“And smuggling,” Luke added. “Or piracy. Which is it?” His glare was sharp enough to cut glass.
Jose didn’t flinch. “Scavenging.”
Sandy lifted her face, tearstains having carved lines through the dirt and sunburn. “We cruise up and down the shore, find things people left behind. Then we trade them with whoever. The pirates are the ones who wrecked our trawler.”
Luke had told Azaleen about the bullet holes he spotted in the broken hull piece.
“Then, your home is north of here?” Jonas asked. He nudged the wheel.
“A couple of days at the speed you’re sailing. Listen, I have some Verdancian currency in my bag.” Jose’s voice carried a thread of pleading beneath the calm. “I’d gladly pay you to ferry us back to our peninsula if you’re headed that way. It would be a near-impossible journey to get there from these shores because of the red zones.” He gestured at the faint coastline off port.
“I’ll trade with you for passage to Captains Cove,” Azaleen agreed, “only for the ration tins and the medical kit. We’ve doctored your burnt skin and are feeding you from our stocks. This way, we won’t come up short for the duration of our travel.”
The queen hadn’t told them who she was and had signaled for the others to keep quiet as well—in case these were actually assassins. If so, their employer certainly made them suffer to appear authentic.
Jose reached out his hand. “Deal.”
Azaleen shook it, noting the rough skin, the scars, and the missing half-finger.They aren’t assassins,she concluded.Lark was right. Stopping to help was the honorable thing to do.She was suddenly reminded of the pirates who’d attacked the scavengers’ boat. Were they still out there? What other dangers awaited them?
Chapter thirty-eight
Where Silence Breaks
Three days later, after dinner aboard theHalcyon
Azaleen joined Camille, Skye, and Lark in their cabin, crank lanterns casting a warm glow over a rousing game of gin rummy. A table sat between the two benches when they weren’t folded out for sleeping, and the cards mostly stayed put with the gentle rocking of the boat. A day earlier, the sea had turned rough, theHalcyonbattling rain and wind.
They made a quick stop by Captains Cove to drop off Jose and Sandy. Their story had checked out, and, once all decided the queen was in no danger, Lark and the rest of the VERT team went for a much-needed run while Azaleen and Camille enjoyed a few hours on land. Eight families lived in the forgotten village, thriving without the weight of government or religious mandate. Fortunately, they had another seaworthy vessel and several small fishing boats, so the loss of the trawler wasn’t entirely devastating. Though Azaleen never mentioned being the queen of Verdancia—the temptation of a kidnapping looming much too great—they were treated like royalty by the coast community, who rarely entertained visitors. Then, they were back on their way north.
“Gin!” Camille Navarro laid down nine cards from her hand and slapped the last one on the discard pile.
Skye’s mouth fell agape. “Why, you sneaky so-and-so! You’re not supposed to hoard all the tricks, so we can’t play on them. You’re supposed to put them down as you collect them.” She slapped her fan of cards on the table in frustration.
“That’s not a rule,” Camille answered with a sly wink. “One should never reveal what cards she’s holding prematurely, isn’t that right, Azaleen?”
“While this is often quite necessary in national negotiations, I hardly see the imperative of employing that tactic in a friendly game of cards,” smirked Azaleen. “Your niece looks positively incensed.”
She took a glance across the table at Lark, who seemed to take her loss in stride. The quality appealed to Azaleen, adding another tick to the “things I like about Lark” column. And, she had to admit that her initial “don’t like about Lark” headliner—“smells like bear grease”—hadn’t resurfaced.
“Yeah,” Skye seconded, scooping the cards into a big pile. “I want a rematch, and no cheating this time.”
“Well, technically, she wasn’t cheating,” Lark confirmed. “Just being sneaky. You could always try turning the tables on her.”
“We’ll see about that! My turn to deal.” Skye shuffled the cards most thoroughly while Azaleen exchanged a humorous look with Camille.
“I hope negotiations with High Chief Batise go better than this.”
“Oh, they will,” Camille assured her. “I won’t be concerned with family rivalry when sitting at the table with her.”
Returning her gaze to Lark, Azaleen asked, “What would your gramma say about this dilemma?” Lark had talked a great deal about the remarkable woman who raised her, and Azaleen couldn’t wait to meet her—although she wondered when and if she ever would. Lark had been quite open in telling stories about Saltmarsh Reach, her family, and her adventures. It was easy to see why Caelen, with his enthusiastic personality and vivid imagination, was so drawn to her. Lark was an open book, unlike Azaleen, who held everything inside, guarded and protected. The queen had started picturing hunting trips with Sam, the loyal pointer—not a hound, as Lark had explained the difference.
But most remarkable was Inez Carvalho Sutter. Azaleen couldn’t help but contrast her with her own mother. Both had survived the horrorsof the War of Ruin and lost loved ones yet had dealt with tragedy so differently. While she dearly loved her mother, Azaleen couldn’t help but wish she would age like Inez—with strength, resilience, good humor, and a sound mind.Even blindness doesn’t stand in her way.
Lark responded, a twinkle in her eye, “She’d say, ‘Don’t start somethin’ you can’t finish,’ and that applies to both of you Navarro women.” The sage comment drew a giggle from Azaleen. Realizing her revelry had gotten the best of her, she quickly covered her mouth.
“Now,” Skye pronounced, cards dealt. “Lark goes first, and I’ll be ready for your tricks, Aunt Camille. This is a game I can finish.”
The two exchanged identical snarky expressions, causing Lark to chuckle. “It’s so obvious you two are related.”
