The dagger flies straight and true, finding its place in the sailor’s chest.
Thank the stars I still had it on me. The dagger-hidden-in-book trick is one I
will never take lightly should I ever need to intentionally get kidnapped again.
And it was a wonder Riden hadn’t checked me for weapons when he found me
sneaking about the ship that night.
Riden stands up straight. His mouth is slightly ajar, his eyes wide. “I thought
you … I thought—”
“You thought I’d really turned on you. Probably should have, but oh well.
Too late for that now.”
I walk over to where Riden stands when others enter the storage room.
“What happened here?” Draxen asks. He looks neither worried nor upset by
the bodies on the floor.
I wait for Riden to sell me out to save his own skin. He could easily tell Draxen that I left him to die, telling the pirates to come aboard when an ambush
was in place. It would be a little farfetched, considering there were only three men on board. But still plausible.
“It was my oversight,” Riden says. “I thought the ship was clear. I told the lass to go above and bring you over. Then they came out of a hidden room. I handled them.”
“Excuse me?” I say. He is not taking credit for my kills. Not that I need Draxen to know I’m capable. In fact, it’s probably best that Draxen thinks I’m not.
Riden ignores my outburst. “I think you’ll be pleased with what else awaits in
the hidden room.”
That distracts me. I look over Riden’s shoulder and see three chests filled with coins. There could easily be more behind other panels.
Draxen’s eyes are on fire as he stares. He alone advances, taking stock of it
all.
“They’re smugglers,” Riden continues. “Looks like they’ve just delivered
their cargo, whatever it may have been. I suspect that after the storm, most of the crew left to go get a new ship and return here. They weren’t about to leave all
this wealth behind. These men were left here to guard it. I probably wouldn’t
have found them if I hadn’t heard one of them moving through the wall.”
“Yes, yes,” Draxen says. I doubt he heard a word Riden said. He’s still staring into the wall. “Take the girl back over. The men and I will handle this.
We need to be quick before the rest of their crew returns.” Almost as an afterthought, he adds, “Well done, brother.”
Riden nods.
And just like that it’s back to the brig I go.
* * *
Riden opens my cell and thrusts me inside.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Following orders.”
“I thought we were past you hauling me around. Haven’t we established that I
can walk on my own?”
Riden stands at the opening of my cell. He hasn’t shut me in yet, but he’s not
looking at me. He’s looking at the ground. “Why did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“You saved me.”
“Yes, and then you took credit for it. What kind of thanks is that? That was
damned insulting. I ought to—”
“That was for your benefit.”
I’m too full of energy to sit. I usually am after a fight—should I not exhaust
myself to the point of passing out. Father did have me do that on several occasions so I would know what it feels like to be worn thin, so I could be mindful of my own strength. It’s important to know how much energy I have, in
case running becomes the better option. But so far no one except my father has
been able to wear me out to the point of losing consciousness.
“Just how exactly was that for my benefit?”
Riden grows very serious. “I don’t know what you’re doing. I do know you
had an opportunity to escape from us back there, and you didn’t take it. And you
stopped them from killing me when you had no reason to. Now that leaves me with two notions. Either you’re not so despicable and heartless as your prior actions would suggest. Or you have some sort of ulterior motive for keeping me
alive and staying on this ship.”
“I’m still not seeing how you claiming my kills is a kindness to me.” Riden
thinks I’m up to something, eh? Guess I will have to up my act. I need to rid him of the idea.
“You don’t know my brother. So allow me to explain something to you. If he
thinks you’re up to something, he’ll kill you. Now I owe you my life. So consider my silence part of my repayment.”