“Take our brothers. They lived for the sea, grant them rest in the sea.” She pulled her attention back to Hu, standing near the railing and over the eight bundles of canvas holding the bodies of their shipmates.
She stepped forward when Hu nodded at her. His face looked far older when it was arranged in sober lines; his ritual scars gained a somber weight. I’ve always hated this part. Give me the freedom of the waves, but remind me not of its cost.
“These men died for their ship. They died for their captain. They died for their brothers. Remember them, one and all. And may the waves hold them close, until we meet again.”
“We remember,” came the uneven chorus from the two dozen men and women gathered on deck—and even Janus joined in, though he had never been much for ceremony.
Nell chanted a low dirge from the east; those who knew the mournful tune joined in. The chant rose and fell like the dusky waves, a melody born of grief and loss. In the past months, Saskia had lost more men at sea than in several years prior.
The craggers have to be stopped.
A half dozen sailors stepped forward. One by one, they gathered the canvas bundles and gently tilted them into the waves. Sam pressed close to her side, wide-eyed and solemn. She squeezed his shoulder. Dayson had treated the boy more like a son than a nuisance underfoot.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly.
Her throat was thick with regret, but it wasn’t all she felt. There was relief, too, that she hadn’t ended her life today, bleeding out near the mizzenmast. And perhaps Sam sensed it, or saw it in her face, because his shoulders hunched.
“He was doing his job,” the boy muttered.
“And well.” That was scant comfort to a child who had already lost so much.
Sam stepped away then, weaving to the deck railing so he could watch the ripples of the bodies sinking into the dark, merciless sea. There were good wishes and quiet farewells, beneath the haunting refrain of Nell’s a capella song. Saskia gave the mourners a few minutes before clapping her hands. They looked up from their whispered conversations.
“Raise sails! We’re wasting daylight, and I for one don’t want to be sailing this forsaken stretch in the dark.” Her crew dispersed to their stations; they’d have to pull long shifts to make up for their losses. “Mr. Ferro. You have the helm.” She paused. If we sail on now, we might lose weeks searching for their base. Everyone knew the craggers lived along the Jagged Coast—the barren, northwestern shore of Winter Isle dominated by the Salamander’s Spine mountain range.
But that’s several hundred miles of inlets and hidden coves. Even Houses Skarsgard and Magnus working together have not been able to find them so far.
She had planned to threaten and bribe captured craggers for the location of their base. And she’d bet on Janus’s getting the information where other Free Trader and House captains had failed. Inspector Ritsuko’s newly confessed talent had been a godsend; between his interrogation and her truth sense, Saskia’d had high hopes of finally tracking down the bastards.
Trailing their attackers would be faster but much more dangerous.
Bronze gods, forgive me and keep my people safe.
“Mr. Ferro? Set course after the dogs that attacked us.”
Several sailors stopped in their tracks, looking her way. Irahi was shaking his head, as if divining her intent; Inspector Ritsuko and Loison seemed puzzled. Janus looked upset.But then, he’s either laughing or angry whenever we’re together, isn’t he?
“Get to it! They’re not expecting us to give chase. We’ll let them show us where they make their nest. And then we’ll make the last of them pay for our fallen brothers!”
Her crew started moving, then. Some nodded in agreement: they were still angry and ready for vengeance. Her first mate turned the wheel, setting a western course out of the shadow of Mount Surtir and toward the wild ocean beyond the Inner Sea. The chances were good that they could take advantage of the enemy’s weakened state.
“We’ll be fighting the current the whole way.” Ferro kept his eyes on the horizon, setting the course more by dead reckoning than the compass.
Most of the others didn’t know him well. His character didn’t lend itself to ready chatter and friendly smiles, but he was a damned fine helmsman. There were reasons for his taciturn behavior, and Saskia knew just enough not to pry. In this regard, you could judge the book by its cover; Mr. Ferro was a dangerous man.
“I’ll call the winds to help us when you have us well past the shoals.” She folded her arms and watched the men scurry up the rigging and along the deck.
