Grey had spent a few awkward minutes in Aisling’s quarters, talking about a ridiculous amount of nothing, until she was saved by a shout from Finnean down the officer’s hall.

  Aisling and Grey exited the quarters at the same time that Lotti poked her head out of her own across the hall. She had her loupes in place and hair half up, looking like she got distracted by a project while dressing for the day. Grey had known her to stay up all night working on one thing or the other. It was always hard to tell if she’d be at the inn or the ship, depending on what she’d gotten into the evening prior.

  As she saw Aisling, she scowled. As she saw Grey, her scowl deepened.

  Finnian spoke quickly, “Captain is calling a meeting. He wants the officers, minus the new ones, attending. It’s urgent.” Finnean nodded at Aisling, and Grey excused herself. Lotti slammed her cabin door, likely throwing on enough clothing to make the meeting.

  It took thirty minutes or more for the full group to funnel into the great room. Some had needed to be hunted down at their inns, or in someone else’s bed. Callum looked like a carriage had run him over, and Lotti didn’t look much better.

  One of the more competent grounders, Raya, was in attendance. Grey thought it was a little out of the ordinary, but with the gala consuming so much of Grey and Callum’s time, the captain might be using her for tasks.

  Once the last of the sailors found their place in the cabin, Akula started right in.

  “Division leaders, Finnian, Callum, and archsages, you’ll remain here. Everyone else will leave immediately and gather any crew not currently present on the Paso Fino, including the new members. Grey, hand over your updated roster to Raya. She will be responsible for the grounders while you and Callum are occupied.”

  Grey pulled the parchment out of the inner pocket of her leather tunic, handing it to the grounder.

  He continued, “We sail in two hours. Anyone not on the ship when we weigh anchor will be left in Saphir.”

  There was a murmur around the room.

  “Get out.” Akula barked.

  The door was clogged with bodies as most of the room tried to leave at once.

  He waited until they had cleared and then turned to the carpenter and navigator, “Rory, Gideon, you’ll have to catch up while we go.”

  Afterward, he turned to Callum, Grey, and Finnean. “Our captured ebbjack was killed sometime early this morning. The scene was staged as though the grounder on her door had done it. It was a good effort, but Nessa could confirm the wounds were not matched with the blood patterns.”

  He took a breath and continued. “After the attack, the Storm Eel was a threat, but if they have someone capable of boarding my ship under my nose… and have such an important reason to quiet her...”

  After a pause, he continued, “The Storm Eels have an unplayed card, and Finnean has been too busy… looking after… the prisoner to catch any intel. Clearly, they want the gold. They may launch when we do and attack in open water.” He stopped to think, “In any case, the new bodies we’re stuck with will be better dumped outside of port.”

  “You can see why I'm expediting our departure. We’ll get ahead of whatever we can’t see for the moment. The gold is loaded. Nessa tells me Madame Byrne is on board. If we lose a couple of sailors in Saphir, it’s a price I’m willing to pay.”

  “We will spend a few minutes discussing the development, as some of you may help me paint a more detailed picture. After, you all will be riding your divisions to get us out of port. The sages will start their work, but they will be pressed. If they are setting a trap at sea, I want to escape it.”

  The captain looked at Grey first, and she was sure she didn’t have anything to add. Callum offered, quite guiltily, that he had assigned the grounder stationed at Sara’s door, which prompted Grey to take responsibility for recruiting the man. Akula told them both to get out of each other’s asses.

  Finnean had an interesting amount of dirt on the Storm Eel, but the Captain cut him off after it devolved into the obscure.

  The rest of the sailors assembled had not known much about the attack, and subsequently, the prisoner, at all. The only helpful one at the table was the carpenter, Rory. She was able to give an estimate of the Storm Eel’s speed relative to the Paso Fino, and how quickly they would need to cast off if they wanted to pursue.

  After her account, the Captain dismissed them. Callum and Grey jogged to the stomp deck, where they found most of her new recruits collapsed or vomiting. For their part, Aisling’s men looked unwinded and were still performing the set. Many of the grounders not involved in the gala were running to the ship or already gathered.

