Page 90 of The Demons in the Deep: Extended Edition
Mai had no idea what the puppet’s dance was, but from the alarm in the men’s eyes, it must have been something dreadful.
“Eyes on the sky,” Feral advised his men. “Clouds are coming in, and we’ll have rain by dawn. Make sure all is secure.”
He took a lantern from one of the sailors and gestured for Mai to follow him. “There’s a cabin next to mine. Small but serviceable. Belonged to a gentleman who made himself disagreeable to me and was separated from his limbs and tossed overboard.”
Mai kept her face stoic when he turned around. He scanned her face for a reaction, then smirked. “Brave little thing, you are. Turning your back on them all.” He pushed open the cabin door and held it with one arm, positioning himself so Mai had to brush against his chest to get inside.
He entered immediately after her and set the lantern on the tiny dresser. The cabin was indeed small—larger than her room on theWind’s Favor, but barely big enough to leave a comfortable distance between her and Feral. He was closer than arm’s length, and in Mai’s opinion, that was too close, especially with the way he loomed over her.
“I wasn’t sure you had enough of the shark in you to come after what you really want,” he said.
“And what do I want?”
“Full access to these ruins, their history and their relics. An education that will give you the tools you need to fulfill your wildest dreams. Unlimited money, resources, and time.”
He was right, mostly, so she nodded. “And what do you get out of this?”
Feral smiled, shifting closer. “I getyou, clever girl. You will make such magnificent traps and weapons for me. You will design the doom of everyone I despise and ensure my ascendancy, my power over the seaways and the ports-of-call. And perhaps you’ll grant me access to more as well. This busy little body of yours, and its sweetest secrets.”
Mai had expected something of the kind, and she was ready for it.
“I will work for you,” she said. “But I won’t bed you. And you won’t force me, or the work stops.”
“Force you?” He laughed. “I’ve forced women before, yes—but you are a delicate instrument, little scientist, and I’m not such a fool as to crush you before you’ve played all your tunes for me.”
He reached out, stroking the back of his curled finger down her cheek. “Besides, you favor the sea-monster, yes? The gill-man with the pointed ears. You like being bitten and clawed and nearly eaten when you bed someone. Such a strange little freak you are, lovely.”
With another smirk, he backed to the doorway and gave her a half-bow. “I’ll let you get settled. Good night, and welcome aboard.”
The door shut with a finality Mai wasn’t ready for.
The anger that had prompted her choice was cooling, and the resolve and pride that made her see it through had solidified into an icy dread in the pit of her stomach.
She had always been prone to impulsive choices, especially when she was angry—a family trait she shared with Kestra. She had been furious earlier, and wretchedly humiliated, especially when Rake spoke against her.
But now that the rage had ebbed, she was beginning to fear that she had made a horrible, irreversible mistake.
26
TheWind’s Favorlaunched shortly before dawn—though whatever dawn light there might have been was concealed behind masses of dark gray cloud and sheets of gray rain. Rake went for a long swim in the delicious saltwater while the ship got underway, and he stayed out longer than usual, stealing his last looks at the underwater city in the distance. He did not feel any compulsive sexual urges, so perhaps the bit of latent gas had dissipated harmlessly. Or maybe he was simply too far away to feel its effects.
He wondered now if the mutation his race had suffered could have been undone somehow, with time and with science. If he had waited—if he had not helped the humans find the Entity that devoured his people, maybe things could have been different. But at the time, with the knowledge he had, it had been the best choice. Torturing himself over the past was useless.
Whenever he began to feel a little guilty for his role in the demise of almost the entire mermaid population, he recalled sharp, clear memories of the terrors and cruelty he’d witnessed in the Realm Below—things done to himself and to others. Things that might have been done to Jewel, if Rake had not acted as he did.
And with those recollections, the guilt always subsided.
Rake signaled to the ship, and one of the sailors dropped a rope and helped him back aboard. Once he was leg-wearing and dressed again, he went to look for Mai. His entire being felt unsettled because they had spoken unhappily to each other last night, and he’d slept poorly because of it. He wanted to see her, to touch her, and to make things right again.
The ship was already sailing—the decision to leave couldn’t be changed now. Maybe the inevitability of it had mellowed her, and she would be ready to talk.
He checked the galley, but she wasn’t there. Strange—when she wasn’t in the open air, Mai was usually working at the cook’s table, which she often confiscated for her projects.
He wandered to the little closet-like space where she bunked—not even a cabin, really, just a nook with a very short bed. He opened the door and surveyed the form under the blanket. Something looked wrong about it. Mai did not sleep that way, curled into a ball with her head under the covers. She flailed about, always in motion, and usually ended up kicking the sheets and blankets to the floor.
Frowning, Rake dragged off the covers.
Beneath them lay some lumpy bags, probably potatoes and root vegetables from the kitchen.
