With the fire lit once more, I placed the sword tip in and let the flames have their fill. It was more of a square edge now, but by the end of the day, it would be sharp enough to end a life. Just as ordered.
“The Gaoler will beat me if he thinks I shirked my duties, sir,” the boy said.
“Good thing no one here will say otherwise,” I said.
He tilted his head up, jaw tightening. “I prefer to earn my keep, sir.”
As stubborn as you were.
The echo of Billy’s laughter bounced in my mind, creating an ache in my chest. After he died–after I killed him—I told Rose I didn’t know how to be without him. I just didn’t realize the extent of how true those words were. I knew grief well.
No, Bash, you knew vengeance and anger well. You never learned to grieve.
The urge to argue with a voice created by my deranged imagination was creating a tightening in my chest. It only sounded like him because they were words he’d spoken many times over the years. They weren’t real.
That I had to remind myself of that was worrisome.
I nodded to where I held the sword.
“Hold the end if you are determined to work.”
His mouth curved up in a quick smile that was too good-natured for a hellhole like Newgate. I didn’t ask why, though. Never ask why.
There was a reason Edmonds threw this boy in here with me, and I was not prepared to give him exactly what he wanted. Attachments made for vulnerabilities. I couldn’t stop Billy and Rose from becoming weaknesses, but I could control this.
Straightening the sword and sure the kid had his grip, I brought down the anvil again and again. Each time I struck, I prayed for oblivion.
Oblivion never came.
Instead, the Gaoler came and barked at the kid to leave, and my guard was only a few minutes later. As predicted, he led me to the same room as before, where Edmonds sat straight-backed, careful to touch nothing.
I ignored him and took my own seat. The smell of garlic and lemon wafted through the perpetual burning smell lodged in my nose. Roast chicken and an array of vegetables. It was hard to know the game Edmonds was playing, but I couldn’t complain about the food.
The first bite of chicken was infused with flavor and cooked to perfection. I closed my eyes, savoring it because one day I’d go back to stale bread. Sooner or later, Edmonds would get what he wanted from these little rendezvous, and all I would have was memories of decent food.
“What would you say if I told you I knew exactly where the Sea Wraith and her new captain are right now?” Edmonds said.
Despite the cold grip of fear that squeezed my heart, I raised my head and arched an eyebrow.
“I would ask why you are here, then?” I said, holding his gaze.
The captain’s blue eyes could have been twins to the ones I used to see in the mirror. Where mine had a tendency to change, his were always cold, reminding me of the icebergs. Just like icebergs, I also knew he was hiding much of who he truly was beneath the surface. People weren’t usually puzzles, but this one was. Locked door giving way to another locked door.
The corner of his mouth pulled up.
He enjoyed playing cat and mouse. There was a mind there that was fathoms beyond what most people could comprehend. That was his greatest strength, but it was also his weakness. Smart people get bored easily. I knew why he was here and not with the Wraith, and it served my purposes just as well. He wasn’t ready to give up the game.
“Someone once told me the key to hunting wasn’t the chase. It’s finding out what the creature wants. Once you have that, the prey will always deliver themselves,” he said.
“Seems unsportsmanlike,” I said.
The message was clear enough. Oscar and I were the bait.
“You could just hang me.” I offered.
He shook his head, brown hair falling softly over his eyes, making him appear more boyish.
“I have considered it. The world knows you are imprisoned at Newgate, and I have already received accolades for my service to the crown in apprehending you. Hanging you would solidify my contribution to ending piracy, and it would send a clear message to your successor and anyone else who thinks there might be a vacancy,” he said.