  Grey directed Callum to split responsibilities with her. He would take over sending the appropriate grounders out to find their drinking buddies, and Grey would direct the operation on the Paso Fino.

  Aisling had clearly already heard the order, and Grey was surprised to see her angling sails with the deckhands. She had shed her cloak down to her tunic, and the toned muscles in her arms stood out when she strained against the sheets. Grey enjoyed watching the ebbjack work.

  But, she drug her eyes back to the deck just as Lotti burst through the dark oak doors of the great cabin, an explosion of lavender raiments and stormsilks. Nessa wasn’t far behind her, the dowsing pearls on her slate raiments ringing as they collided in her haste. Grey realized that it wasn’t very often that she had heard them make a sound.

  They split, Lotti heading to her spot on the bow and Nessa circling the great cabin to the stern. It was a bit risky to influence large amounts of Velor on short notice, especially with almost 100 people at risk if they made a mistake. They would need to be left alone. Taking a ship from stationary to at speed was a lot different than guiding one gently out of the harbor.

  The hour and a half they had to prepare passed like a blink. Nile had actually been a huge help, knowing where most of the crew was holed up. Raya, however, took the star, able to switch between tasks rapidly and efficient at all of them. Grey considered the handsome woman, not liking how tall she was or the build of her shoulders. Grey was supposed to be the handsome one.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Nessa, Lotti, and the sailors launched the Paso Fino out of the port of Saphir when the sun was at its highest. Finnean had reported back that the Storm Eel was also preparing a hasty departure, confirming some of the captain’s fears, but the Paso Fino was far enough ahead of their schedule. Rory had estimated the Eel as a faster ship, but that wouldn’t matter if they lost the Paso Fino over the horizon.

  Now that the commotion was over, Grey ascended the stairs to the bow. Watching Lotti influence would calm her mind. The rush of activity had passed, but with the early departure, she had a lot of operational items to deal with. They could wait.

  Lotti was deep in concentration as Grey sat on a crate, looking out over the Myriad. The whisper still needed to speed the Paso Fino far enough into the open sea that the Storm Eel wouldn’t be able to tail them, but the bulk of her effort should be over.

  The enemy ship may have surmised the Paso Fino’s next stop, but pursuing them all the way to Barlosa would be a massive commitment. Whatever their plan was should fall apart.

  Grey rubbed the scar on her shoulder, trying to relieve some tension. It still ached now and then, irritating her far more than the rest she had collected. As she raised her head back to the horizon in front of them, she caught a glimpse of a ship, blurred by the waves between them.

  The woman in the crow’s nest wouldn’t have called it yet, as her attention was past the stern, watching their exit from Saphir. Grey shouted at her to face the bow and relay what she saw.

  Lotti opened her eyes, probing out to the Velor in the air where Grey looked instead of manipulating the air surrounding the Paso Fino. It was a long reach, but she could still collect valuable information from this distance.

  “Yes, Lieutenant!” the woman in the nest shouted back. “It is another frigate; course appears due east. The flags are.. maroon and tan.”

  Grey had thought the angle odd. The ship was not on course for Saphir, and Saphir was the only place to be heading in this part of the Myriad. She didn’t know maroon and tan, but it was clear they meant to intercept the Paso Fino.

  This was the card the Storm Eel would play. This is why they had killed the ebbjack.

  She heard Akula shouting, having deduced the same.

  Lotti drew her attention. “They are definitely at an advantage to intercept. Their whisper has the wind... and the skill.” She had refocused her efforts on the Paso Fino’s sails until she heard otherwise from the Captain.

  “You know them?” Grey asked hastily, tightening her scabbard. “If they board us out here, there will be no repercussions from the seawardens.”

  “Yes. I know the sage. The ship is the Langur.”

  Before Grey could charge off the bow, Lotti caught her arm. Worry dimmed her jade eyes. “The Langur has six rippers and almost as many jacks. A solid fourth of your grounders are spent. If we are caught here for overlong, you know the Storm Eel won’t be far behind. Talk to Akula about a parlay. Give them the gold. Shit, sweeten the deal and sell them the merchant.”

