Page 30 of Tik-Tok

“I know. Give me a moment so I don’t hurl on your pristine boots.” Then she peeled one lid open, followed by the second, after Respen’s hand left her shoulder. Her chest heaved as she focused on the deck of the ship. “I want a bath.”

“Dax, heat the water!” Tik-Tok shouted toward the elf who was cutting rope across the deck. He turned back to North. “But you’re not going down there alone.”

North furrowed her brow. “I was alone before.”

“You weren’t recovering from a stab wound last time.”

“I’ll go with her,” Echo said, sliding up beside her. “And I’ll also get her out of this hideous dress. Who the fuck picked this out?”

“I did.” Respen tilted his head. “There’s nothing wrong with it.”

“You have no taste.”

“My tongue would say differently.”

“No one wants to hear about your tongue,” Tik-Tok spat, his hand jerking in hers.

North realized she was still holding onto him and dropped his hand as though she’d been scalded.

Echo didn’t miss the movement, and she blinked several times before motioning North to follow her. “Let’s go.”

North didn’t so much as glance at Tik-Tok, her cheeks still hot, as she caught up with the siren.

“How are you feeling?” Echo asked. “I was going to come and visit you, but I needed to help Respen and Dax question the crew about Riz. If I had known that dwarf bitch was planning to kill you, I would have sung her a song to rip out her organs.”

North’s eyes widened, both terrified and impressed at the things Echo could do if she willed it.

The hatch leading into the bowels of the ship was already open and Echo led her down the steps. Dax hovered over the water, his fingers swirling within it. Steam wafted from both metal tubs and he pulled his hand out.

“Water was already in each, so I heated them both. Take your pick.” Dax peered up at North, his brow furrowed. “I wish I had taken you to the market, damn it.”

“One good thing came out of this,” Echo said. “We found out Riz was a traitor sooner rather than later.”

Rizmaela could have tried to kill North in her own room, where she wouldn’t have had a weapon, where no one would have found her in time. North shook away the image of her lying in bed, drenched in blood with a blade sticking out of her chest.

“Tell me if it’s not hot enough.” Dax headed up the steps then shut the hatch.

“Let’s not waste the heat since he warmed them both.” Echo peeled off her clothing and stepped into a tub. “I already brought a dress down here for you. Figured you would want a bath when you returned.”

North glanced at the maroon and deep purple fabric folded on the counter beside a stack of towels. Shimmying out of the orange monstrosity, trying not to feel shy about her smaller breasts and narrower hips, she hurried into the warm water. North settled into the tub with a sigh, the liquid relaxing her flesh and aching muscles.

“I’ve never seen the captain so rattled.” Echo tapped the side of the tub with her fingers.

“The portal’s important to him.” North thought about how Tik-Tok had cut off his own arm for it. She hadn’t asked why he wanted the portal open so desperately, but there had to be a good reason if he’d done something so drastic.

“It is to all of us,” Echo said as if reading North’s thoughts.

“Why?”

“I can’t speak on the captain’s motive, as it’s personal—but for the crew, it’s the fortune he promised. It will set all of us up for ten lifetimes.”

North nodded, sinking down into the water. She wondered where the portal would lead and what would be on the other side of it. Would the world be like theirs? Would the inhabitants be welcoming, or would it be like the human world that thought no others existed?

She reached for a bar of soap and scrubbed away the dried blood, the sweat, the healing herbs, the day, the feeling of Tik-Tok’s hand in hers, Rizmaela’s expression when she’d pierced North’s chest. She traced the pink scar between her breasts, and relief at being alive washed over her.

Once the water cooled, North got dressed and left Echo resting in the tub. The siren’s serene expression made it seem as if she were absorbing energy from the liquid while her hands hovered over her stomach.North shut the door to the bathing chamber softly so she wouldn’t disturb her and searched the deck for Tik-Tok. He was nowhere in sight. Two of the brownies were separating buckets of dried fruit and placing them in crates. She gave them a small wave as she passed and climbed down the ladder to her room.

Her body sank onto the mattress and sudden tears surprised her when they rained down her cheeks. So much had happened in such a short amount of time.

---