“He is now.”
“Make sure he’s not diseased. That he’s not carrying fleas. Keep him off your bed at night and watch him. Those things are wily. Unpredictable. I can’t imagine why anyone would keep one as a pet.”
“I’m keeping him because he’s like me.”
Brax shook his head. “If you say so.”
“What’s that other guy’s name?”
He scratched the back of his neck and wiggled his spine. “Lord Lorant.”
“Lore?” If he was going to use a nickname with me, I’d do the same with him if only to irk him.
“I wouldn’t be calling him that, my lady,” Brax said. “Though I suppose it’s up to you.”
“Why not?”
“No one plays with that man, and I mean no one. Take him seriously, and you’ll hold onto your head. I’ve heard of the Beast.” His hands shook. “Can’t imagine a tiny little lady being a sister to one such as he.”
It wasn’t in my interest to spoil my brother’s image.
“But if you’re wise,” Brax said. “You’ll avoid Lord Lorant for our journey and beyond. In Evergorne, they call him the Viper.”
“Why?”
He scooted closer and dropped his voice to a whisper. “He’s not only the king’s bodyguard but some say he’s also an assassin.”
A shudder rippled through me. “I’m not afraid of snakes.”
“You need to watch out for this one. You won’t feel his bite until it’s struck true.”
Around us, other sailors tugged on ropes, yanking up enormous sails that fluttered in the light wind coming off the sea that didn’t do much to drive us out of the harbor.
Brax fidgeted. I should let him go, but I only had a few more questions.
“Other than maybe an assassin, what’s his role in the kingdom, or does he remain on the ship?” I asked.
“Oh, you’ll see him about at the castle. As I said, he’s the king’s bodyguard.”
“It’s hard to guard someone who’s not present.”
“While I agree, you don’t want to ask him if he’s handling anything else.” He shuffled his feet and tugged on his shoulder-length blond hair. “I need to be working. Gotta help release the windrams or we’ll never get underway.”
This was my first time on a ship, and I had no idea what anything was called or how a ship traveled.
“What’s a windram?” I asked.
The nyxin had stopped trembling, and his ears cocked back and forth as he took in everything with as much curiosity as me. Was I foolish to claim him? Nah, I couldn’t do anything else. Like me, he needed a friend.
“Watch, and you’ll see.” With that, Brax spun away and raced to the back of the ship, joining other men using magic to lift big hatches across the entire back. As the hatches clattered on the deck, the men reeled backward, their arms lifting.
Round, bulbous creatures as blue as the ocean and the size ofa large couch oozed up from the holes, plopping onto the decking. Water coursed off their bodies, following the slope of the deck to carry it back to the sea. Clawed feet popped out of the bottom of their bellies, and they lurched up onto them. I didn’t spy arms, and I wasn’t sure they had faces except for two dark blue specks on the top and a long seam nearly splitting them in half below.
“Windrams?” I whispered.
The nyxin flashed a look up at me before focusing his gaze on the creatures.
The windrams lumbered to the rail and sprung up onto it, shifting around to face this way. Their claws grappled with the wood, clutching hard enough to bring out creaks.
