Trapped By Claws (Of Seas and Tides)

5. Leaning

Mama stood behind Hosvir, her hand at the base of her throat as she stared at Corvin with wide, frightened eyes. Hosvir stood with his burly arms akimbo, his stance strong and his gaze narrowed on Corvin. His iron-grey beard with streaks of red framed his broad features, but worry glinted in one narrowed dark-blue eye.

Corvin—my stomach somersaulted.

Salt's bane, he chilled and heated my blood at once. He stood on the other side of the room, his manner deceptively lazy and languid as he regarded Mama and Hosvir.

He was much taller in his human form than I'd expected. Long and lithe.

Almost like a dancer. Yet deadlier.

His expression was hard, and the unusual yellow-and-green stripes over his face, neck, and hands made his appearance all the more alarming and severe and…beautiful. His hair, though still loose and curled, was pushed back from his face in a more orderly fashion. He wore elegant black garb with accents of a dusky yellow-orange. The fashion was outdated and similar to the older northern traditions, but it was well kept and crisp, the black fabric as rich and dark as if freshly dyed. His boots were oiled and shiny, his posture firm.

"This is your warning," Corvin said. No melody laced his voice, no playfulness danced in his eyes. "But you, Captain, should not require one. You know the purpose of these waters and what lies beyond the boundary. You know as well the agreement. You know how all of this works."

Captain Hosvir remained in his powerful stance. Though he was only a little over five feet tall, he looked strong enough to snap a full-grown man in two. His green-and-indigo kraken tattoo peeked out from the edges of his dark-green coat sleeves. The raging of his pulse along his throat and a flicker in his one good eye were the only real indicators that he was actually afraid. "Aye. I do, and we have not crossed the boundaries."

Corvin's eyebrow flicked upward in contempt. "No, but there's a storm coming. And you're dangerously close. It would take very little to send your vessel over the edge into forbidden waters. Especially when the boundary line shifts. And who is to say how far it will shift? You know the stories."

"We're headed to the Salt Channel. Not the North Sea," Captain Hosvir said gruffly. "We'll navigate it after the storm passes. No one here is trying to get anything past the King of the North Sea."

Mama stepped closer. Her fingers brushed Corvin's arm.

Captain Hosvir's eyes widened. He darted forward with surprising speed and drew Mama back. He whispered something to Mama in a voice so low I couldn't catch it before he placed himself in front of her. Though Mama was a little taller than Hosvir, she seemed much smaller and frailer, her expression now chastened and her shoulders drawn tight.

Corvin's eyes narrowed on her, disgust twitching in his features. He didn't even seem to notice the captain. "Do not touch me."

"Please. We are only trying to reach the Oracle of the Glass Mountain," Mama said, her voice shaking. "And—and we know of the island near the boundary of the North Sea. It would be faster if you granted us permission to enter the North Sea. We could reach both within a day if you would. Surely the king will understand that we are searching for my youngest?—"

"The king has no more mercy than the sea," Corvin growled. "There is neither mercy nor leeway in these requirements. If the boundary line shifts and you are on the wrong side of it, this ship will be destroyed."

"But if you would just speak to him and ask him for his permission so that we could at least visit the island—" Mama tried to reach for him again. Hosvir shushed her, reaching out with his large hand to grip her arm.

Corvin's glare turned icy. "No," he growled.

Mama fell back. She looked as if he'd slapped her. Her chin trembled as she bit back the tears. "My youngest?—"

"Means nothing to me and less to the King of the North Sea." The venom and ice in Corvin's voice could not have been any colder.

Mama darted forward, moving around Hosvir. She grabbed at Corvin's arm, her fingers clutching at his sleeve with desperation.

He hissed, pushing her away.

The ship tilted as he did, the books and papers sliding against the ledges of the table. Mama lurched back. Corvin held his ground, glaring at her. She collapsed on the other side of the room as the scrolls rolled out and the books slid away. A pained cry escaped her lips. Had he shoved her?

I sprang forward, slamming the door open. "Don't touch my mother!" My fists clenched.

Reaching the table, I seized the silver precision pencil compass and lifted it like a dagger.

He spun to face me. No alarm rose in his eyes. No concern either. Only delight. The hint of a smile flashed before vanishing into the carved marble of his features.

"Ahh, the stew cook. Come to threaten me with a spoon again, clever girl? Or…a compass, I suppose," he sneered. Yet as he spoke, there was more a note of play than there had been before.

