by Becca Andre
“Let’s grab some pikes,” Grayson said to Perseus and Jimmy. “Maybe we can nudge some of the logs out of our path.”
They agreed and hurried off to do just that.
“We won’t be able to avoid them all,” Eli said.
“I know.” Briar frowned at the minefield ahead of them. What were the chances of—
Another rumble sounded from very close by. She spun toward their starboard side in time to see another stack of logs tumbling down the bank, the Briar Rose directly in its path.
Chapter 7
Eli shoved the tiller, and the boat immediately swung toward the towpath, away from heelpath, where the logs had been stacked.
Briar turned to watch the logs bouncing down the bank toward them. Instead of an orderly roll, the uneven ground sent the logs careening into each other. As the mass picked up speed, a few logs went airborne, soaring right at them.
“Watch yourself,” Eli warned, though it was already clear that none of the logs would bounce high enough to reach the deck. However, several loud booms echoed through the boat as logs collided with the hull, one boom accompanied by the shattering of glass. A log had found one of the windows in the aft cabin.
“Molly,” Eli whispered, his eyes meeting Briar’s. He released the tiller at the same moment the boat collided with the bank. The abrupt stop threw Eli to the deck.
He cursed, but sprang immediately to his feet. Jumping up onto the aft deck, he ran to the hatch and dropped through so quickly that Briar didn’t think he’d bothered with the ladder.
Meanwhile, Jimmy and Grayson had returned to the aft deck.
“We’d better tie up and wait for this to be cleared,” she said.
“Aye, Captain.” Jimmy frowned at the littered canal. “Do you think this was deliberate?”
Grayson’s eyes narrowed at the suggestion, but he didn’t comment.
The clink of broken glass echoed out of the hatch. Was Molly all right?
“Would you take care of getting us tied up?” she asked Jimmy. She turned away before he could agree, then hurried to the hatch and climbed down, Grayson right behind her.
Unlike the time they’d ridden out the swells of Farran’s flood, the cabin was in much better condition. A few items had tumbled from their shelves, but it wasn’t anything that would take more than a few minutes to straighten. The bigger mess was the log poking through the window beside the table. Glass was strewn across the floor.
Molly sat on the edge of her bunk holding a folded cloth to her forehead, above her right eyebrow. Eli stood over her, arms crossed and a worried frown on his face.
“What happened?” Briar asked.
“She was sitting at the table when the log came through the window,” Eli explained. “A piece of glass nicked her, but it could have been much worse.”
“It’s a minor cut.” Molly took the cloth from her head as Briar stopped beside her. She was right. It was just a scratch, though head wounds, no matter how minor, had a tendency to bleed a lot.
Eli looked away. Blood always bothered him.
“You’re right. It’s minor,” Briar agreed, though more for Eli’s benefit than Molly’s.
“Besides, I’m sure Mr. Martel could have fixed it if not,” Molly said.
“Perseus doesn’t think it’s a good idea for him to be doing that,” Eli said.
“As I proved with Miss Rose, I can handle it,” Grayson said, though he didn’t look up. He was busy removing his waistcoat. Maybe he expected to get dirty cleaning up this mess.
“But what was all that you told Jimmy and me? You said you were changing,” Eli said.
“Devolving.” Grayson turned his back to Eli, and to Briar’s surprise, he pulled his shirt from his waistband and lifted it to expose his back.
“Dear God,” Eli muttered. “I didn’t think it was supposed to happen that fast.”
Molly rose to her feet and smacked Eli in the arm, silently reprimanding him for the bluntness of his statement.
“I’m special.” Grayson dropped his shirt and faced Eli. “But as I also told you, Perseus was being a little over protective. I’m still in control.” He turned to Briar. “I’m going to take Perseus and check around. Perhaps our troublemaker is still in the area.”
“I’m coming with you,” Briar said.
Grayson opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Eli did.
“Miss Briar, must you put yourself in danger? I’m sure those two can handle it.”
“What danger?” she asked. “The culprit is clearly a coward, setting traps for us and running away. Besides, I hardly think I’ll be in any danger with Grayson and Perseus for company.”
“Then I’ll join you,” Eli said.
“I need you here. The boat must be checked for damage.”
Molly stepped forward and gripped Eli’s arm. “And I’ll need help cleaning up this mess. I don’t think I can shift that log on my own.”
“I don’t want you to even try,” he said, quickly turning to her on the suggestion. “I’ll take care of it.”
Briar bit her lip. Eli was a protector, and it seemed he’d added Molly to the list of those he felt obliged to protect.
Molly gave him a bright smile. “Thank you. Now, if you gentlemen would be so kind as to leave the cabin, I’d like to change so I can wash the blood out of this dress.” She plucked at the shoulder of her dress to draw attention to the stain. “I’ll never be able to get it out if I wait.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Eli answered immediately, blushing beneath his tan. “Come on.” He pushed Grayson toward the door.
“I’ll be right there,” Briar called to Grayson, who was looking amused by Eli’s actions.
The men left the cabin, closing the door behind them.
“Unlace me?” Molly asked, giving Briar her back.
