Page 89 of The Demons in the Deep: Extended Edition
Still, Mai knew Rake would say yes. After all, he was the one who listened, the one who understood her more deeply than all of them. Kestra knew the girl Mai had been, but Rake knew the woman she was. He’d been a part of making her into that woman.
“I will always go where you go,” Rake said quietly. “But, my pearl, I’m not sure you and I are ready to be alone in a strange city.”
The bottom dropped out of Mai’s world. “No,” she whispered. “Not you, too.”
“You know I didn’t like your bargain with Feral,” he began, but Mai would not stay to listen. She could not bear to have them all attack her, blame her, deny her.
Racing to her tiny cabin, she shoved the door shut and jammed her travel bags against it so no one could disturb her. Then she flung herself into her bunk and cried like no rational, intelligent woman of twenty should cry, but she did it anyway, because she needed to, desperately.
She had made a choice—them above everything else. She’d trusted them to love her enough to understand what she needed to exist, to thrive, tolive. And yet they expected her to sacrifice, again and again, even after she had played such a large part in their triumph during the Games. No reward, no gratitude, no understanding.
She had chosen them, and she couldn’t go back. Couldn’t retrieve that pivotal moment on the beach.
Or could she?
The words Feral had whispered in her ear floated back to her. She was fairly sure Rake hadn’t heard them—he’d been too busy snarling in protest at Feral’s proximity to her.
One more chance tonight. Twelve bells. Look for the skiff.
Feral was going to come for her one last time. One final offer.
One more chance.
Mai lay in her bunk that night and took inventory of everything she knew and everything she wanted. She ranked her priorities and relationships mentally, logically.
What if she went with Feral for a while, to experience the learning and discovery she craved—and then found the others again later? They would go back to Stragnoag, to Meroa, and to Kiken Island at some point. She could study at the university, research the mermaid technology, and then rejoin them later, when she had all the information she needed. She was a grown woman, capable of deciding for herself, whether they approved of her choices or not.
And Rake—he needed to return to Kiken Island to see Jewel. Perhaps afterward he would come and find her again, and they could continue as they’d begun.
Or perhaps he wouldn’t, and she would have to keep loving him quietly, across leagues of dangerous ocean.
The thought of never seeing him again nearly cleaved her heart in two. But was it right to give up all her plans, passions, and dreams for one person? He filled part of her soul, yes, but not all of it. She needed more.
When twelve bells came, she was ready.
She crept up the ladder and onto the deck. A heavy watertight bag hung across her body, packed with notebooks, necessities, a belt, and a breathing device.
Flay had set a watch on deck, but the two sailors were mostly monitoring the camp on the beach, glancing at theAscendantfrom time to time in case she started to move.
Keeping to the shadows, away from the ship’s lanterns, Mai slipped toward the rear of the vessel and peered over the side into the darkness.
The surface of the sea glimmered below, patterned with white moonlight. And in that shimmering expanse she saw a black shape—a skiff, with a lone figure in it, floating in the black shadow of theWind’s Favor,keeping just far enough away to stay clear of the ship’s spiked hull.
Mai uncoiled a rope and attached it to the railing, using one of the knots Flay had taught her during the voyage to Stragnoag. With a quick look around to make sure no one was watching, she climbed over the railing, made a loop under her rear with the rope, and began lowering herself slowly over the side of the ship.
It was terrifying, dangling above the dark water, knowing that she’d plunge deep into the blackness if she slipped. She’d considered using a belt, but transforming into a mermaid in front of Feral wasn’t something she was ready to do. He didn’t need to know everything. She must use him, bargain with him, yet keep him at a distance. He was a temporary measure to get what she wanted.
She wavered, lost her careful balance, and nearly fell—but she managed to grip the rope in both hands and prop her feet against the hull. Lower and lower she went, stepping on the metal spikes, until she was close enough to push off the hull and take a leap for the skiff.
Feral caught her—hard muscled arms, a scent of spice and fragrant smoke. He set her on a seat in the boat. Shaken from the leap, Mai clutched her bag as he sat down opposite her and began to row, slowly and silently, toward theAscendant. He’d wrapped the oars, and the soft plop they made in the water was barely noticeable above the usual splash and gurgle of the waves.
He made a wide circle instead of heading for theAscendantin a straight line. She guessed he was trying to avoid the gaze of Flay’s sentinels. Not that he had anything to fear from his younger brother. But Mai wondered, for a moment, if Feral had exaggerated the threat he posed in this situation. Did he really have all those weapons? And if so, were they in working order?
They rowed behind theAscendant, and Feral signaled for a few members of his crew to drop a rope ladder and lines for the skiff. They did so, and within minutes Mai was aboard the Prime Captain’s ship.
It was just as neat as the first time she’d seen it, but there were several new weapons arrays—some on the foredeck, and some poised at the side of the ship facing theWind’s Favor. All the new weapons looked painfully familiar. Feral hadn’t been lying about that.
In a low voice, Feral addressed the handful of crew on deck. “Boys, this is Mai, our new scientist and inventor. I’ll introduce her to everyone properly tomorrow. You’re to treat her with respect, or it’ll be the puppet’s dance for you.”
