Page 139 of The Sea Witch
A heavy silence fell as they contemplated what this meant.
“The previous time we faced that ship,” Stasia said, somber, “we survived, but barely.”
“We outrun them,” Ben suggested. “Same as before.”
“They’d follow,” Alys said. “And we’d take them to the next step in our search for the fail-safe.”
“Find another route?” Stasia mused.
Alys shook her head. “We don’t know the precise location we’re going. If we try a different course, we could be completely thrown off and never find what it is we’re looking for.”
Another taut quiet descended.
“We’ve got no options,” Alys said darkly. “Got to move forward, but if we do, we’re sailing right into destruction.”
“Not if theJupiteris set on a different course,” Ben said.
“We cannot be surewherethey will go,” Alys countered. “Not unless...” She stared at Ben. “No.”
His expression was resolute. “I’ll return to theJupiter, tellthem I’ve escaped, and feed them false information so they sail in a completely different direction.”
“There’s another way,” Alys said.
“There is not,” Stasia said. “What the sailing master says makes sense. If he goes back to his ship and leads them astray, we have the best chance of finding what it is we seek.”
“We could summon as much wind as possible, outrun them.”
“A huge gamble,” Ben said. “They’ve two creatures to do their bidding. They could swim faster than theJupiterand catch us as we try to flee.”
“We could try to wreck theJupiter, use our magic—”
“Even all the witches aboard our ship could not destroy a naval man-o’-war,” Stasia pointed out.
Alys forced out a breath and set her hands on her hips. “Fine. We’ll send him back.”
She didn’t remember going below, but suddenly she was in her quarters. Behind her, the door shut quietly but firmly.
Wheeling around, she faced Ben, who stared at her with a stoic expression that made her stomach clench.
“I’ll find a way to return to you.” He took a step toward her, cautiously, as if afraid she might bolt.
“You can’t be sure of that.”
“I know it as sure as I know the beat of my own heart.” He reached for her hand and placed it on his chest, where his heart did pound steadily. “Nothing in this world or the next will keep me from you, Flame.”
“Please, don’t.” She hesitated before carefully resting her body against his. “Say nothing of that. I can’t... I can’t bear it.”
“But it’s true,” he answered gently. “Shutting your ears to it doesn’t make it less true.”
“I won’t allow it. It’s...” Her palm hovered above his chest. “Love’s a prison.”
He cupped his hands around her face. “What your husband gave you... that wasn’t love. It was ownership.”
“The same thing.”
He bent close and pressed his lips to hers. “Not with me.”
“You can’t say that,” she choked. “You can’t tell me such things and then leave.”
