Chapter 11
Belowdecks, Vorik crouched in a dark nook near the armory, his forearms still burning after spending the first couple hours of his escape hiding by clinging to the outside of the ship, well below the railing and anyone’s view.
Once the search had grown more half-hearted, he’d slipped back aboard, finding a spot where the Kingdom men had already looked.
A guard stood outside the stout wooden door of the armory, and Vorik was contemplating overpowering and subduing him so he could help himself to the contents within.
Too bad that would clue the crew in on where Vorik was—and what he intended.
Earlier, he’d managed to find his sword and pluck it up without anyone noticing.
His plans would be easier to implement if he could remain hidden until the last moment.
He didn’t sense Wreylith, which was why he’d dared escape, but if she returned, he would have to reconsider those plans.
Unlike the soldiers poking around the ship, a dragon would have no trouble sensing him and locating him.
He wasn’t positive that Syla, who ought to have gained power from her new link to the red dragon, wouldn’t be able to sense him, but he didn’t worry as much about her snapping him in half.
What is your status? Jhiton spoke into his mind from a distance. Bogberry Island, most likely.
I’m free and on the ship, dodging search parties.
Our dragons have spotted the Kingdom fleet on its way here. We will soon keep that vessel too busy for its crew to search for you.
Oh, good. It’s always a joy to be on the ship that our forces are attacking.
I trust you can find a way overboard at any time, Jhiton said.
Having to get Syla will make that more complicated, but, yes. I’m waiting until we’re not in the middle of the sea and Agrevlari can pluck us up.
He could retrieve you any time if you destroyed that weapons platform.
That’s… been on my mind. Vorik eyed the door of the armory. He’d been wondering if it contained explosives similar to those Syla had used to booby-trap the shielder chamber under the castle. They had detonated on impact.
Whether you destroy it or not, bring the queen and join us, Jhiton said.
I will.
We’ll soon have the Lady Abrya as well. We will extract the information on the Bogberry Island shielder from one of them. I don’t care which.
Vorik cared, but he didn’t say so. You should like Syla and want to treat her well. She agrees with you that I should challenge Shi for leadership of the tribe.
I didn’t say you should do that, only that it would be the appropriate way to have an impact on decisions being made on a tribal level. Jhiton managed to convey dryness through their telepathic link. But I have no doubt that your queen would prefer to negotiate with you than Chieftess Shi.
I don’t think she was impressed with Shi’s suggestion that they engage in girl chat over their menses.
Chieftess Shi was being sarcastic about that. I doubt she’s ever engaged in girl chat with anyone in her life.
I suppose that’s true. And I know Syla wasn’t merely thinking of my goals and aspirations when she suggested I have the ability to lead.
Certainly not.
But I also don’t think she was being deliberately manipulative. Just… supportive.
Kidnap her, convince her to let someone else rule, and have her join the tribe and become your mate. Then she can support you all you like.
Unfortunately, as I said before, that’s not going to happen. She’s especially not going to be pleased if I kidnap her.
We are at war, Vorik.
I know. He kept himself from saying unfortunately again.
Barely. Instead, he resolved to get into the armory and look for explosives.
Then he would hope that the gods wouldn’t consider it blasphemous if he managed to destroy an artifact they’d crafted.
Admittedly, he was more worried about what Syla would do to him if he succeeded.
No, not what she would do. How she would feel.
He kept thinking about how she hadn’t drugged him and questioned him. She should have, but she hadn’t. Every time he acted against her, it felt like a betrayal and left him more conflicted than ever.
Why did it feel like whatever choices he made going forward would betray someone?
A part of him was tempted to talk Agrevlari into picking him up, flying him away, and leaving his people and the Kingdom to figure things out for themselves.
But if he weren’t here… Syla might already be dead.
Lesva was still alive and angrier than ever.
By helping Syla, Vorik had made things worse. For her and for himself.
With the ship less than an hour from Bogberry Island, its verdant shoreline visible on the horizon, Syla jogged down to her cabin. The Royal Protectors and Fel tramped after her. Despite several hours of searching, nobody had found Vorik.
