by Rebecca Rode
I had to convince Father to tell me. I would go mad until I knew the truth.
Aden wiped a bit of food into a pile with his rag and looked around the room, as if unsure how to dispose of it. He finally swept the scraps into his hand and shoved them into his pocket. A chuckle rose within before I could stop it.
Marley downed what remained of his tankard and stood to leave. His bony elbow struck Barrie, who had just lifted a bowl to his lips. He looked down at his shirt and groaned.
Marley ignored the boy. “Oh, Lane! Heard you and Captain nearly lost your heads to musket fire while we were out in the boats. Wish I could’ve seen that.”
I shrugged to downplay it, though a surge of excitement rose within me. Today’s battle was the most adventure I’d seen since a pirate attack when I was eleven.
“You’re mad,” Ross said. “I saw the whole thing and it was terrifying.”
Marley’s grin only widened. “All the better. A man needs some entertainment now and again.”
“Just wait till someone comes at you with a musket,” Ross said. “You won’t find it so entertaining then.” He gave me an apologetic look. “Glad you’re all right, Lane.”
“It wasn’t so frightening,” I lied.
“I missed the entire thing,” Barrie moaned, scrubbing at his shirt.
“Luck was with us all today, and that’s what matters,” Paval said, entering as Ross and Marley left. He limped to the stove in three massive strides. His long black hair hung free and straight as usual, though his shirt was tidy and tucked into his trousers. His shirtsleeves were rolled back, stark white against his deep brown skin. But it was his size most people noticed first. He had the frame of a warrior—thick arms, broad shoulders, a chest most men would kill for. He seemed to fill half the galley by himself, his head practically scraping the low ceiling.
Most found Paval an odd sight for a cook. Indeed, Aden stared as the man lifted the pot lid and sniffed the hot vapors rising from beneath. With a quick tug, Paval plucked a hair from his head and dropped it into the food. Then he gave it a long stir. Aden flinched.
I hid a smile. “You’ll go bald soon if you keep doing that, Paval.”
“Been doing it a long time,” the large man boomed, “and I still got plenty up top. Besides, can’t think of a better way to use the stuff than giving health to my friends.”
One of the stranger KaBann beliefs, and definitely my favorite. “You know what the men think of that.”
“Isn’t a man on this ship who’s died from illness since I took over the cooking. They can say what they like.”
“And what of the lucky recipient?” Aden asked. “Does it mean something to get your little present?”
“It means you’re my friend. Nothing less.” He eyed the dirty water dripping from Aden’s rag with amusement. “I’m Paval. Welcome.”
“Aden, and thank you. You’re a long way from home. KaBann?”
“Proud of it,” Paval said with a pleased grin. “And by the accent, you’re Hughen clean through and well educated.”
Aden sent me a sheepish look. Blasted accent.
“Not many Hughen recruits this time,” Barrie said through a mouthful of stew. “Most of them were Messauns. Can’t be figuring why they stayed during the battle. Seems strange to me.”
I’d forgotten Barrie was there. “Desperate for work, probably. I’m just glad you made it back to the ship before we left.”
“Just wish we weren’t missing a third of the crew,” Barrie replied.
“Don’t blame yourself for that,” I said. Ten men hadn’t returned to the ship and another four had jumped overboard at Varnen’s offer. That meant we were shorter than we’d ever been. Dennis would be adjusting our schedules right now. As always, it would mean more work and less sleep—but at least we weren’t rotting in the king’s dungeons. Or worse.
Three bells sounded as Kemp’s watch ended. Any moment now, two dozen men would arrive for their meal. Would any of them recognize Aden? Or would they look past him like the other Hughens had?
Barrie swallowed what remained of his bowl’s contents in one massive gulp—his third helping, if I’d counted correctly—and rose. “Captain be having a meeting with the officers about what sparked the battle today. What do you think the reason be, Lane? Belza or the missing prince?”
Aden went still.
I choked and turned it into a cough. “Missing prince?”
“Aye. A soldier told me it’s why they be searching ships. I don’t think they meant to find that lady who got killed, but they sure seemed happy they did.” He shrugged.
