“Before you send us on our way because of the company we keep,” Val yelled up from the tiny skiff as it bumped against the hull, “please know that we didn’t want to bring him.”
Mari gave her wife a put-upon look. “But we thought it would be best if we could discuss everything at once.”
“I,” Bastian muttered, “have had enough discussions to last a lifetime, frankly.”
Malcolm rushed from the prow. The crewman glanced backward, then quickly turned away again when he saw Alie.
She must have put the fear of all the gods in them somehow. Good for her.
Michal climbed up the rope as quickly as he could, reaching for Malcolm before he was fully on the ship. They fell together in a messy kiss, and when they pulled away, Michal shook Malcolm by the shoulders. “I don’t know what kind of god-fuckery that was, but do noteverdo it again, you hear me?”
“Never.” Malcolm kissed him again. “Never.”
“Listen,” Val huffed as she came up the ladder, “Finn told us what set you off, Gabriel, and I assume you’ve learned better since you’re here and the King is… oh.”
“The King is what?” Bastian gave Val a level stare.
The grizzled poison runner studied him a moment. Then, she smiled. “Doing better than anticipated, apparently.”
Mari said nothing once she was up the ladder, though her eyes narrowed at Bastian and her hand hovered in the vicinity of the dagger at her waist. Val glanced at her wife, gave her head a tiny shake. Mari didn’t seem completely convinced, but she dropped her hand.
Finally, their fourth passenger ascended, hopping out onto the deck. He was handsome, though Bastian as a general rule didn’t go for dark-haired men, with green eyes and a scar over his cheekbone.
Bastian gave him a dazzling smile. “I hear you’re after my crown.”
Finn returned the smile. “It’s a topic for discussion.”
“Is thisreallythe time for that?” Mari looked witheringly between Bastian and Finn. “Please hold your coups until after the apocalypse.”
Finn stretched out his hands, gold rings glinting. “I only try to make the best of every situation.” He looked at Bastian again, still perplexed. “Though this one seems more complicated than I anticipated.”
“You aren’t alone,” Malcolm muttered, his hands still held tight in Michal’s.
“Aren’t you supposed to be possessed?” Finn asked, peering at Bastian.
“I got better,” Bastian answered.
“Just like that?” Val frowned, her hand hovering by the grip of her pistol. So prone to violence, were Lore’s mothers.
“A bit more complex, but just how complex remains to be seen.” Bastian turned a level eye on Finn. “However, this situation actually seems fairly simple, if we’re talking coups.”
“Notice that I came without backup,” Finn said sardonically. “I’m trying for diplomacy here.”
Gabe put himself in front of Bastian again, his one eye dark. Finn held up his hands. “No coups. We’re putting a pin in the coups.”
“Excellent.” Bastian patted Gabe’s shoulder. “Down, Mort. You don’t have to hover.”
“I’ll hover all I please,” Gabe growled, but when Bastian reached out and grabbed his wrist, he let him. Idly, Bastian entwined their fingers. Gabe slid his thumb in a half-moon over his knuckles.
Gabe’s hand was unnaturally warm. Orange still shone in the white of his eye.
He didn’t know what to make of these glimmers of Hestraon. Bastian didn’t have a real sense of what this all was like, for the others. His own possession had been fierce and total, blocking him completely out of his own mind. He didn’t think it was exactly the same for Gabe, but he still didn’t like it.
Especially since it felt like his fault.
Alie stepped up, chin held high, and faced Finn. “Truce. The last thing we need right now is to be fighting you and Apollius at the same time.”
Finn glanced at her dismissively, looked away, then glanced back, a double take as blatant as if they were in some seedy tavern.His eyes didn’t travel up and down her form, but only just, remaining on her face and very appreciative. “And who might you be?”
