Page 13 of Take No Prisoners
"And Hugo?" Saying the man's name out loud broke Efren's heart wide open all over again, but it couldn't be salvaged. He and Vadim were done. The only way forward was through the wreckage of his heart. "You're saying everything she does in his name isn't his doing?"
"He's a prisoner in the palace, a puppet paraded before the masses on rest days. An air weaver acts as his mouthpiece. If you're ever to the capital to hear him speak, you'll see his mouth moving but those are not his words broadcast to the crowd."
Efren had seen the emperor speak once. He'd watched Hugo's face through his scope, wishing he had a longbow sight instead. He had thought it odd that the young man's words didn't match his facial expressions, nor the movement of his mouth.
Vadim hadn't lied about that. What if he hadn't lied about any of it? What if he really had left their ship out of some misguided duty to the son of an old friend?
"I'm a coward," Vadim admitted. "I'd like to think I helped him by being there, but maybe I've only made it worse by giving him hope." He swallowed. "The most cowardly thing I did was ask for clemency, though. I couldn't watch you die."
"Don't." Efren could handle Vadim's venomous glare and his righteous indignation, but he couldn't bear the thought of Vadim hurting himself as much as he'd hurt Efren when he left. "You've given me few options. Olivia wants you to walk the plank, and I can't say I blame her."
"I'm not asking for my old job." Vadim scoffed. "I wish to speak with the council on Aquarion."
The council was made up of the island's elders. Most were already retired from the navy when General Coryn rose to power. They'd retaliated by sinking naval ships and giving conscripts rides to freedom. They also robbed merchant ships of grain and sold it back to Embertide with interest.
"I want a trial," Vadim continued. "You'll grant me that, at least."
Efren nodded. "We've already changed course for Aquarion." It seemed too good to be true. Efren had ached to find Vadim and bring him to justice. Hearing Vadim ask for a trial seemed to cheapen its meaning. Was he planning a spectacle to mock their procedures?
"In lieu of a holding cell, I'll have Stan set up a crate. Tim will bring you meals. I can't guarantee he'll protect you from Olivia."
"A crate?" Vadim looked amused, not angry. Efren hated the way Vadim could make him question everything with a single smug look.
"It's more room than you deserve."
"It'll be fine until we reach Aquarion. Thank you."
Efren felt like he'd just made a deal with a pit viper. "If you hurt any of my crew or our rescues, you'll get a trial by anchor."
Vadim bowed his head to hide his grin. It didn't work. "I knew I could count on you. You're so predictable."
"You liked that about me once," Efren said. "I'm honest. Trustworthy." The ache in his chest deepened with each word. "I thought you were, too. Now, I don't even know you."
"I still like that about you." Vadim met his gaze, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. "Take me to my crate, Captain."
Efren complied, but the uneasy feeling lingered between his shoulder blades. He didn't like having Vadim on board, even after he and Stan tucked him into a six-by-six packing crate with a chamber pot and padlocked the door. He'd seen Vadim turn wood to dust with a touch before. The death weaver still had his hands tucked into his gloves and chained behind his back, but Efren didn't trust either item to keep him from breaking out if he wanted. Efren could only hope Vadim was serious about the trial of elders. Gods help them if he was only buying time for Coryn to run them down.
∞∞∞
Niall
Niall's nose burned with the smell of piss. "Fucking Klaus!" He tried to sit up, assuming he was on the floor of the public restrooms where they sometimes met. "I told you to cut me off before I passed out!"
A strong shove pushed him onto his back once more. "It's smelling salts." The voice was gruff and familiar, but Niall couldn't place it. "You've slept the day away. Before I leave for duty, I need to confirm you'll find somewhere else to sleep come morning, unless you want to share the bed."
Share the bed? "What bed? Am I not on the floor?"
"You're in my bunk." The owner of the gruff voice was laughing at him now. He tried to open his eyes, but the light was too bright. At least the smell had improved considerably. He smelled crisp ocean air, and a boat rocked gently beneath them.
"I haven't shared since the orphanage."
"I could have carried you to the hold, I suppose, but it'll be easier for you to find it on your own two feet."
Niall cracked his eyes open and found his angel staring down at him from a narrow walkway between the side of the boat and a table. It was the same angel who had helped him rescue the children from the sinking naval ship. It wasn't a dream, though his memory seemed blurred around the edges, as though he had been drunk or drugged.
"Are the children all right?"
His angel leaned an elbow on the built-in table. "Yes."
