“Not worth it.” He finally decided, but gods was he intrigued. TheHellish Rebukewas a fearsome vessel, even in its currentstate. But witchstone was a valuable asset, and to have even a sliver on his ship…he was almost tempted to say yes.
Erinna gave a “worth-a-try” shrug. It was clearly not the deal she really wanted. Kane leaned in closer, hands clasped in thought as he waited for her next attempt.
Erinna mimicked his move. Leaned in, closing the distance between them. “There must be something you can tell me.” She scanned his face, looking for clues. Her scent of sandalwood and sage washed over him. Kane swallowed. Hard.
“Afraid not.”
She pursed her lips and finally leaned back in her chair. “I think you’re lying. I think you made a bad deal and are reaping the consequences.”
Kane acted on impulse. He hooked the tip of his foot beneath her seat and pulled it closer. She was too far away for his liking. “What are you going to do about it, Yarrow?” he challenged.
Erinna tapped her chin in thought. Eyes going once more to Kane’s neck. “Tell me everything you can about my father. In exchange, I’ll affix a piece of witchstone to your ship. If you can’t agree to that, we will part ways on a default. You stay out of my way, I stay out of yours.”
Kane underestimated her judgment. The strings of his pact thrummed to life again, only this time they didn’t tighten their hold or keep him beholden to its clauses.
Arcanum waited to be molded in anticipation of another deal. His finger twitched, and he saw Erinna’s eyes dart from his hand to his neck. She was testing an assumption.
He gave her a wide grin. It was a much better bargain for both of them.
“You know, Yarrow, under normal circumstances, we would have made good partners.”
She gave him a sickly-sweet smile. “Perhaps, in your dreams.”
Something wicked flashed across his mind, but he bit down the juvenile retort. Instead, he cleared his throat and said, “Regardless, I look forward to your work. We have a deal.”
They clasped hands in agreement, and the air went stale. Arcanum buzzed around them, the sensation faint but unmistakable. Slowly, the threads that bound him to secrecy lifted. The pact wasn’t completely gone, but made room for the new deal—one that gave him more freedom to answer her questions.
He could feel the power caress their hands like a breeze. Not enough to bind them together like the deal he’d made with her father. Fear flickered across her features as she felt it too.
“So,” Erinna started. “You really were compelled to be entirely unhelpful.”
A chuckle escaped his lips. “I still can’t give you everything. But this is better than before.”
“What happens now? What does this mean for me?”
“Nothing. Get witchstone on my boat, and I can tell you what I know about your father’s deal.”
“You should have told me this was a magical deal, Atwater.”
“I couldn’t. It’s?—”
“Complicated,” she finished.
Silence settled in the small space, and Erinna chewed on her bottom lip. Kane braced for another series of questions. Instead, Erinna grabbed the empty dishes and excused herself.
“Find Asher. She’ll place you,” Kane called after her and slumped low into the rickety, creaking chair. He would allow himself a few minutes of rest and recovery. There was too much work to do, and now that the waiting was over, he was ready to set his plans in motion.
A small hint of worry ebbed into the back of his head. Everything had been going to plan except for one small hiccup. He thought Kenneth could provide the answers, give Kane aneasier way of navigating the maze of Iprix’s library. The clue to what he’d been looking for. Instead, he had been given a coded index that Kane had no idea how to solve.
On top of that, his daughter was stuck in his camp, with his crew, and now he had a deal with another Yarrow.
Kane sighed and pushed Erinna from his thoughts. She had a job that would keep her busy for now, and it was best he warned Afton to be on good behavior. Or to at least make sure not to antagonize the new Tarthan arrivals.
Kane squared his shoulders and left the small room in search of his ship’s carpenter. Things had only just started, and he had work to do. Not to mention the impending arrival of the new Chancellor.
They had two weeks at best before the academy was on the island to finish Haru’s appointment as Chancellor. If the crew were still on the island when that happened, then everything would have been wasted. Many would not survive.
Chapter
