JAMES
I’m on deck, watching the silver shores of Argentum come into view but my thoughts are centered around the man standing next to me.
The seas were smooth and the wind favorable making the journey here fairly uneventful.
But even so, I was pulled in many directions over the last few days, dealing with this or that; it made private moments with Caspian nearly impossible.
My need for him has only grown—it’s like a dam broke and there’s no stopping what I previously was too nervous to explore.
Or maybe it’s just him—I certainly haven’t felt this way about another man before, and I have a feeling I won’t find anything close to this in the future either.
The other night, he’d left the book of poetry open on my desk and I still can’t get the words out of my head:
there is a hunger in him
that has nothing to do with survival
and everything to do
with being seen
And then, scrawled in the prince’s handwriting, was a single line:
Even the deepest waters cannot drown what is meant to burn
I scrub a hand over my face and try to cool down the heat that’s been plaguing me. Our stolen moments together have been incredibly hot, but I’m aching to drag him off this ship and find a private room to hole up in for the next twenty-four hours.
We disembark and part ways from the crew, who will handle resupplying us for the rest of the journey.
The next part is the most perilous because we’re going to be entering the Straights, and then the Stormwrack.
There isn’t anywhere to resupply in the Stormwrack so whatever we carry in has to sustain us for the length of time we’re sailing there as well as the journey back.
It’s just one of the many parts of sailing there that make it so dangerous.
I follow Caspian into the Silver Stag . The place falls deathly quiet as we enter and even Caspian makes a thoughtful sound as we make our way to the bar. I’m listening to him order the drinks but I’m looking out over the crowd of patrons.
Something feels off. It’s not crowded but the people that are here don’t seem happy to see us. I watch a man slip out the front door with a quick look over his shoulder.
“I don’t like this,” I grumble.
Caspian hands me an ale and looks over the crowd as he takes a sip. The whispers start up again and while people go back to their drinks, their focus isn’t quite diverted from us.
“Not a friendly lot,” Caspian mutters. “We might want to cut down our time here.”
I throw back the rest of my ale and order a bottle of rum instead. Caspian requests food and we make our way to a table in the back corner. We’d just finished eating when the door opens.
I curse under my breath at the figure darkening the door.
“Fuck.”
Caspian looks over. “Who is that?”
“James, I hoped I’d find you here.”
“Anders.”
The large man gives Caspian a once over. “New friend?”
“Anders, this is Fox.”
Anders shoots me a condescending look and tsks under his breath. “Come now, Blackwell, don’t play me for a fool. Everyone knows you’re sailing with a De’Vero prince these days.”
Caspian studies Anders coldly. “Then since introductions aren’t needed, why don’t you have a seat?” He says. His words are casual—his stare is anything but.
Anders’ eyes glitter with shrewd calculation before he nods once and pulls out a chair, sinking his large frame down into it. He leans his forearms on the table and signals for another glass .
“Word on the wind is you boys have been busy,” Anders says.
His glass gets delivered and I slide the rum bottle towards him.
“Busy?” Caspian echoes. “Doing what?”
“This and that,” Anders says vaguely but there’s a glint in his eyes.
“None of it very interesting except for one thing.” He looks between me and Caspian but when we don’t take the bait, he chuckles.
“There’s a rumor that you know the coordinates to the lost city and are going after the gold.
” The silence stretches and Anders leans back in his chair. “Like I said—just a rumor.”
“That’s some rumor,” Caspian says.
“Isn’t it though?” Anders swirls his glass. “Seems to me, if it were true, there’s more than enough gold there to share.” He leans forward again and fixes me with a hard stare. “So, what’ll it take?”
“You’re assuming a lot of things,” I growl.
Anders smiles condescendingly. “Blackwell, I’ve known you for how long now?
Four—five years? The Stormbreaker doesn’t get into anything frivolous.
” His gaze shifts to Caspian and he gives him a slow once over, his head tilted in interest. “And he certainly doesn’t sail with De’Vero princes.
” He looks back at me. “And for those facts alone, I think the rumor is true. I think you do know where the city is, and I want in on the gold.”
Caspian shakes his head and stands. “You know what they say about assumptions.” He looks at me. “Captain.”
I throw back the rest of my rum and stand, stopping at Anders’ shoulder. “Don’t mistake our truce for a partnership.”
