Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
Augustus climbed aboard his mother’s ship. The Entia was technically his ship now, but he still couldn’t accept the change of hands. A world simply didn’t exist without his mother’s reign.
And yet, here he was, standing in a world that dared to spin without her. Breathing on a ship that used to creak beneath her steps. Groan at her touch.
Even without her, just hearing the stretch of ropes was a balm. The lap of water against the hull better than any symphony.
This was home.
Selene was his world, and he would give anything for her, but their life in the palace couldn’t compete with how it felt to stand aboard a ship’s deck within the wind’s call to set sail.
Boots thudded across the boards, pulling his attention from the open blue sky and the cry of gulls.
Lili, his sailing master and closest friend, appeared with a sweeping gaze across the empty, silent planks.
They’d come aboard a few times since Mettius left him the ship, but this was their first with no soul around.
Lili swatted her long, dark brown braid off her shoulder and sighed. “It won’t be easy filling her. She’s even bigger than the Soris.”
Back in Warian Bay, he’d have reached out to Taran Phaya for the job.
Perean, having spent decades cleaning its city of pirates and smugglers, didn’t exactly have a “business” tailored for the sort he’d have hired in the past. Experienced sailors, crafty and bold, who walked the line between ethical and not, and would put the ship and its crew before the law of any land.
Augustus certainly didn’t want another problem like he’d had on the Soris with his rushed-to-hire crew.
In the end, a good portion of them had tried to, first, steal the ship the moment he stepped off, then later, resorted to kidnapping and plotting his murder.
Not to mention the man who acted on behalf of the king, who plotted to drop Selene and Augustus into the fires of the Ethereal Mountain.
One day, he’d find Lazaros Bareas and make him answer for his crimes.
For all intents and purposes, Augustus was going legit. Honest money. And if a few side hustles happened to land in his lap along the way… Well, who was he to turn down the benefits of additional coin? Selene wouldn’t complain too much as long as no blood was spilled.
That was the hope, anyway.
Augustus hooked hands to his hips. “Thoughts on our potential quartermaster?”
“He smiles too much.” Lili climbed the stairs toward the wheel, her natural home.
He climbed after her, keeping pace. “Some might say kindness and humor naturally instill trust in a crew.”
“Exactly my point.”
Augustus snorted and leaned on the railing near the wheel.
Lili gripped a pair of the wheel’s handles. Unsmiling. Hesitant. Tormented with not a single word to say on the matter. Her dark chocolate eyes stared across the hundreds of empty miles stretching over a calm, teal-blue sea. He’d known her most of his life and rarely saw this side of her.
“Lili?”
“What?” Her gaze flitted between him and the view.
“Let’s be Augustus and Lili for a moment,” he said. “Talk to me. What’s bothering you?”
“Honestly?”
He straightened. This was serious. “Yes.”
“You and I” —she rounded the wheel and stopped in front of him—“we dreamed of the day we’d do this together.
You a captain, me the sailing master…” Lili looked away and bit her lip.
“That dream included the fleet. Our parents and friends. I guess it’s just hitting me.
We’re alone, Augustus. On your mother’s ship, and she’s gone.
Our dads, our entire fleet, are off elsewhere. What is this life we’re building here?”
“We still have Felix and Pavle—” A look like flung daggers shot his way. “But I know what you mean.”
“You can’t even go into Cassia’s quarters.”
Flood waters, putrid and green, crashed through his stomach.
Augustus gave Lili his back and clenched the railing until the wood bit into his palms. Several people had offered to clean the space out for him, but he couldn’t allow it.
His father had taken a few things, yes, but that left every-fucking-thing else.
The odds and ends that had Cassia’s fingerprints and scent all over them.
Lili appeared at his side. “We have other options.”
“What do you mean?”
“I love Selene, you know I do, but leaving our family and friends because she—”
“I’m not returning to the fleet, Lili.”
Selene was the only reason they weren’t in Warian Bay with the others. He’d given up piracy because it wasn’t the life she wanted for herself, and for him, there was no life without Selene. It was that simple.
Lili nodded. “I love you, Augustus, but I didn’t sign up for this life. Call me selfish—”
“Never.”
Even as he said it, a sharp thought slung through his mind. Lili was supposed to be his constant. She was the one friend who had never left his side for any reason. The one who’d withstood every storm he’d put them through.
He was the one who was selfish. Always had been. Wanting Lili by his side no matter the cost. Wanting Selene’s love without knowing how to keep it safe. Wanting everything...while giving so little back.