Inspector Ritsuko was speaking with Irahi, who was still shaking his head and pointing out to sea. By the other woman’s expression, she was asking about the wisdom of this course and possibly mentioning her assignment in Northport, but she didn’t care what either inspector had to say. Their work could damned well wait until Janus kept his promise.
I’ll have the cragger chieftain’s head on a pike.
By his frown, Hu wasn’t exactly delighted with the notion. Nell was already belowdecks, getting the Gull ready for the chase. There were timbers to reinforce and a few leaks to patch from where the ships had smashed together, the ocean driving the collision. But the Gull was a game little ship, all heart and desire to run.
Content that she had the situation in hand, Saskia wheeled to spot Janus coming up the wide stairs of the aft castle where she stood, his jaw set. She recognized that glint in his eyes. It meant he was about to threaten her, question her sanity, or both.
Oh, Janus . . . just like old times.
And maybe he had a point, but she had no intention of listening to it. This was the first break she’d gotten since the attacks increased in frequency and ferocity.
“Saskia. What in Hells and Winter—”
She cut him off before Mr. Ferro or the other crewmen nearby took offense at his tone. “Mr. Mikani! We need to talk. In my cabin, after the change of watch in three hours . . . please inform your partner, Doctor Hu, and Miss Oliver.” She squared off to him as he came to a stop at the head of the stairs, fists clenched at his sides.
He held her gaze for a long silent moment before turning away, muttering darkly.
“That one’s dangerous.” Mr. Ferro sounded almost amused.
“I know.” She let out a long breath and made her way to her cabin to prepare for a grueling fight. And that was before they went after the raiders.
• • •
THE ATMOSPHERE AROUND the table was much tenser than when they’d gathered for dinner, that first night. Sam had proven wise and made himself scarce when they’d filed in.
Wish I could do the same, or that I could just order them around without question . . . but if I could, they wouldn’t be the right crew for what lies ahead.
“It’s madness. Hells and Winter, we’re tying a bloody steak to our neck and chasing a wolf into the forest!” Janus scowled from the corner, arms folded and his temper hardly in check.
“Li’l White, Mikani’s right . . . and gods know I don’t say that often. We should be headed for Northport, to repair and refit before going after these dogs.” Irahi offered an apologetic look, regretful that he couldn’t support her.
Now Nell seemed offended. “My fieldwork is as good as anything you’d find in most dry docks, better than some.”
Saskia sighed. “That’s not his point.”
“I’ve still got a number of men too weak to work,” Irahi said. “I’m running out of supplies in the infirmary, and you’re chasing the next battle?”
“You know I love a good fight,” Mikani snapped. “But this? Wouldn’t be.”
Irahi and Ferro flanked him, likely because of his bristling demeanor. They don’t trust him not to do something stupid. Bless their wise hearts.
Nell was staring at her. The boatswain turned a dagger in her hands, over and over. “If the captain thinks we need to give chase, I’m with her. The sooner we find their den, the faster we can hunt them down.”
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“Damn’d be, we’re not—”
“Mr. Mikani!” Saskia was surprised when he stopped talking. “You’ve had your say.”
He shook his head but leaned back, chewing his lip.
“It is insane.” Mr. Ferro turned toward her. Saskia didn’t know what he saw on her face, but his features softened a little. “But I’d follow Captain Braelan to the underworld itself, for she’d bring us back out.”
Inspector Ritsuko spoke for the first time. “It seems to me that this is a numbers game. We lost eight crewmen in the fight. They lost many more. Do you intend to scuttle their ship or do you think we can mount an assault on the cragger stronghold as well?”
Saskia’d been struggling with that very same question all evening. I would give much that we could go in guns blazing and end this once and for all.
“I propose neither.” Janus’s scowl shifted to puzzlement. They all spoke at once, so she held up a hand. “Gods’ truth, I know it’d be idiotic to follow them home to attack their stronghold. And it would be even worse to risk us all in hunting down their ship for revenge.
