“Maybe he’s been up there with the Reaper,” Butcher continued with a cruel laugh. “Isthatwhy he hasn’t beaten you bloody yet, pretty boy?”
My jaw clenched so hard my teeth creaked. The metal railing beneath my hands groaned as I gripped it, fighting the urge to climb down and show Butcher exactly why they called me the Reaper.
Reaching the bottom, Ghost’s head snapped up toward me, his eyes wide. In that split-second, an entire conversation passed between us.
“I’m so sorry, sir! It won’t happen again!” he shouted, his voice carrying across the deck with theatrical desperation.
I slammed my hand against the crow’s nest railing. “Not good enough, Ghost! Do you have any idea how much damage your incompetence could have caused?”
“Please, sir! I didn’t mean to spill the coffee you ordered all over the nest!” The tremor in his voice was perfect—just the right mix of fear and regret. “I’ll clean every inch of it, I swear!”
“Clean it?Clean it?” I roared, letting my voice echo across the ship. “Those were the captain’s personal maps you could have ruined! Maybe I should throw you overboard and let you swim home!”
Below, Butcher and his cronies had stopped to watch the show, their earlier taunts forgotten in favor of this more entertaining spectacle.
“No, please!” Ghost clasped his hands together dramatically. “I’ll do anything! I’ll scrub the whole ship twice over! I’ll… I’ll clean the captain’s quarters with my tongue!”
I bit back a laugh, covering it with a growl. “Get below decknow, before I change my mind about keeping you alive! And if you spill my coffee again, you’ll wish the sea serpents had gotten you!”
“Yes, sir! Thank you, sir! Right away, sir!” Ghost scrambled down the last few rungs and bolted past the drunken group, who were now howling with laughter at his apparent misfortune.
“Showed him good, Reaper!” Butcher called up, miming wiping tears from his eyes. “Little rat needed a proper dressing down!”
I grunted in acknowledgment, maintaining my stern facade while watching Ghost disappear below deck. The man had quick wit, I’d give him that. And his acting… well, he might have missed his calling in the theater.
When I saw Puffy trudging toward the crow’s nest for his watch, I started my descent, each rung of the ladder familiar beneath my hands. Another night duty finished.
But there would be another watch tomorrow. Another night among the stars, another shift in the crow’s nest where a certain ginger-haired aeronaut might make an appearance.
And, for the first time in as long as I could remember, I didn’t hate the idea of tomorrow. In fact, I found myself looking forward to it.
It was a feeling as dangerous as sailing blind.
And about as wise as flying straight into a lightning storm.
9
Kaspar
Leaning over the railing, I squinted, trying to see through the clouds. The excitement building within the crew was different than it’d been when they were getting ready to raid that merchant ship. This excitement was… eager and fun, with less tension and without the underlying violence in the air.
I liked it.
It made me excited to see this Duskwater Harbor place. I’d heard rumors about it in the past, that it was a lawless island filled with danger. But I’d been on a pirate ship for weeks, at risk of violence at any moment, so I wasn’t too worried about the danger part.
Okay, Iwasworried about it, but I was trying to push those fears down and focus on the exciting aspect.
I’d never been anywhere in the world except the kingdom I was born in. I’d never traveled outside of Sunada before I stowed away onThe Black Wraith. In fact, I’d only traveled outside of Embergate City’s walls a couple of times to some of the smaller towns for trade, and I hadn’t even gone that far from the capital. There was much of my own kingdom I’d never even seen.
Yeah, we’d been flying for the past several weeks, but staring down at the open sea had gotten old fast. This was the first time I’d get to see a new city, and I couldn’t wait.
Plus… it might give me the chance to get away from Viper.
Since I’d found out about stopping at Duskwater, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the chance I needed to get away from the evil captain. I didn’t feel safe here, even if I liked a lot of the crew, even if I really, really liked Reaper. I just… I wasn’t sure this ship was the safest place for me, and I wanted—needed—to make it to Asteris so I could help Kayla and Cody.
This might be my only chance, but I didn’t know what to do. Should I stay and take a chance with the scariest pirate captain of all time? Or should I try joining another crew and risk being on some other ship with another captain? One who might be just as bad as Viper? Would that be better or worse?
My stomach was in knots thinking about it, so I pushed it and all my maybe-plans aside to concentrate on this once in a lifetime moment.
