CHAPTER 39
C HAPTER 39
S ETH GRABBED the heavy trunk from Julian as the young arcanist staggered under the weight of it.
“Fuck,” Seth grunted, hauling the trunk across the deck of the ship. “What the hell is in this? You didn’t have this much shit when I met you.”
“Books and some wonderful pieces of artifice. The empress was very generous.”
“You were supposed to be packed yesterday. There’s already a trunk of books in the cargo hold.”
One of those books was Kahzir’s. Zarina had allowed Raider to decide what to do with it, whether to destroy it or keep it. Raider had said it was best in Julian’s hands. After all, his neutralizing drug had worked at least a little. If anyone could make something good from all that bad, Raider had said, it was Julian. (Which, yeah, had had the young arcanist’s cheeks positively flaming.)
“I know!” Julian replied to Seth’s grumbling. “That’s what the captain said, and that’s why he made me carry it myself. These were last-minute additions.”
With a sigh, Seth hauled the trunk down into the cargo hold, stowed it, and returned to the deck. He found Julian talking with Raider, who was leaning against the rail. Raider, bare chested, was wearing dark blue shalvar pants and a new violet sash. Adavasti, in cat form, was sitting at Julian’s feet, his tail curled around Julian’s ankle. He was still glowing faintly from the infusion of power from the Alchemist’s Stone.
Though the draining of the Stone had freed the essences of the djinn—something that, apparently, Julian and Adavasti had theorized while everyone else had been focused on Kahzir—clearly some degree of power lingered in the ifrit. (Seth found that very concerning and couldn’t believe that no one else seemed worried about it.)
Seth said, “I’m not sure how the University is going to react to an ifrit taking up residence.”
Julian gave him a pleading look. “They don’t need to know he’s an ifrit, do they?”
“Well, I won’t report it, but if you think he’s going to be able to control himself and remain in cat form, you’d better think again. Besides, he’s still glowing.”
“We’ll, um, cross that bridge when we come to it,” Julian replied, bending down to pick up Adavasti. He went down to the cargo hold, no doubt to check whether Seth had secured his trunk properly.
Seth shook his head. “He’s going to find himself in front of the Disciplinary Board, I can guarantee it.”
Raider grinned. “I have a feeling he can handle it. If he can stand up to you , he can certainly stand up to them.”
Seth grunted.
Chuckling, Raider pulled an orange from his pocket and started cutting into it with—
“When did you take that?” Seth demanded, staring at his multi tool in Raider’s hand.
“A few hours ago.” Raider finished with the knife then licked it clean. The sight of Raider’s busy tongue had Seth’s blood moving south—as Raider had no doubt intended. Gods, this was going to be a long voyage if Raider insisted on teasing him like that when they had no hope of privacy.
Seth snatched the multi tool back and cleaned it properly before stowing it in its proper place. “You might end up in front of the Disciplinary Board too with those light fingers.”
Raider grinned. “I never get caught unless I want to be.”
“You like when I catch you.”
“I do.” Raider handed him half of the orange.
As the crew rowed them from the harbor into the sparkling brightness of the ocean, Seth stroked Raider’s hip, noticing that he didn’t look back.
“You’re ready?” Seth asked. “For Masir?”
For me, he meant. Life with me.
Raider seemed to know that because he kissed Seth so hard and deep that several of the crew whistled. Then Raider said against his lips, “Absolutely.”