Page 81 of Virelai's Hoard
It sat heavy in the air between them.
She acknowledged it, hoping to draw more of a reaction. Maybe she was just being sadistic, punishing Calla with her need to repent. “I didn’t take you for an artist, you know. I thought I’d find something useful, but…” She shrugged, then planted her chin on her fist as she studied the captain, the way her lips twitched, her grip on the cot now so tight the wood creaked softly in the silence between them.
It would take more than this still to make her crack.
“So…” Riley trailed off. “What was the purpose of all this? Why did you want the Heart?” she asked casually. She glanced at the journal on the floor. “You seemed obsessed with it.”
Calla closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath in.
It made Riley’s chest ache. Suddenly, she realized that maybe she didn’t want to know. But she held her breath, waited, heart pounding against her ribcage. Hadn’t she done enough damage? Why was she doing this now? It was like she couldn’t help herself.
When Calla opened her eyes again, her face was serene. “You’re smart enough. I’m sure you can figure it out.”
Riley stared at her for a while. Why wasn’t she lashing out? Why wasn’t she cursing at her? Why was this woman so infuriatingly composed, even after Riley had ruined everything for her? This didn’t make any sense.
“Now, if you’re done, I’d like to get some sleep.”
Riley’s grin was more like a flash of teeth this time. She stood. “Sure thing, captain. See you around.”
She didn’t miss Calla’s flinch at being calledcaptain, but she didn’t dig this time. She was too scared of what she would find if she did. So she left. Like the coward she already knew she was.
Only a few moments later, it was Riley who flinched, and her steps faltered as she exited the brig. A figure, leaning against the wall, shrouded in darkness.
The figure stirred, coming in the soft glow of the nearest lantern. It was Eryx. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” they said with a sheepish smile. “I just…” They looked down at their feet. “I need to find Sable. Would you come with me?”
Riley peered down the narrow corridor at both sides to see if anyone else saw her coming out of the brig. It was empty. She crossed her arms, shifting the weight on her feet. “Why?”
Eryx chewed on their lip, still looking down, hands buried in the deep pockets of their trousers. “I want to see that compass.”
“I meant, why do you need me to go with you?” Riley asked. Her curiosity was already piqued, though.
Sable had taken one look at that compass and determined it was broken, but Eryx saw things no one else did. Despite herself, Riley trusted them. If she hadn’t followed their advice on that ghost ship, she might’ve become one of those ghosts, might’ve traded a living captain for a dead one. For some reason, Eryx seemed to trust her back, as unwise as that was on their part. If they could sense the secrets of the sea, how was it they couldn’t sense the blackness of Riley’s heart?
In the silence that stretched, Eryx’s cheeks flushed. “You two, you’re close. Right?” They looked up at her briefly, then their gaze darted anywherebutat Riley. It was funny, almost. Hadn’t they and Kittredgeteasedher about that just days ago? “I don’t know if she’ll listen to me, but she might listen to you. Plus, uh… she’s a little scary.”
Riley’s lips twitched at that. She’d been intimidated by the first mate too, before she saw beyond the act. Unbeknownst to many, Sable cared. She cared too much.
“Ok,” she said, as if she’d ever considered turning down insight into the Heart of the Abyss. It would be hers soon. The more she knew about it, the better. “I’ll come with you.”
When Eryx didn’t move, Riley’s eyebrows rose.
“Now?” she asked.
Eryx nodded.
Fair enough.Out of everyone on this ship, Sable was the least likely to be asleep. Not with the Stingers chasing at their heels.
After meticulously combing the ship, they found Sable on the gundeck, snapping at Ignatius. Or the gunner snapped at her. Or they snapped at each other.Snappingin general was certainly occurring.
“This ismyjob,captain,” Ignatius sneered as he followed Sable around, from cannon to cannon. “You don’t need to concern yourself withmycannons. They’re in perfect state. Ready to fire at your command.”
“And it’smyjob to make sure you doyourjob right,” Sable snapped, not even looking at him as she carefully checked over each cannon, the crates of ammunition, and strange objects Riley had never paid any attention to before.
There were two things Riley didn’t miss, though. She might not be familiar with cannons, but she was familiar with people. Sable hadn’t corrected Ignatius’ use of captain. And Ignatius seemed on the verge of exploding. His lips puckered with such force they were almost white, in contrast with the dark flush in his cheeks.
Before this escalated any further, Riley cleared her throat.
Both their heads snapped in her direction.
