CHAPTER EIGHT
The statement about accents upriver from Indore struck home. Upriver was Wren, the birthplace of Sara and Prin. It also confirmed that while Marcus appeared a plump little arms salesman, he was smart, and clever—which is not always the same thing.
Prin used eating as an excuse to stop talking and think. Marcus had dropped too many clues to not suspect who she was, yet he acted as if he was willing to protect Sara. Perhaps he even believed Sara was Princess Hannah, but if that were the case, he still acted more of a friend than an enemy.
The man the Captain had arrested believed he could bully Sara into confessing who she was. Prin expected her to burst one of the small pods of purple memory dust and she had been prepared to hold her breath, so she didn’t forget most of what she knew for a day. But Sara had resolved the situation far better by calling the Captain.
The eyes of the whole dining room had watched the confrontation, and if Sara had used magic, the diners would have fought over who would reach their table first to collect the rewards. Prin vowed to resort to magic as a last resort. Once used, there was little chance of denying it after.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Marcus said, directing his attention to Prin.
“I’m thinking—and before you ask, yes, I’m thinking about you.”
“You haven’t run me through with that small knife you hide behind your belt if it is even capable of running me through. A blade no longer than your little finger can be a help or hindrance.”
Prin fixed him with her most stern stare. “You’re good at revealing a small amount of information in hopes the recipient provides you with additional material. You’re also good at detecting the hidden weapons others carry.”
“My job.”
“So, you say. I wonder if you have any other jobs.”
He laughed easily. “Times being what they are, a man has to do whatever is needed for a comfortable life. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must attend to some business.”
Marcus stood, bowed to the table at large, and left.
“I can’t decide if he is a friend or foe,” Brice said.
Sara nodded, “That makes three of us. Why don’t we go sit outside and enjoy the morning?”
Prin glanced at the door on the port side of the dining room and shook her head. That was where the man had attacked her. She glanced at the door to the starboard side.
Sara stood and took her arm as she whispered, “You have to go out there and face what happened as if nothing did. Besides, the three of us need to inspect the area and make sure neither of you left something in the darkness last night we don’t want others to find.”
Reluctantly, Prin allowed Sara to lead her outside. Her eyes skimmed the area for anything dropped but found nothing. Then they moved to where the man had fallen. A fresh scrape in the varnish revealed bare wood, probably from his belt fastener. Prin moved to smudge it in hopes of aging the raw wood with spit, but her imagination reverted to the bottoms of his feet again.
“Sit for a moment,” Sara said, as Prin sagged.
Brice said, “These are going to be a long ten days sailing to Indore. I hope the wind holds up.”
“Ten?” Prin asked.
“Or twelve that feels like twenty,” Brice said. “Do you two feel all the eyes in the dining room watching us when we’re in there?”
Sara said, “Almost as much as those on the deck above watching us. Who would have believed a ship like this would have so many idle crewmen?”
Prin believed Marcus may have been up there in the dark last night. She saw no other way he could know several details he’d hinted at, and he knew Jam’s name, or her paranoia made her think so. Anyone could mention the word jam and not know him. What she didn’t know, was who Marcus really was. But when it appeared they might be attacked by the tall man at the breakfast table he had been ready to defend them. That said enough. For now.
They fell into three of the deck-chairs and waited for the sun to warm them. The wind whipped past, making it feel cooler than it was, and the gentle motion of the ship combined to lull Prin to sleep. She woke later, near lunchtime from the position of the sun. Sara and Brice were huddled together, planning and whispering.
Sara said to her, “I have a few spells to teach you, more to refresh your memory, and Maude told me to let you take the lead on the ship, so you begin to act in charge and get used to authority. But, old habits are hard to break.”
“Meaning?” Prin asked.
“I brought three books to study. Each will take me days to get through if I’m lucky. Between us, I’m going to become ill and use the time in our cabin to study.”
Brice said, “We’ll have to smuggle her food, but she also brought some. Sara will remain in our cabin. You will be forced to either make decisions or consult her.”
“I expected something like this,” Prin said. “I won’t fight it.”
Two men, ones they hadn’t noticed before, walked outside and took seats only a few steps away, as if by accident, which may have been true.
One spoke too loudly, as if excited. “The Captain thinks he either fell or was thrown overboard.”
The other said, “He was too big and strong if it’s the man I think it was.”
Prin hadn’t thought of the man as big or strong, although he was taller and stronger than her. She’d only seen him for an instant before he fell. When Brice started to speak, she shook her head and closed her eyes as if napping.
The excited one, the shorter man, spoke hurriedly, “I thought they put him in the ship’s jail.”
“No. He’s missing.”
She sat up and turned to them. “What?”
Both men looked at her in surprise at the sharp tone. The same one spoke first. “There was a disturbance in the dining room this morning, we heard. Now, there’s a rumor that man is missing.”
“You think he fell overboard?” Prin demanded.
Both men shrugged. The taller of the two said, “I hear it happens. A steward said it’s the second one this trip.”
The other interrupted, “I didn’t want to sail on this ship. We should have taken a caravan like I suggested.”
They stood and entered the dining room lost in a personal argument. Prin whispered, “I don’t think either of those two is searching for Hannah.”
“Then, they are the ones to watch,” Brice said.
His remark drew a smirk of humor from Prin, one of the few of the morning. But there had been a grain of truth in the remark. Prin and Brice went out the door to the other side of the promenade deck and walked to the stern, where they paused and watched the wake while keeping an eye on the five passengers who were outside. Twice, Prin noticed a particular man watching her.
Sara left them and went to the cabin, where she said she would read and study. Prin agreed to meet with her later in the day to discuss spells. Prin and Brice strolled slowly around the entire ship three times, keeping tabs and comparing notes on each person. They eliminated several, one because of a family with small children traveling together, another because the single woman was barely sixteen. She could be under a spell that made her younger, but if so, her actions were masterful.
The majority of other passengers were suspect, and as Prin and Brice walked the deck, she said, “I think we’re missing an opportunity.”
“What is that?”
“As the ship draws nearer to Indore, desperation will set in for the hunters. What if we wait until then and spread a few rumors pointing to Sara?”