Page 7 of Rebel in the Deep

I don’t realize Lizzie is waiting for me until the vampire shifts from her position leaning against the railing. She’s a fit woman with moon-pale skin, long dark hair, and eyes that flash crimson when she’s irritated. She also doesn’t believe in this cause. She’s only here for her woman, Maeve. Up until recently, Maeve was just like hundreds of other locals who form a network of information that spans the realm. People who believe in a better world without the Cwn Annwn’s boots on their necks.

There’s nowhere else to go for now, so I cross to the vampire and take up a position against the railing. “I’m surprised you’re not belowdecks with Maeve.”

“She’s resting. Apparently my presence is not restful.” Her lips shift into something that’s almost a smile as she says it. They’re two people who couldn’t be more different—the soft and shiny Maeve, the violent and vicious Lizzie—but even I can’t deny that the connection between them is real. She motions to the door to Nox’s cabin. “Things didn’t go well.”

“ ‘Well’ is a matter of opinion.” I shrug. In our handful of days together, I’ve learned to respect Lizzie’s frankness, even if I find it irritating.

“Told you.” Lizzie looks away, her brows drawing togetherat the sight of the seemingly endless sea, not a spec of land in sight. “As I said before, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Maeve safe, even if we have to murder our way through the entirety of the Cwn Annwn. I would appreciate an actual plan, though.” She shudders delicately. “One that doesn’t involve going into the water.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” I survey the clear blue sky, not a cloud in sight. TheAudacityhas a handful of both water- and air-users, which means there’s no risk of the ship ever being becalmed. The sails fill even as I watch, the gentle breeze coaxed into a strong wind by the two air-users on the upper deck.

The ship jerks beneath our feet and Lizzie goes a little green. “I’m going to check on Maeve.”

I roll my shoulders and settle down against the railing to watch the crew. I’ve been on my own for a long time—and not only because everyone back in Lyari thinks I’m dead. When you’re the mind behind an entire movement, anyone you spend time with will become a target alongside you. The only exception was Bastian, and look how that turned out. Our fight has to be the reason he was reckless enough to draw the attention of the Cwn Annwn.

The first hard thing is done. Nox has agreed to help retrieve Bastian. There’s still half a dozen difficult tasks remaining, but they can wait the few days it will take us to reach the sandbar that stretches from Ganabie to Exver, creating an impassable barrier to all but the shallowest hulls.

Later, I’ll sit Nox down and come up with a plan.

For now, I’ll let them stew and let the vampire and selkie rest.

Chapter4

Bastian

Up until a few weeksago, the closest I’d gotten to a cell was reading about them in books. Now I’m in my third of the week. First in Mairi on Second Sister, where I made the mistake of letting my glamour slip in a fit of rage to protect a woman being harassed by two members of the Cwn Annwn. Then in the relatively nice and clean brig of theCrimson Hag. Now in the significantly less nice and less clean brig of theBone Heart.

I’m practically an expert at this point.

“Be a good chap and pass me that water,” I say. Or at least I try to say. My gag makes the words a garbled mess. I’m not even certain the guard is there. I can’t see due to the blindfold tight around the upper part of my face. My hands have long since lost sensation after being tied behind my back.

The only senses left to me are smell and hearing, and both are a torment. This cell hasn’t been cleaned in my lifetime, and the acrid scent of filth never seems to get more mundane. I’vealways found the steady shoosh of the waves soothing, but I’ve never spent so much time in a brig where the only thing between me and the waves is a worryingly thin hull. The constant sound is agonizing.

Almost enough to distract me from how thoroughly I’ve mucked things up.

I want to blame Siobhan for being so stubborn and refusing to bend, which led to the final fight that broke us. That righteous anger only lasted the first night of captivity. Siobhan isn’t the one who reacted emotionally and rushed into a situation without bothering to see who might witness me manipulating two Cwn Annwn with a forbidden magic. She isn’t the one whose frustration and anger made her sloppy.

Siobhan doesn’tgetsloppy.

Footsteps bring my head up even though my blindfold ensures there’s nothing to see. I don’t need to see to know who approaches, though. She’s made a point of visiting my cell once a day.

Morrigan. Captain of theBone Heart. Council member. The last member of her noble line after a fire killed her parents and—as far as she knows—her little sister.

“Truly, I’m embarrassed it’s come to this, Bastian.” Deft fingers pull my gag out. “Say the word and we’ll get you cleaned up. I’m even willing to spare an entire cabin for you. There’s a meal ready and waiting.”

The same offer. It’s tempting in the way all perfect things are tempting. I’d give my favorite ruby ring for a hot bath and clean clothes. Working with the rebellion sometimes means nights spent away from comfortable beds and long days betweenbathing, but for the most part, the role I’m meant to play is the one I was born into.

The noble second son, flitting about Threshold without a single worry in his head. All that messy responsibility and stress falls to my older brother, Liam. No one expects anything ofme, except that I keep myself alive in case something terrible happens to the heir. At some point, there may be pressure to marry well and accumulate some children, but if Liam’s wife manages to squeeze a few out in the next couple of years, even that won’t be required.

Working with Siobhan is the first and only truly noble thing I’ve ever done. No matter how angry I am with her resistance to moving the rebellion forward, I won’t betray her.

I close my mouth, doing my best to ignore how my jaw aches, and swallow. The gag only stays out as long as Morrigan talks to me. “You know, Morrigan, you’re truly impressive. A Council member, a noble, and still you’re out here on a ship, getting your hands dirty.”

She laughs, low with a ragged edge that just makes the sound more attractive. “Compliments will get you nowhere with me when you smell likethat.”

I don’t tense, but my pride takes a hit. I know I stink. Hard not to when I’m tied and trapped like this. “You could toss me in the shower and clear that problem right up.” It’s a pathetic attempt at flirting, but I’ve never been particularly good at it. When you have money and good looks, prospective bed partners tend to care less about the words coming out of your mouth than they do about where sleeping with you might get them.

Except Siobhan. Both of those features counted against me when it came to working with the rebellion, making it harder for me to move covertly.

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