Page 33 of Across the Sapphire Sea
“Can we help?” Elias cut him off. He stroked the inside of Valeri’s wrist in apology.
Remy shook his head. “I don’t think so. Aella has a plan. Come, we’re just discussing it.”
Remy led them farther ashore where the others waited. The air stank of fish, but Elias didn’t care. He would enjoy these last moments on land before being forced back onto the ship that made him sick and whose crew had them figured out after all.
Laurence and Aella had their heads together in conversation. Remy went to stand at Laurence’s side. Ash greeted them with a nod. At least he didn’t seem worried, which was reassuring.
“Good, we’re all here,” said Aella with a glance to Elias and Valeri. “The crew is split in half as to what action to take concerning our party. One group agrees they’re being compensated well enough to tolerate the risk, the other group thinks no amount of money is worth potentially being cursed.”
Elias had to stifle a laugh. “So they are all in agreement that we’re cursed, just split over what to do about it?”
“Precisely,” said Aella.
Laurence’s gaze took in the night sky. “We don’t have long to decide. We’ll either need to be in our cabins, or we’ll have to make other arrangements quickly.”
‘Other arrangements’ was a civilized way of saying they’d sleep in the ground, which Elias didn’t mind. Though messy, the ability to burrow safely beneath the earth to escape the sun’s rays was perhaps his favorite vampire trick. Not all vampires enjoyed the experience. Perhaps Laurence didn’t care for it.
“I won’t let it come to that.” Aella turned to Remy. “I know you aren’t familiar with mind manipulation, but if I could draw from you and Laurence to broaden my circle of influence, I should be able to convince most of them you’re all harmless.”
“Of course,” said Remy.
“Most of them?” asked Valeri. “What does that mean?”
“Some humans have a natural resistance to magic of mind persuasion. Same with vampire compulsion. I could probably lead their thoughts elsewhere in the short term, but they will remember eventually. The rest of the crew will not. The divide could cause trouble. With time, those sailors could be rooted out, but we’ll be at sea by then. I can’t just throw them off the boat.”
Valeri’s irritation was clear in his tone. “Why not?”
Laurence looked at Valeri, his expression horrified, but unsurprised. “None of this is their fault.”
“And so?” Valeri pushed.
Laurence opened his mouth to speak, but a touch from Remy along with a subtle head shake changed his mind. Apparently Elias wasn’t the only one sick of arguments.
Ash spoke calmly to Aella. “I trust you’ll take care of it. How long shall we wait before boarding?”
She smiled to him. “You don’t need to wait. Most of the crew will be sleeping. Laurence, Remy and I can cast the spell from above deck and send the magic below. We won’t really know how well it worked until they wake.”
“At which point, it will be too late,” Valeri griped. “We’ll be trapped in our cabins.”
Aella’s expression turned serious. “You must trust me. I’ll let no harm come to you.”
Elias knew trust did not come easy for Valeri. He would not be pleased with this plan, but for once he kept his mouth shut—scowling, but shut.
“Do we have time to go over the spell before we enact it?” asked Remy.
“Yes, if we hurry,” Aella answered, and the three of them huddled close. “I’ll do the chanting alone, and you and Laurence will add power and resonance like we practiced.”
Sensing their dismissal, Elias glanced at Valeri, still frowning, then at Ash. Ash had a presence about him that made him seem perpetually amused, like someone had whispered a bit of gossip into his ear, and he relished knowing a secret those around him didn’t. His ice blue eyes hid his mysteries well.
“Did you enjoy your night in town?” asked Elias, in an effort to be polite. And he was genuinely curious. For a diplomat, Ash never had much to say.
“I remained with Aella, who remained near the crew, but it was enjoyable, yes. And you?”
“Yes, thank you,” Elias said because he could not say the truth.Well, I was enjoying my night until Valeri nearly killed our dinner to provoke me, and though he hasn’t apologized, here I am, on his arm, pretending all is fine.
Valeri stayed silent at his side. Elias couldn’t guess what he was thinking, only that his anger lingered below the surface.
“We’re ready,” Aella announced. “I’ll go first, Remy and Laurence behind me, the three of you behind them. The spell won’t take long, then you may retreat to your cabins.”
