Which was too bad because the accommodations in the bowels of the ship were severely lacking. The iron manacle had been removed from my wrist, replaced by a cell of iron bars barely big enough for me to stretch my legs and definitely not big enough to lie down in. Not that I’dwantto lie down in the inch or so of suspicious smelling liquid sloshing around in here. My boots were waterlogged, and the bottom of my dress was soaked. I would’ve shifted something else if I’d been able, but since my magic didn’t work on the water, I was left in this.
The only upshot was that I still looked fabulous.
The two scrawny men standing guard against the far wall didn’t seem the least bit concerned by the fact that their ship had clearly sprung a leak. Maybe they hated it here so much that they were looking forward to a watery grave. Or maybe they possessed merrow blood as well and liked the idea of always being wet.
When they noticed me staring at them from my stool, their hands dropped to the swords at their hips. Always nice to know my reputation had preceded me. At least I’d done something right in my centuries on that island.
“Any chance I could get something to drink?” I rasped, gesturing toward the green bottles in the crates stretching along the sides of the ship.
“That’s the captain’s wine,” the taller one said with a frown.
“And since I am your captain’s most special guest, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”
Apparently, neither agreed because instead of wine, the shorter of the two poured something from a jug and held the tin cup toward me. When I stood, the ship suddenly jerked to the side, sending me careening into the bars. A terriblehisserupted when my hands connected with the iron. Just what I needed. More feckin’ scars.
“There’s a storm,” the man with the bottle said in a voice as shaky as his hand.
Feckin’ brilliant. Not only was I stuck in this dank, damp, smelly cell, there was a good probability that I was going to make it even smellier by retching all over the soggy floor.
I took the drink. The man yanked his hand away, jumped back, and collided with his fellow guard.
And here I’d thought the shite Tadhg drank smelled rank. Whatever the man had poured smelled like turpentine. Ah, well. Beggars couldn’t be choosers and all that nonsense. I saluted the pair with my cup.Bottoms up.
The first sip scorched my innards like I’d swallowed a fireball.I didn’t cough or make a fool of myself by spluttering, but there wasn’t a hope in hell I was going to finish that. I set the cup aside only to have it spill with another violent tilt of the ship. Not that a little extra liquid mattered when this hovel was one giant puddle.
The other guard kicked a plate toward my cell. The hunk of moldy bread rolled off and onto the wet floor. “Dinner’s served, yerhighness,” he sneered.
As soon as I freed myself, I was going to shove that disgusting lump down his throat, carve his belly open, and strangle him with his own entrails.
The floor went out from under me, and I landed flat on my ass in the muck.
After every person on this ship was dead, I was going to set the feckin’ thing on fire. Maybe I’d burn it first and watch them all throw themselves overboard to be eaten by sharks and merrow.
For now, though, I had to focus on not expelling the contents of my stomach. I dropped my head into my hands, wishing there were some way to stop this infernal rocking and thumping of waves against the hull. Why weren’t their faces green? Did they not notice we were being thrashed about like a toy in a feckin’ hurricane? “How long until we reach land?”
The man who’d given me the drink answered. “Should arrive by tomorrow morning.”
His companion, with a face not even a mother could love, jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow.
“Ow! What the hell was that for?” the first muttered.
“You’re not supposed to be talkin’ to the prisoner.”
“The man asked a question. The least I can do is answer him.”
Did they have to bicker so loudly? Everything down here echoed like a feckin’ cavern.
Since it usually took three days to reach Iodale, I assumed I’d been dead for two. Aveen was not going to be impressed when she learned the truth. I couldn’t wait to see the rage flashing in her eyes and taste the anger on her tongue.
All of this could’ve been avoided if she had confided in me.
It still rankled that she hadn’t said a word.
I had let her down with Leesha, sure, but hadn’t I done more than enough for her to trust me before and after that little lapse? Hell, she’d told me about her problem with Robert when we barely knew each other. Why not this? Had Ruairi been right? Had part of her wanted to leave with her captain?
I swallowed the bile climbing my throat. “What happens when we arrive?” I asked the forthcoming guard.
“They’ll be bringing you to His Majesty.”