“This variety can eat the flesh clear off a man’s bones in under ten minutes. They’ve been spelled to be utter killing machines.”
Narcissa paused at that, dropping her paw. “On second thought, it wouldn’t be very fair for a clearly superior creature to grapple with a mere fish.”
The captain grunted knowingly, turning her attention back to me. “As for payment, it’s been taken care of.”
My eyebrows shot up. “By Erik?”
She smirked. “I know. The little weasel can be surprisingly generous when it comes to offering the services of others.”
I frowned. “The services of … whatever do you mean?”
The captain grinned. “Erik has some very important cargo aboard. He would like it in America within the week.”
I nodded. In order to make my own deadline, nine days was all I could afford on this voyage, so the sooner, the better for all of us. “Go on.”
“She wants me to use runes to fill their sails the whole way there,” Freya said, speaking for the captain. “I was wondering why Erik was so interested this morning in what runes I knew. He was very interested in how I could manipulate air. But I can’t just wave a hand and control the wind.”
The captain frowned. “No? That might be a problem then.”
“Wait.” Auggie put a hand on Freya’s shoulder. “Your runes deal with matter, right?”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Yes.”
“Can you teleport air molecules? Create a loop with the … uh, small particles in the air? Move them quickly, creating thrust?”
“What is the human babbling about?” Narcissa asked.
“Shh,” Therese scolded. “He might be on to something that can help us.”
Freya was frowning, mulling over Auggie’s words. “I … yes, I think that’s an option, if I create a rune for a series of small teleports, one after another.” She blinked. “Oh, Gods. Don’t tell me that came to you in one of your dreams.”
Auggie smirked. “Not tome.Alchemists talk to other people though, you know.”
“Alchemists are the descendants of saints,” Narcissa reminded us. “You can’t just become one, just as humans can’t become witches. Although I suppose anyone can use what alchemists learn from their dreams.”
“So, you think you can do it?” I asked Freya.
Freya hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. I know a rune that can do what he says. I haven’t used it for such a purpose before. I’ll have to direct the air into the sails, but it’s doable.”
“Excellent.” The captain clucked her tongue and winked at Freya. “If you can keep us moving in the right direction for the week, your stay aboard theKorikowill be quite pleasant.”
I gestured to Freya to step aside with me. I lowered my voice, watching the captain clip the end from another cigar. “Would that be a strain on you? Is it too big an ask? Youwerejust on the verge of death.”
“Death?” Freya sputtered. “Callum, I already told you that my rune won’t allow me to die.”
“Well, on death’s door then.”
“It’s a good thing that Lexi is so good at what she does then, even if she does have the most annoyingly cheerful bedside manner I have ever seen in my life.”
I grinned. “Aw, you like her.”
Freya flinched. “What?”
I hadn’t been expecting that reaction. But … that was a tell that I’d nearly hit the nail on the head. My grin widened. “Ohhh. You don’t just like her. Youlikelike her.”
A muscle twitched in Freya’s jaw. “Come off it. Lexi is far too … delicate and flighty for my tastes.”
“Aw, but opposites attract, don’t they? I’m going to be rooting for you two.”
