Page 106 of The Sea Witch
“And for my efforts, the navy’s put a two-hundred-pound bounty on my head.”
His mouth flattened.
She drained her cup once more, letting the rum burn round the hard edges of her pain.
“Now I’m questioning my decision to destroy all of the mage’s potions.” She dragged her sleeve across her mouth. “In a trice, my leg would’ve healed and I could climb the rigging as much as I pleased.”
“You saw the box?”
“The one with vines carved in the lid. It reeked of sulfur but when he drank one of the vials, it was as though he’d been turned into a demigod.”
“Dragon’s blood.” At her raised eyebrows, he explained, “A poetic name but there’s no actual blood of a dragon in it.”
“I’ve heard nothing of such a brew.”
“The naval mages keep much of their... skills... a secret from the rest of the crew.”
“Yetyouknow.”
“A mage from theDestinycame aboard the ship, and I overheard a conversation between him and Warne.” At her sardonic look, he said, “I’ve never trusted Warne. I was... monitoring the situation.”
“Monitoring. A spruce naval word foreavesdropping.”
“Learning takes many forms, including listening in to conversations I wasn’t privy to.”
“And you learned...?”
“Mages drink dragon’s blood to heal and increase their magic, and to ingest it brings power at a great cost. They become the tinder that burns hot and bright, but devours the fuel too fast. Trims down their lifespan. Few mages who take dragon’s blood live past five and fifty. None of them seem to care, though. They’d rather be triumphant at that moment than accept their limitations.”
“They brew the potion themselves?”
“It’s supplied to them, but what it contains, where it comes from and who makes it...” He spread his hands. “Mymonitoringdidn’t help me glean more information.”
“These are the things witches are forbidden to learn,” she said moodily. “When I told you about the kraken and the leviathan, you said you didn’t join the navy for that. Whatdidyou join for?”
He was quiet for a long time. He took the silver cup from her and refilled it with rum. When he offered it to her and she shook her head, he drank the liquor himself, his manacles rattling as he did so.
Perhaps he might refuse to answer.
But then—
“Iwantedto be a ship’s navigator on privately funded voyages of exploration and discovery.” He stared out the window, his gaze turning faraway. “Learning new coastlines, pristine geographies. Seeing things I never thought I would ever see. It made the world less mysterious, but also... more enchanted.”
“And your naval captain father thought otherwise.”
Bringing his gaze back to hers, the wistfulness drained from his eyes. “There was no choice. Not really. Except... as I said, I wasn’t officer material.” His mouth twisted. “My father smashed our plates and china curios when I failed to make officer. Mother never said anything, just swept up the debris. But I angled to become the master’s mate aboard his ship, and that, he allowed. Allowed, but never... never accepted. Never approved.”
“And now you’re a sailing master. One of the best in the navy.”
He inclined his head. “Traveled all the way to London to take the oral examination before a senior captain and three sailing masters.”
“A far journey,” she noted.
“A worthwhile one. I received my warrant, yet promotion is never guaranteed. I did get it. Though I don’t know if he’d be proud of me.” He grimaced. “I’mnot. Not anymore. My skill as a navigator... it abets things... things I can’t countenance any longer. It’s all falling away like so much rotten flesh from a corpse.”
“We cut off diseased limbs,” she said softly. “It keeps the infection from spreading.”
“Ithasspread.” His words were hoarse. “They have the leviathan bound against its will, and now they’ve added the kraken. No one can stand in their way. God knows where it will stop. If it will stop. It’s not going to end with protecting the Crown’s interests. There won’t be any resistance left. Whoever isn’t enslaved... they’ll be dead.”
