Page 73 of Tell No Tales
"It's been a pleasure getting to know the real you." Vadim had rarely seen them smile, flashing a row of straight white teeth and a dimple in each cheek. They held out their hand, and he shook it. "Good luck."
"Thank you. We're going to need luck, the fates, and whatever gods you pray to," he said.
"Keep him safe?" they asked as they released his hand. "Klaus. He's a good lad."
Vadim glanced over his shoulder, to where Klaus was still staring at the coastline. "He is. I'll do everything in my power to protect him."
They nodded. "I've seen your power. It should be enough."
He laughed, and they clapped him on the back as he walked past. He may not be a member ofStarlight Specter'screw any longer, but they were still his family. Even if his plan was foolhardy, it was the best they had to save their little pirate clan, their island, and the empire itself.
He wasn't surprised to find both Efren and Niall in the cabin. This close to shore, only one wind weaver was necessary to steer them, and Stan had the best finesse for navigating around the shoals.
Vadim exhaled a relieved breath when Efren and Niall spent more time gazing into each other's eyes than they did looking at him. They barely acknowledged his presence.
He clasped his hands behind his back. "Hannah said you wanted to see me."
"Explain why we can't come with you," Niall said.
Not this again. He'd already explained it to Efren, but the captain didn't like being left out. "If you dock, you'll lose the ship. If you anchor, you'll lose the ship. If you run off to Glamiere inWildfire'splace, you'll leave us here without any escape. It's best for you to stay within Klaus's radius off the coast without drawing the navy's attention."
"That would put us here." Efren pointed to a cove along the northeastern twist of coastline above the city.
"We'll have the twins adjust course from the air, but once Klaus has a read on you, we'll be able to find you on the water."
"What if something happens, and we're further out?" Efren asked.
"Sail toward Glamiere," Vadim said. "I don't know how long the boys can carry us in that makeshift box of Nola's, but we'll head northwest until we find you."
"Glamiere is a big fucking place, Vadim." Efren pointed at the charts again. "Where should we go? This side of the coast is rough and mountainous. Not many cities to sail for."
"A landmark, then. Remember the skull rock off the coast?" Vadim pointed at the little rock formation they'd drawn on the map in a fit of laughter when they'd first seen it. It seemed so strange to find a rock formed by the waves to look like a human skull.
"Appropriate." Efren studied him with a flat stare. "I suppose that will do."
"You hate it when you're not in charge." Vadim smirked.
"I hate it," Efren said, annunciating each syllable with staccato precision, "when people I care about run off to get themselves killed over an untested monarch."
"Hugo's worth it." Vadim's chest felt light to say the words aloud. They were so close, now. Hugo would have his freedom. "He will be the best ruler Embertide has known. You'll see."
"So you say." Efren dropped his gaze to the map between them once more and ran his finger between the two coordinates they'd discussed, the cove northeast of Hearthstone and the skull rock to the northwest of that. "Don't get yourself killed."
"Stay safe, yourself. Don't worry about us. We will catch up to you."
Niall stood and shook his hand. "Thanks for teaching me how to shield from a siphon."
"That was all Yvette." Vadim couldn't take credit for that, not when he hadn't known himself.
"It's good knowledge to have," Efren agreed, offering his hand, as well. Vadim shook it, and a twinge of regret made his eyes sting. No. Not regret. He still loved this man. Not the way he once had, not the way Efren deserved, but they were family. If the damn map table wasn't in the way Vadim would bring him in for a hug.
"Fuck's sake." Niall shoved Vadim out of the way so he could get past, and then Efren was on him, still a few inches taller and broader by far. Their collision knocked Efren's tricorn hat from his head. The threatening tears let loose as Vadim held Efren close. A few more fell when Niall wrapped him up from behind. Gods, when was the last time he'd been hugged like this? Never. Not once. This was why he avoided saying goodbye, or made everyone so glad to see him go, they wouldn't dare hug him.
"I hope he's as invaluable as you say." Efren's breath rustled his hair in a way he hated, but he didn't push the big man away. He hugged him back, reveling in the feeling of having a family who cared about him.
Once he'd wiped the moisture from his face with his handkerchief, he was ready to return to the deck to say goodbye to the rest of the crew. Then, he and Klaus grabbed their bags and returned toWildfire,where Nola and Devon were putting the finishing touches on their aircraft.
It was nothing more than a wooden crate, larger than the one for the kittens but still a slatted crate smaller than Vadim's original jail cell. The main difference was the open top and attached sail. The two wind weavers would use their power to propel them into the sky, where they could find their way to the tallest building in Hearthstone, the bell tower at the heart of the Imperial Academy of Elements.
