Page 12 of Take No Prisoners
"I did no such thing." For his part, Vadim looked as indignant as Efren felt. "It was either offer my services to Coryn as a much-needed death weaver or tie my fate to yours. Would you have preferred to return to the navy?"
"You know I'd rather die."
Vadim snorted. "You'd watch your procured family hang beside you?" Vadim raised his chin toward the cot. "Ask him. He watched his family hang."
Efren risked a glance behind him. The man on his cot looked younger in his sleep. He had a day's growth of stubble on his cheeks, or he would have looked like a tall, muscular child.
"He looks familiar." The man's curly hair was a shade darker than Tovey's, more brown than gold, and his darker skin denoted island stock, if Efren had to guess. The hand tucked beneath his chin had a deep scar across the knuckles. The scar reminded him of a boy who had gotten his hand caught in a fishing net on his parents' sloop and nearly took his fingers off. "Is that Willamina's boy?"
"Astute guess."
Efren shook his head. "I should have known then. You betrayed them to Coryn, too, didn't you? Why did you return toStarlight Specterafterward? Coryn watched them hang. I'm sure she would have taken you to Hearthstone as her hero of the day."
Vadim wouldn't meet his gaze, staring instead at the young man. "I sacrificed a pirate ship, and Coryn gave me ten more years to search for the horrible Captain Reaper."
"You started those rumors yourself." Efren had heard the tales of Captain Reaper and the ship with no name, a ship which resembled his in every way but one. "A death weaver at the helm. All the while, you were a trusted member of my crew." Efren's heart ached for the tortured man who had turned the small sloop over to the general so he could sail with Efren's crew for ten more years.
"I wish I hadn't. It haunts me to this day." Vadim swallowed hard. "They should have run, damn them."
"Then why return?" Efren hated his soft, pleading tone. He was captain of the most fearsome pirate ship in the Southern Ocean. He didn't plead with his former first mate, especially not after the stunt he pulled to have them boarded and inspected for stowaways.
"You know why." Vadim's throat bobbed as he swallowed. "I couldn't give you up."
"But you did. Early, too. You had two years left, by my count."
He nodded. "Empress Delilah passed away, and I agree, it was suspicious, though I've yet to discover how she died, let alone who killed her. Coryn's very tight-lipped on the subject, though, which leads me to believe she did it or ordered it done." Vadim raised his arms as if to cross them, rattling the chains and dropped them in defeat. "Let me go. This is silly."
"Not a chance." His denial rang with commanding force in the small space. "Why did you leave after her death?" He couldn't bring himself to say the words he wanted to say."Why did you betray us?"
"Without her protection, Hugo needed me. His wellbeing was far more important than staying by your side."
"So you are sleeping with the emperor." The admission cleared away any sentimental haze blocking Efren's vision. Vadim had markedStarlight Specterand their home base on the island of Aquarion as enemies of the state, all for a one-way ticket to his new lover.
"I've known Hugo since he was a child!" If Vadim could kill with his gaze alone, Efren would have feared for his life. He'd never seen his former lover so incensed. "I would never despoil his father's memory that way. Hugh's a virgin, as far as I know. Coryn has kept him under lock and key. Not even his servants or guards may touch him. We were supervised by Coryn herself for an hour each day, allowed to play stones and nothing more. I couldn't even tell him I was leaving, for fear she would overhear. He thinks I've abandoned him. He's like a son to me, and he's all alone."
Vadim took a deep breath and let it out. When he spoke again, it was his turn to sound soft and pleading. "We must find a way to free him from the palace."
"We have more pressing concerns." They were now in the middle of a rescue mission for the two children who had lived through their attack and the young man on his cot, not to mention the number of sailors in their hold who would flee to Glamiere if given the chance.
"Leave it to me, then," Vadim whispered. In the close quarters, the sound was more terrifying than his earlier shouts. "You always do."
"You left us." Efren had repeated the mantra to himself every time he'd thought fondly of his former first mate. Now, the words sounded hollow.
"I saved you." Vadim continued to bore into him with his gaze. "She would have gutted you like a fish and strung up any of your crew who refused service to the emperor."
The day Coryn had run them down and boarded them withDeath's Vengeance,a sleeker ship and three air weavers on her bow, had been Efren's first experience with the general. He'd spent the last five years reliving it in his nightmares.
"Death's Vengeance... it was your ship, not Coryn's!"
Vadim laughed, his usual bark of laughter that lit his eyes, for once. "If I live to see Coryn again, I'll let her know you were five years slow on the uptake. She painted a new name over it as soon as we returned to Hearthstone."
"Her ship, then?"
Vadim nodded. "She changes the name every time they leave Hearthstone." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Efren. I tried to make it up to you. I lied about your pasts and put my own life at risk if any of her sailors had recognized you. Luckily, Coryn's crew were green, and she never paid attention to anyone with a rank lower than navy admiral."
"Aye, a lowly captain like me slipped her notice."
Vadim lowered his gaze to the floor again. "I'm sorry I left. It was the only way. I hope one day you'll forgive me."