“We must chase them, yes. But we need to be quiet, so that we can trail them to wherever it is they’re hiding. We won’t be hanging a piece of meat around our neck.” She flashed a tired smile at Janus. “We will track the wolves down to their lair, so that we may return with the combined fleets of Skarsgard, Magnus, and the Free Traders and set them loose on those bastards once and for all.”
CHAPTER 9
RITSUKO HAD WONDERED HOW MISS BRAELAN INTENDED to pursue the raiders. They had a head start and any number of places to hide.
The answer, as Irahi had explained, was elementals.
Miss Braelan had called the wind spirits, coaxing them to follow the raiders and come back to whisper of their course. The sylphs, he’d explained, had short attention spans: they could report back and forth within a range of a dozen miles. They couldn’t follow all the way to their lair, but they could keep the Gull on the right track.
“And the bastards ward their stronghold,” Miss Braelan put in. “Otherwise, once we got close enough, I could use the same tactic to sniff them out. But I’m wind blind, the closer we get to the center of the action. Which is where you come in, Janus.”
Ritsuko couldn’t tell what Mikani thought about this development. He had been furious earlier, but now his expression was controlled and watchful. It was impossible for her to ask with Miss Braelan’s officers nearby. Most of them seemed disposed to do whatever the woman ordered, regardless of how imprudent it might be.
It’s a risky plan, but if we survive, she’ll have the information necessary to end the threat. I suppose that makes it worth the danger.
The hunt had lasted the better part of two days. They’d sailed at the limit of the elementals’ range to stay out of sight of cragger raiding parties and patrols. By the time they had slipped into a sheltered cove, Miss Braelan looked exhausted.
But even so, she’d insisted on coming along with the landing party that afternoon.
Ritsuko had misgivings about her own role, but she didn’t want to be left behind. So she didn’t protest as the others discussed last-minute strategy. The skiff lay on the beach nearby; Miss Braelan and Irahi had come along with Mr. Ferro, Mikani, and herself.
They had tracked the craggers until they’d slipped into a deep inlet: following them into the narrow passage would have been suicidal, so they had sailed on along the seaward side of the narrow finger of land until they’d found a spot to hide the Gull and land a boat. Mikani, Mr. Ferro, and she would make their way inland in search of the raider’s main base, to gauge their numbers and defenses for a full punitive expedition. Irahi and Miss Braelan would watch over the boat to safeguard their means of escape, and if threatened, they could retreat and return once it was clear. The others set up a way to communicate over distance, just in case, and Miss Braelan explained what the lantern signals meant.
Then the other woman said, “Irahi and I can wait until sunset tomorrow. That’s a full day . . . after that, one of their patrols is likely to find us.” She paused to look out to sea. “I wish I could come with you. But tired as I am, I’d be more a hindrance than aid, as Irahi has pointed out for the last half hour. So be careful, and please come back . . . all of you.” She offered a smile to all three of them, but her gaze remained on Mikani.
Her partner nodded. He started to say something, then walked toward the narrow trail that led up the cliffs. “Let’s move, then. We need to be at the top of the cliffs before it gets too dark to see . . . it’d be a bloody shame if we ended up walking off the damn’d edge.”
Mr. Ferro hefted his rifle and followed suit, pausing to say, “Watch out for her,” to Irahi.
Ritsuko wasn’t ordinarily the sentimental sort, but this wasn’t the kind of mission for which she had any training or experience, and there was a chance she’d never get to know the doctor any better. For obvious reasons, he wouldn’t be accompanying them, as he wasn’t built for stealth. So she went over to him, hoping she didn’t look as foolish as she felt. Irahi’s strong features were highlighted by the scant sunlight trickling through the clouds, and it glossed his dark hair.
“I just wanted to say—”
“Tell me when you get back, Celeste.” He took her hand in his, gently. “Now, keep those two fools out of harm’s way, you hear? Gods know they need safekeeping.”
She nodded and wheeled to march resolutely to where Ferro and Mikani stood waiting. “I’m ready as I shall be. Let’s find some craggers.”
