Chapter Twenty-Nine
Perdita
“ N o, Blue, it is not safe. The Oracle said so.” If Lian fully understood my signs, she did not act like it. Instead, she crossed her arms and faced the window in my chambers, staring at Isle Element. She wanted to talk to the princess—the mind breaker. She had been so distracted earlier that I actually won a fight.
It was rather pathetic, her agony at not speaking to Asher. I had found the princess interesting, but nothing to be heartbroken over. Or maybe it was the fact that she missed her brute of a lover.
That was what I had decided they must have been: lovers.
“Stop looking me,” she signed, the broken phrase making me laugh.
Looking at her was all I could do today. The Air wore a navy blue blouse and beige trousers, her black boots lacing all the way to her knees. Her hair was free and wind-blown, her upper eyelid lined with black kohl that disappeared when she opened her slanted eyes all the way. She was pretty, there was no denying that. Probably one of the prettiest females I had ever seen.
Sadly, she was also a bitch, which meant I was never going to get my head between those strong thighs. Pity, I would have made her so happy for the night—or nights. And she would have numbed my mind, distracted me from just how much there was to do. How many things I still needed to accomplish. The planning that required my attention.
“But you are so beautiful, Blue,” I signed, blowing her a kiss. She responded by swiftly swinging her arm and letting her fist land in my gut. I hunched forward, smiling despite the pain. Never a dull moment with her.
Before I could throw my own punch, Ro burst through my door and rapidly signed, “Golden Guard are portaling onto the isle!”
“What?” Panic swept through me like an avalanche, barreling from my head down to my chest. The Oracle had not gotten back to us. We were still not positive what we were meant to fucking do.
“They are coming in groups of what seems to be twenty-five. So far three groups have come and gone from the Northwest side of the isle.” Ro’s signs were both furious and rattled. She was the best at signing among my crew, yet her fingers seemed to seize as she transitioned from one to the next.
“That is where the royals should be,” I signed back, trying to think as I went. Lian remained silent, her head quirked to the side as she squinted out the window. “Ro, we are more than prepared to fight. This is what we do. Stay calm, stay ready. Give me five minutes to sort out a plan. Prepare the others.”
With a nod and a brief glance towards Lian, Ro turned and left.
“What in the Underworld is going through your head right now, Blue?” I asked, trying my hardest not to lose my shit in the face of the unknown. This was what planning was for. Flailing about with no guidance was agonizing.
“Do you know how hard it was to mask my mind from Asher? I had to sit in my room below deck focusing on presenting a blank space like Bell taught me.” My eyes remained glued to her lips, the Air not even attempting to sign so many words. “In that time, I had the chance to think. Why take Asher on this trip? Why is Asher willingly following them? What is it that they have on her? And then I realized. She was not even searching for my mind. I did not even feel her magic near me once.”
Gods I wanted to silence her. She was wasting time on rambling nonsense. Yet, I could not bring myself to stop her line of thought. All I could manage was a simple nod when she turned to me.
“They did something to her. Whatever it is, her magic is being affected. Maybe even her mind. She cannot fight alone, Perdita.” There was a plea in her face as she furrowed her brows and widened her eyes.
She was asking us to fight for something other than gold or freedom. Lian was asking for more than I could offer. More than I was willing to give.
“I cannot bring my crew in there without more information. Your prince asked me to help with whatever the Oracle needs, and, from my understanding, that is only transportation as of right now. I will not bring my crew there to die. Not for any reason other than more gold.” It was a brutal answer, and by the way she mouthed the words I was signing, I could tell that she mostly understood.
Even so, there was confusion written across her face. As if she had expected something else of me.
“I only care about that, Blue. Do not think me some hero.”
Her shoulders fell as she turned to look out the window once more. It was for the best that she knew exactly who and what I was. There was no part of me that cared about the greater good or the better of the realms. I cared about my coin, my ship, myself, and my crew—in that order. There was nothing more important than the gold that made life worth living.
I meant to leave, to walk away and let her stew in her disappointment, but something about her stance changed. It was minute, just a slight shift of her body that told me something was wrong. Closing the space between us, I came to her side and tried to find what was in her line of sight.
In the distance stood a female, her boots planted upon the dock. She wore plain brown trousers and a soft burgundy blouse. Her hair fanned out around her in tight spirals, her coffee skin offset by a flash of her teeth as she chuckled.
She was staring at us.
Fuck.
I grabbed Lian by the arm, tugging her away from the window and through my chambers. We needed to move quickly if we were going to be prepared for their attack. I had never seen a Golden Guard without their armor, but that must have been what she was. Otherwise, why stare at our ship? Why look right at us as if she knew we were watching? It was unsettling.
My mind considered possibilities, so many of them it made my head pound. But I was the best for a reason. I could do this. If not me, then no one would be able to. Bringing my free hand to my mouth, I let out a quick set of whistles. In moments, the entirety of my crew was before me, minus Dima. She would have been incredibly helpful today.
“We are about to be boarded. You know where you belong. Remember, it is better to die than to let them take you. We defend the Abaddon with all we have. If she sinks, then so do we. Understand?” Each of them nodded, straightening at my orders. “Pockets full, souls empty!”
“Pockets full, souls empty!” Their returned signs were met with silence today. We likely would refrain from speaking at all until we knew we were safe. There were many benefits to knowing sign, but being able to converse silently when being attacked was at the top of the list.
Lian remained still, her eyes glued to the spot where the female had been. But now, it was empty. Not a single fae upon the docks. Stella, you bitch of a goddess, do not let my ship sink today.
With that, I turned, aiming for the mainmast. But instead of open air, I hit something hard. My head slammed forward, my nose aching at the pain of whatever I had run into. Before I could so much as gain my bearings, someone shoved me to the side. With a stumble, I balanced myself just in time to see Lian run into the arms of…Henry Nash.
His broad smile was infectious as he caught her, whispering something into her ear. What was he doing here?
Behind him, the mortal princess looked as if she might be sick. She watched the show of affection in what seemed like the same way I did, but there was something that simmered beneath the surface, rising as the water bubbled.
To my right, one of my crew members approached. No, not my crew member. They felt wrong. Freeing my blade, I lifted it to the throat of the very female who had been watching us from the dock. If a smile could tear apart a world, then this female’s would. She was terrifying for some reason. A sense of foreboding dripped from her, like the future itself stared me in the eye.
“Hello, Captain Perdita Harligold,” she said, her mouth moving so slowly it was impossible not to understand. A chill crawled up my spine, shivers following in its wake. “We better hurry, we have company.”
With that, she reached into the pocket of her trousers, grabbed a piece of paper, and slapped it against my chest. Then, to my utter bewilderment, she gripped my wrist and shoved it away. I could have killed her; punished her for attempting to board my ship and tell me what to do. Why did I not?
My hand caught the paper as it began its descent to the deck. Flipping it over, I found coordinates.
Lian’s hand wrapped around mine as I made to crumple the paper. Looking up, I was met with the most honest expression she had ever given me. Determination hardened her face, jaw ticking as she let her gaze roam my soul.
Bek was at my side immediately, her hand casing Lian’s.
“That is Nicola Salvatore. It looks like your time for transporting goods has not yet expired,” Lian offered, her lips slow.
Underworld below, we were fucking doomed.