Stormcaster (Shattered Realms #3)(19)

8


RUTHLESS


Evan knew from the beginning of this partnership that he was being played by someone adept at identifying vulnerabilities and exploiting them. He was definitely being wooed—he just wasn’t sure to what purpose.

Don’t trust him, he thought. You trusted Captain Strangward, and look what happened. The empress is still out there, and she may be hunting for you. You can’t afford to trust anyone.

Yet, he couldn’t say no. What the wetlander offered was impossible to resist. If it was an elaborate trap, the soldier was going to considerable trouble and expense when hitting Evan over the head and delivering him to Deepwater Court would work just as well.

The bottom line was that he wanted to trust Destin Karn. He wanted to believe in this ship of dreams they were building.

As partners, they complemented each other like the two halves of a locket. Though both spoke Common, Destin was baffled by Evan’s use of maritime terms and directions. Evan knew the basics of ships’ carpentry when it came to minor repairs, and he had the barn-building experience behind him, but he was no engineer, and neither had ever built a ship. Fortunately, it was more of a repair job than a scratch build.

Evan made a list of materials and Destin sourced them somehow. Tall, clear pine for masts and spars brought down from the Dragonback Mountains. Iron and wood fittings, lanyards, rope, wire, blocks, and the like from the shipyard at the port. Tools such as prickers, heavers, mallets, and spikes. He ordered sails from the sailmakers, too. Given that it was just the two of them, anything that could be bought ready-made or contracted out, he did. Destin seemed to have a lot of money at his disposal, and he spent it freely.

He was also ingenious at devising ways to reduce the numbers needed to crew the ship. It was sometimes an advantage that he had no crew experience. He wasn’t bound by past practice or maritime custom, and so he asked questions about why things were done a certain way and whether they could be done differently. For example, he devised a system of bilge pumps driven by the motion of the ship through water to free up hands for other tasks.

It didn’t take long for Kadar to notice the activity around the ketch. First, two of his ruffins came, demanding paperwork proving Destin and Evan had permission to trespass aboard the ship. After Destin proved ownership of the vessel, there came two of Kadar’s rent-collectors demanding back payments for the slip space. In response, Destin showed his deed to the dockage. Finally, the big man himself appeared, strolling down the dock to their end. He stood, watching them work, for a few minutes.

“You should be taking this work to the shipyard,” he said finally, pointing toward his own establishment across the harbor. “This space ain’t meant for shipbuilding.”

“We’re not shipbuilding,” Destin said. “Just doing some dockside repairs.”

“You look familiar,” Kadar said, scowling. “Haven’t we met before?”

“We have,” Destin said. “My name’s Rocheford. I came to you asking about a pilot.”

Rocheford? Evan’s head came up, but he realized right away that it wasn’t his partner’s real name.

Recognition flooded into Kadar’s face. “Now I remember. But you never followed up.”

“That’s because I found one,” Destin said, pointing at Evan. During all this, Evan had kept his hands busy, letting Destin handle the heat from the dock boss. Now he waved and smiled, enjoying Kadar’s stunned reaction for a few precious seconds before he went back to woolding the mainmast.

“You hired him?” Kadar roared. “He works for me!”

Destin shrugged. “He said he needed work, and I needed work done, so we came to terms.”

“He’s not a shipwright,” Kadar said. “If he told you he is, he’s lying.”

Destin pointed at the rigging rising behind him. “So far, so good. I’m impressed.”

“Faris is a pilot, and I have a job for him now.”

Destin, raising an eyebrow, looked at Evan.

“I wish I’d known,” Evan said, conjuring up a look of regret. “But now I’m under contract. Mister Rocheford offered steady work, so I took it.”

“That’s fine for now, but what are you going to do when this job is finished?” Kadar tilted his head back, looking at Evan through narrowed eyes. “Don’t come crawling to me then. You need to be available when I offer you a contract.”

“I anticipate this will be a long-term engagement, if not permanent,” Destin said. He made a show of pulling out his pocket watch. “Now. I’m not paying this man to talk. You’ll need to continue your conversation later.”

“Don’t worry,” Kadar snarled. “I will.”

Evan swung down from the rigging, and they watched, side by side, as Kadar stalked away.

“Well, he’s pissed again,” Evan said.

“Do you think so?” Destin said, as if unimpressed.

“His thugs will be back tonight,” Evan said. “We’ll have to sleep on board.”

“For one night, maybe.”

“He’s ruthless.”

“I’m ruthless,” Destin said.

Evan cleared his throat, avoiding Destin’s eyes. “I’d prefer not to use magery,” he said. “It might draw attention we don’t want.” He meant from the empress, though he knew by now that Destin and Frances were on the run as well.