Chapter 7:

  Limping from one cabin to the next was almost more than Nereida could bear. Basiano answered the door, concern etched into his face. He held out his arms so she could colpse into them, then turned to the first mate.

  “I thank you for returning her.” He gave a little bow of his head. Evander nodded back, his mouth set in a thin line. He scratched at his healed face scar, clearly nervous.

  “The danger has passed but please, if y’all could stay here, it’ll be safer.” He shifted from one foot to the other, eager to flee.

  “As you wish. Until tomorrow.” Basiano pushed the door closed, barely gncing at Evander. He scooped her up and carried her to her bunk. The boys looked up from their game. Both were sitting cross-legged on the bed with dice and sticks between them.

  “Are you sick momma?”

  “No, my loves. Just tired. Momma pushed herself too hard.” That mollified both little boys who went back to pying.

  “Ten minutes until lights out,” Basiano warned sternly. “You and your mother need rest.” The two boys groaned but accepted their terrible fates of needing to bed down for the night.

  Basiano sat on the floor next to her bed and began to undo her braid.

  “You used magic, Nerry.”

  “Had to, Basi.” She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of freedom. There was something rexing about having her hair undone and brushed when she wasn’t the one doing it. “The mast was on fire.” She smiled as he gently tugged the brush through her wet hair. “And I didn’t want Ael to die,” she admitted as an afterthought. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

  “Who?”

  “The Grand Admiral.” She ughed quietly. “All your distancing is not going to help, you know. We have almost six months of this life. Why cut yourself off from good company?”

  “It’s wet,” he sighed. “My clothing is always damp, the air is damp, nothing feels right.”

  “Their clothing and air are the same as yours,” she countered. “And rank means nothing on the sea, not ours anyway. Do you want to spend six months miserable?”

  “I will regardless. I don’t want to talk about this now, Nerry.” He ceased brushing her hair. She opened one eye to peek at him. “You are weak. Did you get caught?”

  “It’s dealt with.” She smmed her eyes shut so she could not see the frustration on his face.

  “You trust too easily,” he sighed. When she refused to acknowledge his worry, his temper escaped him. “These are not our people!”

  She forced herself to sit. Her boys had stopped pying at his exuberant excmation, watching with worried eyes and thin lips. She scowled at Basiano.

  “I can’t live in a bubble! I’ve been hurt more by our people than by any other. And you should set a better example.” She looked at her children, who were still nervous, then back at her brother. He defted a bit, the anger stolen from him when he realized he had scared the boys. “Just… just try please,” she implored. “I don’t like seeing you this miserable.”

  “Fine. But no more crazy rescues.” He looked at the boys, his tone calmer. “Get into your sleep clothing, and then I’ll sing. Your momma is too tired to tell a story but I’m sure she will make it up tomorrow.”

  “Double story day!” Alejo bounced off the bed, his fear forgotten.

  Basiano left the room, taking the boys to relieve themselves before bed. Nereida struggled out of her soaked, bloodied clothing and managed to be in her bed clothes by the time they returned. Her boys took off their caps, their soft blue hair finally free. They climbed into bed with her, one in each arm. They cuddled like this each night, until their story and song were done. Though it would not be long before Alejo was too old to climb into her bed, before he no longer wanted his mother’s gentle voice in song.

  “I love you mommy.” Alejo snuggled into her as if he pnned to fall asleep in her arms like he had when he was a baby. He curled his little toes into the back of her knees, drawing from her warmth. “I’m gd you saved Epelda’s mommy.”

  “I don’t believe the Admiral is her mother,” Basiano corrected gently.

  “She is,” insisted Egaz as he wiggled under the covers. Nereida tugged the bnket up to help him. It was a heavy wool, itchy but warm. “A heart-mommy! That’s why she watches Epelda py with us!”

  “It’s her job to keep her crew safe,” Nereida told her sons. “But you might still be right. It is not our business either way, unless they want to tell us.”

  “Does that mean she’ll keep us safe too?” Alejo asked, yawning widely.

  “I imagine so, sweetpea. Now the time for words is done.”