I kept my grip on the pencil compass tight, the silver point glinting in the low lamplight.

"Don't touch him, Philomena," Captain Hosvir called out, his voice rough and low. He knelt beside Mama, his arms around her and holding her close as if she were a wounded bird. "He is one of the enforcers of the King of the North Sea. He cannot be touched unless he initiates it or harms someone here."

"And I have harmed no one here." Corvin spread his arms in a mocking bow, his attention focused wholly on me. "I can see now why you were so anxious to get back to this ship. Obviously you share your mother's focus and her determination to save her one daughter."

"Do you know this man?" Mama looked at me with wide, weepy eyes. She tried to stand.

Captain Hosvir's thick grey eyebrows lifted as well, but he returned his attention to Mama, helping her to her feet and checking her for injuries.

I lifted my chin, the compass still gripped in my hand. "Enforcer or not, hurt anyone in my family, and I will hurt you back."

Corvin tilted his head, his gaze narrowing. "You say that as if you've put your words to the test. Intriguing. Maybe you have your own teeth and claws, darling." He smirked as he glanced from me back to Mama. "You must take after your father."

"Why are you here?" I demanded.

"To deliver a message. Which I have done. You have all been warned. Beware of the boundary line and abide by our laws." He tipped his head and strode away. His cloak swirled out behind him with a dramatic snap.

I set the pencil compass down on the table next to the little book Mama had been working on. My fingers ached from gripping it so tight. "How can a boundary line shift?"

Mama burst into sobs, her whole body shaking. "The island may be our only hope for finding Erryn in time. We have to do something! We have to. I know my translations are correct. If we can access the island and reach the staircase there, I can test it. We might not even have to continue sailing. We can look through all of the staircases and see if there are any signs. It could fix everything!"

Captain Hosvir kept his arm around her. He gave her shoulder a gentle pat. "It'll be all right. We'll find another way, dove. There's never only one way to do anything, hmm?"

Mama shook her head, tears still streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she couldn't even stand up straight. "We can't afford any delays! It's been too long already. Every second counts!"

My mouth pinched. As angry as I got with Mama, I hated seeing her cry. She couldn't be reasoned with when she was like this. "We'll figure something out." I spun on my heel and chased after Corvin.

Corvin's footsteps rang in my mind. They were heavy and strong, half the pace of the beat of my heart.

I turned the corner and spotted him striding away.

"You're just going to leave?" I spat the words out like rotted food. "You threaten us, almost hit my mother, and then decide to leave?"

Corvin turned to face me, eyes blazing and hungry once more as his gaze ran over me. The smirk had turned cruel. "I did not strike your mother. She tried to grab me. I pushed her off. The ship took care of the rest. But that's not why you came chasing after me, is it?" His eyes hooded. "There's something you want from me."

My breath caught in my throat. Thank the Creator for those infernal stripes and vibrant colors or else I'd have been completely lost in his presence. I lifted my chin. "Listen, I don't know much about what lies in these waters. But, besides the oracle, apparently there's an island my mother wants to visit. She says it will help us find my sister. Maybe we'll find some sort of closure. I'm not asking it as a favor. We'd be more than willing to pay. Just name the price."

"There is no price," he responded.

"Fine." I swallowed hard. My voice trembled. "Then I'm asking a favor. Of you. Please."

His eyebrow arched. "Well…now, that is tempting." He turned to face me fully and stepped toward me.

Heart racing, I backed up. "So can you do it?" My breaths quickened. "Can you get us permission to be on the island without risk?"

"That's not a favor within my power to grant. The king has never granted anyone such a favor since he was imprisoned in the North Sea. It's a matter of principle. Or spite."

"Is the King of the North Sea so immune to pleas for mercy that he won't even consider granting my mother's request? I swear we mean no harm."

Scoffing, he set his hands on his narrow waist. He took another step closer. "And why should any of you be shown mercy? You deserve nothing."

"That's rather the point of mercy." I bumped into the wall. "If we deserved it, it wouldn't be mercy."

His lips trembled in the barest hint of a true smile. He stopped in front of me and pressed his hand against the wall near my head, caging me in as he leaned closer. He was so close, I could smell him. Salty ambergris, white patchouli, and spiced rum overwhelmed my senses.

I blinked, struggling to steady myself as his bright-green eyes homed in on mine. My pulse raged.

"Of course," he murmured, his voice low and silky. "My offer still stands."

I pressed myself back against the wall, palms against the coarse wood. "What offer?"

