“We won’t be able to work on the academy ships, but I would be happy to refer you to one of my contractors from the south,” her father said with strained amiability. Erinna could see the tick in the captain’s jaw. It was not the answer he wanted to hear.
“But we can offer a wholesale price on the bulk of your vessels.” Erinna was quick to chime in before the focus was lost to frustration once more.
She continued. “For a full total of six thousand, we will assess and outfit your docked ships.” It was a hefty sum for most, but the Navy could afford it. And it would be considered quite a deal to fix and refine the eight ships she noted, docked in the Navy yard.
“I can spare five thousand.”
“That will do.”
Erinna updated the terms, and Barker made notes in his ledger. Kenneth finished his glass and placed the delicate crystal on a side table with a thunk.
“We can get it done faster with another pair of hands. Anyone below qualify for work rehabilitation?”
Erinna’s breath caught. Her heart hammered against her ribs. How could he ask this now, of all times? The Yarrows had instituted a rehabilitation program for non-violent offenders nearing the end of their sentences. But Captain Barker despised the arrangement and rarely granted her father’s requests. Rexinwas the last person her father managed to employ—and that was years ago.
Captain Barker’s jaw clicked. “No.”
Erinna balled her free hand into a fist, nails digging painfully into her skin. She couldn’t believe he was asking the captain for a chance to vet prisoners. Her father’s hot head would be a death sentence here.Please, she begged,please wait until this is done.
“That carpenter was a fantastic addition to the team. Increased our output by an entire ship. Sure you couldn’t spare another bread stealer?”
The look Captain Barker sent in return was piercing and final. Erinna shot her own chilling glare at her father. What the hells was he trying to do? Did he want to draw unwanted attention? She hoped her look was enough to pass along the message.
The captain leaned over the desk and fixed a cold gaze on Kenneth.
“Remind me,” Captain Barker continued, taking a savoring gulp of his drink. “What did you do before starting your business, Mr. Yarrow?”
Another toll of the bell. Chancellor Hagan was greeting The Reaper and waiting for his scythe to slice.
“Once signed, we will be on our way.” Erinna slid the paper across his desk, but the captain remained fixed on Kenneth. He poured another round of the fine liquor.
Were they brought here just for business? Erinna started to wonder; the tendrils of paranoia clawed deep into her chest. He couldn’t know. They were so careful…most of the time. She rubbed her sweaty palms against her pants.
Kenneth picked up the glass but did not drink. “I traveled, interned mostly, with builders from the Eastern and Western continents. Nothing nearly as exciting as your exploits.” The last statement was clipped and pointed. How had the conversationdevolved to this extent? Venom on venom. The bell sounded once more.
“Your late wife was from the Great North, if I’m not mistaken?” Captain Barker’s eyes flickered to Erinna. Most of her features resembled her father, from her dark brown hair to gray-blue eyes and the splash of freckles across her cheeks. The relation was unmistakable. But her mother’s heritage was in her subtle features—her high cheekbones, the slight curl in her hair, the pale pink tint of her skin.
What truly frightened Erinna was that no one else was supposed to know where her mother came from. According to immigration ledgers, Twyla Hargrove was born in Kailani, the capital of the Initian Islands.
Erinna could hear the glass in her father’s hand crack. His face, normally jovial and kind, had hardened to stone. She didn’t know much about her mother, but she knew her parents had been in love. Pure and true.
“How did you meet her? I find it fascinating that a merchant would make his way so far into monstrous territory,” he goaded, clearly waiting for a reaction or to pull some answer to an unspoken question from her father.
“Twyla was not a monster.” The wood in the office creaked against his magic, threatening to ignite. White-hot panic spread through Erinna’s body. There was no way to take back Kenneth’s mistake. His response all but confirmed the captain’s suspicions.
Captain Barker arched his brow. “That’s not what I said.”
Kenneth gave him a tight-lipped smile. Jaw clenched as he switched the subject.
“How is your lieutenant? I hear he suffered from a nasty bit of Burnout. A shame. Seems we’re losing mages as quickly as your ships.”
Erinna gulped. Captain Barker glared.
Another gong rang from the tower.
The contempt in the room intensified, and a growing pit in her stomach warned Erinna of impending peril the longer they remained with the captain. They needed to leave. Immediately.
“To thank you for keeping us safe from wherever monsters may come from, I think we can drop the charge to four thousand croons, and we will outfit the latest academy frigate with witchstone ballasts.”
