Chapter 35 #2
“So you remember me? I’m her son. We went out to the deeper waters that day because there were things I wanted her to show me. Things she needed to tell me in case something happened to her. Except you got to her first.” Velden’s eyes narrowed, and the steam shifted to a spray.
Aeliana sucked in a breath. For some reason she’d always thought, or maybe hoped, that Velden’s knowledge of his mother’s death was something he’d received secondhand.
Dreyfus nervously batted the water away from his eyes. “I told you she was already injured. Some beast or other got to her before me.”
“I could’ve healed her,” Velden ground out. “It wasn’t a serious injury. We were far from land and supplies, but Sayhleens heal well in the water. She might have been fine without your harpoon going through her chest.”
Dreyfus went still, guilt flashing in his eyes, but then he schooled his features. “I caught her in my net and she was already dead.”
Had he told the lie for so long he believed it? Or did he think he could fool Velden into suspecting his own memory was flawed?
Aeliana bit her lip, tempted to reach out and grip the man’s arm, to try receiving his memory, but if he didn’t want to share it, it likely wouldn’t work. Not with how poorly her training had been going.
“Liar.” Velden cut off his spray and pulled out knives instead. “She could have at least finished telling me all the secrets she’d kept if you’d let her live. She could have said goodbye. She could have died in my arms instead of while being dragged aboard your ship.”
Footsteps rang above them.
“Velden,” Aeliana said. “I think it’s time we go.”
“I would listen to the little lady if I were you,” Dreyfus said. “There’s nothing more for you here. Your mother is still inspiring generations and will continue to do so. I’ve kept her alive in that way for you.”
Aeliana groaned inwardly. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to hold Velden back if it came to it, and not just because he was too strong for her. Dreyfus wasn’t doing or saying anything to make himself seem redeemable.
“I will be taking both my mother and the silver fish.”
Dreyfus frowned, pulling the hatchets from his belt. “I don’t think so. This is my livelihood. More than half my income comes from people wanting to see the treasures of the Sayhleen.”
“Then you’d better learn to live on half as much.” Velden shrugged. “Or if you’d rather, I can remove half your body like you did for my mother. Remove your need for any income at all.”
“Velden,” Aeliana hissed. “Murdering a man, even if it’s warranted, won’t make it easy for us to leave this ship.”
“Maybe I don’t need to leave.” His gaze hardened with resolve, the lines on his face showing his age for the first time. “It’s enough if you do.”
Dreyfus’ eyes darted around the room, leaving Aeliana unnerved.
“I’d much rather add your webbed hands to my collection.” Dreyfus spun the hatchets in his hand with a dexterity that gave her pause. Maybe the weapons hadn’t just been for show.
“Then you should know I also have webbed feet.” A wicked grin crossed Velden’s face, as if he relished the thought of tempting this man into attacking first.
Aeliana sighed. There was no way they were getting out of there alive unless they were willing to incapacitate Dreyfus in some way.
The sailor’s eyes gleamed.
Aeliana didn’t wait to find out why. Pulling energy from her starlock and into her hands, she let the energy out in a burst of light that formed a wall between them and Dreyfus.
It flickered and faded, like starlight winking out behind clouds, inciting her panic.
Why were her light shields so weak? Why hadn’t she demanded Sylmar focus on that instead of the new noetic skills?
The momentary fear on the sailor’s face gave way to dark humor.
As he threw his first hatchet with practiced precision, Aeliana pulled on her starlock’s power, feeding it into the light shield until it shone bright once more.
When the hatchet clinked off the shield, Dreyfus’ confidence waned.
“Is this why you brought the girl? To fight your battle for you?”
“I hunted you for three moons while watching my father fade away. I only stopped because my mother wouldn’t have wanted me chasing vengeance.
Not when I could chase love instead. But if I’d known what you did with my mother’s body, if I’d found this sorry excuse for a show, I’m not sure it would have mattered.