  Grey didn’t reply and turned to leave, but stopped when Lotti spoke again.

  “Grey, this is a hard fight. Think of another way.”

  Grey sighed and broke into a run. It was possible she could request a surrender, but once the captain had all of the information, it would be his decision.

  The idea of it pissed her off. It would put the crew in a position that she wasn’t sure they could recover from. The Langur wouldn’t be able to seize the ship in Etos as legitimate merchants. There were documents filed with the magister proving Akula’s ownership. They could, however, take whatever they wanted out of sight of the port.

  How had they known where to intercept the Paso Fino? Was it a guess? Finnian was no slouch. He normally prevented this kind of thing from happening. This trap could be indicative of a larger problem.

  Akula had been filled in on the details of the Langur when Grey reached him.

  He waved her over as he stood against the rail. Grey didn’t need to be caught up. If they were going to fight, she knew they only had one option.

  The Paso Fino’s best bet was to push forward. He had already sent his gunners to the port side cannons for their attack. If Lotti and Nessa won the battle for air and sea, they may pull far enough ahead to angle their broadside. The Paso Fino would be able to land more roundshot on the Langur’s front and create a choke point for boarding.

  If the archsages were outclassed, the Paso Fino would pull up short, receiving the same disadvantage Akula was trying to create. As was expected, he was putting his faith in the two women.

  As for the rest of the crew, it was the calm before the storm.

  Akula smiled, a little too relaxed for Grey’s taste. “They are outfitted as a warship, Grey, not a merchant. Who the fuck wants to put up with six rippers?”

  “Someone who does this often. Do you know the captain?” Grey replied.

  “I don’t know him, but Callum tells me he is young. The path he’s on… he’ll be a pirate before a year is up.”

  “If Callum is the only one who knows him, his character would already be questionable.”

  Akula’s laugh didn’t reach his cobalt eyes. Grey had never seen him look defeated, but this was closer than she was comfortable with. Of course, she understood why in the bigger picture. They hadn’t made it one day from Saphir before the venture fell on its ass.

  Callum was rallying the grounders on the stomp deck. After seeing the Captain, Grey resolved that when she took over command, she would meet them with her full chest. She could pick up the banner while he dealt with their reality.

  Grey stood quietly beside Akula until she could make out the screaming monkey on the frigate’s flag. It was time to lead her team.

  Callum stepped away from the formation as Grey arrived. Across the deck, Grey noticed Finnian and Aisling perched on the same rail, giving her their attention. Aisling had pulled her cloak back on, and Grey saw a line of throwing daggers on her sash. As with Finnean, it was impossible to tell the rest of what she kept under the cloak.

  All eyes were on Grey, so she began.

  “Grounders it’s near time. They will board us in a few moments more.” She paused, checking the state of the ones she counted on. They looked calm.

  “I’m sure you’ve heard we’re outnumbered, so I won’t bullshit you.” Grey hoped they had not heard about the Storm Eel potentially catching them. She was bullshitting them a bit.

  “For thirty-two of you, I don’t have to tell you that their numbers don’t matter. You’ve been at my side in tight situations, and this will be no different. You are worth ten of theirs.” Her team stomped their boots in agreement. As was custom, they were otherwise silent.

  She looked at the ragged contingent in the back. “For those of you just joining us. This is the time when you stand out from your peers; when you make a name for yourself on this ship. You will work as a team, and you will prevail as a unit. If you do not, a sailor from the Langur will do us the favor of removing you from our service.”

  She looked at Finnean and Callum. “Corporals, I expect 10 ears a piece from you.”

  She met Aisling's eyes. “Lieutenant Warden, I expect I should just try to keep up.” The merchant smiled in return, looking at ease perched on the rail.

  Grey looked back down to her grounders.

  “As for the rest of you...

  “You will put your boot to the temple of five Langurs a piece. You will not pause when you send it through their skulls and into the saltwood of the Paso Fino. We’ve never been boarded, and the timber of the stomp deck will earn its name today. Spread to positions!”