“Sounds reasonable,” I said.
Despite slowing myself, the meal was nearly complete, which meant the company would be departing soon as well. A good and a bad thing. Every minute he was here, I risked giving something away, but on the other hand, every minute he stayed, he risked the same.
He stood, and that was it for tonight.
The rules of the game were clear. If I wanted something from him, I needed to give him a reason to stay.
Just as he faced the door, he said, “Those scars around your neck must have been very painful.”
Then he closed the door behind him as if it were nothing at all.
I waited a few minutes, my exhausted mind searching for answers that hid at every turn. Even though I’d nearly come to the end of my purpose, Rose was meant for a long life. If she was going to have any hope of it, I needed to understand who Captain Edmonds was. The problem with that was that I didn’t have the slightest clue.
Chapter nine
Lines
Rose
The sap’s effects are brief, yet the guilt it breeds is not. To wield it is to choose terror as a weapon, and terror leaves marks no antidote can cleanse.
— The Mysterious Deep: A Comprehensive Understanding
The Bane’s shape set against a setting sun that painted the sky in pinks and reds that echoed like a premonition of what was to be.
“The last one,” Inu said next to me, her movements silent.
“The last one.” I agreed. “Then we bring them home.”
If it were anyone else at my side, I might have called the small sound that broke from her relief, but Inu wasn’t one to celebrate too early. She knew the cost.
Across the deck, Val barked orders to the crew, bringing the Wraith to a standstill. A risk. A weakness.
“I respect the need for secrecy, but I would appreciate knowing what I am handing over to you, Captain,” Emille said, coming up on my other side.
The specimens in his hands were blood red with a glint that felt a little too much like magic.
“You used to be more trusting, Emille.” I frowned, taking one of two jars from him.
“I’ve made mistakes in my life, and I try not to repeat them. It is because I trust you that I am standing here at all,” he countered.
His French accent was stronger beneath the weight of his stress. I knew he spoke the truth. That he feared what I’d become, but also knew who I was. It was a respect I was happy to give back to him now that the Bane was in view.
“According to Dilly, Dragon Tree Sap is a potent hallucinogen. It was attempted to be used by the Navy for winning battles before they ever started, but inevitably, they could not find a way to protect themselves from the effects, and whatever you see in the bloody red makes you never want to look at the Mysterious Deep again.”
“You trust Dilly to make an antidote,” Inu said, sure of the answer.
“I trusted Emille and Dilly to create an antidote, and I believe you have,” I said, turning to the doctor.
“Hard to know when I was only given half the information. I merely knew I was working to stifle the effects of mind toxins.” Emille frowned.
“Dilly thinks that’s enough,” I said.
I regretted how little faith I’d put in Emille. He deserved better than that, but all I could hear over and over in my mind was Bash saying how important it was that as few people as possible knewthe plan. I couldn’t risk failure, no matter how much I cared about Emille.
“What sort of hallucinations is it?” he asked.
“The reports say it’s visions of drowned loved ones, monsters rising from below, or their own deaths replayed, though what is written is very brief. Apparently, the government deemed it a toxin too dangerous to continue testing.” Dilly said, coming up behind us with a wide smile, pulling at her freckled cheeks.
