Nineteen
THE STORM LASTED for most of the night. About an hour in, Tal had escorted her back to the cabin and watched her fall into bed, where she’d slept, deep and dreamless, for the first time in weeks. She woke feeling focused and clearheaded with no one else in the cabin. It was time to pull herself together, check on her crew, and then figure out how to sneak some poison into a soup bowl or two.
With that plan in mind, she splashed her face with freezing water, subdued her hair into a thick braid, and opened the door to leave the cabin. Holland, however, was standing on the other side, Tal right behind him.
“I’m going to check on the crew,” she said, waiting for them to move.
“You have some explaining to do.” Holland bit off his words as if he was struggling to keep his voice down.
From farther along the corridor, the brittle bones sound of Rakuuna talking to each other drifted down, and the smell of rotting fish stew lay heavy on the air. Charis stepped back to let the two of them into the dubious safety of the cabin. Tal was carrying a rough wooden platter holding what looked like a fish—a proper, baked fish, rather than a bowl of the disgusting stew Charis was usually served for breakfast. Tal settled the tray on the room’s small desk and then pulled out a chair in a clear invitation for her to sit down.
She ignored him and turned to Holland. “What do you mean I have explaining to do?”
“I won’t sugarcoat it.” Holland placed a mug of water onto the desk with a thunk. “You’re too thin, you look terrible, and now the impostor tells me you passed out. Twice.”
She turned on Tal. “You told him?”
“Don’t get mad at him,” Holland snapped, and then paused. “I mean, stay mad at him for all the things he did wrong, of course. No one here is forgetting we owe him a disembowelment. But he was right to bring this to me.”
“I’m fine.”
“You need food.” Tal’s tone didn’t ask for an argument, but she’d never required an invitation.
“I need to check on the crew and then solidify our strategy for the rest of the poison.”
“You can talk while eating.” Tal gestured at the tray. “And the poison has already been handled.”
“Handled by whom?” She patted the satchel she always kept tied to her waist. Did it feel a little lighter than it had yesterday?
“Ayve was in the kitchen, so it just made sense to put a pinch of poison in a few soup bowls.” Tal gestured toward the chair again.
“Did the Rakuuna know Ayve was in the kitchen? Because if something goes wrong, and they can tie it back to us...” She stopped at the stricken expression on Tal’s face.
“Risks are part of war,” Holland said firmly.
The room spun, and she reached out to hold on to something for balance. It was unfortunate that the closest object to her was Holland’s arm. He swore, and the next thing she knew, she was in the chair, and Holland was spearing a bite of fish onto a fork.
“Eat it by choice or force me to have the impostor feed you.” Holland shoved the fork into her hand.
She lifted her chin, but then Tal said softly. “Grim, Lohan, and I started fishing at dawn so we could have something other than fish stew to serve our people. Ayve and Dec risked a lot to convince the Rakuuna who runs the mess hall to let them cook for us this morning. Even Reuben dragged himself out of bed to stand guard outside your door so you could enjoy this breakfast without interruption. When was the last time you ate a meal?”
Charis tried to lie. To tell them this was ridiculous, and she was fine. To order them to leave her alone.
The words wouldn’t come. Instead she drew in a breath and said quietly, “It’s been a little difficult to feel hungry.” It had been impossible to swallow more than a bite or two when everything tasted like dust and the idea of chewing seemed like an insurmountable task.
“I’m never too upset to eat,” Holland said. “Unless it’s Lady Shawling’s cookies. Those are an insult to the mouth.”
“They were pretty awful.”
“And yet you ate them, just to be polite.” Holland waved at the fish. “Tell yourself it’s impolite to refuse something your people worked so hard to give to you and get it done.”
“Besides, if the poison works, we may have a volatile situation on our hands. You’ll want to be clearheaded.” Tal locked eyes with her, and she glared.
It didn’t seem fair that he still understood exactly what to say to motivate her.
The first bite tasted like nothing, but she chewed anyway. There was a knock at the door and Ayve entered, followed by Dec, Grim, and Lohan. Reuben, looking positively ghastly, stood guard outside.
Ayve’s long red hair was roughly subdued into a loose braid, and her cheeks looked a bit too pale, but her eyes glowed with enthusiasm. She held a small piece of baked dough in her sturdy fingers. It smelled like the cookies Charis loved to eat at winter solstice parties.
“Your Majesty, we found some flour and spices the Rakuuna took from a merchant ship. It isn’t much, but if we stretch it out, we can have little pastries every day between now and when we reach Calera.”
Charis took the pastry with the same care and ceremony with which she’d once received gifts from ambassadors and kings. “This looks delicious, Ayve. Thank you.”
As the others began whispering to each other about the poison and how likely it was to work when mixed with stew, Tal leaned down and said softly, “I told you I’d prove that you weren’t alone.”
She swallowed hard, took a sip of water, and made herself meet his gaze, though it felt like she was prey exposing her belly to a predator.
“About that whole scene in the mess hall...”
“Yes?”
“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to forget about it?”
His eyes softened, and his lips quirked in a small smile as behind them Holland ordered Grim to have more sense and Grim, in turn, offered to throw him to the sea monsters. “I’m not going to forget about it because it was important to you.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Then promise me you won’t use it against me.”
His smile disappeared. “I would never do that.”
“Never?” She speared another bite of fish with so much force, it disintegrated onto the plate.
He leaned close again, his eyes finding hers. “The only information my father ever received from me had to do with understanding what kind of person you are and the best way to approach you and your mother to bring an end to the war. Every personal thing you ever shared with me is still with me and me alone. I swear.”
“And I’m supposed to take your word for it?”
“Are you ready to let me explain myself?”
Before she could respond, an unearthly wail tore through the corridor, rising to such a feverish pitch that Charis dropped her fork to cover her ears. Ayve collapsed to her knees, Grim stumbled into a wall, and Dec clapped one hand on his friend’s arm to steady him and the other over one of his own ears.
Tal and Holland each drew their swords as the Rakuuna cry grew louder. Someone shouted outside the cabin, and then the door was flung open.
A Rakuuna lurched into the cabin, oily black blood leaking from a hole in her throat, and headed straight for Charis.