“Sure.” Briar stepped forward to do as she asked. “Thanks for the help with Eli.”
“Well, I can’t move that log on my own.”
Briar didn’t belabor the point. “There you go,” she said a moment later.
Molly faced her. “I’m guessing that canal life isn’t normally this crazy.”
“Not normally, no.” Briar shook her head. “But it’s crazy now, and I need to go. The longer I wait, the more chance the culprit has to get away.”
Molly studied her a moment as if debating on saying something else, then nodded. “Hurry back. It’ll be dark soon, and dinner is nearly ready.”
“I hope the tarts survived the sudden stop.”
Molly grinned. “They did. I have them safely tucked away, although it was in an effort to elude pastry thieves rather than a tumble onto the floor.”
Briar chuckled, knowing which pastry thief she meant. “Good luck with that.”
She left Molly to dress and went to find Grayson and Perseus.
Briar wasn’t surprised that Kali insisted on tagging along as well, but she wasn’t going to argue. She and Kali might be at odds at the moment—all Kali’s doing—but the girl had good instincts and highly sensitive magical talents, if it came to that. Her skills could prove useful.
They had to backtrack up the canal to use the footbridge that crossed the last lock. But a short time later, they returned to the site of the accident. Muddy ruts and a scattering of logs that had been on the bottom of the pile marked the location.
“Here,” Perseus called to them from the wooded area not far away.
They hurried over, and he showed them a knotted rope and a discarded cant hook. The long wooden handle had a movable metal hook on one end and was a common tool used in sawmills to maneuver logs.
“Devices our troublemaker used?” Briar asked.
“I would see no other reason for such items to be lying out here,” Perseus agreed. “He could use the hook to loosen a log, and the rope to pull it free while
he stayed under cover.”
“There’s more rope over here,” Kali called from a little deeper in the trees.
“I wonder if there’s more than one person.” Briar glanced up at Grayson. “There were two piles of logs involved.”
“It’s possible, though each stack was set into motion independently. With preparation, a single individual could have done it.” He picked up the cant hook and looked it over. “Mundane iron, though well forged.” He dropped it in the leaves. “If I didn’t have the whole length of the canal to search, I could probably track down the smith who made it.”
“Really?” Briar asked, impressed.
“Each man’s technique is unique, and that shows in his work.”
She remembered him making a similar statement about soul iron, but decided not to mention that.
“Let’s fan out and search these trees,” Briar suggested. “Maybe we’ll get a clue as to where they went.”
“It’d be so much easier if we were tracking a ferromancer,” Kali grumbled.
“Only if we had his soul iron,” Perseus added.
She grunted, and the pair walked off.
“Any thoughts?” Briar asked Grayson.
“Let’s leave Perseus and Kali to search the trees while we visit the sawmill. Perhaps someone saw something.”
“If there’s anyone to ask.” She gestured toward the canal where several men in john boats were trying to corral the logs. “Those are probably the sawmill’s employees.”
“True, but maybe someone is still inside.”
They continued down the canal until they reached the building. The exterior door stood open, but as she’d suspected, no one was working inside.
“Looks like you were right,” Grayson said as they walked into the mill. “Everyone is out on the canal.”
“A shame. I had hoped someone would be here we could talk to. Our culprit’s use of a cant hook makes me wonder if he has some tie to the logging industry.”
“Good observation. Let’s look around.” Grayson stepped past her, weaving his way through stacks of finished lumber and past a huge saw blade. Fresh sawdust covered the floor, the scent of recently cut wood wafting up with each step.
She stopped and propped her hands on her hips. The mill appeared empty. She was about to comment when a metallic thump carried to her. Grayson met her gaze, and together, they walked toward the back of the building. Maybe there was someone here they could talk to. They stopped in front of a closed door, and Grayson tried the knob.
“Locked,” he said.
Odd. Maybe the sound had come from somewhere else in the mill. She started to speak when another clank sounded behind the closed door. She looked up, meeting Grayson’s gaze, and saw the same suspicion.
Shall we check it out? He asked in a nonverbal burst of imagery and sensation.
She nodded, and an instant later, something clicked within the door, and Grayson turned the knob.
Cheater, she thought at him and got a surge of amusement in return. Grayson pushed the door open and any further teasing was put on hold.
A man stood on a chair pushed up against the back wall. He didn’t notice them. He was too busy trying to maneuver a metal strong box through a high open window.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Briar demanded.
He gasped and glanced over his shoulder, his eyes wide. He turned back to his task with renewed vigor. With a grunt, he shoved the box out the window, then pulled himself up and wiggled out after it.
Grayson ran forward, vaulting a desk to reach the window quickly. He jumped up and, gripping the edge of the frame, hauled himself through the window in one fluid move.
Briar followed, though it took her a little longer to climb up on the chair and pull herself up and through the opening. She dropped to the ground a few feet from Grayson and the thief. The man had his back to the wall, facing Grayson who was closing with him—until the man pulled out a revolver.
Briar froze as he pointed it at Grayson.
“Who the hell are you?” the man demanded. “You ain’t one of Eddie’s boys.”
