24. Everett
Everett
Ileaned over the rail and waved an arm, trying to get someone’s attention on the oncoming ship. Figures became more clear as it loomed closer. There was a blond, bearded man staring at us near the rail, and beside him was…
A woman.
My fingers tightened on the wood. She turned and retreated out of sight, but not before I caught her face.
It can’t be.
A thousand memories flooded me, crashing harder than the waves below. I felt warm hands on my skin, saw golden eyes piercing mine, heard her voice humming through a stone wall.
“Don’t shoot!” I yelled back at Captain Rossa, not taking my eyes off the spot she disappeared. “They’re not our enemy.”
“What’re yeh talkin’ ‘bout, boy? They just fired on us.”
“Trust me!” I shouted.
“Ev, what’s going on?” Tessa asked as she and Kieran came up the steps from below deck. Her eyes were as sharp as her dormant jaguar half, her humor left behind in the face of danger.
I ignored them. “Rossa, raise a peace signal!”
The captain glared at me as if I’d sprouted fins, but he did what I asked. He grabbed a white cloth near a coil of rigging and hoisted it on a spare pole. The fabric snapped violently in the wind. Across the water, shapes moved as the opposing crew raced around their ship.
I cupped my hands to my mouth and shouted above the waves. “Cease fire! We wish you no harm. We request permission to come aboard.”
There was no answer, only the groan of wood and thunder. “Please!” I tried again, raising my empty hands in the air. “I have no weapon. I’m from the Veridian Empire, and I come in peace. Please let me speak to your captain.”
“Everett!” Kieran hissed. “What are you doing? You don’t know these people!”
I ignored him. My eyes flitted back and forth, anxiety churning in my stomach. I could only focus on one thing. Finally, the bearded man from before met my stare. We were close enough now that I saw the slight dip in his chin as he nodded. He gave an order to his crew, then disappeared.
That was enough for me.
“Get me a gangplank ready,” I demanded from our crew. Two men hauled the thick gangplank to the rail, bracing it as the ships pitched unevenly. The other vessel heaved toward us on the next wave, and our gangplank slammed against the opposite rail.
I put one foot on the piece of wood. It held firm. I took another step forward to get my balance, ignored the rocking waters beneath me, and breathed in deeply.
With an exhale, I bolted.
“Everett!” Tessa shouted.
Wind clawed at me as I sprinted over the slick gangplank. When I was halfway across, the ships rocked apart. The plank twisted under me, shifting to the side as my boot slipped.
My stomach plummeted. The sea yawned beneath me, cold, endless, and waiting. For a split second, something else caught my eye. Long and skinny, splashing in the waters like it was…like it was slithering.
Above me, the skies opened. Water fell in a deluge, mixing with the lightning and thunder.
The ships trembled and knocked the plank to the side.
I threw my weight forward, toes barely catching the edge of their rail.
I shot out a hand and grabbed the first thing my fingers could find, throwing myself the final distance as the wooden plank fell into the sea.
I landed hard on my knees, but I didn’t feel it. “Where is she?” I growled at unfamiliar faces, barely registering their shouts. I was already on my feet before anyone could give me an answer. I shoved past startled crewmen, and rain pounded the deck, soaking my clothes and skin.
My gaze snagged on the captain’s cabin, straight ahead on the main deck. Heavy oak doors rattled in the storm. I stalked forward, gripped both door handles, and hauled them open. The doors burst outward. A lantern swung wildly, spilling candlelight across a floor with scattered maps.
There, mid-turn and lips parted, stood the woman who haunted every mile of ocean I’d crossed.
Her golden eyes widened. “Swift,” she exhaled.
My heartbeat staggered, breaths ragged.
“Songbird.”