  Little fingers twirled her hair. Basiano began to sing a soft, low melody. His baritone voice was soothing, familiar and grounding. It sounded so much like when her father used to sing the same lulby to her. Before her magic made him leery of her.

  “Sleep softly, the sun has set, sleep softly as the rain is wet. Sleep softly now I sing this song, sleep softly now, and all night long.” The chorus was soft and gentle like the rolling waves outside. Nereida dropped into sleep as the song continued, the gentle breaths of sleepy children too much for her to withstand.

  Nereida woke in the night, her sons still curled up in her arms. Alejo had kicked her in his sleep. She kissed his brow and he soothed. She considered carrying them to their beds, but her limbs were still heavy like ice. Basiano had gone to bed and he was snoring deeply. As she y in bed, trying to find her exhaustion again, she wondered briefly if Ael was doing well. She wasn’t sure if she should ask in the morning or just wait.

  The cabin was completely dark, but outside she could hear the ocean rising and falling. She considered taking the obsidian bracelet off again, to feel what she was meant to feel. On the road, in the prison, on the farm the bracelet had kept her safe. With her magic cut off, no one could begin to guess who and what she was. But that had been on nd. She wanted to hear the sea, wanted to feel and hear and understand the water. She thought she could manage the voyage, before she had taken it off, but having tasted the freedom, she wanted more. She wanted to dive into the ocean and swim alongside the ship. But if she did… who knew what dangers her children might face.

  She pulled the boys closer and tighter. Egaz made a small noise of protest before he drifted back to sleep. Outside the waves pped against the ship, endlessly calling in a way Nereida could not understand. The loneliness would drown her. She closed her eyes against her own thought, breathed in the scent of their hair. It wasn’t loneliness, not with them here. But she was not sure what would kill her faster; denying who she was or embracing it.

  When morning light filtered in through the porthole, the boys were on top of her. Egaz was sprawled across her chest, his left hand resting on her face. Alejo was on her legs, his arms curled around her leg like most children cuddled stuffed toys.

  “Boys,” she grumbled sleepily. They stirred and then collectively pretended they didn’t hear her, pressing eyes closed harder, holding her tighter.

  A knock sounded on their door, gentle but insistent. The boys opened their eyes and practically bounced to their feet, kneeing Nereida on her stomach and leg. She grunted but did not chastise them, since they quickly bounded toward their caps and began to tuck their hair in.

  “Good choices, boys,” she whispered.

  “Who knocks?” Basiano called, pulling a dressing gown on.

  “The first mate,” came Evander’s grumpy voice from the other side. “The Grand Admiral would like a word with the Countess.” Nereida let her face twist in dismay.

  “I will be along shortly,” she called out. Basiano frowned at her, his dark eyes filled with concern. He moved to sit next to her, the bed creaking with the extra weight. These were not beds designed for two.

  “Nerry, you put yourself at risk.” His voice was soft, and he pulled her into a sideways embrace. She leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling his warmth.

  “I will be fine. I trust her.” Her voice was soft. He grunted in dismay.

  “You’ve trusted wrong before.” Her breath froze in her lungs. She had to force herself to swallow, to breathe.

  “This is not that.” Her words were clipped. He tightened his grasp.

  “I know. I’m sorry. I just worry.” His smile was tight on his face, like it might shatter at any moment. He liked the reminder of her past as little as she did.

  “I love you too, you big oaf.” She gave him a pyful swat on his arm. There was no need for both of them to drown in feelings. “Take the boys out for a minute? I need to look presentable.” He nodded, calling for the boys. They followed him out the door, giving Nereida a moment of quiet.

  She pulled her hair into two long, mostly neat braids. She pulled on the simple blue dress that had been given to her to travel to the ship. She liked the colour of it, soft and pale like the ocean on a cloudy day. She abandoned her boots, moving in just stockings, as the boots were still soaked from the night before. Perhaps she’d show the children; it was a good skill to have, maintaining your own gear. She’d have to properly clean and dry them today so the leather didn’t warp. Dressed and presentable, she headed up and out to where the captain’s cabin was, praying she wasn’t heading to a trap.