“The amount of blood matters little. You, of all people, should know that. Even a drop is linked to your life force. Now, the vow.”
She frowns a little, the expression so fleeting it’s gone almost as soon as I register it. “Do you have many witches on your crew?”
“In a moment, they’ll number at one.” I gave her palm a pointed glance. “You’re wasting both of our time. Either make the vow or I toss you back in the ocean.”
“Someone should really petition this C?n Annwn Council of yours to let them know that their rules suck.”
I don’t bother to respond to that ridiculous statement. The Council doesn’t make the rules. The originals did before they disappeared into the waves of history. No C?n Annwn has seen them in longer than anyone can remember, and some of our people live thousands of years. None among my crew has that kind of life span, but there’s an old hunter who is quartermaster to the Harpy. Once, when we happened to make port at the same time, we shared a drink. The stories he told, passed down from his grandfather who lived just as long as him, were enough to make me grateful that the originals don’t bother with us any longer.
It’s best not to do anything to draw their attention or cause them to stir from wherever they reside now. I’m not sure any of us would survive it if they did. “The vow, witch.”
She huffs out a breath but relents after a moment of pained silence. “I pledge myself to the C?n Annwn. To hunt when the moon is full and howl for the death of monsters. I will bathe in their blood and protect the weak.”
Winning this fight should feel more momentous than it does. Instead, all I feel is exhausted. This is only the first battle of many with this woman, and I’m already fighting on several fronts aboard the Hag. One wrong move will be enough to tip the careful balance I’ve fought so hard for … the same balance Miles is constantly striving to undermine.
“It’s done.” As much as I would like to keep this woman restrained until I can assure her good behavior, it’s no longer an option. I reluctantly withdraw my magic and set her carefully on the floor.
Evelyn brushes at her clothing in a way that is obviously designed to distract. “I’ve never been a pirate before. Where are we headed, Captain? Off to steal some rich merchant’s booty?”
“I thank you never to use the word ‘booty’ in my presence again.” I motion for her to precede me. “We’re hunting a sea monster. It’s been terrorizing one of our local villages, so it’s our job to remove the threat.”
“Wow. So you actually do things beyond kidnap helpless civilians? How noble.”
“Yes, we actually do more than that.” I hold the door open for her and follow her back into the sunlight. It’s impossible to avoid noticing how it caresses her light hair almost lovingly. As if her energy draws the sunbeams more than anyone else on the deck.
“Kit!”
“Up here, Captain.” Kit descends one of the ropes so quickly that I wince in sympathy. Ne lands on the deck with a boom that sounds like a cannon going off, and strides toward us. Kit is a tall person with warm dark brown skin and the kind of shoulders that could hold up a mast in a hurricane. Ne is also one of the few crew members who Miles can’t sway. I trust nem to get Evelyn settled in without causing an incident.
Kit eyes Evelyn. “Not a mermaid, after all.”
“She’s a new member of our crew. See her outfitted and give her a bunk.” I barely resist the urge to tell nem to keep a close eye on her. It’s unnecessary. Kit can take care of this without letting Evelyn’s cunning words sway nem to some kind of foolish action. If Miles hasn’t managed to do that after months of campaigning, Evelyn won’t in a few short hours.
“Sure thing, Captain.”
“You.” I give Evelyn a long look. “Don’t give nem any trouble.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Kit makes an obvious attempt to hide nir smile. “This way, miss.”
“No need to stand on formality. Call me Evelyn.” She smiles up at nem, every inch a charming beauty.
It’s only as they walk away that I realize I’m missing something. I touch my empty sheath and where my dagger was just a few moments ago. Irritation flares. How the fuck did she pickpocket me again? I wasn’t even close to her this time. It shouldn’t have been possible. She didn’t do magic. I’m certain of that, at least.
I’m going to have to keep an eye on her. A close one. That thought should fill me with dread, but for the first time in years, a slow curl of anticipation goes through me. This woman is nothing like the rest of my crew, or the other people I’ve encountered in Threshold. It feels like the winds have shifted, but I don’t know yet if it means a blessed trip—or if there’s a hurricane bearing down on us.
I turn for the helm and nearly run into Miles. He doesn’t look any happier than he did earlier. His irritation is there in the way his skin has shifted to a dull orange and his tongue flicks out at regular intervals. He looks over to where Kit leads Evelyn down to the crew quarters. “This is a mistake. The rest of the crew thinks so, too.”
“They would after you’ve been dripping poison into their ears about her.” I can’t quite keep my anger from my voice. “You had no right to try to kill her before we gave her the choice.”
Miles turns his inky eyes on me. “There’s a reason most witches don’t survive in Threshold for long. Kill her now, kill her later, but she won’t last and you damn well know it.”
As with any group of varied peoples, the C?n Annwn has factions. I don’t like thinking about it. We’re supposed to be a unified group. It should be cut-and-dried—the laws exist, we follow them, end of story. Unfortunately, not everyone feels that way, and they don’t treat all trespassers equally.
They don’t treat the locals equally, either.
I brush that thought off. This is different. Some of our people consider witches to be monsters. Which means they don’t give witches the choice I just gave Evelyn. They kill them on sight.
I hold Miles’s gaze steadily. “She took the vow. She’s part of the crew. A strike against her is a strike against me and the rest of the C?n Annwn. I trust you’ll keep that in mind.”
“No need to threaten me.” He holds up his hands, but he’s got a glint in his eye I don’t like. She’s part of the crew as long as I’m captain, but should that change, her protections disappear the moment he takes the position. The Council might rule the C?n Annwn, but each individual ship is governed by its captain, and some play faster and looser with the rules than others.
“It’s not a threat. It’s a reminder. Call for a vote if you want, but until you do, I am captain of this ship, and you will obey me.”
“Yes, you’re captain … for now.”