Chapter 26
Chapter twenty-six
The Pursuit of Power
Bash
The Mysterious Deep holds treasures of great good and greater evil—and a few best left to the dark.
— The Mysterious Deep: A Comprehensive Understanding
Iwas not made for decent society, though decent was a choice word.
Most of the pirates I’d known were more decent than the vultures circling Rose and me, asking questions with polite interest while all the while judging everything around them.
The chafing of it all was soothed by watching Rose shine.
This was her world. As much as the sea was mine. Her polite smiles, the way she tilted her head just so, blinking a few times. It was like a role she’d created for herself. Even though I preferred her untethered and unmasked, I didn’t regret seeing this side of her.
I bit back my amusement as she politely listened to a young man tell her about his sea creature hunting expedition. Claiming he’d helped bring down a fifteen-foot serpent in the Mediterranean. Rose parted her lips and made a small gasp as if it were thrilling.
At least the man’s ego wouldn’t be bruised knowing who he was actually speaking to.
Movement caught my eye, and I turned to see Edmonds standing with a glass of champagne, watching me.
I whispered a quick excuse to Rose, whose eyes flashed in subdued wrath. I’d make up for my abandonment of her later. However, this conversation had waited long enough.
Edmond’s smile was one of profound self-satisfaction as I approached him.
“Congratulations, Mr. Smith,” he said.
I scanned for prying ears, but Edmonds was nothing if not efficient. We were tucked toward the east side of the ballroom, a large window serving as our backdrop as moonlight poured in.
“Have your plans gone to your liking?” I asked.
Edmond nodded, watching the crowd.
“There have been a few pivots, but I would say thus far my expectations have been exceeded,” he said.
I reigned in my temper that was beginning to cloud my judgment. Watching Rose dance from one conversation to another, knowing this man had used her. Was using her.
“Why Rose?” I asked.
There were better questions, but if I was going to outplay him, I needed all the pieces. Underestimating him would be a fatal error. It wasn’t just winning that Edmond wanted. He loved the game.
“You know, your wife has a very interesting story to tell. She was born on a ship in the North Sea,” he said.
“I think what's more interesting is your reputation. You are a remarkably difficult man to find information on. In fact, before you joined the Navy at the age of twenty, you were practically invisible.”
Edmond’s too-blue eyes scanned the room, landing on Rose. The way he watched her made me almost forget my vow to be on my best behavior.
“Coincidences are odd like that,” he said, turning to me. “Funny, isn’t it? I spent years working my way up the ranks with the intent of offering one pirate a deal, only to end up sharing a mark with a London socialite. Though I’d argue, as I bet you would, that she is more pirate after all.”
He thumbed the mark I knew was beneath his uniform, exactly where Rose’s was. A snake eating its tail.
“You made your way through the ranks quickly. Achieving the title of Captain by thirty. A shame some of your rival candidates met untimely deaths within the Deep.” I said.
Edmonds smiled, and what was more unsettling was that it felt genuine.
“You and I both know the Mysterious Deep is unforgiving,” he said.
“There was nothing before I joined the Navy because I was nothing. There are only so many harrowing stories of poverty and loss that a man can stomach, as I’m sure you are aware.
In fact, I would wager that you and I have more in common than not.
We both grew up knowing what we didn’t want for ourselves and carved out space in a world that would sooner chew us up and spit us out than see us succeed. ”
“A man I knew once said living for a singular goal was a hollow life at best,” I said.
I wondered if talking about Billy would ever get easier. It was the same as my missing arm. An integral piece of me forever lost to a cruel sea. I doubted I would ever recover from the loss.
He would have been grinning ear to ear today, though.
If there was any justice in the afterlife, he would be watching now.
Knowing that all his scheming and poor attempts at cajoling resulted in the band around my finger and the woman in the white dress.
If his soul was restless, let this be the reason he finally slept.
“Maybe.” Edmonds hummed, watching Rose with eyes that missed nothing.
“I’d say my goal is large enough that it will keep me busy enough.
I’ve spent a long time thinking about how to achieve it.
When I came upon the Wraith and saw the Maravilla treasure, I thought you might be the one to help me.
Then your wife shone like a beacon among the deep. You are a lucky man, Mr. Smith.”
“If your life was not currently tied to hers, I would happily show you how unforgiving the Deep truly is.” I bit out.
“Lucky for me that it is,” Edmonds said, taking a long sip of his wine. “I’ve placed the particulars of your honeymoon in the care of your Mysteriologist. An interesting woman, though much like you, I do not believe she cares for me much.”
I searched the room for Dilly and found her sitting to the side with a book open in her lap. Her eyes ran over it rapidly as she absorbed each and every word.
“What is this shell?” I asked.
“What all men crave,” he said. “Power.”
“Power freely given is rarely a good thing,” I said, dread pooling in my gut.
Everything about this felt like a mistake.
“Have a lovely honeymoon, Mr. Smith.”
He began to walk away, but we weren’t done.
“Edmonds,” he turned, forever with that smile. “If something happens to her, I’ll kill you.”
“You may try,” he said. “Many have.”
Everything about him was wrong. Of all people for Rose to make a bargain with, he was the most dangerous. If I had a few more days, I would have had Inu continue to follow him, though that had failed several times. He would be there and then be gone. Inu said it was like trying to follow a ghost.
A thousand ways to murder him blossomed in my mind as he made his way to Rose. Her eyes flicked to mine as he lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her hand. There was something very wrong with him. Unnatural.
I’d thought he was driven by ambition, but now I was wondering if it wasn’t something more like boredom. Which made him infinitely more dangerous. The sooner we succeed and remove the mark from Rose, the better.
“He’s a creepy bastard,” Oscar said, handing me a drink.
“Yes,” I said.
“Ready to get the fuck out of here and go home?” Oscar said.
Now that sounded like something worth smiling about.