“I waited for you,” Blaze said.
“You should have known I wouldn’t follow.”
They were both stubborn, and Augustus’s life was at sea. The last six months only proved he wasn’t built for land. But it also proved that, for the right person, he would do just aboutanything.
“A year ago,” Augustus said, “we might be having a different conversation.”
“But?”
Augustus met his eyes. “Selene.”
Her name was the answer to every question, and a weight released from his chest.
Blaze nodded once. No anger. Only grief.
“Blaze, look at me. I need you to hear me.” Augustus waited for those brown eyes to rise. “The depth of what I feel for her can’t be set aside or dismissed. She’s the air I breathe and the heart I lost along the way.”
Those were the words his parents once said about their own feelings for one another. Augustus understood them now in a way he never dreamed possible.
Blaze nodded. “She’s pretty incredible. I wish I’d had a chance to get to know her better.”
“You could see this through with me.”
He hated that hope had filtered into his tone, but it was too late to take it back.
Blaze’s eyes lowered. “We’ll go with you as far as Okos. The others are itching to find more work. And, it wouldn’t hurt for you to take a few days to fill your crew before you face Thorne. Or, better yet, use a bit of that wealth you’re hoarding to hire an army of mercenaries. The city is full of them.”
Augustus didn’t trust men who were transactional.
Cassia’s voice rose from memory.“Gold buys blades, not loyalty. Don’t mistake the two.”
She never trusted anyone who didn’t bleed for something worth more than coin.
But…he may not have a choice.
“I’ll think about it,” he said. “Although I think Scout’s worth five of one of your Rangers in battle. We may not need anyone else.”
Blaze laughed. “It’s too bad you can’t replicate Bee, Rook, and Fish. Those three…” He gave a low whistle. “I pity anyone on their bad side.”
A beat of tension reinserted itself—they weren’t ready to dive back into “friends” territory just yet. It was too forced after what just happened.
Blaze started to go, but paused, not facing him. “Tell Selene…thank you. For loving you the way I never?—”
A bell tolled from the crow’s nest.
The crew faced the same direction, standing like a stone tableau captured moments before the world blew apart. The air weighed down on Augustus’s shoulders as he crossed the main deck.
“What’s going on?” he asked William. “Willy” was Omar’s youngest son and close in age to Augustus.
Willy nodded southwest. “Ghost ship.”
Blaze strode with him to the nearest railing, and there it was. The ship cut through the haze and fog with torn, limp sails, nothing more than a silhouette from this distance. It looked strangely small all alone in the vast ocean, though it must have been the size of theEntia.
Augustus joined Lili on the forecastle, where she, the Rangers, and Oskar watched from the railing.
Lili peered through a spyglass but dropped her arm suddenly. Her face contorted into what could only be described as anguish.
“What?” he asked.
