Chapter 35
After a week of listening to Velden rant about everything he planned to do to Dreyfus, Aeliana was relieved to reach Melford.
But the moment they found the docks, Aeliana regretted it.
The carnival ship could be spotted a half mile away, its sail boasting a large painted sign reading “Boat of Wonders.” As they drew closer, a young girl called out to onlookers, offering tickets to people wanting entry.
After a heated debate amongst the three of them and listening to far too many renditions of the young girl’s “money-back guarantee” speech, Velden finally handed over coin in exchange for tickets, which he promptly soaked in his anger.
Aeliana and Gaeren exchanged nervous glances. How much of their energy would be spent on keeping Velden in check?
With Velden rumored to be Dreyfus’ next prize, Aeliana had forced him to wear a ridiculous floppy hat and continually reminded him to keep his webbed hands hidden.
More than a dozen people milled across the deck, studying the conman’s outrageous wares.
Pickled octopus to cure one’s warts, pearl-infused oils to slender one’s waist, kelp perfume to attract a bondmate.
Not a single woman besides Aeliana graced the dirty vessel, and a second young street rat had already served far more ale than Aeliana had seen in the taverns the week before.
She suspected most of Dreyfus’ displays only looked legitimate if someone had blurry vision.
As the three of them weaved through the makeshift tables, several men leered in her direction, making her starlock heat with the urge to put them in their place. Gaeren seemed to notice too, and he wrapped a possessive arm around her that she didn’t shove away.
“I don’t see it,” Velden grumbled.
“I’m guessing it’s hidden away as some sort of grand finale,” Aeliana said.
The crowd had grown to hold at least thirty men, and the young girl selling tickets slid the plank away from the dock.
“Full capacity! We’ve reached full capacity!” she yelled out to those still on the dock.
Her shouts also served to draw a short man with curly blond hair and tattoos peeking from his collar out from the captain’s quarters.
Muscles bulged beneath his thin white shirt and black suspenders, and hatchets and knives lined his belt.
The number of weapons was so ridiculous Aeliana almost snorted. Clearly the man had something to prove.
Velden stiffened, and Aeliana leaned over. “Tuck your hands in your pockets.”
He did as she asked, his jaw tightening.
Dreyfus made his way through the crowd with slow, measured steps, his beady eyes taking in the people more than the objects they perused.
His barrel chest seemed to swell even larger as he passed people exclaiming over the oddities he’d assorted.
When someone stopped him to ask a question, he adopted a salesman smile that didn’t reach his eyes but was full of teeth.
He hooked his thumbs in his suspenders and raised his voice for everyone to hear.
“Why, those coins were found in the belly of a fish my fifth year of sailing. You’ll notice the dates go back to before the Great Divide.”
The man questioning him squinted and held the coin closer, then his eyes widened, and he pointed excitedly at the sorry excuse for metal before shoving it under his friend’s nose.
Dreyfus continued down the aisle, doing his best to verify the authenticity of each item on display.
Aeliana watched him pass, checking his hands for signs of a brand or bond.
There was neither, but the tattoos on his neck were similar to some of the secret anti-royalty tattoos Larkos had shown her—enough to make her suspect Dreyfus was a Recreant.
She supposed there could be terrible Recreants just like there were some good Zealots.
“What about the Sayhleen hide?” one man shouted.
“Yeah, that’s what I came to see!” Similar shouts rang out through the crowd, but Dreyfus showed no concern. If anything, the smile on his face grew bigger, and he ran a hand through his golden curls, relishing the attention.
“My museum of wonders boasts many artifacts, but if you’re finished looking at the items on deck, I can take you below for my prized possession. The stairs are steep and the room is small, so I can only take two at a time.”
Men stumbled over themselves to get in line first, but Aeliana, Gaeren, and Velden held back. At least Velden’s anger wasn’t making him do anything rash… yet. It would be far better to deal with Dreyfus without a crowd.
As the Sun rose higher and the line grew shorter, Aeliana began to wonder if it would have been better to go first. With each pair that left, Aeliana and Velden were forced to listen to people’s comments on what they thought of the tail nailed to the wall.
Occasionally men would come out, describing it in detail in a way that made Velden flinch.
Others made fun of it, which swung Velden to a state of agitation.
One man immediately kneeled to worship the Sun, as if the sight had restored his faith.
