All the Stars and Teeth(65)

“No more secrets.” I hold Bastian’s scrutiny until he relaxes with a heavy exhale, realizing I mean my words. “I understand your reasons, but this changes things, Bastian. There can’t be any more secrets.”

It takes a moment before he responds, his words quiet. “No more secrets. I swear it on my honor as a pirate.”

“I thought you preferred the term sailor?” I try to tease, but the words are weak as my dizzying vision forces my head back to the pillow. My fight with the Lusca is catching up to me.

Bastian laughs softly. It’s unnerving how much I like that sound.

“Let’s not fuss over semantics.” He squeezes my hand once, then stands and dims the oil lamp until it’s barely a flicker. “Try to get some rest. We’ve one more day before we get to Zudoh. We’ll need to be ready.”

And I’ll need to prepare.

Through the dim light, I focus on the Lusca’s severed tentacle and the thick barbed hook that curls at the tip. I shudder at the memory of how quickly its poison ate away at me. How it robbed my vision and made me a victim of the sea’s wrath.

What a brilliant weapon that hook could make.





CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO


The room’s empty when I wake the next morning. I ease myself onto shaky feet, stretch my stiff bones, and snag one of Bastian’s coats to wear over my thin linen shirt. The moment I open the door, Ferrick’s there waiting. He jumps to his feet, and I’m surprised to see his coloring is normal and his movements quick. He’s finally adapted to traveling on Keel Haul.

“Amora!” He nearly knocks me back when he throws his arms around me. “By the gods, I’m so sorry. How are you feeling? You were already in the water by the time I realized what you were doing. The Lusca, Amora! Can you even believe it? We faced the Lusca.” He’s wide-eyed and shaking with a strange mix of relief and excitement.

The last time Ferrick and I spoke, the conversation didn’t exactly go well. But when he dived into the water after Vataea, panic filled me every time I couldn’t see his red hair bobbing in the water.

I wrap my arms around Ferrick’s waist and pull myself into his chest, hugging him as tightly as I can—still weak from the blood loss, it’s not much. Unlike Bastian, whose touch was tender and careful, Ferrick nearly crushes me to his body. His warm breath sighs relief into my neck as the tension in his body softens.

When I draw back, Ferrick looks at me with a gentle smile.

I will never love Ferrick in the way he wants, but he’s one of the most caring men I’ve ever met. Nothing he’s done since joining me on this journey has been for himself, and it’s time I acknowledge that. I can’t hate him for a decision my parents made.

“I’m glad you’re safe,” I say. “And I’m sorry about before; you didn’t deserve how cruel I was.” Gods, I can’t remember the last time I apologized for anything. But Ferrick was right; he asked for this marriage no more than I did. “It was incredibly brave of you to jump in after Vataea. How is she?”

Ferrick swallows, regaining his composure. “She smacked her head when she fell and was knocked out cold by the time she hit the water. But she’s fine now, no injuries. And I’m fine, too. A little tired, but I’ll live.” He smiles with his eyes, squinting the corners of them.

I squeeze his shoulders. “Thank you, Ferrick. I know my injuries were deep. And I know it had to be exhausting to heal them, especially after getting Vataea safe and finishing off the Lusca.”

Ferrick’s brows lower against his eyes and he looks away. “About the Lusca … We cut a few more of its tentacles off to be safe, but it’s a legendary beast, and Bastian and I didn’t feel right about killing it. The necklace will fall from it soon enough. Hopefully it’ll return to the sea, and we’ll never see it again.”

I press my lips together. Their decision seems noble, but it’s not the one I would have made. The Lusca is a legend, yes, but it’s also a threat. If I hadn’t lost control of myself, I would’ve ensured its death.

But with a defeat that grand, I doubt the beast will attack another ship any time soon.

Only when I step fully onto the deck do I recognize how grim the sky is. We’re east of Kerost, heading to the southernmost point in all of Visidia and into a frigid, thick gray haze that sinks into my skin. The waters on the horizon are bleak—green rather than the crystal blue I’m used to. They churn angrily. Keel Haul has regained her confidence as she plunges onward, but that doesn’t stop the tides from beating against her, urging the ship to turn back.

No dolphins flank our ship. There are no seagulls to fill the sky, because despite the stories I’ve heard about the endless schools of rare fish in these waters, the sea here looks dark and diseased. I fear that if I dip my hand into the water, my flesh will dissolve in the murky green tides.

There’s no life here. Everything is still and silent.

I catch sight of Bastian on the rigging. He’s high up near the sails, mending a patch destroyed by the Lusca. When he catches me staring, he cocks his head, as if waiting for me to ask a question I don’t have. I turn away quickly.

“Look who’s finally awake!” Vataea emerges from the cabin and waves at me, a delighted crinkle in her eyes. She’s dressed in my new clothing, and though it fits her well, it almost looks wrong on her body. She looks strangled by fabric.