Page 23 of Take No Prisoners
Oh, yes, Efren followed his every move. He stroked his fingers through his beard, hoping he wasn't also drooling.
The water was warm, almost warmer than the surrounding air. His element welcomed him home, and he swam for a bit before dipping his head beneath the waves and sinking until all his hair was submerged. He'd first learned to control his magic by washing his own hair when he was a child. Water took far too long to soak in on its own, so he gave it a little help.
He flipped his hair back like a breaching whale and bobbed above water for a much-needed breath. A few yards away, Vadim wore his gloves, and nothing else. He was trying to convince Klaus to take the bar of soap from him.
"He can't hurt you with his gloves on," Efren said.
"I know." Klaus glanced at Vadim, and then looked away, blushing. "Is he always this overbearing?"
Efren risked a look at his former first mate. He looked happier than Efren had seen him in a long time. "Only if he cares about you," Efren said, "so I wouldn't know."
Vadim passed Efren the bar of soap with a glare. Efren handed it to Klaus. "I'll take it when you're done."
Instead of swimming closer to Vadim, Efren swam farther from the ship, out to where Niall and Hannah were chatting about laundry. Hannah had their dirty clothes spinning in a whirlpool between them. Every once in a while, Hannah charged it with a fork of lightning. They said the charges dislodged dirt. Efren didn't know how it worked, but he couldn't complain. They got his clothes cleaner than any crewmate ever had. They even removed the blood stains after every fight.
"Hannah's going to teach me how to use my lightning." Niall bobbed closer to Efren as Hannah worked with Tovey to spin their clothes dry in the air and transport them back to the ship.
"They can also teach you about water," Efren said. "They have both, so you should be able to siphon both from them, in theory."
Niall's leg brushed against Efren's beneath the water as he swam into Efren's space. "I was hoping you could teach me about water. I've never seen anyone create a circular stream like yours."
"It's a parlor trick," Efren said. "It calms my nerves when I've been away from the water for too long. It's worthless in battle."
"I disagree. It shows you have precise control of your element." The pretty blush of pink returned to the bridge of Niall's nose and across his cheeks. "Sorry. I sound like Master Othelio."
"How long were you his apprentice?" Efren hoped his memory of Willamina's son was correct. He thought the boy was around thirteen when she'd passed, too young to be a pirate but old enough to handle himself in an orphanage.
"Since I was fifteen. Ten years now." The young man's cheeks reddened as he looked down at the floor. "I assure you, my wares are professional grade."
"I met Master Othelio," Efren said. "The other night, he was gambling your fortune away. He even called it that. He knows who makes the money in his storefront. It's a pity you're here with us."
Niall ignored his sarcasm. Instead of his usual grin, he wore a worried frown. "I should return."
Efren shook his head. "You'll be targeted by another seeker the moment you walk through your master's door. No, it's better for you to earn your title of master elsewhere. Glamiere holds crafting trials during their equinox festival. With a little more training in earth and water, you might try your hand at pottery weaving."
"Pottery weaving? Master Othelio always said those were fake."
Thankfully, Efren didn't have to debate the authenticity of weaved goods. A shout of, "Heads up!" caught his attention. He slowed the projectile bar of soap with a stream of water, so it landed gently in his upright hand.
He turned to glare at Vadim the perpetrator of the shout and the missile.
Vadim had already turned his back to usher Klaus to the rope ladder off the side of the ship, where Tovey waited with dry towels. Hannah hung over the railing with their clean and dried clothes already folded in neat piles for them. They wouldn't let Klaus touch his clothes until they'd scoured him with a fresh water weave.
"We should get back to the ship."
"Are you going back to bed?" Efren couldn't ignore the interest in Niall's gaze.
"No."
Niall's shoulders slumped and he dipped lower in the water.
"We're closing in on Loggerneck island," Efren rushed to explain. "Any of the sailors who wish to return to the navy will need to be dropped there before we continue to Aquarion, which means we need to question them and keep Vadim from killing more of them." Efren sighed. There would be no stopping Vadim if he truly intended to kill his own men. Efren had never seen the death weaver so protective of anyone before.
Vadim had his arm draped over the young man's shoulders, steering him toward the prow of the ship. The seeker wore a shirt over his trousers, but Vadim hadn't bothered with one.
"Klaus didn't deserve what happened to him," Niall said.
"The seeker?"
