So I Married a Sorcerer (The Embraced #2)(27)

But how amazing that he had actually stopped them. She turned around to see what he was doing now.

He’d removed his gloves. His broad chest expanded as he inhaled deeply, and he lifted his arms to the sky, palms up. A small cyclone of wind began over his head, whirling faster and faster, growing larger and larger. Then he pushed his hands forward and the cyclone unraveled, shooting a gale-force wind straight at the Eberoni navy. All seven ships rocked and heaved as the wind buffeted against them. Slowly, the wind turned them till their sails became full.

Rupert pushed again, and the ships shot across the water, headed north. Brigitta’s mouth dropped open. His power was incredible! In one day, he’d managed to defeat both the Tourinian and Eberoni navies. And he’d done it without anyone being harmed.

Cheers rang out on deck, but Captain Landers shouted in Tourinian, “We’re not done yet! Stay alert!”

Not done? Brigitta hurried toward the door where Jeffrey was waiting. As she stepped through, she blinked to adjust her eyes to the dimmer light in the passageway.

Sister Fallyn was scowling at her from the base of the short staircase. “Look at you, yer gown is all wet. What happened to yerself?”

“There was a big splash from some cannonballs—” When Sister Fallyn stiffened with shock, Brigitta quickly added, “But no one got hurt. Everything’s fine.”

“It is not fine,” Sister Fallyn huffed. “What on Aerthlan possessed ye to go up on deck? ’Tis too dangerous!”

“I wanted to let the Eberoni navy know that we’re here. I thought if Luciana paid for our ransom, we could go to Ebton instead of Tourin.”

“Oh.” Sister Fallyn tilted her head while she considered. “That’s not a bad idea.”

With a groan, Brigitta shook her head. “It was bad. Rupert instantly rattled off five—no, four—reasons why it wouldn’t work.” Why had he refused to tell her his fifth reason?

Sister Fallyn scoffed. “He’s a thieving pirate. What would he know?”

Quite a bit, Brigitta thought as she paused on the second step.

“Come now.” Sister Fallyn motioned for her to hurry. “We’ll feel safer in our cabin.”

“But then we won’t know what’s happening.” Brigitta glanced at Jeffrey, who was hovering behind her in the doorway. “Can we stay here? With the door open so we can hear?”

“I-I suppose.” He glanced to the side and laughed. “I can’t close the door now. A big fat pelican just sat in front of it.”

“Really?” Brigitta peered outside and smiled when she saw the pelican sitting against the door.

She glanced to the portside but could no longer spot Rupert. Where was he? She scanned the deck till she saw his hat. He was indeed tall, for the tip of his hat stood a foot above most of the crew. He was standing close to the mainmast, putting on his gloves. Then he grabbed a rope with one hand and pulled a lever with another.

Suddenly he zoomed straight up into the air till he reached the crow’s nest.

Brigitta gasped. “How did he—”

“It’s one of his inventions.” With a grin, Jeffrey pointed up. “See the pulley up there and the trapdoor? When Rupert pulls the lever, the trapdoor swings open and a heavy weight drops down. The weight’s connected to the same rope Rupert’s holding. So when the weight goes down—”

“Rupert goes up,” Brigitta finished. “But doesn’t the weight crash onto the deck?”

Jeffrey snorted. “Rupert designed it so the weight falls into a cargo hole, where it’s caught in a net.”

Brigitta watched the pirate swing his legs over the railing of the crow’s nest and land neatly inside. “’Tis a clever idea.”

“Oh, Rupert’s really smart,” Jeffrey boasted. “He invented the privy down below.”

“Really?” Brigitta had been astonished by the sink and toilet that had pipes with running water. There was even an odd thing Jeffrey had called a shower.

“See those tanks over there?” Jeffrey pointed at three metal tanks at the far end of the passageway. “It’s my job to make sure they’re always full. The water goes down three different pipes to the privy. One for the sink, one for the chamber pot, and one for the shower. Gravity makes the water flow downward and eventually out some pipes into the sea.”

Brigitta recalled the levers Jeffrey had shown them. By twisting them up or down, a person could make the water pour out or stop. “What if ye run out of water?”

Jeffrey waved a dismissive hand. “Rupert has it covered. He put a bunch of barrels on deck to collect rainwater.”

Indeed, Brigitta thought, the pirate had an annoying way of being quite thorough. He’d certainly blasted her idea full of holes in just a few seconds. Even so, she couldn’t help but admire how inventive his mind was.

Tall and handsome. Extremely clever. He certainly seemed like a dashing young hero. Except for the fact that he was a thieving, sorcerer pirate. And that small thing that kept nagging at her. Something about Rupert was off. She just couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

“I hate to admit it,” Sister Fallyn grumbled, “but the privy was quite impressive.”

Jeffrey nodded. “That’s what Lady Ellen said. She’s the one who left all those clothes.”