All the Stars and Teeth(40)

“Stop there!” Antoni yells, his voice low and guttural. “The docks are closed for the night.”

Bastian falters, pretending to be thrown off guard. “Closed?” he echoes, as if testing the taste of the word. And then he frowns, deciding he doesn’t like it. “Why did no one mention this earlier? How long do you intend to keep them shut?” His voice begins to rise, sounding half flustered and half ridiculously insulted. It’s truly quite impressive.

The guard’s brows furrow. “Emergency shutdown. I’m afraid you’ll have to leave.”

Beside me, Ferrick is stiff as stone. I say a silent prayer he keeps his mouth shut.

“You don’t understand,” Bastian argues, “my brother’s getting married in the morning, and our outfits are on that ship.” He points to Keel Haul and inhales a sharp, angry breath. “He’s marrying Mornute’s baroness, and if I don’t make sure her fiancé has his outfit—”

“As well as her ring,” I add, trying to keep my voice a low baritone.

“—his outfit and her ring, yes. If I don’t have those, she’ll have my head.”

The guard frowns, forehead creasing with annoyance. Likely not wanting to deal with the amount of protest he senses we’re willing to offer, he looks toward Karin, who sighs knowingly.

“I’ll escort you up,” the woman grumbles. “But make sure you’re quick about it.”

“Of course,” I say, and Ferrick nods in what I think is an attempt to be enthusiastically thankful. The soldier gives him an odd look, but only rolls her eyes. She assumes we’re nothing more than a trio of silly young men.

She’s no knowledge of the weapons at our hips, or the lies of our faces.

We travel swiftly through the docks, the presence of Keel Haul so close that victory pounds in my heart’s anxious beating.

But it’s short-lived; Casem and his group have returned from searching the town.

“Someone claims to have seen her,” a soldier in his group announces. “She was with two men—we can presume the princess and her fiancé both fled and are seeking sanctuary with someone.”

I keep my head tucked down and my legs moving. Ferrick’s the first to ascend the ladder up Keel Haul, trying desperately to hide that a partially missing hand is what’s slowing him down. Bastian quickly follows, and I’m only a few steps away.

I silently pray they don’t look toward me. But tonight, the gods must be laughing at my poor favor.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I recognize the voice as Casem’s.

Karin hesitates as Casem closes the gap between us. Nerves eat my stomach raw, cramping it so fiercely I grimace.

“Don’t worry, sir,” Karin says. “There’s no crew on board their ship. I was escorting them up to fetch their outfits for the baroness’s wedding tomorrow.”

Casem’s eyes narrow sharply. “The baroness is still in Arida for Princess Amora’s birthday,” he says, and I nearly stumble on my own feet.

Karin spins to face me. But when she does, her eyes don’t reach my face. They hesitate on my white trousers, noticing first what I don’t feel until a moment too late.

Blood.

It’s seeped through to stain the crotch and upper thighs of my trousers, and I understand now it wasn’t worry that’s been cramping my stomach for the past hour.

Casem follows Karin’s focus, and his cheeks flush pink. “My apologies, sir. If your clothes are aboard that ship, please allow Karin to escort you to—” His words stall as he stares down at my pants, and hesitation knits his brows as though he’s seen something off. When I peer down to see what’s caught his attention, my entire body numbs.

My satchel.

When Casem throws his attention to my face, his eyes spark with immediate recognition. “Amora?”

I don’t think, or wait to figure out whether this woman has magic. I grab Karin by her shoulders and use every ounce of strength and adrenaline to shove her off the dock and into the water.

“Time to go!” Bastian yanks himself up the ropes of Keel Haul. “Hurry and grab on!”

The docks ignite with life and fury. Bastian’s a far quicker climber than I am; his years of experience have paid off. Though I manage to grip the ladder, Casem does the same.

“Amora!” He grabs my left ankle. I twist and kick my foot from his grip, ready to demand he release me. But when I glance down, it’s not determination in his eyes. It’s panic.

“Push me into the water,” he whispers sharply. “Tell me where you’re going, and then kick me down.”

“Why would I—”

“Then I’ll tell them you’re going to Valuka! I’m going to grab you, but you need to push me into the water.”

And he does just that. Casem stretches to grab at my leg once more, but his grip looks stronger than it truly is. I snarl and twist out of it easily, slamming my boot down into his face. He yelps and loses his grip, slipping from the rope and into the water below. But I feel a rush of his Valukan magic before he falls, discreetly pushing higher and hastening my climb. I wince and send him a silent thanks for his help.

Above me, Bastian and Ferrick lean over the railing to pull me up. One soldier forms a ball of fire in his hands, preparing to toss it at the ropes. But several other soldiers lunge and get in his way as they dive for the ladder that Bastian’s quick to swing up and over the ledge.