Prince. Son of the king.
Aden.
It had to be. Even now, Aden ducked his head and scrubbed the already-clean table with unusual vigor.
King Eurion’s own son stood right in front of me—and he knew my secret.
That familiar tightening sensation returned, cutting off my air supply. I had an overwhelming urge to sprint for the stairs and let the cool sea air calm my galloping heart. But before I could, there was a heavy pounding on the steps, and Kemp appeared.
His favorite lackey, Digby, and the twelve new recruits filed in right behind him. They looked almost smug. Kemp took his usual place at the first table’s head, his long legs sharply bent. His eyes swept around the room, missing nothing. I swallowed my panic and met his unflinching glare with one of my own, though it was surely unsteady.
Digby approached Paval with his and Kemp’s mess bowls. The others lined up behind him. As second officer and gun master, Kempton always got his food first. And as Kemp’s loyal pup, Digby got his second. My father and Dennis invited Kemp to take his meals with them in the captain’s cabin. He always declined. He wanted the crew to see him in power, dominating the conversation as well as the watch he led.
Kemp swung his glare to Aden. “You look familiar. Who are you?”
My breath stilled.
Aden visibly tensed, but he recovered quickly. “New recruit. Not very experienced yet, I’m afraid. Lane’s been kind enough to show me around.”
“Lane barely knows the first thing.” Kemp’s mouth turned upward, but it wasn’t a smile. “Ye’ll join my watch. We’ll have you seasoned as a man with five years before we reach Ellegran.”
I squeezed the rag so tightly that filthy dishwater dripped onto my trousers. Kemp picked favorites, but they were usually Messauns with their stocky builds and foul manners. He’d seen something in Aden. Likely the arrogance.
Aden’s reply was smooth. “Thank you, sir, but Dennis has already assigned me a place.”
Kemp’s jaw tightened, and the entire room went tense. Nobody turned Kemp down, especially an offer so rarely given. “You’d best learn fast and not slow us down. Even Lane occasionally has important duties.”
“Of course.”
“Ye’ll call me sir.”
“Yes, sir. Wouldn’t dream of getting in the way.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it?” Digby barked a laugh, his spectacles slipping on his nose. “This here’s a chicken lover, sure. Listen to him talk all formal.”
“He’ll be squirming tonight when Paval sets some broth in front of him,” Kemp muttered, and they chuckled. The two were like schoolboys sometimes. Deadly ones. Kemp carried no less than two pistols on him—his right as an officer—and I knew Digby had a knife in his pocket. I gripped the half-cleaned pot in my lap, every muscle tense.
Aden’s expression was unreadable. My father said it was unfair to tease a man for his beliefs, especially one who worked below you. Kemp and Digby didn’t dare harass Paval and his KaBann beliefs, so they turned their disdain on Hughen sailors instead. The others were used to it. But Aden… still as he was, his shoulders were rigid. Defiant. Proud. A prince. Now that I knew, I couldn’t believe the others didn’t see it. It wouldn’t be long before someone made the connection.
Unfortunately, Aden’s silence only emboldened Digby. “Take young Barrie over there. He cried the first time he saw Paval snap a turke
y’s neck. Sobbed for half an hour. He turned right quick, though. Now he’d eat one whole if we let him.” He chuckled. “They all come to their senses eventually.”
Barrie flinched. The other Hughens in line scowled, but they didn’t speak up. They knew the teasing would end. It always did.
Paval began tipping stew into Kemp’s bowl. “Heard you met with the captain, Master Kempton.” His voice was casual. I wanted to hug him for the change of subject.
“Aye,” Kemp began. “Cap’n says the incident at the port this morning was for our good. Says the inspector warned him of disease, and we were restricted to the port till it passed. Since we had no signs of illness, he took it upon himself to get his men safely away.”
It was quiet as the crew considered this explanation. Two of the men exchanged frowns. I wanted to groan. Father’s lie didn’t explain why Varnen had shouted offers of clemency to the crew as we pulled away, and it didn’t address the rumors of Belza that the men had surely heard by now. And pretending to have done it for his men’s sake… It felt like a blow to the gut.
