Page 80 of A Storm in Every Heart
“What are you two shouting about?” Kastian growls.
“I think I see a spot to land.” Connell says. “Thank the gods. Do you know how uncomfortable it is to dangle like this for hours on end? Some might call that cruel and unusual.”
“We could have let you drown.” Jett grumbles, adjusting his grip under Connell’s arms. “I still might. You’re godsdamned heavy.”
I immediately stiffen, suddenly worried that I’m heavy too.
“You’re not,” Kastian mutters, as if he can read my mind.
My cheeks flush deeper, and I’m once again desperately glad for the darkness surrounding us.
We land on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean.
Even by the light of the moon, it’s too dark to see much of anything, but the air is thick, laden with the aroma of brackish water and decaying plant matter, overpowering even the scent of the ocean behind us. As soon as Kastian puts me down, my feet sink into the muddy ground.
“Finally!” Captain Connell’s voice cuts through the silence, and there’s a smacking sound and a grunt, as if he clapped Jett hard on the back. “Thanks for the ride, mate. Excuse me a moment, I’ve had to take a piss for the last hour.”
“Charming,” Kastian says dryly as we hear the sounds of Connell crashing away through the underbrush.
“What did you expect?” I ask. “He’s a pirate.”
“I wasn’t talking about him. I meant this cliff.” He punctuates his point with a squelching sound as he tries to pull his boot out of the muck.
“Again, what did you expect? This is Hydratta.”
“Not a part of Hydratta I’ve ever been to,” he says grimly.
“Should we let the pirate wander off on his own?” Jett asks, coming to stand beside Kastian and me. The three of us step closer to make out each other’s faces by the light of the moon. I turn and squint through the darkness in the direction of the rustling bushes.
I shrug. “I doubt he’ll try to run. There’s nowhere for him to go.”
Kastian looks at me. “Why do you say that?”
“I think this is the edge of The Weeping Quagmire.” I shudder. “It’s the stretch of swamp that connects Hydratta to the mainland. I’d recognize the smell anywhere.”
“Why? Have you been here before?”
I nod. “Prince Thorne made the entire court of Vernallis travel by land to Hydratta during his potential engagement summit with your sister. We rode by carriage through here for days.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, I wish I could take them back. I must be exhausted, because I completely forgot to watch what I say when it comes to Kastian’s past and my part in it.
As far as I know, he doesn’t remember that I was even there when the court of Vernallis visited Hydratta, but unfortunately he’s not stupid, and I know he caught my slip from the way I can feel his eyes burning into the side of my face.
“We should move,” I suggest, trying to cover the mistake. “Find an inn or something. I don’t want to spend too much time out here at night. The swamp is full of creatures just as horrifying as that sea monster.”
“Agreed,” Jett says. “But what do you want me to do with the pirate?”
“I don’t care what we do. Did either of you have a plan for him?”
“Not really,” Kastian says, stifling a yawn. “I just figured we’d want to question him about why he took you.”
“And a reason he was pretending to be from Solistine,” Jett adds. “That wasn’t a Solistinian ship. It had the yellow flags, but it was built in the style of Vernallis.”
“How did you two find me, anyway?” I ask.
“A guard at the station recognized that you were taken by Solistinian pirates,” Kastian explains. “We went to the harbor, but there were no ships from Solistine, so we flew over the ocean until we saw the flags.”
My brow furrows. They flew? I understand how they could fly leaving the ship—at that point our lives were in danger—but before? How can that be?