Velden pulled his webbed hands out of his pockets to wipe his face, but she wasn’t sure if the water came from his hands or his eyes.
Eventually, the crowd dwindled, and Aeliana, Gaeren, and Velden took their place in line.
“Velden and I can go first,” Aeliana said. “Be prepared to back us up if we have any trouble.”
Gaeren nodded, but his eyes narrowed. She expected him to argue, maybe suggest that Aeliana stay behind instead, but the young girl who had sold them tickets stood back on the dock, shouting that the next view time would start soon.
Eager onlookers formed a line on the dock, and Velden frowned.
So much for waiting to avoid an audience.
“We’re just scoping it out to steal later anyway,” Gaeren said, his gaze shifting to Velden. “Right?”
Velden nodded, but the tightness in his jaw made it hard to believe him.
When their turn came, Dreyfus held out of hand for Velden.
“Name’s Dreyfus.”
The conman peered under the hat’s rim, but Velden kept his face hidden in its shadow. He didn’t introduce himself or take his hands from his pockets, leaving Dreyfus awkwardly holding out his arm.
“It’s not often I get a pretty lady aboard my boat,” he continued, adjusting his hand for Aeliana to offer hers for a kiss.
The thought of his puffy lips against the skin of her hand made her nauseous.
“It looks like you’re ready to start a new show, and we want to get our money’s worth,” she said shortly.
Dreyfus’ smile faltered. “Of course.” He recovered quickly, gesturing for them to follow him below deck. As he walked, he began his story, sharing how he had gone out early one morning to empty the crab traps when he saw the flicker of an orange and mauve tail.
Aeliana glanced back at Velden, whose eyes slid shut.
“I didn’t expect it to be a Sayhleen. Who would?” Dreyfus’ deep chuckle sounded sinister in the dark hull of his ship. “But I thought it might have some pretty scales to sell at the market, and it seemed large enough to be worth the pursuit. So I unfurled my nets and cast them wide.”
“But you didn’t catch her within the net, did you?” Velden asked.
Dreyfus turned back, his eyes narrowed. “Yes, I did. Unfortunately, she was injured, and by the time I pulled in the net, she was already dead.”
Velden’s jaw clenched, and Aeliana placed a hand on his back in warning. They needed to find the starbridge before he addressed what this man had done. Her mind flashed back to Cyrus’ insistence that vengeance be left to the Stars or Sun, and she did her best to push that memory on Velden.
If he received it, he didn’t acknowledge it.
Dreyfus made a show of unlocking the door and ushering them in to a small room, its portholes shining light directly on a glittering object.
Gorgeous ombre scales bled from a bright sunset orange to a deep blood-tinged mauve, like the depths of a fire in solid form.
The tail’s length rivaled the height of a man, and the span of its shell-pink translucent fin stretched out just as wide.
Despite its elegance, the thickness of the tail gave evidence to muscle that had once propelled the Sayhleen through the waters with ease.
She reached for Velden’s arm, needing to steady herself as much as him.
“How did you preserve it?” Velden asked.
“My skills are no different from the taxidermist who stuffs birds and beasts.”
A cold chill ran down Aeliana’s spine.
“And what of the top half of the body?” Velden’s voice shook, signaling that Aeliana’s time to find the starbridge was running out.
For the first time, Dreyfus looked uncomfortable. “I couldn’t very well stuff a woman’s body. People would be horrified to come look at that.” He shrugged. “Even though she had been beautiful.”
Aeliana stepped between the two men, and the shift in proximity brought her gaze to a second object on the wall, placed almost as an afterthought.
She held her breath as she took in the silver fish that would fit in the palm of her hand, ancient symbols inscribed on its surface instead of eyes or scales.
The smooth symmetry of its shape was otherworldly, like something no human, half-light, or other being could create.
“Oh, I see you found the Sayhleen’s treasure.” Dreyfus joined her by the fish. “Even in death she gripped that tight. I suspect it’s worth a lot to her people.”
“You didn’t once think”—Velden’s voice was gruff as it rose in volume behind them—“that stuffing the bottom half of a woman’s body was just as horrific as stuffing the top?”
The sailor’s eyes widened, and Aeliana turned to find Velden’s hat thrown off, his webbed hands splayed and filling the room with a hot steam reminiscent of his anger. Their time was up.
“You!” Dreyfus backed away until he hit the wall between the tail and silver fish, his gaze fixated on Velden’s webs.