“Hunting them down will be easy, partner. It’s keeping them from spotting us that’s the fun part.” Mikani led the way. He’d strapped his service pistol around his waist and someone—probably Irahi, judging from the elaborate patterns on the hilts, had loaned him a couple of long, curved daggers.
Mr. Ferro carried his rifle and a cutlass slung over his shoulder. She still had the long, heavy knife that she’d put to good use during the raid, and Miss Oliver had given her a worn but serviceable shotgun. A better choice, she’d said, than a revolver when it came to putting a raider down, mostly from the increased stopping power.
Ritsuko checked her weapons, then fell in behind the other two. Ahead, the path wound up the cliff in irregular twists, turns, and sometimes sheer walls that she clambered up in the falling darkness. Near the halfway mark, Mr. Ferro lost his footing, skidding toward the distant surf, and Mikani dove for him. Her heart skipped a beat as her partner tumbled toward the edge, right behind the first mate, but he snagged the man’s loose tunic and somehow he held on long enough for her to scramble back toward them to give a hand up.
“Thanks,” Ferro said, sounding genuinely thankful.
Mikani only nodded and forged on. He was quiet, enough that Ritsuko couldn’t be sure if something was eating at him or if he was being cautious to avoid potential detection, even this far from the cragger lair. Although it could be honeycombed in these cliffs for all I know. They might be right beneath us.
The group crested the top of the cliff as full night fell.
Ritsuko sat on a boulder to catch her breath and empty her boots of debris. Mr. Ferro crouched nearby, while Mikani scouted their surroundings. They stood on a narrow ridge that stretched for several miles to either side. Behind them was the sea. The inland side sloped toward wooded hills and valleys. In the far distance, she could see the glimmer of water.
“Is that a lake?”
Mr. Ferro looked toward where she was pointing. “That’s the Kraken Sea. It’s narrow, full of hidden reefs. The craggers are about the only ones who know how to navigate it, so they use it to evade pursuit.”
Mikani rejoined them. “The raiders we’re chasing must’ve sailed that way. They probably thought they were safe. They didn’t count on our being so pigheaded.” He pointed to his left. “I found an old campsite and a hunting path. With luck, we can follow it to their base of operations . . . or at least, to a village where we might pick up a fresher t
rail.”
“Is it safe to travel after dark? How rugged is the terrain?” Ritsuko didn’t want to sound nervous, but her sensible boots had been designed for paved streets, not mountainsides, and it would be extremely inconvenient to break an ankle.
“Treacherous,” he admitted. “And we can’t use torches, or they’ll see us coming from—” He paused. “I’m an idiot. Look around. If there are as many raiders as Saskia fears, we should bloody well be able to spot the lights of their camps from here.”
“That’s an excellent plan,” she said, quietly relieved.
“Might as well hunker down here and eat something,” Ferro added. “Once full dark falls, we’ve got a bird’s-eye view. We need to get closer, though, to give the captain a report worth bringing back to the Houses.”
That was the part that worried Ritsuko, but she only sat down where the first mate indicated to receive her share of salted fish and hard bread. The sky was lovely in tones of purple, last shimmering rays of sunlight drowning in spectacular fashion. At such a height, the air felt cold and clear in her lungs, and the night would grow chillier still. She huddled deeper into her hooded coat, wondering how her orders from Commander Gunwood had gotten so complicated. And there’s still the matter of a certain conspiracy— But she couldn’t dwell on her delayed work assignment or the self-designated task of hunting down the one who had sponsored Lorne Nuall’s reign of terror behind the scenes. She could only concentrate on one crisis at a time—and avoiding death at the hands of desperate men definitely took precedence.
“You look pensive, partner.” Mikani spoke low, presumably so the first mate, sitting nearby, wouldn’t overhear.
“Mostly the usual sort of thoughts, like how did I end up here? Was my grandfather right? If I had married one of the men on his approved list, I’d be in the Mountain District right now with two perfect children, and I never would’ve met you.” She gave a wry smile.
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