But still. She can’t stay here. The curse returns at midnight, and we won’t be able to return to Nivem. We have to take her back before it’s too late.
He had to let go of her long enough to help Jem secure the ropes onto the ends of the longboat so the pulleys could hoist it up. The little vessel rocked back and forth as they rose higher and higher above the water, and then finally the arms swungthe boat back around over the deck. Casper climbed out first, holding out his arms for Sienna as Jem lifted her over the side.
He handed her back to Jem, much to his first mate’s surprise. “Find her a blanket and whatever dry clothes we might have. And get ready to land at Nivem.”
He started towards the helm.
“Casperion Helmrud!”
Casper turned. Sienna was twisting and struggling her way out of Jem’s arms. He set her down and backed away with his hands up, leaving her in a quickly growing puddle of water. Her eyes were bright and fierce in her pale, white face. She was exhausted and half-drowned, with dripping clothes and streaming hair that was still halfway contained in its braid, but she stood with her shoulders thrown back and her fists propped against her hips.
She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
“You do not get to just plop me down and walk away again!”
He crossed his arms. “You’re cold and wet. You need dry clothes. I need to make sure we get you back to Nivem in time.”
“Why?”
“Why?” he repeated.
“Why do I need to get back to Nivem?”
He blinked, sure that there must be some mistake. “Um, because at midnight our week will be over, the curse will return, and for the next seven years we’ll be half-ghosts wandering in the wind?”
“What if I don’t want to go back? What if I want to stay with you?”
He barked out a laugh. “You just jumped off a cliff, Si. I don’t think your reasoning skills are particularly sound right now.”
“I jumped off a cliff because you left without saying goodbye.”
His heart hammered with hope, but he refused to allow it any room. Instead, he rolled his eyes and reached for his grumpy armor. “Fine. Goodbye. Happy now?”
“Fine,” she echoed, crossing her arms and mirroring his posture. Her jaw worked back and forth, and a violent shiver ran up her spine.
His heart clenched at the sight. She was going to catch her death if she didn’t get warmed up soon.
He would too, for that matter, only he was going to be half-dead in less than an hour anyway, so he decided it wasn’t worth bothering about.
“You really need to get changed.”
Richards appeared behind her with a blanket, tossing it over her shoulders. She gripped the front of it tightly. A flash of something dark on her wrist caught his eye, and he stepped close, grabbing her arm and holding it up to catch the light of the hanging lamps. A raw, angry welt wrapped around her wrist. With a curse, he reached for her other arm, only to find a matching mark near her hand.
Rope burns.
A growl escaped him. “What happened?”
“Nothing that we need to worry about right now.”
“Sienna.”
“Fine. It was Erik. He’s been the one behind the smuggling for years.”
Casper saw red, and it was only the fact that he had less than an hour until midnight that kept him from seeking out the vile elf and making his face match the color of Sienna’s wrist. He clenched his jaw.
The next time I see that scum he’s going to get more than just a scare.
Another shiver wracked her body. He dropped her arms and stepped back again. “Go change.”
