“Bloody hels, then,” he growled. “Did Thanavar do that?”
“It’s a time spell,” I lied. “If I don’t release the lock, it’ll kill me. If I release it too early, it’ll kill me. If I release it too late, it’ll kill me.”
I was glad that Fahr wasn’t the only one who could lie.
“So, you see, I’m hoping that you allow us to leave, so I can open the chest.” I shrugged. “And not die.”
“He’s a cursed decklicker, he is,” growled de Sous. “I’ll kill him m’self, one day.”
“A shiv inhisheart,” said Polley.
“He ain’t got one,” said de Sous.
The rumble came again, and this time, the floorboards beneath our boots shook.
“What the hels?” grunted de Sous.
“Thunder?” asked Fahr.
“How do we know there’s chimeric in there?” asked Polley, looking at the chest.
“Pick it up,” said Fahr, and he nodded at the commandeer. The big man moved toward it, grabbing the chest in both his hands. It thudded as he hoisted it up, and orange chimeric crackled from the lock.
He dropped it immediately.
There was a rap at the door, and a bearded face peered in.
“Sir?”
“I’m busy, Mr. Lean!”
“It’s theNil’hellyn, sir…”
“What about theNil’hellyn?”
“She’s moving, sir.”
“She’s bloody well boarded in!”
This time, the rumble became a roar, and the floor tilted dangerously toward us. The bottle tipped, but Fahr caught it. When he rose to stand, his chair slid across the floor. He didn’t bother to catch it, and it bumped into the far wall.
“It’s him, ain’t it?” growled de Sous. “He’s come for theNil’hellyn.”
TheNil’hellyn? That sounded like a ship, but what did it mean?
Another boom, then the sound of squealing metal.
“Forge damn thatRhi’Ahrbastard. I should’ve known.” The wiry man slid his gaze to us. “Tell ’em to sink his beloved ship, Mr. Lean. Tell ’em to sink her hard.”
Lean ducked, but Fahr flung his hand and slammed him into the wall with aRhi’Ahrbind spell. The man struggled but could not move.
De Sous slid a flint from the sash at his waist, pointed it squarely at Fahr.
“I’m disappointed, Mr. de Sous,” said Fahr. He placed his boot on the chest, rocked it back and forth. “If you fire, we’re all done for.”
“Ye lie as well as yer captain, Mr. Fahr,” said de Sous. “But ye don’t think we’d come this close to the Ship of Spells, only to let her go for a tub of gunpowder, do ye?”
Another roar from the barge, along with more tremors. I could have sworn I heard shouting from outside, but it was drowned out by the drum of blood in my ears.
