It will also give me an opportunity to see if the witch intends to keep her vow … or attempts to escape at the first opportunity.
CHAPTER 6
Evelyn
AFTER THE POCKET DIMENSION TRICK THAT IS THE CAPTAIN’S quarters, I shouldn’t be surprised when Kit leads me through a door at the bottom of the staircase and into a space that is blatantly too big to be contained within the walls of the ship. I look at the polished floors and the hallway studded with easily a dozen doors. “Neat trick.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Kit smiles. Ne isn’t like Miles or the captain. There’s something relaxing about nir presence that feels a bit like ne is exuding Xanax from nir pores.
I press my thumb to the glyph tattoo just below my left collarbone, but the sensation doesn’t change. So, not a spell. Perhaps it’s a feature of nir ancestry. I don’t think ne is human, or at least not a flavor of human I’ve encountered before. “Are you from my realm?”
“I doubt it.” Ne heads down the hallway, nir long strides eating up the distance and forcing me to hurry to keep up. “Unless you’re from a realm where all but the tallest peaks have fallen into a toxic sea and most of the population lives on airships.”
“Nope.” I knew there were countless realms out there, a patchwork quilt of existence that boggles the mind, but I never had to think about it before. The most realm-hopping anyone does these days is when they make deals with bargainer demons. And then they hop only to one realm, instead of ending up in Threshold.
Holy fuck, I’m in Threshold.
Eventually, that is going to sink in fully, but for now I’m still in survival mode. I don’t bother to ask Kit about the parameters of the vow. No reason to show my hand ahead of time. “If the ship sinks and I’m in here, do I sink, too?”
“Yes.” Ne points to the door at the end of the hallway. “Through there is the mess hall and med bay. Your room will be here.” Ne moves to a door identical to the others. It leads into a relatively nice room that would be at home in any college campus across the US. “Bathroom is shared with your roommate, Lucky.”
I blink. “Each of these rooms has its own bathroom?” I went through a heavy pirate phase back in my teen years, and the whole life seemed rather glamorous until Bunny sat me down and talked about scurvy and poop decks and the reality of how damned stinky everyone was over those long voyages. It effectively killed any true desire to be a proper historical pirate.
This is something else entirely.
Kit bursts out laughing. “Trust me, it’s better for everyone this way. Before the captain sprang for the extra-large magical expansion, there were more fights over showers than there were over meals or shifts. Beyond that, with as varied as the crew is, everyone’s needs are a little different.”
I can see how that would be true, but it doesn’t explain why Bowen—er, the captain—would care. “He’s paying for it with what?”
Kit’s open expression shutters. “Best you talk to him about it if you want more information.” Ne hesitates. “Everyone needs a bit of a time to adjust when they’re first brought on. That will buy you some grace, but not if you’re trying to make trouble. I suggest you don’t abuse it.”
I give nem a wide-eyed look. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” I know how to work a long con, though I don’t normally have the patience for that sort of thing. I also can’t take for granted that anyone would lend me a willing ear on this ship. It’s entirely possible—probable, even—that they are all as murderous as Miles or as horrifically boring and law-abiding as Bowen.
I haven’t seen anyone as attractive, though.
No.
No, absolutely not.
I might have terrible taste in partners, but even I have to have limits. A grumpy, uptight pirate paladin would have Bunny emerging from whatever plane of existence she’s landed on in her afterlife to slap the shit out of me. Not that Bowen would consider himself a paladin, but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a fucking paladin.
Never fall for a paladin, little bird. Their first love will always be their god, and you’ll come a distant second. If that god demands your bleeding heart on an altar, they will weep and wallow in guilt, but they’ll hack the organ right out of your chest without hesitation.
“It’s not so bad.” Kit’s voice interrupts my dark thoughts. Ne watches me with sympathy in nir dark eyes. “No one on this ship sought out this life, but we’ve all made the best of it. I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but the captain is a good man and we do good work. Important work.”
“Killing monsters.”
Ne nods. “Just so.”
I shouldn’t do anything to piss off these people more than I already have, but restraint is not one of my virtues. “Funny thing, that. We have monster killers in my realm, too. Who gets to decide who’s a monster and who’s not?” I won’t pretend like there aren’t monsters who hunt among the human population, but plenty of those monsters aren’t paranormal in the least. The hunters in my realm don’t go after them, though. Too often, those hunters use “monster” to label anyone who doesn’t adhere to their criteria of what makes a person human.
Plenty of those groups had witches on their list not too long ago.
Some of them still do.
Kit stares at me for a long moment and shakes nir head. “You’re going to be a giant pain in the ass, aren’t you?”
“Undoubtedly.” I fight for a smile, a real one. “I do appreciate the welcome, though. I’m not one to handle being outmaneuvered gracefully, but I’ll do my best to settle in.” At least until I find a way out of this mess. I don’t know what my plan is yet, though. Run? Try to find out more about this Council that seems to make even the captain uneasy and somehow blackmail them into sending me home? What I need is more information, and the only way to get that is to bide my time here on the ship.
Going back to my realm means contending with Lizzie and the fact I stole something she will most definitely want back. I’m not foolish enough to think that the fact that we’ve shared a bed will soften her toward me. I know how she deals with betrayal—blood and violence. She really sounded like she meant it when she threatened to kill me.
“Dinner is in shifts. You can take first, which is in about an hour.” Kit points at the chest at the foot of the bed. “Spare clothes are in there. We’ll outfit you properly when we make port next, but you should find something to tide you over until then. Report to the kitchen after you eat. You don’t seem like you’re experienced with sailing, so that’s a safe place to start working until Miles finds a permanent place for you.” Ne turns without another word and leaves the room.
I count to ten slowly twice before I allow my knees to buckle and slump to the edge of bed. What a mess. Too much, too fast. My hands are shaking despite my best efforts. Stress and fear have a way of coming out no matter how good my control. I take a breath and let my body have its reaction. No crying—I’m nowhere low enough to shed actual tears over my circumstances—but my chest goes tight and my skin hot as tremors rack my limbs.