Page 36 of Dragon Blood

Astred glanced to her right where her first mate, Tundi, stood ready.

And soon the Crimson Claw would equally be without her captain.

She didn’t need to glance to her left, where Kai waited. Her body was hyper aware of him. A piece of her tugged her toward him as it always had, since their first moments together.

I’m not running away, she sent me that vision.

Astred jerked her head against the internal argument.

She’d said everything would change after Kymri’s wedding.

She blew out a breath, shoving the sudden replay of the unnerving images that Regina shared with her.

Astred drew a deep breath, stepping into the room that had already been searched for evidence. The prickling at Astred’s nape told her there was something more. It would be small. Subtle.

Simple.

Her gaze landed on the indigo flowers occupying a small corner of the built-in bureau. The flower buds that her mother had worn for the wedding rested in a small bundle atop the time-worn wood, their edges just starting to curl.

Approaching, she lifted the curled petals, cool satin slid along her fingertips.

Beneath the flowers, the aged wood had several fresh scratches. A few jagged lines with random divots, just enough to mar the patina. Astred followed the line with her fingertip, still cradling the undeveloped blooms, reminding her of a section of familiar coastline. And that divot, set some distance from the line, looked suspiciously like it could be the rough location of a town she also knew very well.

That nagging feeling at her nape returned, bringing with it the image of the ancient bent tree from the vision.

Black River.

Connected in some way to the white tigers?

Studying the second set of lines and divots, she glanced up at Kai. “Do these marks make any sense to you?”

Kai stepped toward the bureau, his scent infusing Astred’s senses in the small space as he leaned in to see where her fingertip rested.

He frowned, glancing up at Astred and back down to the mark, grunting. “Maybe.”

She turned, studying his impassive expression, lips set.

They did.

Turning to Tundi, she leaned a hip against the aged wood, replacing the blooms as they were. “You’ll sail the Crimson Claw back toward Perenga’s island. Use the gray sails to give yourself more time.”

“You want us camouflaged from the patrols?” Tundi lifted a brow.

Astred nodded. “For now. They’ll find an excuse to stop you, but if you can get to Carson, have him call Kane. Don’t show this desk to anyone but her. Not even my mother’s council if they board you. As far as anyone else is concerned, I’ve sent you to investigate on my behalf as to what could have happened to my mother.”

“And you?”

“As far as you know, I’m still in Aeleftherian territory—which we are.” Astred winked, then strode toward the door.

“Understood.” Tundi followed her out then veered off to issue orders to the crew while Astred kept going to her quarters.

Kai followed her out, but waited with his back to the wall, arms crossed as he looked out at the ocean, his bag at his feet.

Astred retrieved her waterproof travel bag, similar to Kai’s. “Let’s go.”

Kolinastoodontheguardian’s tower, watching as patrols came and went, relieved each time they returned empty-clawed and with no sightings.

Astred knew how to be invisible, even from their highly trained guardians.

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