Between the two of us, deception came far more easily to me. What was my life here but one massive lie? Nay, my father was the good one, the example. A man everyone trusted. I was the stain nobody saw.
But this… It was an absolute, unquestioning lie. A big one. My stomach twisted.
I could only hope that none of the crew had heard the missing-prince rumor. I resolved to ask Barrie to keep it a secret. In the meantime, I had some serious work to do. Aden stood too tall in Kemp’s presence, almost oddly calm.
“Captain also said he’s sending a missive of apology back to Hughen once we reach Ellegran,” Kemp said. “He thinks to pardon us for his wrong.”
“Do you believe it, sir?” Digby asked, holding Kemp’s bowl firmly as Paval dumped a second spoonful of stew into it.
“Believe it?” Kemp boomed. “Ain’t for me to say what’s true. All I know is what I seen, and Captain’s been acting strange. Tossin’ that inspector overboard and defying Varnen, right there in front of everyone. And then he takes cannon fire without letting us return nothing. We had eight guns to their one, yet we sat there like kittens in a bag.”
“A mite secretive too,” Digby said, switching bowls. “Landing us for eight days’ leave and then pulling us out after one, and so quiet about our cargo. Something isn’t right.”
The men’s eyes slid to the ground in discomfort. Barrie took a sudden interest in his shirtsleeve, tugging at an invisible loose thread. Kemp’s eyes flicked to me, then his voice lowered as if sharing a secret. “Makes you wonder what else Garrow’s hiding.”
The pot began to slip from my hands. I caught it just in time. The rag, however, lay in a puddle on the floor, utterly forgotten. If the room had been quiet before, now it was silent. The second officer had just slandered the captain. Blood rushed to my head, pounding in my ears as I glared at Kemp once more. His previous digs at my father had been jokes, small jibes that the men laughed away. But this wasn’t something that could be dismissed.
If anyone else had said it, I would have defended my father and reported the gossip to him. But Kemp knew I could sooner swim the entire ocean than challenge him.
“It’s fortunate that you boarded when you did, Master Kempton,” Paval said coolly. “We nearly left without you and your new friends.”
“Captain sent for more recruits. Many of the others refused to stay. Can’t imagine why.” He belted out another laugh, and the others reluctantly took it up. A few stared at their hands.
“Interesting that you recruited Messauns,” Paval said. “Must’ve taken a lot of work to find experienced seamen from your own country residing in Hughen. Suppose that’s why you were so late.”
“The work wasn’t in finding them, cook. It was convincing them to sail under the command of a coward.”
I nearly choked. The room held its breath, like the moment between lightning and its resounding thunder.
Aden slammed his rag to the ground. “I’ll not be standing by while you say such things, Gun Master. Take it back at once, or the captain will hear of your treachery.”
I groaned inwardly.
There wasn’t a sound in the room. Every eye was fixed on Kemp, who had gone too still. Then he unfolded his massive arms and stood, towering over Aden. A pinch of color formed in the large man’s cheeks, just above his newly trimmed beard. Aden didn’t flinch.
Paval paused before filling Digby’s bowl, then turned slowly around, letting the contents of his wooden spoon drip on the floor. That said plenty about his state—he hated messes. “The boy’s right. We’ve endured your insults long enough. Tell your watch how much you respect the captain, or your stomachs will go empty tonight.”
Kemp’s voice was low and dangerous. “Talking ain’t no threat to the captain. Nothin’ in ship’s law against a man’s opinion.”
“It’s my galley. You’ll take back your words or you’ll regret you ever uttered them.”
It was so quiet, I could hear the scuttling of roaches in the shadows. Seventeen pairs of eyes were on the second officer, who watched Paval with an expression that could cut steel. Digby gripped the two bowls, glancing between the men with his crooked spectacles. Barrie frowned.
It seemed like hours before Kemp finally spoke. “I recall any of my words proven to be untrue.”
