Hunt on Dark Waters (Crimson Sails, #1)

I don’t want to leave for even that long, but I can hear Miles and the crew arguing just outside the door. I have to think. I have to deal with this. If they vote me out now, they’ll kill Evelyn. Fuck, they might kill me, too, but that’s less of a concern.

I drag in a deep breath and square my shoulders. I will never be the most charismatic captain, but damn them, I will have obedience. At least for now. I stalk out onto the deck. The whole crew isn’t here, but enough of them are for it to be a concern. “Set course for the island. I want to talk to the person who made the report to the Council.”

Miles shoves to the front of the crew. “We’re wasting time. That woman is a traitor, and if you’re not willing to do your duty, then give her to the sea and let nature take its course. We need to finish what we started with the dragon.”

Some of the crew rumble in agreement. I take the time to meet each of their gazes individually. One by one they fall silent. When I speak, everyone listens. “I will find out who among the villagers gave the report and ask them the questions I have after this encounter. At that point, I will make the decision about what to do with the witch. Should we need to hunt down the dragon, we will hunt down the dragon. It headed to the west, and it will take days before it reaches another island. If it even does. Hunting is what we do, and I will not rush this.” I motion at Dia. “Take us around the island to the village.”

“Careful, Captain.” Miles doesn’t raise his voice, but the threat is clear nonetheless. “If you keep defying orders of the C?n Annwn, you might be in danger of being branded a traitor alongside that witch.”

I stare at him until he drops his eyes. It takes longer than it normally does. At this rate I wouldn’t be surprised if Miles skipped the vote and tried to slip a knife between my ribs. “Everyone to their stations. I will go into the village after the witch awakes. Everyone else will stay behind.” It’s a risk, but Dia will keep them in line. At least long enough for me to return.

Taking Evelyn is also a risk, but I need her to understand once and for all that we are not monsters. She’s so determined to think the worst of me—of us—and maybe if she hears how many people the dragon killed, she’ll stop fighting me.

Maybe then she’ll stop trying to escape.

The opinion of one woman should not be enough for me to alter the entire course of our ship, but right now I don’t give a fuck. I turn on my heel and walk straight back into my cabin.

Evelyn, the damned troublemaker, is awake. She blinks up at me while Aadi coaxes healing magic in the air above her body. “What happened?”

It’s Aadi who answers. “It’s not safe for you to drain your magic to such low levels. Thankfully, your body gave out before your magic did. Otherwise, we might not be having this conversation.”

It’s been only a couple days since she saved my life against the cat-sìth. Surely she’s recovered enough that this magical incident stands on its own. I can’t help the guilt that viciously courses through me. She’s the one who fucked up and yet I’m the one who’s feeling bad about it. I don’t know how she does this without saying a single word, but she manages to again and again.

“Get her up and walking. We’re making a stop.” I should leave it at that, but I hate how fear crests in her green eyes. I should be happy—if she’s afraid enough, maybe she’ll start making smarter decisions—but I never want this witch, this woman, to fear me. “We’re going to talk to the villagers about the dragon attacks.”

“I’m ready to go.” Evelyn sits up, disrupting the beautiful ribbons of magic Aadi is weaving.

The bird woman huffs. “You’re as terrible a patient as the rest of them.” She pins me with a look. “She’s going to be dizzy for a bit. Don’t let her fall and hurt herself further.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to offer to carry Evelyn, but that’s not a reasonable offer to make. The impulse isn’t reasonable, either. Everything about this woman has me twisted up in knots. The worst part is that I don’t know if I want to untwist myself … or urge her to bind me tighter to her.

I know what her answer would be. After all, her main priority is getting away from me. Or at least, away from the C?n Annwn. But it might as well be the same thing because I am the C?n Annwn.

I walk to the door and hold it open, watching her closely as she stumbles toward me. “Don’t fall.”

“And deprive you of a chance to catch me?” She moves past me, each step becoming steadier. “Hold your breath, Captain.”

The crew has cleared out, but I feel their attention on me as we sail into the bay where the village resides. Very few of them are happy with this turn of events, but they can join the club because I’m not happy, either. I have never questioned my purpose. I’m trying very hard not to question it now.

Except isn’t that exactly what I’m doing? The order came directly from the Council. I’ve read it on my desk half a dozen times since Evelyn came aboard. It might be a little sparser on the details than some orders are, but it’s clear enough. And the follow-up confirmed that the dragon killed more than a single person, though even one death would be enough to condemn it.

I’ve never done a separate investigation of an order on my own. I’ve never even considered that I would need to. I shake my head hard. No, damn it. I’m not a traitor. I’m only doing this for Evelyn, to ensure that she accepts the reality of her situation and stops doing things that will force me to hurt her.

I desperately want her to stay safe, even from us. Especially from us.

Neither of us speak as I use my magic to lift us down to the dock. The village isn’t visible from our current location, so I motion for Evelyn to precede me down the dirt road that leads into the trees. It’s only then that I see the strange look on her face. “What’s wrong?” I turn to follow her gaze, trying to find the danger that must’ve put the stricken look on her face. “What do you see?”

“I recognize these trees,” she says softly. “They’re just like the ones that grow around my late grandmother’s house.”

A strange feeling comes over me. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that several realms have the same kind of trees. Some of them are damn near identical to one another. There’s no reason to think we happened to land on the one island out of hundreds that actually leads back to Evelyn’s home realm. The odds are astronomical. Beyond astronomical.

“That’s not why we’re here.”

“If I gave you the slip, I might not end up home, but I have a feeling this realm wouldn’t be that unfamiliar.” She’s still speaking softly, almost as if she’s musing aloud.

Again, that strange fear takes hold of me. “It doesn’t matter if the realm is familiar or not. If you run, you will be hunted.”