Chapter 8 #2
They walked down the steps leading to the deck and the cabins below, and Amelia waved her hand to summon water into her palm.
A simple trick many followers of Colma did to entertain themselves and play with their element.
Finley watched through narrowed eyes and instead of making a playful sphere in her palm, the water wavered and splashed before taking shape.
Finley wiggled her fingers again then looked back at Amelia and Dusan.
Interesting.
When they were fully below deck, Ai stepped closer to Finley and spoke in a low voice. “Is your magic all right?”
Finley rubbed the wood of the helm with her thumb and her magic hummed again. “I am a little tired,” she admitted. “But did you notice Amelia playing with the water just now?”
Ai shook her head. “What do you mean?”
“Let’s just say I don’t think I’m the only one who is having trouble with their powers today.”
Speaking of interesting, someone else had decided to join everyone out on the deck.
Rafe strolled along the side taking in everything around him and peered out at the globe of water surrounding The Mystic, ensuring they were all encased and able to breathe underwater as though they floated on the surface.
“Does Rafe know Dusan?” Finley asked.
Ai shrugged. “I would imagine so if he’s worked with Amelia in the past and while we were in Eral.”
Finley waved to Morgan, a tiny pixie with short brown hair, who wore a white dress with colorful patches sewn all over it. “Can you take the helm for a moment? We need to speak with one of our ‘guests.’”
Morgan nodded and fluttered to their side. With a wave of her little hands she summoned her own magic and used it to take control of the ship.
Then, Finley and Ai made their way to Rafe.
He looked around at the ship and its crew in awe as though he’d never been on a sea vessel before.
Which may have been fair. Even those who had sailed before found themselves wondering at the magic of The Mystic.
It was the only one in all the kingdoms that could sail underwater.
Its reputation was known through the whole realm.
“You should close your mouth before a fish swims into it,” Finley said when they approached him.
Rafe shut his mouth with a snap, then chuckled to himself realizing Finley was joking. “I’ve just never seen anything like it before.”
“No one has,” Ai said.
“And as much as I’d like to show it off, I want you to tell me everything you know about Dusan,” Finley told him.
“You act like I’m close to him. I hate to tell you, I’m not.”
“But you know more than we do and have been around him more than we have. Something isn’t right with him.”
“I’d argue there wasn’t something right with most of us.”
The wolf had a way of avoiding questions and it made Finley want to toss him overboard. He couldn’t be straightforward for a single moment. She crossed her arms and gave him a glare. “You know what I mean.”
Rafe mimicked her stance, his golden eyes glimmering in the starlit lanterns floating about the ship. His glare wasn’t nearly as annoyed as hers with a touch of amusement. “Be more specific.”
“Fine. Is Dusan human? Is he dead? Alive? Something else entirely?”
Rafe considered her string of questions for a moment and rocked his head back and forth. “Yes.”
Finley and Ai exchanged glances. Most infuriating man in the realm.
Ai must have sensed Finley’s frustration and spoke up first. “He’s human, dead, alive, and something else?”
Rafe faced the rail of the ship and rested his elbows on it to stare out into the lake beyond.
Mysterious creatures Finley couldn’t make out floated through the waters, keeping a far distance from The Mystic and the few of the members of Amelia’s zombie army who marched behind.
Usually fish and creatures would swim close to the ship, but with their new companions everything stayed clear. Finley didn’t blame them.
“He’s an ancient undead sorcerer. He should look like their army and was much closer to their appearance the first time I saw him.
” He pointed to various parts of his face and arms. “Dusan had bits of skin peeling off him, and I could see his skeleton. Then, the next I encountered him he was nearly human. Then, not a trace of his death lingered except for the smell which from what I can tell, I’m the only one who can sense it.
” He placed a finger against his nose. “Perks of being a wolf, you know. And serving Stula. He might be able to fool everyone that he’s fully alive, but not me. ”
Ai leaned her back against the rail next to him. “So a corpse, while fully functioning like Dusan appears to be, still isn’t truly alive? He’s somewhere in the middle. But how can that happen? How can a corpse regenerate like that?”
“And why him and not the others?” Finley added.
Rafe looked to Ai with pursed lips. “And what do you think he wants with Amelia? I assume you’ve read their lines.”
“There is a sexual connection to be sure,” Ai answered.
“But there is no love there. Some fondness and excitement perhaps, and it’s possible either one or both could confuse it for something more.
Beyond that, their lines are muddled and confusing.
There’s eagerness and desire, but not always sexual.
I’m sure I could decipher them if given the proper time and access.
But I cannot without their full permission, and I was never around the two of them together long enough to grasp anything deeper than the surface. ”
The three of them were silent, processing all the information.
Finley was sure she could handle Dusan, but she didn’t understand him.
Not yet. Amelia she could understand and if it was her alone, that would be one thing.
But Finley had a feeling that Dusan would make matters more complicated.
Which was always fun. She enjoyed challenges and twists and turns.
But there was too much at stake and didn’t want to risk more than she already was.
“Whatever is going on with him must have something to do with Amelia,” Finley finally said. “Ai, I need you to find a way to get closer to them and figure out the dynamics with their relationship. Maybe give them a tour of The Mystic or something. Make them feel like they’re welcome guests.”
“And what about me?” Rafe asked. “Or am I only here for your entertainment and when you have questions? You were supposed to help me too, remember?”
Right. Finley had almost forgotten about helping Rafe find a way to use the Chalice to break his bond with Stula and not be commissioned to kill Rose — or anyone else.
It was an idea she’d come up with on the spot and hadn’t put more thought into it after she recruited him.
There had to be a way to do it though, if Finley had the time of course.
He needed to feel like she was still on his side.
Not that she wasn’t, there were just other priorities at the moment.
“You are going to teach me everything you know about death,” she announced. “We figure out how corpses come back to life and we’ll learn the details of your bond with Stula.”
Rafe twisted at the waist to face her. “And how am I going to do that?”
Finley extended her arm out past the ships’ rail and toward the army of zombies. “We have a plethora of corpses and lake creatures at our disposal. We might as well use them for something, right?”
The looks on Ai’s and Rafe’s faces told Finley they didn’t seem to agree. But they were working with an undead sorcerer. It wasn’t going to be pretty.