We all remain silent, and I don’t know of many people who have existed next to two Sensors and remained a mystery.
“Something seems off,” she states, flitting her gaze between the three of us as she paces. “Something is connecting all three of you. What is it? I want to know before I offer my ships. I run a bunch of pirates, not knights, and my ships come withmyterms.If you want them, you’ll need to earn them. Perhaps even beg for it with how much I’m about to risk.”
Ritter aggressively laces his fingers together, jutting his jaw to the side, and says, “You’ve grown to enjoy flattery, I see. You used to abhor that behavior.”
Her grin flashes a few of her gold-covered teeth. “I’ve grown to appreciate it,” she croons. “I’ll consider aiding you. Once you tell me how you know this information, then we can have arealconversation.”
Jane is out there, right now, a prisoner of Misery. So is Anya.
“We needmorethan consideration,” I press.
I can already tell that using the relationship of all three of us being a Zenith will mean nothing to her here. She’s a pirate, in her own lands.
“Or what?” she scoffs. “You’ll steal it?”
“You need us,” I reply, my tone resolute. “Are you going to storm Ashfire alone? You’re not far from the Fire Isles. This will greatly impact everything you do if Misery conquers us now.”
Her lips hover open, licking the bottom one as she stares at me. “You needmemore.”
“This is fucking ridiculous,” Ritter says, pacing in the small space. “Either you need us or you don’t. And either youwillgive us your ships, or you won’t. But I have to figure out what I’m doing with Jane’s predicament, and preferably before the fucking sun sets.”
Ritter reaches into his pocket, his energy completely silencing from me. It’s like he’s doing it subconsciously, the act barely intentional.
He’s unraveling in there.
Tempest’s eyes widen, her brows shooting upward, her expression a mixture of shock and fury. “The hells is that?” shehisses, her voice low and hateful, looking at his pocket. “Is that why I feel her? You broughtCypressinto this?”
Pure, angry heat leaks from Ritter, his composure smooth like a scorpion’s shell. But I can tell it’s close to shattering, and I’m honestly amazed Tempest can recognize that. “What do you mean?”
“I can sense when her magic is around us,especiallyin use. Something in your pocket belongs to her.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
Tempest scoffs, the lines around her mouth deepening with disgust. “I won’t work with her. She’spoison. And you brought her to my island. Are you working with her? Is that what connects all of you? There’s more to this than those earrings, isn’t there? Youlied.”
I frown. “I hate the cunt just as much as the next person, but she’s a means to an end.”
Tempest growls at us, her breathing deep and heavy. “Get the fuck out of here, and don’t ask for my ships ever again. I allowed the earrings because I knew it was sentimental. Anything else is abetrayal.”
Ritter bites his bottom lip, the tension in the air changing in its undercurrents like violent riptides. “What are you talking about?” he spits out.
“Fuck Cypress and her magic,” the ocean queen replies. “If she’s involved, then this will all be ruined. She’s as selfish as Misery, and I won’t let her spin me into her webs.” She throws her hand in the direction of the door. “Out. I won’t tolerate this. I’ve already given youtwo weeksat sea on my ship. We are more than even.”
The longer we stand there, the more I can feel our energy poisoning this relationship. The thought of Cypress is destroying Tempest, unraveling her like I’ve never seen before, like someone who has spotted a ghost and just wants to get away.
I motion for Ritter to leave, and Basilisk is already moving.
For a moment, it seems as if Ritter might remain and risk a fight. I understand that desperation, that deep need to beat sense into any and all around to get what we need. When Tempest’s mask shifts on her hip, as if she might don it, Ritter heaves a sigh and storms to the door, busting it open with his shoulder to the point it’s nearly ripped off the hinges.
Tempest yells after us, “If you break my door, you’re paying for it, Ritter!” She steps out. “You lot have two days, and I want you off this island!”
I follow Ritter as he storms out of Tempest’s room. “You better have a good explanation for why you put that ring on,” I demand.
“It was mindless,” he says, glaring at me. “I didn’t want to feel yourinvasionany longer.” A semblance of his control is breaking, his eyes giving that away. “I let Cypress do her work, and now Jane is in danger. More than ever. But I’m tied to her, and weneedTempest. So why the fuck did we leave and not even fight for those ships?” Ritter faces me, hand on his hilt, that ring of Cypress’s gleaming as if that witch is proud of her chaos. “I’ll gut you here and now if this leads to Jane’s undoing.”
I nearly laugh as I step near him. He means it, too. I don’t need to feel him to know that.
“I’m already planning how to set that entire island on fire, Ritter. For every bruise, cut, or sad look Jane has from them, I will find those men and take them home with me so they can never know rest, after slitting the throats of the rest.”
