Page 111 of Tell No Tales
"I improvised." Stan bowed his head.
"You did well, my friend. Is everything to your liking?" Vadim asked Hugo.
"I've never slept in a sail bed, but I'm tired enough to try."
"Sleep well." Vadim embraced the emperor to his chest.
Klaus finally understood. Vadim would only ever see Hugo as his former lover's child, possibly as his adopted son, and nothing else. Hugo looked up at him like he hung the moon, but that was only because he didn't know any better.
There was much Klaus could teach their emperor of the ways of love, as he had with his friend Niall. He knew exactly which book to give him first.
Chapter 27
Vadim
Stan followed Vadim and Klaus to the galley, where Tim had already prepared them dinner trays to carry back to their room. "It's good to see you back, but I heard you wouldn't be sharing your stories tonight."
Vadim glanced at Klaus and back to Tim's knowing grin. "No. Not tonight. It's been an exhausting day."
"We are all glad to see you returned," Stan lowered his voice so only Vadim would hear, "even if the captain won't say it aloud."
"He'll take the news far better from Nola than he would from me," Vadim said.
"Aye." Stan winked.
Efren had his wish. He now had three sets of wind weavers. Vadim would extend his offer to navigate for a shift once more, but he was more concerned with how it would affect Hugo. In Hesse's journal, he'd explained why his guards up until Vadim took over had always been earth and air weavers. A balance of earth and air could hold fire in check. Only Niall was balanced, and while his air weaves were excellent, he struggled to control earth. That left only one solution to keep Hugo from setting the ship on fire while he learned his weaves.
Tovey was already seated at the nearest table, picking at the fish on his tray. When Stan joined him, Vadim followed. "Do you have a moment? I want your opinions before I ask Efren for a favor."
"Fuck's sake," Tovey muttered.
"Aye." Even Stan seemed a little leery of his request.
"It's customary for earth and air weavers to watch over fledgling fire weavers, to keep their power in check."
"I fucking knew it," Tovey said. "He's not on this ship for more than five minutes—"
"Efren asked before you did," Stan said. "He's partial to his ship staying afloat. I took some precautions with the sails and the partition wall."
"He's Niall's age," Tovey grumbled. "He was twenty when his mother died. Surely, he had access to every teacher in the land!"
"I had access to the best teacher Aquarion had to offer, and all he did was drain me," Vadim reminded him. "The academy was disbanded after Hesse's death. I believe Delilah's search for a fire weaver to teach Hugo resulted in her death."
Stan nodded. "You said as much then."
"Fine." Tovey glared at him. "Don't expect me to like it."
"He'll grow on you." There was a sparkle of mischief in Stan's gaze as he playfully flicked a pea from his plate at Tovey's hand. "You'll see."
"See you at breakfast," Klaus said as he tugged on Vadim's sleeve.
"We expect a full retelling of everything that happened!" Stan shouted as they turned their backs.
"No matter what we say, they'll want more embellishment," Vadim said when they were alone in the hold with the metal door cranked shut behind them.
"Even when I tell them I can shoot purple mist out of my hands and the undead fall dead again?"
"That's settled then," Vadim joked as they reached their crate. "You're telling the story at breakfast."
