to push against his stomach. Water spewed from his mouth, and he took a shallow breath, then a deeper one. With each passing moment, he breathed deeper. He still didn’t open his eyes, and she knew that was a problem, but at least he lived. Talun hadn’t succeeded in that.
A distant cluster of lights burned far from her and she started toward it, not knowing whether it was the city, or some ship that might be moving away from her. She had no choice but to swim toward it. At least she had the strength of the shadows, and with that, she might be able to reach it.
Carth lost track of how long she had been swimming. Had it been hours? In that time, Guya still hadn’t woken, and she dragged him with her, switching arms supporting him so that they didn’t get too fatigued. The shore loomed closer; by now, she was convinced that it was the shore and not some ship that taunted her with how close it could be, but always moving away.
She hadn’t worked out what she would tell Guya when he came around. If he came around. Did she admit that she had swum out to him? Maybe she could convince him that she had heard him go overboard and had gone after him, but if she did that, she would need to be ready for the questions about what she had seen, and how he had gone over.
She couldn’t worry about that now. For now, she had to find a way to get them back to shore.
The longer she swam, the more she felt an overwhelming fatigue. She paused often, but the more breaks she took, the harder it became for her to resume swimming. After a while, Carth stopped taking the breaks, preferring to swim slower. If only Guya would wake up and assist her, but the damned shadow-forgotten man remained deadweight. Not dead, though, at least not yet. She hoped she could get them back to shore, where she could work on figuring out a way to help him.
The Shadow Accords Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 50