She didn’t need to finish it.
“Guess we'd better make sure no one makes a miscalculation and no strong winds blow us into her,” I said.
“That’s one hell of a gamble,” Oscar said.
I stared at Bash and wished I could take some of the burden from him. He blamed himself for ever using Ximena to begin his ascent to infamy, but how could he have known what would become of it?
“It’ll be fine,” I said.
Maybe saying things out loud made them true. Five sets of eyes staring back at me like I was a dead woman walking said maybe I was a little too optimistic.
Chapter twenty-eight
Koinu
Rose
Little was ever recorded of the cirein-croin, but time has shown them to be remarkably intelligent—social, even—despite their fearsome size and rarity.
— The Mysterious Deep: A Comprehensive Understanding
God, it felt good to be back on The Wraith, surrounded by the sea on either side and not having to pretend to be anything other than what I was. The salt air ran through my wild curls, blowing them this way and that. I closed my eyes, sinking intothe chaotic rocking of the ship as the crew worked to keep the grindylows off the ship.
“Good morning, Mrs. Smith,” Dilly said.
She stood next to me and brought her spyglass to her eye, searching.
“Any sign of him?” I asked, a strange sense of anxiety floating through me.
“No,” Dilly murmured. “We probably need to be further out. Still too close to people.”
The sooner Koinu showed, the better I would feel. I didn’t know what he did when we made port, but I imagined him to be very lonely. Which was probably ridiculous. Giant sea monsters were likely capable of taking care of themselves.
Not to mention that I had bigger problems than a lonely sea monster. Namely, figuring out how to get a never-before-seen mysterious object from a fabled lost city guarded by an even bigger sea monster.
I turned to rest my back against the ship, staring up at the two flags flying. The one with Koinu struck pride into my heart. The other one- not so much. Apparently, marriage meant compromises.
“Scowling first thing in the morning?” Val said, coming up the stairs. “And they said newlyweds were meant to be happy.”
I raised my hand toward the flag.
“Look at it.” I pouted. “It ruins Koinu’s natural beauty.”
She set her back against the ship, shoulders brushing mine.
“If you want, I can set it on fire tonight on watch,” she said.
I bit my lip, considering it.
“Probably should keep Bash thinking you are still his lackey,” I said.
She scoffed. “I’m no one’s lackey. Unless you ask me nicely, and then I might be.”
I snorted, shoving my arm into her.
“Remember when I thought you were slightly terrifying?” I said.
She furrowed her brow.
