The Underground Witch (Incenaga Trilogy) (13 page)

Tiergan emerged from his thoughts to find Demyan and the Dolmertian arguing over whether or not the Dolmertian had, in fact, owned the Incenaga. Tiergan raised his hand and the two men silenced.

“I have a new deal that I believe will satisfy us both,” he said, not that he would keep his end of the bargain should it prove inconvenient.

The Dolmertian folded his arms across his chest. “I’m listening.”

“As soon as I am in control of the Incenaga, I will command her to kill the Crown Prince.”

The Dolmertian shook his head. “I want to do it myself.”

Tiergan placed his hands on the Dolmertian’s shoulders, hating the man more than he could ever show. Until the Incenaga was his, the Dolmertian had to be appeased.

“Just think how much sweeter his death will be,” Tiergan began, “when it comes from the
hand of the woman he loves? And what better revenge will an old master have, than to watch his wayward slave destroy the very thing she loves most?”

The Dolmertian seemed to consider for a moment before his mouth turned up into a smile. He held out his hand.

“You have a deal,” he said.

Imprisoned in her stagnant cabin, Emmeline endured day after day of sweltering heat. O’fin explained they were traveling toward the Black Desert where the cold winter months had no reach. Those who dwelt in the Black Desert didn’t need fire to cook their meals, he said. Their meat sizzled on rooftop platforms made of black granite and their bread baked in ovens warmed by the sun.

Emmeline
didn’t care much about where they were going, especially as the heat intensified. She needed out. She needed to feel the wind on her face and breathe fresh air. She rose from her sweat stained sheets and pounded her fists on the door.

“Let me out
!” she yelled. “I will go mad if I have to spend one more second in here!”

She
beat on the door for several more minutes, alternating between idle threats and desperate pleas. Finally, the glorious sound of keys jingled from the companionway and the door swung open to a cheerful O’fin. His smile spread from ear to ear, but his bright eyes still did not rise to meet hers.

“Captain Tiergan
said you can walk on the deck for awhile, if I escort you.” He held out his arm, undeterred by the fact that the top of his head barely reached her elbow.

Emmeline smiled as she took his arm and let him guide her
into the companionway. “Excellent. Perhaps I’ll jump into the ocean,” she teased.

O’fin dug his
heels against the wood planks and stopped. “You want to swim away?”

Emmeline laughed and tugged O’fin toward the stairs. “I’m not the best swimmer. I only mean to cool myself.”

O’fin shook his head, “The ship will pull you under. Tiergan made me promise to keep you safe.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“He said it would be on my head if you tried to escape,” O’fin squeaked.

Emmeline paused mid-step. “He said what?”

“I heard you crying to get out. I begged Captain Tiergan to let me walk around with you. I told him you were going crazy and I promised you wouldn’t try anything foolish.”

Emmeline chuckled.
“You were right about me going crazy, although I can’t guarantee I won’t do anything foolish.” She winked at him, realizing too late that he wouldn’t notice. She hated that he wouldn’t look at her.

O’fin frowned.

“I only jest,” she said. “I’ll go wherever you go and I won’t do anything to get you into trouble.”

O’fin nodded and they ascended the remaining
steps to the main deck. Emmeline leaned against the rail and sighed with contentment. The salty breeze cooled her body as it wound through her hair and caressed her skin. She closed her eyes and let the sun kiss her cheeks, the warmth of its rays no longer a bother.

After a few minutes, O’fin led her to a quieter section of the deck where they could find privacy from the sailors.
They sprawled out on an overturned crate and let the breeze filter through their clothing.

Emmeline
relaxed, a smile resting on her lips. “This is wonderful. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome
.” O’fin beamed at her and then, realizing his mistake, his eyes widened and he glanced away, his head hung low.

“Don’
t be afraid to look at me, O’fin.”

“We have been forbidden.”

“I’ll never tell. Besides, we are friends, are we not?”

O’fin’s
head bobbed up and down. “Yes, we are.”

“Well, friends shouldn’t be afraid to look at one another.
Wouldn’t you agree?”

O’fin
played with a loose string on his shirt. “Will they hurt me? Your eyes, I mean.”

“I would never hurt you.”

O’fin’s eyes darted up like a hare jumping from its hole and his brown eyes gazed into hers, the depth of them seeming to never end. A sly grin lit up his face.

“They are blue,” he said.

“Mmhm.” She glanced around before leaning in. “And they turn silver at night,” she whispered.

O’fin’s eyes
grew round. “Really?”

Emmeline nodded.
“Just like a cat.”

“Can I see?”

“Tonight. When the moon rises.”

O’fin pushed
to his knees and brought his face so close to hers that their noses nearly touched. “And you won’t tell anyone I looked?”

“It’ll be our secret,” she whispered.

“Because we are friends,”
O’fin said leaning back. “You and I.”

“Yes, friends
.”

O’fin smiled
before the string on his shirt caught his attention again and he looked away. Emmeline squeezed his arm twice, glad for his company. He was such a sweet boy, full of life and kindness. How did he get caught up with Tiergan and his men? She hoped Tiergan wouldn’t squash his little spirit. But even as she wished it, she knew O’fin didn’t stand much of a chance against him. Tiergan’s very nature defined tyranny.

Emmeline pressed her lips
together and silently vowed she would do all in her power to protect O’fin from Tiergan’s grasp. But what could she do in the middle of the ocean? No matter, she would figure something out. He didn’t deserve a life of cruel servitude. No one did.

O’fin pointed
to the sky. “Look at that cloud! It’s a giant elephant. It’s so big and fluffy!”