Earlier, Wreylith had flown past, saying she could sense him within the bowels of the ship, but hadn’t been able to give a pinpoint location.
Should Syla wish her to tear apart the Stormslicer, the dragon had informed her, Wreylith had been certain she could pluck him out of the wreckage.
Syla had politely thanked her for the offer before declining it and asking Wreylith to scout ahead.
Fel strode into the cabin ahead of Syla to search and make sure Vorik wasn’t skulking in a cabinet or under the bunk, not that there was copious storage space in which to hide.
The cabin was fine for her needs, but this was a warship, not the spacious royal yacht which, Syla had heard, hadn’t survived the initial invasion.
“He’s not in here,” Syla said with amusement after Fel peeked under the desk and looked in a waste bin hooked to the side.
“He was.”
Yes, everyone doubtless knew he’d spent the night.
Fel pointed with significance at the desk. “Unless you were the one who put those candles and jars away.”
Syla stared. Her observant bodyguard had noticed what she hadn’t.
The Candles of Serenity, as well as the powder and other drugs one might use in an interrogation, were gone.
The Royal Protector who’d taken Vorik from the cabin that morning wouldn’t have allowed him to shop for souvenirs.
Since escaping, Vorik had come back. Specifically for them?
Or because he’d been hoping to catch her in here? Maybe both.
She shifted uneasily. “I didn’t. You’re right. He took them.”
“Maybe he’s planning to interrogate you.” Fel scowled.
“I’m immune to the Candles of Serenity, but…” She didn’t have a defense against hydra-scale powder. The thought of Vorik forcing her to take it and use her moon-mark to give his people access to a shielder chilled her.
Would he do that? Even if he would hesitate to drug her, his brother wouldn’t.
“You’d better stay in here until…” Fel looked like he wanted to say forever or maybe until the stormer threat is past. “Until we’re sure he’s off the ship,” was what he opted for.
“I need to be up on deck when we reach Bogberry Island. Aunt Tibby may need help the first time she uses the weapons platform. For that matter, there’s no reason for her to be the one to do so if I’m available.”
“You’re more likely to be a target than she is.”
“We both have moon-marks.”
“Yeah, but the stormers like you.” Fel looked sourly at her.
“Just one,” Syla murmured. “Others loathe me.”
“All of which makes you a more likely target. And, remember, there could also be assassins recruited from within the Kingdom aboard.” Yes, he’d probably caught the gist of the captain’s warning. “Further, you brought Lord Ravoran aboard. He might kill you, as well.”
Syla wished she could deny that, but the meeting she’d made herself give the island lord hadn’t gone well.
She’d tried to bring him around to her way of thinking, but he’d refused to believe Castle Island was more important to defend than Harvest. She’d promised she would get a shielder back there as soon as possible and had tried not to feel like a dog fleeing with its tail clenched between its legs when she’d departed.
“I’ll stay in here until I’m needed,” she said.
Fel’s squint suggested that answer hadn’t pleased him, but maybe he knew it was the best she could give. After nodding curtly, he walked out to join the Royal Protectors in the corridor. The door thumped firmly shut.
Syla looked around the cabin, a little uneasy now that she knew Vorik had been back and taken things. Was his brother communicating with him? Giving him orders? Telling him he had to make up for fighting Lesva and not capturing Syla earlier?
She exhaled slowly, walked to the trunks she’d brought along, and pulled out her medical kit and a case with pharmacological offerings.
Fortunately, Vorik hadn’t rummaged through her luggage and found and taken items from within.
Most of the bottles and jars were only labeled with their contents, not what they did.
Such information was stored in her memory.
She opened the case to mull over options she could use if Vorik succeeded in kidnapping her.
Though she’d dismissed the idea of trying to be kidnapped, so that she could be taken to where the shielder components were, it might happen, whether she cooperated or not.
Of course, he would be suspicious if he caught her wandering around the ship toting a pack with changes of clothing and a toothbrush, clearly prepared for a journey, but he might not think anything of her carrying her medical kit.
And he might let her take it along. After all, his people could need a healer’s touch.
“Too bad I don’t have anything that could knock out an entire cave of stormers,” she mused as she rummaged through the case.