That wasn’t an apology, but it was far more than I’d expected. Paval nodded and turned to Digby. “What have you to say?”
Digby chose his words carefully, eyeing Kemp. “I believe the captain is generally of sound reasoning.”
Paval nodded. “No more nonsense. Nobody’s more motivated to keep ship and crew safe than Captain Garrow. Give me that.” He tore the second bowl from Digby, scooped some stew messily into it, and shoved it at Digby’s chest. The Messaun barely caught it and glared back, his face scarlet.
Kemp simply watched Aden with narrowed eyes. I winced at the darkness that lay behind them. I’d seen that expression before.
“Come, new recruit. Our watch has already started.” I grabbed Aden’s shirt and yanked him after me as I stalked toward the stairs.
“You’d best tie up that mutt of yours, Lane,” Kemp called as we passed. “I don’t take well to unfounded accusations. They make me twice as angry.”
I flinched and hurried away.
It wasn’t until we’d reached the hold, dark and smelling of mold and rotting wood, that I released Aden. He tore away and smoothed his shirt as I whirled on him. “You lied to me.”
His grin was tight. “What, no knife this time?”
“You’re a prince. You didn’t think that was important for me to know before I agreed to your little deal?”
“No, I didn’t. You want to know why?” He took a step closer. “Because it doesn’t matter whether I’m the son of a king or a servant or anyone else. I’ve paid for my right to be here.”
“I thought you were a lord and charged you accordingly. You have no idea what you’ve done. If the king finds out—”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Don’t need to worry?” My tone was incredulous. “Do you realize what this looks like? They’ll assume we kidnapped you. At best, we disregarded the king’s order and aided your escape. Even if King Eurion doesn’t sentence us all to the gallows, you’ve tarnished my father’s reputation with his clients forever. We’ll never be welcome in Hughen waters again, let alone to conduct business in port.”
“You have to admit that he might have done that on his own,” Aden said. “The whole Belza thing doesn’t look good for him.”
My mouth actually dropped. Of all the arrogant things to say. “Give me one reason I shouldn’t march you up to my father right now.”
He hesitated, looking torn. For a second, I thought I’d won, then he shook his head. “It’s obvious you’ve worked hard to build trust with the crew. Your disguise is working, or at least they’re willing to pretend along with you. But we made a ba
rgain. You reveal my secret to the crew, and I reveal yours.”
I watched him for a long moment. He met my gaze with a firm glare of his own. He wasn’t lying.
I slumped against a crate, defeated. “You’re lucky I don’t have my knife.”
He chuckled, then let his smile fade. “Look, I know I’ve made things harder for you. I’ll make everything right eventually.”
I snickered. Was it so simple for royalty to solve their problems? He had given me five hundred pieces with barely a thought. Aye, it was exactly that simple. “You’ll make everything right this instant. You’re going to tell me everything, starting with your purpose here. The truth.”
I’d expected him to laugh and dismiss me yet again, but instead he sighed. “I know it’s hard to trust me after what happened today. If it helps, I’m here for my family’s sake.”
“That’s it?”
“It’s all I dare say, yes.”
“But your family doesn’t know where you are.”
“Not exactly, no.”
I opened my mouth to retort, but he continued. “Look, you won’t understand, and that’s fine. But I’ll do whatever it takes to protect them. I’m sure you feel the same about yours.”
I should have been irritated at his implication. His willingness to do anything to protect his family meant risking a ship and crew he barely knew, and that didn’t even touch on the risk I was taking. But all I could think about was the way Father had stood up to the inspector today. Maybe he and the prince weren’t so different.
I halted that thought in its tracks. Father and Aden were as different as two men could possibly be.
“And if they send the Hughen navy to fetch you?” I asked.
“They won’t.”
“Oh? Did you have a chat with Varnen that I don’t know about?”
Aden scowled. “He’s dangerous, but he won’t send any ships after us. He can’t. Not without the king’s order.”
“And if the king orders it? He isn’t likely to sit by and allow you to sail away.”
“Trust me. He won’t send any ships.” There was an odd note to his voice. I’d hit a nerve.