I would have come the same day and killed you myself. ”
Dreyfus’ eyes flicked between the stairs and the tail, but he pulled another hatchet from his belt. “Maybe we can work out a deal.”
“I don’t make deals with liars and swindlers. And definitely not with murderers.”
“Swindlers?” Dreyfus scanned their necks and hands, likely assessing the source or strength of their power.
He was using conversation to stall, and it made Aeliana uneasy. Just because he didn’t have magic didn’t mean he didn’t have ways to trick them. And just because she couldn’t see a starlock didn’t mean he didn’t have magic.
“I give people exactly what they came for. A glimpse of the beauty of the Sayhleen.”
“Let’s go, Velden.” Aeliana stepped forward with her shield, forcing Dreyfus away from his prized possessions on the wall. He stepped to the side, reluctantly, hissing as the edges of her shield touched his skin.
She reached for the silver fish first, mostly because she wasn’t sure how easily they could get either off the wall. Sure enough, nails were bent to hold the fish in place. As her fingers brushed the metal, a warmth surged through her, followed by a humming vibration.
Her shield flickered with the distraction, and Dreyfus lunged for her.
He knocked her to the floor, and his axe came within a handsbreadth of her face before she regained control. As her energy shifted to strengthen her arms and hold him at bay, Velden stepped in, pulling Dreyfus away by the collar and placing a dagger at his neck.
Aeliana stood, brushing off her pants and giving Velden a warning glance. “We’ll get out of here faster if you don’t kill him.”
“You’re right. Maybe I won’t kill him. Just take what he took from my mother.” He let his dagger slide down near the man’s thighs. “Only seems fair.”
Dreyfus elbowed Velden and knocked the dagger from his hand, then each man drew another weapon.
Aeliana turned her back on their match to face the silver fish. Velden could use his magic on Dreyfus at any moment and tip the scales. Both men had to know that. So what game were they playing?
She pried the nails apart until she could loosen the fish and tuck it into her pocket. Next, she moved to the tail, but she hesitated over the way to get it down most respectfully.
“My mother once told me that each Sayhleen takes their form in the water in different ways.” Velden’s voice held an unfamiliar edge that added urgency to Aeliana’s choice.
She worked at the nails holding up the tail, bending them like she’d done for the silver fish.
“Some form a single tail like she did.” His words were punctuated by grunts and thuds as they continued attacking and blocking.
“Others retain most of their lower legs but gain dual fins and scales. Still others transform with scales and fins covering their entire body, a shift so intense they rival the skills of the most powerful somatic progeny. No magic required.”
Aeliana glanced back. Dreyfus’ eyes gleamed with this information, and Velden used his distraction to finally draw blood on the sailor’s cheek. She went back to her work.
“Aeliana,” Velden called lazily. “I think we should take him with us. See if the Sayhleens want to put him up in one of their museums.”
“That’s enough, Velden,” Aeliana muttered, more frustrated with the nails holding the tail in place than her friend.
“As if you can reach Sayhla Island.” Dreyfus guffawed, but he couldn’t hide the curiosity in his voice.
Aeliana finally bent enough nails away to loosen the tail and slide it free. Its weight nearly toppled her until she infused her arms with strength from her starlock. Even then, it was awkward to carry. She didn’t see how they could get above deck and off the ship without being swarmed.
“We can now, thanks to you.”
Aeliana turned to catch Velden’s mock bow.
Dreyfus made one last lunge with his hatchet, but Velden easily dodged it, water snaking out from his hands to wrap around Dreyfus’ wrists.
It was unusually effective considering it was water, but Aeliana had seen him do it once before to Felk and remained confident it would hold.
“Did you really not know you had a starbridge all this time?” Velden’s sneer lent more contempt than curiosity to his question, and Dreyfus’ eyes widened in shock. Velden pulled his dagger back out. “Come on. Let’s take this liar above deck and let him put on his final show.”