He has his hair pulled back in a band at the base of his neck, but a burst of wind pulls a strand free.
I chastise myself for wanting to touch it.
“Why are you on my ship?” Reading my father’s note seems to have brought on a bout of distrust.
He watches me carefully, his eyes turning inquisitive. “Is it not obvious?”
“If it were, would I be asking?” I say, irritation coloring my tone.
He smiles as though I’ve just said the most amusing thing in the world.
It makes me want to hit him.
Since that’s not the best idea, I turn around to leave him, but he puts his hand on my arm. Before I can do anything else, he’s right there. His chest pressed against my back, his breath warm on my ear.
“I’m here because when I tried to get in that rowboat with my brother, I realized the last thing I wanted was to be away from you.” His hand runs up the length of my left arm, which is facing toward the sea. Away from the eyes of the crew. “I’m here for you, Alosa.” His fingers flutter against my neck, sending a shiver down my back. “If you can’t tell that, I’m not doing a good job of showing you.”
His lips graze my earlobe. To anyone else on the ship, it must look as though he’s only sharing a secret with me.
Now he wants to touch me? What happened to fleeing to the opposite side of the room? That memory boils back to the surface. I bite out, “You’re forgetting. I’m far too emotional for your taste.”
I pull out of his grasp and don’t look back.
Rejection stings, doesn’t it, Riden?
*
Kearan isn’t at the helm when I reach it the next day. Niridia has taken his place.
“Where is he now?” I groan.
She points just below us. I peer over the aftercastle and find Sorinda leaning against the door to the infirmary, her head turned so her ear is pressed into the wood.
“What are you doing?” I ask her.
“Nothing,” she says immediately. She disappears belowdecks before I can get anything else out of her.
“Kearan’s in the infirmary,” Niridia explains. “He can’t stop shaking and sweating. Mandsy opens the door every once in a while to toss a bucket of his stomach’s contents over the side of the ship.”
“He’s still set on staying off the drinking, then.”
I’m impressed.
Chapter 10
I STAND IN ONE of the storage rooms belowdecks, surveying the equipment.
“The Ava-lee was already well stocked when we’d arrived back at the keep, Captain,” Radita says as she gestures around the packed room. “We didn’t take any damage while sailing to pick up Vordan. Though we’re not as equipped as I’d like for a voyage this long, we still have plenty of supplies. There’s enough canvas to repair each of the sails, stacks of wooden planks should the deck need refurbishing, extra rope if any of the lines start showing signs of wear. I’m checking her every day. So far so good.”
Radita spent most of her life training under her grandfather, one of the most famous shipwrights at the land king’s disposal. After the death of her grandfather, she had no way to support herself, since the land king wasn’t about to hire a woman to fill the empty position. That’s when I found her.
“There’s no one I trust more with the ship’s upkeep, Radita. Keep up the good work.”
“Aye, Captain.”
It’s been two weeks since we dropped off Draxen at the supply post. The Ava-lee has been holding steady under the pressure of strong and favorable winds, carrying us through waters I’ve never seen before. There are no known lands this far south. The land king paid his dues to my father to allow his ships to explore the area down here, but none have returned with news of land, if they return at all. My ancestors kept their secrets well hidden.
Still, two weeks of good wind means we have a three-or four-day lead on my father, depending on how long it took him to get the fleet moving. It’s an acceptable lead, but not enough for me to sleep comfortably at night.
I pass by the opening to the brig on my way back up top and peer inside. Riden sits at a table with Wallov and Deros, playing cards. He seems to have made it his personal mission to make everyone on the ship like him. If he’s not gambling with the men, he’s up in the crow’s nest looking through a telescope with Roslyn or having drinks with the girls. I’ve even seen him trying to warm up Niridia. She’s not the trusting sort, though when you do earn her trust, she’s the most loyal friend you’ll ever have. I imagine it’s only a matter of time before Niridia is all chummy with him as well.
Soon I’ll be the only person on the ship who can’t stand him.
Kearan is at the helm when I make it to the aftercastle. He’s only been back on duty within the last couple of days. Took him some time to recover from his cleansing. It’s too soon to tell whether I like the man better sober or not.
“Wind’s picking up,” he says in greeting. “There’s a storm on the horizon. The little one spotted black clouds. We’re headed right for them.”
Of course we are.
“Keep us steady,” I say to him. Then I shout for Niridia. “Get everything tied down and well secured. Storm’s ahead.”
“All hands to work!” she shouts. “Storm warning. All loose items are to be stowed away!”
All decks are in a flurry of activity as crates and barrels are doubly tied down. Though I stay on the main deck, I know what’s happening below me. Trianne, the ship’s cook, is securing everything in the kitchens behind cupboards. The cannons are being stowed, dispersed around the ship so their weight doesn’t pull us too far to one side. All ports and windows are being closed.
It isn’t long before those of us up top can see the black clouds on the horizon.
“The sails?” Niridia asks.
“Not yet.” There’s not enough distance between us and Kalligan’s fleet. Storms usually last no longer than a few hours. Every minute the sails are tied down is another minute the fleet will gain on us.
Night falls, and I order every lantern on the ship lit. No one dares to go to sleep. They’re all out on deck. Waiting. Watching.
Most of the night has passed when the storm finally hits. The wind becomes frenzied, and Kearan starts to wrestle with the helm.
“She’s the easiest vessel I’ve ever handled!” He shouts to be heard over the sloshing water and ravenous wind.
“One of the perks of having a smaller ship!” I shout back to him. The sails flap frantically in the wind, no longer doing us any good. They’ll only shred if we leave them up.
“Niridia, get those sails down!”
She rushes down the companionway and cups her hands around her mouth. “Riggers, to your posts! Bring down the sails. No one is to climb the masts without a secure line!”
Riden and the others attach ropes to their waists and tie off the other ends to notches near the feet of the masts. The rain comes down hard, making everything slippery almost instantly. The ship turns sharply, the current below sending her in unpredictable directions.
I spin around. “Kearan, relinquish the wheel.”
“I can hold her steady, Captain. I’m a seasoned helmsman.”