Emmeline nodded
, but her thoughts flew to the waterfall’s grassy beach, where a similar conversation with Erick echoed in her mind. She had been right all along. Tiergan had proved she was destined to live alone, and in spite of the pain she had already caused in Dolmerti, she had pulled a sweet, innocent boy into her life. He trusted her, and yet the only way to keep him safe would be to abandon him. Her heart turned to ice. Cold, angry, bitter ice. She couldn’t have anyone in her life. Ever.

Emmeline
turned her chin toward O’fin, preparing herself to tell him to stay away from her, when he looked up and smiled with his warm brown eyes. She melted. How could she abandon such a sweet little boy? She blinked and returned his smile, but another cloud had caught his attention and he had turned his gaze upward. Perhaps she could remain his friend until she ensured his freedom. Then she would make sure he stayed away from her.

As
the clouds passed, a tear slipped down her cheek. She would have to find a place secluded from everyone and then move every couple of years. What would it be like to live alone? Completely alone. On the farm in Pamizak, she’d felt alone, but she had never been truly alone. She realized that now. Her father had been there, chopping wood, working the land, hunting. Even if he hadn’t talked much, he still sat by the fire with her every night. Looking back, she realized she’d had a wonderful life with him. Why couldn’t she have appreciated it more? Now she would have to do everything on her own and then sit by the fire each night.

Alone.

A shout came from the bird’s nest. “Sail, ho!”

Emmeline
held her hand over her eyes and scanned the ocean. Off the starboard side, a brown speck blotted the otherwise empty horizon. Much sooner than she expected, the speck grew in size until she could make out the shape of a fast approaching ship, its sails unfurled in a billowing display of glory.

Emmeline’s heart flipped. Had Erick come for her?
He must have seen right through her letter. She searched for any sign of Dolmerti’s colors, but they were still too far away to see the flag. A sense of pride swelled within her. Erick had come for her. He still loved her. Of course he wouldn’t believe her nonsense of a letter!

She lifted her chin and caught sight of Tiergan and
the same man who’d stolen her candlestick leaning over the railing at the other end of the ship. Tiergan held an eyeglass to his eye for several long moments before he handed it to the other man.

“Who is that,” Emmeline whispered to O’fin.

“That’s Demyan, First Mate to the Captain. You should stay away from him.”

“Why?” Emmeline asked.

O’fin shrugged. “Because he’ll probably kill you if you breathe on him, or something.”

Tiergan caught her gaze and moved a hand
to his sword. Emmeline’s stomach clenched, her gaze flickering between Tiergan and the oncoming ship. Tiergan would fight for her. He would kill anyone who got in their way. Once again, people would die because of her, and Erick could be one of them.

A movement off to the side caught her eye and she turned her head to find Mahlon staring at her, his eyes narrowed in calculation. He smirked and then turned his attention back to the mark on the horizo
n, but not before she noticed a flash in his eyes. Was it anticipation? Hope? A chill ran up Emmeline’s spine. Only one thing could give Mahlon hope.

Power.

Whatever he saw on the horizon gave him reason to believe he could gain control over her. And nothing terrified her more.

Emmeline took O’fin’s hand and pulled him toward the quarterdeck where they could crouch behind two large crates and listen to Tiergan and Demyan without being seen.

Demyan lowered the eyeglass.
“Pirates.”

A strange mixture of emotion paralyzed
Emmeline. Disappointment? Relief? She wasn’t sure which she felt more. Shouldn’t she be glad Erick was still far away from her? And yet why did she feel like another dark pit had just opened itself up to drag her under? For one brief moment she believed a Dolmertian ship had come for her and it had turned out to be pirates. Pirates!

Emmeline snapped to attention.
Tiergan was shouting orders to unfurl the remaining sails, including the topgallant. His face had flushed into a dark red, but Demyan appeared as calm as ever. With his arms folded and his eyes narrowed, he looked more like a man calculating his next chess move than someone about to be attacked by pirates.

S
ailors scrambled up the ratlines while soldiers across the deck gathered arms for battle. The sails cracked as they caught wind and the ship heaved forward.

“It’s
the woman!” a sailor cried from the crow’s nest, his fist in the air. “She will bring us to our doom one way or another!”

Tiergan
raised his arm and the glint of a pistol gleamed in his hand. A deafening bang filled the air and the sailor thudded to the deck. Silence spread from sailor to sailor, soldier to soldier, as Tiergan roved his eyes over the remaining crew.

“
Anyone else?” he shouted.

A rope creaked, a sail flapped. Low waves lapp
ed up the ship’s hull. But no one spoke.

“
Unfurl the jib sails,” Tiergan said with a low voice.

The ship returned to
chaos as the sailors set back to work. And yet Mahlon stood with his back to everyone, his eyes never leaving the approaching ship. He appeared just as calculating as Demyan.

“We will never be able to out sail them,” Demyan said
to Tiergan. “We are too heavy.”

“We must!” Tiergan said with such conviction that spittle flew from his mouth. “We can’t risk them finding her.” He cursed
. “Where is that wretched woman!”

“
I’ll find her and lock her in the hold,” Demyan said.

Emmeline crouched lower behind the crate.
The last thing she wanted was Demyan dragging her off to the belly of the ship. Besides, she saw no reason to hide from the pirates. In fact, she might almost prefer it if the pirates took her. Chances were they wouldn’t know her true identity and, if they could get rid of Tiergan and his men for her, she’d be free!

Emmeline
glanced at O’fin whose face had twisted in horror. Either he’d never met a pirate, or he’d met plenty and knew what they were capable of. She guessed the latter. Wrapping her arm around his shoulder, she squeezed him closer.