“Yes, and?”
He seemed perplexed by the question.There was a lull in the sound of the townsfolk around us too, and for a time the wash of waves and the distant toll of a bell rose to prominence.
At the fort, the flags changed again, and spyglasses glinted.
“Jealous,” Ben said finally.“Surprised.I did not have to use my power on her.She was… still happy.”
“And knowingyoucaused that happiness, even accidentally?Is that a feeling you’d want again—but truer?”
He turned his head, and suddenly his eyes, his breath, were very close.He asked in a soft, power-laced rumble, “Are you asking to go to bed with me, Mary?”
A passing man shot us a disapproving look and hurried on, propelling his staring daughter ahead of him.
For an instant I couldn’t think, wrapped in power and want and a blooming heat, then Tane nudged me.I breathed again, swallowing my temper.
“I am trying to help you,” I replied, dropping my voice equally low.“Your career might be over, but your life is not.And—as useless as it might be for me to point this out—Samuel needs you to be healed.One day he will become trapped in the Other and no one will be able to save him.”
“He manages.”Ben tossed aside the notion, but there was something raw, half-buried, in his expression.“I know he will not bed you or marry you unless he is healed.But Mary.”He smiled, slow and seductive, and leaned closer to whisper, “I can be him.”
His power brushed over my skin again, but less potent.
“Let yourself be healed, if the opportunity arises,” I returned coldly, though we were nearly nose-to-nose.North of the Stormwall, Samuel had ensured Benedict’s co-operation with promises of glory and power.I could do the same.“Promise me you will.And I’ll do everything in my power to make you the hero of this battle.”
“How?”
“The Mereish ships with the red sails, they’re important, right?Jessin Faucher’s is one, and he’s son of the head of the Ess Noti.”
His smirk told me I sounded ignorant.“Yes,” he said with exaggerated patience.“Purple sails are flagships.Red are squadron heads.”
“We’ll take one, and I’ll ensure you get the credit.Saint, we’ll capture their admiral and her flagship and cause chaos.And I, underyourcommand, will shatter that fleet.”
Ben’s mouth quirked.There was fascination in his eyes, as if he couldn’t believe what I was saying, but was delighted by it.“That is madness.”
“I can sink their ship with a word.I cannot die.You can bring the crew to heel without speaking.”
“We sound deadly.”
“Will you do it?”
“I cannot control a thousand men at once,” Ben warned.“They will have Sooths and Stormsingers of their own, if not Adjacents and talismans.And Samuel will want to participate in our little game.They will give him the credit if they can.”
“He will do anything for you,” I reminded him, bitter though the words felt.“Come now, Benedict.Let’s do it.We’ve faced worse odds.”
“Fine.”Abruptly, Ben straightened and looked over the crowd.The sound of their chatter had changed, and, following his gaze, I saw soldiers making their way along the wall.
“No loitering about!”one soldier called.“These ramparts must be cleared for military action!”
“Time to go back to the ship,” Ben observed.His breath curled as he shoved his hands into his pockets and strode away.
I paused, but a quick glance through the now-thinning crowd turned up no sign of Charles.Deciding he would likely meet us back at the ship and unwilling to face the soldiers, I joined the flow of townsfolk down the stairs and into Renown proper.
Mary, Tane’s voice sifted up through the back of my thoughts.There is a disturbance in the Other.Take a breath.
I left the flow of the crowd and stepped into a quiet street, tucking myself into an alcove between the cluttered old buildings.
With a long, slow exhale, I relinquished control, and Tane pulled us into the Other.The houses faded, and water began to lap around my ankles, colder than I remembered.
There.
