Page 62 of Rebel in the Deep
“If you want me to believe that, you’re going to have to get better at lying.”
Her lips twist in something that isn’t quite a smile. She finally opens her eyes. “I love you. You know that, yeah?”
“I know that. I love you, too,” I say slowly. “But if you’re trying to reassure me, you’re doing a terrible job of it.”
She kisses me then, pressing me back onto the mattress. It would be so easy to let ourselves get carried away, to give in to the body’s need for pleasure with one of the two people I care about most in this world.
But Siobhan isn’t kissing me because she wants me right now. She’s doing it to distract me from questioning her.
I turn my face away, my breath coming hard. “I’m here.”
“Bastian.” She presses her forehead to mine. “I know. And I appreciate it. Even when we don’t agree, I know you have my back.”
The fear curling its roots through me flares. I grip her hips. “Of course I always have your back. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She slips free as easily as smoke through my fingers. Siobhan’s strength has always filled me with awe. There’s little we’ve faced that she can’t manage easily. There’s no reason to think whatever we find in Lyari will change that. And yet I can’t shake the feeling that Siobhan is in the process of a prolonged goodbye.
“Siobhan.” I sit up abruptly, following her with my gaze as she pulls on her clothes. “Please talk to me.”
She smiles sadly. “Some things are better left unsaid. Keep close to Nox. Between the two of you, you can get out of any mess.” She sweeps from the room, her words landing dully behind her.
The two of us. Not three.Two.
I don’t know what Siobhan believes will happen in Lyari, but she doesn’t think she’ll be around afterward. Whether that means she expects she’ll be dead or taken captive…well, it could be anything.
Something happened in the days after we sailed south from Three Sisters. I’m not sure exactly when our lovemaking shifted from pure joy to tinged with grief and desperation. I only know that thingsdidchange.
I hurry to pull on my clothes and follow. Nox hasn’t saidanything about the shift, but they’re new to us. I don’t know if they would notice it the same way I did, especially when so much of their impressive mind is focused on what comes next and keeping their crew alive.
We’ve seen crimson sails in the distance a few times, but they haven’t seemed to show much interest in what appears to be just another trade ship heading south. It should be cause for relief, but instead it’s only caused tension to ride everyone harder.
It feels like a trap.
I need to talk to Nox. They might have a better idea of what’s going on, or at least a different point of view. But the moment I step through the door, I know there will be no opportunity for conversation. The entire crew buzzes and rushes about the deck to a purpose I can’t begin to guess. I grab Frost’s arm as ne moves past me. “What’s going on?”
Ne grins, fierce and happy. “Sighted Yoth. We’ll be there in a few hours.”
The beginning of the end.
I don’t know where the thought comes from, or why it brings a dread I can’t combat. Yes, this will bring about the end, but that’s the goal: the end of the Cwn Annwn as they function today. This particular ending is an opportunity for new growth and a future without fear.
There’s no chance I’ll be able to pull Nox aside. They’ll have their hands full with getting us to Yoth and making arrangements for the ship and crew. Damn it.
I find a spot on the upper deck where I’m mostly out of the way and watch the island approach. It’s small—even smaller than Viedna, the selkie island where Maeve grew up—and sogreen it looks like a jewel tucked into the rush of waves around it. I’ve never been here before. The locals aren’t fans of visitors, and the currents are even wilder than around First Sister, so most ships aren’t interested in fighting their way to an unreceptive populace.
With the help of elemental magic and Nox’s keen eye, we easily cut through the currents and into a shallow bay with a sandy beach. No docks to speak of; that would invite the aforementioned visitors.
Nox calls out instructions, and even knowing the plan, it still jars me to watch them intentionally run us aground. The ship shudders as it encounters the sandy beach and then shudders again as both air and water elemental users come together to shove it even farther aground, well away from the greedy tide. It leaves us angled in a way that feels dangerous, the deck canting sharply beneath my feet.
Frost grabs me before I can slide more than a foot. “Careful there, Bastian.” Ne grins. “Can’t have you falling and breaking something important.”
“Thanks,” I manage.
Things happen quickly after that. Crew, what little supplies we have left, and gifts for the locals are unloaded. By the time everyone has scaled down the side of the ship to the sand, we have an audience.
The Yothians are a small furred people with dangerously long claws, tufted ears like a hunting cat, and oblong eyes in colors ranging from yellow to a deep green. Their fur is brown with dappled darker patterns, the better to camouflage them in the jungle when they hunt. I’m not entirely certain how theydefine gender, but the group that meets us wears only small cloths tucked around their hips and nothing else.
Nox moves first, stepping forward and bowing deeply. “Honorable Tia, we come bearing gifts and asking for a boon.”