Anders doesn’t look at me but sips from his rum, a smug look on his face. “Careful who you keep as an enemy, Blackwell.”
“You’re welcome to follow me into the Stormwrack, Anders.”
He looks up at me and a flicker of fear crosses his face. I sneer down at him in amusement.
“Thought as much.” I head towards the exit with Caspian a few steps ahead. I shove open the door and step out into the street, headed towards the beach.
“He seems nice,” Caspian says, sarcasm dripping from his words. But when he turns to me I see the worry in his eyes. “Why’d you invite him to follow us?”
I smirk. “It’s a well-known story among us pirates.
Anders tried to sail the Stormwrack once and the Kraken nearly killed him.
They took out two of his ships and stranded him for a month in the Straights.
” Caspian whistles low. “Apparently he, and the small group he was with, had to resort to cannibalism to survive. As far as I know, he’s never made an attempt again. ”
Caspian gawks at me, eyes wide. “Seriously? ”
I look at him grimly. “Did you think I was exaggerating when I said the Stormwrack is dangerous? You underestimate it at your own peril.”
“I knew it was dangerous,” Caspian insists. “Just—not exactly how much, apparently.”
He’s chewing on his bottom lip. My first thought is I want to be doing that with my own mouth, second is a lurch of fear—
“You would have sailed up there if I hadn’t kidnapped you,” I say aloud. At his nod I scoff. “Good thing I stopped you then.”
He meets my gaze and sees the amusement on my face, returning it with a smirk and a huff of a laugh.
“With questionable methods but yeah, you did, didn’t you?” His fingers brush mine as we walk down the road. “I guess we can count that as the first time you saved my life.”
He trails off as we reach the beach and see a large group congregated around the row boat. No—that’s not right—blocking the boat. Harrison and Van appear to be arguing heatedly with several of them.
“What’s the problem, gentlemen?” I ask as we come up beside Harrison.
“Shaw?” Caspian appears beside me.
A large man turns his attention to Caspian, his scowl deepening.
“Fox, I always knew you were a sneaky bastard,” he spits. “But you’ve got some nerve.”
“I’m going to need you to be more specific,” Caspian says dryly.
“They know,” Van mutters next to me.
“You know why I’m here—why we’re ‘ere,” Shaw states, gesturing to the group around him. I watch Caspian scan the group but his face is a blank mask of indifference.
“Again—too vague,” Caspian says.
His tone is careless and nonchalant but his hand has drifted to the pistol at his belt.
“The treasure,” Shaw says. “You promised it to your crew—your original crew. I’m here to make good on that.”
Harrison has his arms crossed, looking absolutely murderous. “We don’t have any positions open, mate.”
Shaw’s smirk takes on a lethal edge. “Not yet.”
There’s a scuffle and the crowd parts to reveal two men dragging Lan between them. He’s putting up a fight, but one eye is nearly all the way black and he’s got blood all over him. The men throw him on his knees in front of Shaw.
Caspian’s gun is out and pointed at Shaw in an instant. I’m quick to follow. The sounds of everyone else drawing weapons rings out over the sand .
Shaw shoves his gun at Lan’s head. “Let me tell you how it’s gonna go,” he snarls. “We all are going to sail with you on that ship—” He jerks his head towards the Tempest . “And we’re gonna get a cut of whate’r gold the lost city holds. Like was promised to us.”
Caspian shakes his head. “I’m afraid circumstances have changed.”
His free hand whips through the air, sending a knife flying across the space.
It hits Shaw in the eye and he drops. Chaos erupts.
As gunfire echoes across the sand, Harrison and I rush to Lan.
Caspian has his back to us, cutlass drawn as he fends off several advances.
He lunges to head off a man coming for him and gets tackled into the sand.
A cutlass comes for my head. I deflect it, seeing Van struggle to support a barely conscious Lan into the rowboat.
“Harrison!” I bark. “Get everyone back to the ship!”
I fire my pistol, rapidly followed by my second one, taking down two men before diving back into the fray.
I fight my way to Caspian who’s drenched in blood.
My heart lurches into my throat before I realize it’s not his.
He’s straddling a man who is very much dead, but Caspian continues to pummel him with his fists, lost in the blood lust. I watch his back, shoving a man away with a growl.
“Caspian,” I bark, looking back at him. “Caspian!”