Augustus faced her. “Why did you wait so long to tell me?”
“I don’t think I really decided until just now.
Besides, every time I turned around, someone else was walking away.
And you’re my best friend. I promised you a long time ago that we were forever.
Even considering the idea of leaving you feels like the ultimate dishonor.
” She took his hand. “Sell this ship and rid yourself of all its ghosts. Find something that is all yours and live a full life with the woman you love.”
“What of Felix and Pavle? Will they be returning with you?”
“I haven’t talked to them about this, but no, I don’t believe so. They’re thrilled by the idea of a future without danger.” A short burst of laughter escaped her. “Strange that they don’t like the idea of dying at any moment, don’t you agree?”
“Utter insanity.”
“Besides, if they could glue themselves to Selene, they would. They adore her.” She smiled for the first time. “I understand to some extent. Other than her abhorrence for bloodshed, she’s perfect.”
Augustus laughed. “Morals? Virtue? It’s a wonder how anyone survives with either of those personality traits.”
Lili beamed, but just as quickly as her shine appeared, it faded again. “So…we’re okay?”
“On one condition.”
“Name it.”
“You have to stay long enough to find your replacement.”
Lili glanced over the ship. “I’ll do you one better than that. I’ll fill these decks top to bottom.” She completed her sweep with a narrow glance at him. “You’re keeping her?”
“The Entia? Aye. For now.”
He wasn’t ready to let her go. Not yet. This ship was one of the few things Cassia cherished. If, at any point, he couldn’t continue sailing her, he’d return her to his father and the fleet.
Movement in his periphery drew his attention to the skiff sailing their way. Aboard it, Omar Koury, the man he was considering for quartermaster, waved. His bright teeth flashed, made whiter by his black skin.
“What do you really think of him?” he asked Lili.
She sighed. “He’ll do.”
“If there’s any reason—”
“I’m just triggered by our last spontaneous hire for the position, is all.”
Not a day went by that Augustus didn’t think about Lazaros Bareas. Traitor and turncoat. He’d murdered their friend and Blade, Panos, and nearly killed Oskar, too. All for his king, Orestis Vidalatos.
But then Lazaros helped them by acting the part of “the heir.” This act kept Orestis and Alexandra from looking toward the palace, where Dimitrios was claiming his rightful place. His lie might have been the only reason their entire plan hadn’t fallen apart that night.
Omar, a barrel-chested, middle-aged man, wasn’t just some spontaneous hire, however. He’d known Cassia a long time ago. The encounter had been brief, but a moment that apparently held great significance to Omar.
The man hopped over the railing onto the deck below and glanced around. “She’s as beautiful as I remember.”
Augustus descended the stairs and shook the large man’s hand. Omar would give Felix a run in the size and strength department. “Welcome aboard. You remember Lili?”
“Aye.” Omar’s chin dipped in greeting toward Lili. “Greetings to you, Lieutenant Savali.”
Lili gave him a tight smile. “If you try pulling any stunts aboard this ship, I’ll have your balls on a platter.”
Omar stiffened.
Augustus leaned toward the man. “She means it, unfortunately.”
Omar’s smile stretched until his molars appeared. “I do not doubt a word, Captain.”
“Where did you say you’re from, Mr. Koury?” Augustus asked. “Not from Perean, I’m guessing.”
Omar didn’t have the Perean accent—a dead giveaway—so he must have met Cassia after she left her homeland. After Augustus was born.
“My family and I claim no land as our home—we haven’t for some time. We travel where the wind takes us, and today, that brings me here. To answer the call of a son, whose mother is owed a great debt. Blood bought our freedom once, Captain. Service will repay it.”
Augustus folded his arms. “Sounds serious. I’m curious why she never mentioned you.”
“She is the reason my family lives. Whether that was important to her or not makes no difference. I know. My family knows, and they are thrilled to join your crew. If you’ll have us.”
“Family?” Lili asked, blinking rapidly. “You mean to bring them aboard with you?”
“Only a couple dozen or so,” he said with that wide, proud smile. “They are hard-working, I assure you, and can fill just about any opening on the ship.”
Music to Augustus’s ears. The quicker they filled the ship, the better. “Good news,” Augustus said, “it turns out we’ll need them all. Whatever’s left, we have just under a month to crew her. Do you think you can manage?”
Omar slapped his hands together, eyes wide. “Does that mean I’m hired?”
“Consider this a trial period, for which you’ll be compensated handsomely.”