“According to my spies in Warian Bay, a small coastal village named Olish,” she said. “Or what used to be Olish. It hasn’t been anything for some time. The village is considered cursed, and no one has touched its remains for seventeen years.”
The more seasoned sailors in the room reacted with knowing nods.
“Cursed?” Blaze asked, looking as confused as Selene felt. “Why?”
Omar said, “The entire village was slaughtered by some of the most bloodthirsty pirates on these seas. For decades, no one dared go against the Gallagher Fleet.” He met Abi’s eyes. “Not until…”
Abi nodded. “Until the Rutiliana-Triarius Fleet was hired to handle them, and we did.” She scanned the room. “On the beaches of Olish.” She sat back with an exhausted sigh. “The level of cruelty by the Gallagher Fleet on those people was beyond imagining and had been going on for some time. By the time we reached the beach, countless people had been nailed to planks and left to cook in the sun.”
Blaze scrubbed a palm over his coarse jaw. “The heads of our dead were attached to planks inside theAkias.”
Abi’s chin dipped, and her frown deepened. “Six of our fleet were nailed to planks in The Crossroads. That punishment was Thorne’s idea.”
Selene’s skin prickled. “Was Thorne part of Gallagher’s crew?”
“It is possible some of his men got away from us,” Abi said. “Maybe he has been planning this revenge on our fleet ever since. The truth is, we just do not know.”
“It doesn’t matter why,” Blaze declared. “If Mettius and Augustus are still alive, we go in there and get them back.”
Selene nodded, and Little Gus stirred on her shoulder. His emotions were all over the place, but she had little trouble recognizing his readiness to depart. He was as anxious to find Augustus as she was.
“If we leave now—” Selene began.
Abi held up a hand to stop her. “Now, tomorrow, a week, we have five ships to Thorne’s thirteen.”
Selene’s stomach sank. Thirteen. She hadn’t realized the odds were that bad.
“Six now with theEntia,” Omar said, as if that wasn’t still less than half.
“Regardless,” Abi said, “we have been viciously picked apart. We simply do not have the numbers.”
Selene couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You’re giving up?”
“No,” Abi said with a firm shake of her head. “I am admitting that I am at a loss. We all are.”
From the back, Roslyn straightened from within her circle of Rangers. “What about the local wildlife? Anything we can stir up?”
Blaze twisted to face her, a spark in his eyes, and gave an appreciative nod. “Outlandish ideas. I like it. Anyone else?”
Omar shared a look with his wife. “Our family isn’t adverse to creative mischief.”
“And we’re very good at it,” Eliza added with a slanted grin. “Leave Thorne’s ships to us. We’ll get their numbers down.”
“Let’s not forget the Drynopians,” Oskar added. “That’s fifty highly trained men who are as good as any of the Blades in my Guild.”
Selene hated giving any credit to Roman and his people, but Oskar was right. Their skills would be useful.
Abi gave a slow, thoughtful nod. “All right. These are all things Thorne won’t expect. But he knows how our fleet operates too well. I would feel better if we had the same sort of leverage.”
Oskar raised an eyebrow at Selene. “I believe you might be able to provide some insight into his crew’s habits.”
Every eye turned to Selene. Outside, rain began its steady drumming.
If Augustus were there, he’d call it madness. But madness was the only chance they had.
Selene smiled.
Morning light unspooled across stone walls and tangled sheets, soft and yellow.
