Hobbs pushes through in a burst, but Cain’s not far behind him. “Leave him alone,” Cain says, pushing Hobbs.
Hobbs shoves back, says, “I’m afraid that’s not a possibility. I have a message from your father. You are to appear before him at once, not as his son, but as a witness to an unfortunate crime involving a bilge rat girl.” Every word is a nasally sneer, filled with sick joy.
“I said I would tell him,” Cain growls.
“You…weren’t given the order,” Hobbs says. Giving Cain a final shove, he exits, slamming the cabin door.
“What the ruddy hell happened?” Cain says when we’re alone.
I can’t tell him, not when he helped me kill a man to save her once already. And now I’ve gone and thrown that sacrifice away. For what? To be forced to watch while she’s fed to the sharp-tooths?
I stare at my feet, which are sticking out from beneath the blanket.
“They’re saying you saved her during the storm,” Cain says.
He doesn’t mention any details, but I can tell he knows everything. His eyes sparkle with pride.
“I’m no hero,” I say.
“That remains to be seen,” Cain says, his words prying my eyes away from my feet.
“What’s going to happen?” I ask.
Cain answers with a sternness in his voice I’ve never heard before. “You’re going to get dressed and go see your father. Deal with the consequences of your actions.”
“But what if…”
(…the consequence is Jade being killed?)
“You’ll know what to do,” Cain says, reading my thoughts.
Do I? What will I do? Fight him? Dive in after her? I can’t see it happen, can’t see another person I care about end up overboard.
(Blood in the water.)
“I don’t,” I say, sounding childish even to my own ears.
“You will,” Cain says, his tone now more like a pillow than a plank. “When the time comes.”
He leaves and I dress quickly, struggling with the buttons and with getting my arms and legs in the right holes. My hands are shaking.
Heart pounding in my throat, I climb the steps to the quarterdeck. Sunshine hits me full in the eyes when I emerge from below. Where were you yesterday? I think, cursing the skies for warring with the Deep Blue. If only they’d made peace, everything would be the same and Hobbs would be leaving soon.
But would things be the same? How could they? Knowing what I know, feeling what I feeclass="underline" nothing can ever be the same. Eventually I’d have to make the hardest choice of my life. The war between the ocean and the sky has only forced me to decide sooner.
The entire fleet is here, each ship anchored and still in the calm waters. Although none of the vessels were unscathed by the power of the storm—their sails hanging limply, their railings splintered and chipped, their decks a mess of shattered barrels and snapped ropes—the Mayhem seemed to take the worst of it, the only ship with a broken mast.
But none of that seems to matter, the repair work left unfinished for now.
A crowd has gathered already, as surely word has travelled to each and every ship.
A bilge rat is on trial!
The admiral’s son is a witness!
The Mayhem’s deck is completely full, and those from the other ships that couldn’t fit have climbed the masts and the ropes of the nearest adjacent ships to watch. No one will miss this.
I expected something more private, because of who I am, but I shouldn’t have. Crimes are always tried in public, under the law. My father wouldn’t make an exception, even for his own son.
A hush falls over the crowd when they see me. Ignoring their stares, their whispers, I scan over their heads until I reach the ship’s center, where the main mast remains toppled like a freshly chopped tree.
I see her.
Alive and dry and breathing.
Her expression is stoic, like she’s posing for a painting. Even under the circumstances, I have the urge to smile when I see her.
My lips remain flat when I see my father, decked out in his pristine blue uniform, littered with gleaming medallions, his admiral’s hat dipped low in the front to shield his eyes from the sun, casting the top half of his face in shadow. His expression is a neutral mask.
And beside him: Hobbs, equally presentable, but grinning like a mermaid who’s suddenly sprouted legs.
Cain stands opposite, watching me, offering a slight nod of encouragement when my gaze falls upon him.
I push through the crowd, pulse pounding.
I catch shards of conversations, like broken glass to my ears:
“I heard he’s requested to run away and join the Stormers with her.”
“I heard she’s pregnant with his child.”
“A very reliable source told me she’s actually his sister.”
In another situation I might laugh at the absurdity of the comments. But not today. Not now.
I reach my father, stand before him with my legs locked tight at the knees, willing them not to tremble. Wait for his verdict.
Silence ensues, and I can feel Jade’s gaze, but I won’t look at her. Can’t. Not yet. Not until I know for sure.
He doesn’t waste time with formalities. After all, that’s not what the crowd is here for. “Do you deny that this bilge rat climbed to the bird’s nest, which is forbidden of her kind?” He says her kind with such contempt that it sounds like he’s spitting it, although his words are free of moisture.
“No, but I—”
“And do you deny that you disobeyed the order of a superior officer in order to rescue her?”
“No, but I can explain—”
“I’ve made my decision, Lieutenant,” my father says, finally lifting the brim of his hat to reveal his striking blue eyes.
This isn’t happening. It can’t be. I haven’t even had a chance to explain, to tell him that I’m the one who allowed her into the bird’s nest in the first place, which is why she felt comfortable going there. I haven’t told him that she was full of courage, trying to help save the ship when the sail ripped. I haven’t told him anything.
“For her brazen and illegal actions, she will receive eighteen lashes, to be administered first thing tomorrow morning.”
My breath catches, along with half the people’s on the ship, as gasps rise from the crowd. She will be spared! My father has chosen mercy over death. I glance at Jade, fighting back the biggest smile of my life. I can see a smile tugging at her lips, although there’s fear there too. She’s about to receive the beating of her life. Watching her be whipped will be heartbreaking, awful, the worst thing ever, but at least she won’t be at the bottom of the ocean, or in some sharp-tooth’s belly.
“Your actions yesterday were heroic, Son,” my father says, shocking me once more.
Hobbs’ head jerks toward my father, his eyes widening in surprise. “Sir, I really wouldn’t characterize them—”
My father raises a hand to silence him. “Although your heart was in the right place, attempting to save one life at the potential cost of others, including your own, was a mistake. Not to mention disobeying Lieutenant Hobbs, your superior officer.”
Here it comes. Here it comes.
“However, given the extenuating circumstances, what with the storm and the fact that Lieutenant Hobbs was only onboard the Mayhem in…an advisory role…I see no reason to punish you.”
His words are drops of rain, light and refreshing in the heat. Is he really proud of me? An airy thrill zings through my chest, surprising me. Do I still want his pride? For the longest time, it was all I ever wanted, all I ever needed—to be forgiven for failing him, for failing my mother. But knowing what I know now, I shouldn’t want his pride, shouldn’t need it. And yet…I can’t help but bask in it.
“In fact, you shall be rewarded,” he continues.
Rewarded? Surely, this can’t be. He’s never rewarded me for anything. I wait in eager anticipation.
“Sir, I really must obj—”
“Shut it, Hobbs,” my father says, and I grin, enjoying the way Hobbs’ frustration is growing red on his face.