Grayson’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t speak.
“Answer.” The man swung the gun in Briar’s direction. “Or I shoot the girl.”
Without warning, Grayson sprang at the man.
Oddly, the man jerked the gun toward the sky and fired. For an instant, Briar thought he might be summoning help, but the gun left his hand and continued upward, soaring over the eave to land on the roof. She realized that Grayson had been controlling the movement of the gun, though the man had probably fired it. Had he been pulling the trigger on her?
Grayson caught the man by the throat and slammed him against the back of the building.
“Easy,” Briar said, moving closer. “We’ll turn him over to the authorities.”
Grayson ignored her, his attention fully on the man he held. “Your heart is beating like a frightened rabbit’s against my palm.” Grayson leaned closer to his captive.
The man made a choking sound, both hands gripping Grayson’s wrist as he struggled to get free.
Briar stepped forward and grabbed Grayson’s sleeve. “Calm down. He can’t tell us if he’s responsible for the logs if he can’t talk.”
“I can make him talk.” Grayson glanced over, and his eyes met hers.
Briar gasped.
Grayson’s blue-gray irises stretched from lid to lid, obscuring the whites of his eyes. He was no longer Grayson. He was the ferromancer.
The man he held tried to scream.
Chapter 8
Briar jerked her hand from Grayson’s arm, her heart pounding in her ears. Unable to stop herself, she took a step back under that indifferent gaze. It shocked her, as it always did at moments like these, just how much Grayson changed.
She reached up and gripped the medallion hanging from her necklace, taking a bit of comfort from the warm metal.
“Let him go,” she commanded.
“Hey! What’s going on?” A pair of men had stepped around the corner. They must have heard the gun shot.
Briar jumped at their sudden appearance, though they were still too far away to make out the changes in Grayson.
She tightened her grip on the medallion. Both alarmed and annoyed that Grayson had lost it at this moment, she reached out to him. Be human, now.
Grayson pulled in a breath, then jerked his hand from the man’s throat as if surprised to find himself holding it.
The man’s feet no sooner hit the ground than he took off at a dead run for the trees.
“Stop, thief!” Briar shouted, hoping to draw attention away from Grayson.
Unfortunately, only one of the men who had rounded the corner took off after the thief.
Briar glanced up at Grayson, and his eyes met hers—human eyes—but she didn’t get a chance to breathe a sigh of relief as the other man ran up.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“My boat was the one struck by the logs,” Briar said. “We stopped in, hoping to speak to someone who saw what happened, and found this fellow shoving that strong box out the window. I thought maybe he was in on it since he was taking advantage of the distraction.”
The man moved closer, frowning first at the strong box, then at the trees where the thief had gone. “I thought I heard a gun shot.”
“You did,” Briar answered. “When he pulled a gun on us, my friend knocked it from his hand, and it went off.”
“He’s armed?” The man gave the trees a nervous look, no doubt worried about his friend who had given chase.
“I think the gun landed on the roof,” Briar said.
The man’s brows rose, and he glanced upward.
Grayson rubbed a hand over his face. He was clearly still out of sorts.
“Hey.” She laid a hand on Grayson’s ar
m. “Would you go let our friends know that we’re safe? I’m sure that gunshot alarmed them.” Perseus and Kali may not have realized they’d gone to the mill, plus it would give Grayson a chance to walk this off.
Grayson nodded, seeming to understand. “Yes, Captain.” He turned and hurried away.
“Captain?” the man asked.
“Captain Rose,” she offered her hand. “Like I said, that’s my boat tied up above your sawmill.”
“Eddie Mackenzie, foreman. Don’t remember you running any timber for us. I would have remembered a woman captain.”
“We normally run the southern end of the canal, but took a trip to Cleveland for a change of scenery. We were heading home when this happened.”
Eddie frowned. “You’re not blaming the mill, are you?”
“Of course not. You’re clearly not at fault. We found some rope and a cant hook hidden in the trees behind the logs. Mighty suspicious that this guy was taking advantage of the commotion.”
“Mighty suspicious,” Eddie agreed. Before more could be said, Perseus and Kali jogged around the end of the building.
Briar waved them over.
“What happened?” Perseus asked, as he and Kali joined them.
“Grayson and I discovered a thief trying to steal this strong box while everyone was distracted.”
“Just some random thief?” Kali asked. “Was he working alone?”
“That I don’t know.” Briar rubbed the back of her neck, eyeing the trees. Could it be bad luck that they were in the line of fire when the guy decided to set off a diversion? And who goes to that kind of trouble to steal a strong box? Why not do it after hours?
Eddie’s friend emerged from the trees, his face flushed from the run, but empty handed. It looked like the thief’s motivation would remain a mystery.
“I assume he got away,” Eddie said to his friend as he stopped beside them.
“He did, but not before I got a good look at him. It was Richard Haskins.”
“Who’s that?” Briar asked. She’d never heard of the guy.
“He used to work for me until I caught him drinking on the job,” Eddie answered. “Last I heard, he was holed up in some tavern in Port Washington.”
