Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer

Author:Brigid Kemmerer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Corrick

When I was in the palace, it was never easy to be the King’s Justice, but I could count the minutes of my day, knowing eventually the clock hands would crawl toward the early morning hours when I could escape into the Wilds with Tessa.

Even once the ruse was over—because Tessa was in the palace and we were working toward a new solution—I could reassure myself that we were bringing about change. That things would be different. That we would work together to make things better.

But as the days passed, true change began to feel slow and ineffective. Potentially impossible. Like that meeting that ended with Lochlan diving across a table at Consul Sallister. At least in the Wilds I could see medicine making a difference. As King’s Justice, I only saw my failures.

Now I’m on this ship, and with every censorious glance Tessa throws my way, I feel like more of a monster than I ever was.

She wants me to get along with Lochlan. He’s out on the deck, gutting fish with other men from the crew. The low sound of their voices hardly carries over the wind, but I can tell he’s found a place among them. There’s a part of me that envies the simplicity of it.

When I walk across the deck with Tessa, he stops talking, and his eyes follow me. He leans toward the man beside him, saying something too low for me to hear, then uses his knife to rip a fish in half.

No subtlety there. He wants me to have a reaction.

I ignore him.

The captain is in his stateroom with Gwyn and Sablo, but when Tessa and I enter with Kilbourne at our backs, it’s obvious that the room isn’t quite large enough to fit six people. The work table takes up a good deal of room, and the burning stove blocks a whole corner. I wouldn’t mind taking a look at the maps, but I can’t get close to the table. Tessa takes a stool to sit in front of Sablo, who’s holding a bandaged arm to his chest. He looks a bit alarmed at the sudden crowd.

Tessa glances up at the rest of us, but it feels more pointed when her eyes find me. “Maybe you all could give us some privacy.”

Fine. But I’m not being evicted by myself.

“Captain,” I say. “I understand you’ve offered my guardsman a tour of the ship. I wouldn’t mind the same.” I pause. “If you have the time.”

He surprises me by saying, “Sure.” He extends a hand toward the door. “After you.”

We step out into the wind, the sails snapping overhead. The blue sky stretches on ahead for miles, but gray clouds still crowd the sky behind us. I’ve been on the deck three times now, but both times I was focused on what was in front of me: Tessa. Now, I inhale the sea air and look beyond the masts. The scent of fish is thick in the air, but it’s not overpowering thanks to the wind.

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