Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
Dirt and debris misted the ground around camp, perturbed by the sudden quake. Tents had been reduced to piles of wood and canvas. Shingles broke loose from old roofs. Even a few walls from the more disrepaired huts had crumbled to mounds of stone.
Kane was furious.
The camp was in disarray. Rem cursed profusely as stew mingled with rock and soil. The doors were even more challenging than before, and it was all their fault.
Well. It was Afton’s fault, technically.
Kane glared at the iron bars now settled in front of the doors. They had snapped into place so quickly, he was still registering everything that happened.
“Whoops. Wrong rune,” Afton murmured, taking a large step away from Kane’s side. Arcanum hummed in the air as the detritus settled back to the ground. “We can try again tomorrow—”
“Tomorrow?” Kane whirled on the mage, eyes blazing.
“We’ve been at this door for three days.
I even brought you here early for a head start.
Instead of making any progress, you’ve only made it worse.
” Smoke rose from clenched fists as he kicked a piece of broken masonry.
It skittered across the courtyard, landing a few feet away from Erinna and Inez.
They had just returned to camp, both bent over and wheezing. Once Erinna regained composure, she looked up, assessing the utter mess of the situation. Her eyes narrowed in a glorious stormy glare. Kane shared her anger, her fury feeding his own.
He needed to move. Needed wind on his face and time away from the godsforsaken island.
“Ready the ship,” he demanded. The crew exchanged wary glances, but Kane ignored them.
“Captain,” one of his men ventured carefully, falling into stride just behind him. “The ship is still—”
“Now.” He brushed past Erinna and resisted the urge to look her way. She would follow him, he was sure of it. He needed her to.
By the time he reached the shore, Erinna positioned herself between Kane and the gangplank. Her hands on her hip, jaw set in brave obstinance. “The ship’s not ready.”
His laugh was sharp in response. “She floats, doesn’t she? That’s enough.” He tried to move around her, but she countered.
“Please,” she huffed, clearly unfazed by his bad temper. “You know as well as I do that one rogue wave and the ship could capsize.”
“That’s what you’re here for, isn’t it?” Kane brushed her aside as he boarded the ship. He didn’t need to look back. The patter of Erinna’s feet sounded behind him as she followed close behind.
Good.
“Captain.” It was his bosun this time. “Brax isn’t going to like this. That’s his ship, and the girl is not part—”
“Brax can take it up with me when we return.” He grabbed the man’s shoulder with a rough squeeze, leaning in close. “She has a name. Use it.”
Kane released him and watched as he scampered away to inform the rest of the crew on board. There were enough people on the ship for a quick sail around the island, so long as the water remained calm.
He spotted Asher lounging near the bow and let out an audible sigh of relief. As long as she and Erinna were aboard, he had faith the ship would be fine. Asher caught his gaze and nodded in understanding.
“Erinna, mind the sails.” For a moment, Kane thought she might refuse. Then she tucked loose strands of hair behind her ears and turned to her station, muttering something under her breath about stubborn captains and watery graves.
Kane smiled, his temper easing slightly as he watched her stomp across the deck.
Soon the boat was peeling away from the coast, slow and steady. It had been far too long since he sailed his own ship.
This was what he needed. Time at sea and the feeling like he was going somewhere.
Anywhere. He missed this freedom when he was stuck behind bars, encased beneath the earth in dirt and grime.
Kane shivered at the memory and set his attention to the darkening, starry horizon.
He breathed in a lungful of saltwater air as the wind cooled his skin.
There was a groan and crack of wood somewhere near the rail, followed by the scurry of boots and well-thought-out insults aimed his way.
Kane grinned, turning his attention to the commotion.
Erinna darted across the deck with a bag of tools, ready to make needed repairs as they sailed.
She commanded a few of his crew to assist, passing out tools and pointing to areas of the ship that needed attention.
Erinna Yarrow worked with the confidence of someone who hadn’t just been taken from her extraordinarily sheltered life and thrown into a mess of pirates.
Her hair had all but given up on her braid, and loose waves fell over her shoulder only to be caught in the wind. She looked like she belonged here.
There was a snap of canvas, the sail caught in a gust. Erinna whipped her head over her shoulder and was on her feet, running to the ratlines, hurling even more profanities into the air.
“You have to admit; piracy looks good on her.” Kane was so distracted he barely heard Asher’s approach.
“You can’t recruit everyone you like. It makes us look soft.” Kane nudged her shoulder playfully.
She grinned. “Please, I know that look of yours. You’re estimating her value.”
His stomach soured slightly, but she was right. He was evaluating Erinna. Had been since they were in the tunnels. Truth be told, she far exceeded his expectations—though they, admittedly, were horribly low to begin with.
Erinna had finished mending a forming tear in the bottom of the sail and, as if sensing their conversation, turned to meet Kane’s gaze from across the ship.
Even at this distance, Kane could see the glare she openly aimed his way.
His grin widened, and he waved. He liked that fire in her—he liked to poke at dancing flames.
There was something boiling within her. He could feel it every time he pushed. Kane knew that eventually, when she finally unleashed whatever she was hiding, it would be magnificent.
Erinna’s eyes darted to the swaying longboat on the side. Kane chuckled, knowing what was on her mind.
“Don’t get your hopes up, Ash. She’s gone as soon as she gets what she needs.”
She raised a brow. “Plan on giving her a ride back to Tarth?”
“Absolutely not. And she knows it.”
“So it sounds like she’ll be with us a bit longer.”
Kane doubted that. He knew she considered taking their reconnaissance raft when all of this was over. If she took the safer northwestern route, she might make it. As long as she could survive a few days at sea, she’d make it back to Tarth.
“How has the breaking-and-entering plan been going?” Asher was seemingly determined to break his brooding silence.
“Worse,” he grumbled.
Asher nodded slowly. “What happens if you don’t make it in on time?”
“We will.” There was no other option.
“And the index? Any luck with that?”
Kane’s mood soured further. Not only was he trying to break into a powerfully protected library, but once he was in, Kane needed to know where that blasted map was.
Without some kind of roadmap, he could be stuck searching for days among the stacks.
Unfortunately, the information he had was coded in some infernal smugglers’ script that Kane had yet to parse out.
“It will work, Asher,” Kane answered, his tone dangerously final.
“Captain, we’re nearly back,” one of the newer members informed him.
Kane nodded and brushed him away. His fury had cooled, and he was ready to give the ship proper time to recover.
At least he had two highly capable professionals who could take care of his vessel. He just hoped they would get along.