"To come to my home. My lair, as you called it." His gaze raked over me, leaving me breathless. That smile curled at his lips as his eyes grew sharper, hungrier. The claws on the hand pressed against the wall tapped against the wood.

"You just threatened everyone on this ship, and you think I would agree to run off with you?" I forced the words out. But I was wondering what would happen if I said yes.

His smirk wavered. Then he leaned closer, his breath wisping over my cheek. "Except you're thinking about it." His eyebrow lifted.

"No!" I snapped. Or at least I tried. The word came out so much weaker and softer. There was something about him. Something in the way he looked at me that stole my breath and my strength. I swallowed hard. "I'm not tempted at all." My voice cracked.

He smirked.

"Maybe I was a little before you threatened this ship," I said, stumbling over my words. "But I don't associate with people who kill for no reason."

"It isn't without reason," he murmured. His eyes had grown harder.

"The answer is still no."

He slid his left hand against my throat, pushing me harder against the wall.

Heat spasmed through me.

His body did not press against mine though his other arm kept me caged. The tips of his claws pressed against my skin, making my flesh prickle and tingle. He caressed the column of my throat with the blade of his thumb. "Is it really?" His eyes half shaded as he leaned closer to me, his mouth a whisper's breadth from my ear. "What could I offer you to make you say yes, clever girl? I can't grant you permission to be in the North Sea or protection on the island. But something else…"

My mouth went dry. Think. I had to think of something clever or witty to say.

But as my lips parted, he moved away from my ear and back in front of my face, his nose so close it nearly brushed mine. That spicy, heady scent made me want to collapse against him and just breathe him in. "All I want is my sister back. I know that might not be possible, so I'll take Mama and me finding some life beyond this madness. That's all."

"Hmmm. Is it really?" His gaze narrowed. He didn't move away. "You humans are so fragile. You don't even need someone to ensure your kind don't survive. Why would anyone forbid your presence? Nature would destroy you in less time than it would take to blink."

"One would think you wouldn't worry about enforcing such laws against us then." I forced my voice to remain steady. Why was this so hard? Was it some sort of glamour coming off him? It couldn't be. Shifter fae didn't have glamour.

I dropped my gaze. Something about his eyes made me feel like I was sinking and being drawn in all at once. Like I was bound to him. Somehow. "We're harmless. I swear it. We're just looking for my sister. It won't hurt anyone to let us go there."

"Just laws apply to all, darling. Weak and strong alike. I could snap your neck and spine as easily as I could puncture your flesh with my claws. And yet…yet there is both fire and iron in your eyes. You've seen things on your journey, haven't you? And you accused me of killing without reason. An unusual distinction. Most would have accused me simply of killing. Have you killed someone for good reason, clever girl?"

My heart lurched. "What difference does it make?"

His smile broadened. "Tell me the truth. I can't help but notice no one's followed you. And no one noticed you were missing during that ordeal the other day. It's almost as if you don't exist. Do you think your mother would be upset to see you here with me? Or do you think maybe she was hoping you'd come here and offer yourself? It seems like she is so caught up in how to save her youngest she's willing to sacrifice her eldest. Not that it's uncommon for parents to make such decisions when their little ones' lives are at stake. We all have to make hard choices." He drummed his claws against the wood of the wall behind my head. "You have hard choices ahead of you as well. Especially if this ship remains on the course we all know it is."

Anger flared within me. I bit it back and forced the words out. "Captain Hosvir was clear about our destination, our route, and our intentions. We are not lawbreakers."

"And your mother is set on reaching this oracle as soon as possible, second only to getting to that island. The North Sea boundary is always shifting, and the island falls right within that point. Trust me, I've been here long enough to know what happens next." He stroked a line down my throat with his claw. "And a clever girl like you knows it too, Mena." He whispered my name, his hot breath tickling my neck. "You'd be so much better off with me."

I hated the smug way he looked at me, but it took all my strength not to shiver at his voice or arch against his touch. My fingers curled against my palms, heat flaring through me. I hated him. "Never."

"So you say, but who knows what the coming days may bring, darling?" He tapped his finger against my lower lip. He then glanced down the corridor. "Really, I must admit, after how this has all played out, I'm starting to wonder if anyone here would even notice if I scooped you up and carried you off. If I could get them permission to be safely on the island, they'd probably give you to me. Just offer you up like a sacrificial lamb. Trade the daughter they have for the one they want?—"

I struck him across the face.