Fable (Fable #1)(14)

I worked on the nets until we were losing the daylight and the air turned cool, soothing my hot skin. My back and shoulders ached, my fingers starting to blister, but I finished off the line of knots I was working before I let Auster take them.

He inspected my work carefully before he gave a tight nod and went down to the main deck where Willa and Paj sat together at the prow with bowls of stew. Willa’s feet hung over the edge, her boots kicking against the wind, and my stomach turned at the smell of cooked fish.

Night fell over the sea, painting the Marigold black except for the white sails stretched against the dark, clouded sky. The stars and moon hid, giving no sign of where the sea ended and the sky began, and I liked the feeling. Like we were floating in the air. The west wind was warm, finding its way onto the ship before it ran back to the wake on the water behind us.

My teeth clenched against the hunger in my belly, but I couldn’t afford to spend a single copper, and both Willa and Auster had made it clear that nothing would be given for free. I slipped past them in the dark, stopping before the steps that led below deck. The soft glow of candlelight spilled through the crack in the door to my right, and I watched a shadow move over the floor as a heavy hand landed on my shoulder. I spun, pulling my knife free in one motion to hold it ready at my side. The young man with the spectacles from last night looked down at me, only half-lit by moonlight. “You’re Fable.”

My grip on the knife loosened.

“I’m Hamish, coin master of the Marigold.” His reddened cheeks looked as if his skin wasn’t suited for the wind and sun of sailing. “You put one finger on anything that doesn’t belong to you on this ship, and I will know.”

I lifted my chin. Most people in the Narrows were cut from the same tattered cloth, but even the lowest rungs of society had its castoffs. Jeval was the only bit of land between the Narrows and the Unnamed Sea, and it had become a sort of catchall for those who either couldn’t outrun their reputations or had too many enemies on the mainland to stay below notice. Among traders, they were known as thieves.

I pulled the sleeve of my shirt down instinctively, making sure my scar was covered. Traders were even more superstitious than Jevalis, and the last thing I needed was for them to start wondering if I was going to draw the eye of sea demons. The first storm we saw could get me thrown overboard.

I could live with the crew not liking me, but if they were afraid of me, I was in real trouble.

Hamish reached around me for the door, and it swung open on creaking hinges.

Inside, West was bent over a table of unrolled maps with a cup of something steaming hot in one hand, where the gold ring on one of his fingers caught the light. Hamish stepped into the small room, coming to his side with a rolled parchment and a black feather quill.

“Thank you,” West muttered, stilling when his gaze travelled to the door and he spotted me.

“I—” But the words sputtered out, my heart coming up into my throat. I wasn’t sure what I’d even meant to say.

West jerked his chin to the door and Hamish obeyed, moving past me without a word and disappearing in the dark breezeway.

“What is it?” West set the cup down on the map, turning the ring on his finger as he stepped in front of the desk. I didn’t miss the way he stood in front of the maps so I couldn’t see what was on them.

“I wanted to thank you.” I stood a little taller.

“For what?”

My brow pulled. “For taking me on.”

“You paid for passage,” he said flatly.

“I-I know,” I stuttered, “but I know you didn’t want to—”

“Look,” he cut me off. “You don’t owe me anything. And I want to be clear”—he met my eyes for a long moment—“I don’t owe you anything.”

“I didn’t say—”

“You put me in a bad position by coming to the docks last night. One I didn’t ask for.” A sharp edge cut into the smooth current of his voice.

I knew what he meant. His crew didn’t approve of his decision to give me passage. Now, he’d have to square it with them somehow. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t need an apology. I need you off my ship. As soon as we get to Ceros, you’re gone.”

In the entire time I’d been trading with West, he’d never said as many words. He’d always been cold, his words clipped and his manner impatient. His gaze had always jumped around the docks, never landing on me, but it did now. His eyes met mine for the length of a breath before they dropped to the floor between us.

“I didn’t know it would cost you anything,” I said, my voice softer than I meant it to be.

“It did. It will.” He sighed, dragging one hand over his face. “While you’re on this ship, you’ll pull your weight. If someone asks you to do something, you do it without question.”

I nodded, biting the inside of my cheek as I tried to decide whether to ask him. “Why are we headed north?”

“If you want me to approve our route with you, it’ll cost you another fifty coppers.” He walked toward me, closing the distance between us. “When we make port in Ceros and you set foot on that dock, I don’t want to see you again.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but he was already closing the door in my face, the latch rattling into place.