Page 10 of Of Songs and Silence

A sense of calm trickles through me, either from his words or his hand on my skin. Even if he is still calling me by that word.

“Well, we can’t very well take her with us now that—” Kane starts to argue, but Ari shakes his head sharply.

“Maybe you should have thought of that before you took her.” Frustration edges his words.

Kane is undeterred. “Maybe I would have if I had been given all of the extremely relevant information.”

The two men lock eyes, Ari’s expression as immovable as the rocky cliffs below my tower.

“She comes with us.”

There is something final in his tone that sends a shiver down my spine. Kane must recognize it too because he dips his head in a small respectful nod. I don’t fully understand the dynamic between them, but Kane doesn’t challenge him again.

Only when I’m sure I’m staying, when my heartbeat has slowed in my chest and I can think rational thoughts again, do I address the obvious elephant in the room. The mysterioushethey have mentioned several times now.

“Who ishe?” I ask.

Another silent exchange passes between them, but this one is less evasive and more…ominous. Ari meets my gaze, his green eyes as turbulent as the stormy seas.

“The King of Mayim.”

CHAPTERSIX

AIKA

The days out here pass with agonizing slowness.

Between the grief and the plans that go nowhere and the pervasive sense of doom that seems to have infected our ship and all of its passengers, I want to pull every last strand of my hair out.

Slowly, methodically.

Instead, I focus on the card game, something to distract from the mind-numbing circles of our half-arsed plans to overthrow the overlord we call Mother.

Anything to help pull us out of our heads and give us perspective.

And when that doesn’t work… I take advantage of Zaina’s long pauses between plays to further Pumpkin’s training.

Holding up a piece of dried fruit, I gesture toward the Jokithan king, hoping the monkey takes my silent cue.

Pumpkin’s tiny orange head tilts in question, and I nod.

He leaps down from my lap, creeping under the table. A moment later, I see a tiny hand peek over Einar’s shoulder, but the giant doesn’t notice. Even if Zaina looked up from her cards, she couldn’t see the small monkey hiding behind Einar’s silvery blond braids, and Remy…Remy doesn’t pay attention to much at all these days.

Within moments, my monkey is back in my lap, placing a long, silver chain in my hand. I can’t fight the smile that stretches across my mouth. It’s the first time we’ve been successful, me at communicating what I want him to bring, and him at retrieving it without incident.

“Good boy,” I whisper, giving Pumpkin his reward.

He chirps happily, drawing the attention of the king. Einar’s massive hands shoot up to his neck, and his expression hardens, though there’s no real ire to it.

“Give it back,” he barks before gagging for the thousandth time.

I laugh, tossing the chain back to him.

“There is an entire ship to annoy,” he says on a sigh. “Must you always choose me?”

“It’s more fun this way.” I shrug.

“Focus, please.” Zaina’s tone brokers no argument as she tries to get us back on track.

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