Casper laughed. “Because there are actually three other Johns on the crew. There’s John Paul, and then Richards’ first name is also John, and he’s halfway between Short and Longest. We thought about having a Short, Long, and Longest, but decided that would get too confusing in high-stress situations.”
“Who’s the fifth?”
“Jem. His real name is John Mark, but he’s always gone by the initials J. M., which eventually got slurred together into Jem.”
Her eyes sparkled with amusement. “Did you purposely put out notices seeking men named John to join your crew?” She set her bowl to the side and stood, popping her fists on her hips and stretching out her back. She had abandoned the sling that morning, claiming that she was doing so little movement that it was hardly necessary.
“No, it was just an amusing coincidence.”
Sienna crossed the room to the pile of wood that he had brought in just that morning. He had spent extra time the day before ensuring that the pieces were all small enough for her to carry easily in one hand. His week would be over sooner than he liked to think about, and though her shoulder was on the mend, it would be a while before it was fully healed.
“Speaking of Jem, have you heard from him since yesterday?” She returned with the wood, tossed it into the fire, and brushed her palms against her skirt.
The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion. Casper saw the strange blue sparks that jumped off the wood and the high-pitched wail of the diminished chord that rose as soon as the log hit the bottom of the hearth. He watched as the fireball began to bloom and had just enough time to tackle Sienna to the ground and roll away, shielding her body with his own, before it exploded outwards. He had no time for planning, no time for any other thought than that he had to do everything in his power to keep her safe.
It was over just as quickly as it had begun, leaving only the smell of charred fabric and cranberries in its wake. Casper gripped Sienna tightly and remained motionless for several long breaths before slowly peeling away and sitting up.
She looked up at him with wide eyes from her position on the floor. “What was that?”
Casper looked over his shoulder at the hearth. The fire had gone out, and the floor directly in front of the fireplace was blackened. Interestingly, the explosion seemed to have been contained to a small area, and only the front of both chairs and the unfortunate garlands that had fallen from his lap into the fire zone were damaged. He pointed out as much.
“Do you think this was on purpose, too?”
Her whispered words brought his head whipping back around to her. “Can wood be spelled or enchanted like that?”
She nodded. “I think so.”
It was outside all night, which means that whoever it was that tampered with the cliff could have easily come back and done the same to the wood.
“Did you send a message to your wizard friend?” His voice shook with barely suppressed emotion.
Someone is definitely trying to hurt her, and this all started after she discovered the smuggled cargo in that cave—cargo thatIam responsible for existing. I can’t let her get hurt because of me. I won’t.
She sat up and hugged herself, looking very small and terrified. “Yes.”
“Send another.”
Chapter fourteen
In the Lighthouse
Sienna
Sienna carefully climbed the steep stairs up to the lighthouse tower, carefully stepping over the third, eighth, and twelfth steps to avoid the telltale creaks that always seemed twice as loud in the middle of the night. If the sound of deep, even breathing she had heard from outside her father’s room was any indication, Casper was still sleeping soundly downstairs, and she intended to keep it that way. There was no sense in both of them being exhausted due to interrupted sleep when she was more than capable of refilling the oil and winding the lamp on her own.
She appreciated his attentiveness, especially after the incident with the fire the day before, but between the added workof completely restocking the wood supply, finishing the decorations for Devri, and just completing her daily tasks, Sienna had not yet had the time to simply sit and decompress.
The attacks—or what certainly seemed to be attacks—on her life were disconcerting to say the least. She was more thankful than ever that her father had insisted on leaving Casper behind to look out for her. If not for him, she would have been dead after the first attempt.
But Casper’s presence brought with it a whole new, complicated set of issues. She had promised him that she wouldn’t fall in love with him in a week, and so far, that promise was technically being kept. She couldn’t say that she wasin lovewith the grumpy captain who hid his sense of humor where only his friends could find it, and who was surprisingly skilled and passionate when it came to music. Who took the well-being of those under his care seriously enough to sacrifice his own health and safety in favor of theirs, and who was willing to exile himself to a foreign realm in order to rectify a problem that was not his responsibility to fix.
She was notin lovewith Casperion Helmrud.
She was, however, certainly well on her way.
That ship had already set sail.
Sienna had refilled the oil in the lamp, wound the mechanism for the turntable that kept the light moving from side to side, and was just starting to clean the lens when she heard the creak of the stairs. A few moments later, Casper’s head appeared in the trap door on the floor. He yawned as he climbed ungracefully over the edge.
