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BARIN CRAWLED THROUGH the belly of the lower deck to a hall surrounded by doors, keeping Hawk in between him and Arell. His blade was ready should they be ensnared. The first man to go between alleyways would be Hawk, so Barin stopped when they came to a junction and pulled Hawk in front of him.
The rumble continued, louder now, directly above him.
Voices of sailors running across the deck alerted Barin and he backed into the shadows, grabbed Hawk with his knife at his neck, and hissed at Arell to hide. Two sailors walked near the crates they were hiding behind. Barin froze in his position until they were gone.
“The admiral’s crew,” Hawk said. “I’m not sure the three of us can get to Anna without being seen.”
“I’ll go alone,” Barin said.
“Is that wise? Arell asked.
“One person crawling around a ship is less likely to be seen than three. Can you handle this sorcerer?”
“He’s light as a feather. If he gives me any trouble, I’ll throw him overboard just to see how well sorcerers can swim.” Arell tightened his grip on Hawk.
“Which way?” Barin asked Hawk.
“I’ll draw a map,” Hawk said, his face pale, his eyes red.
“Can we trust him?” Arell asked.
“Do we have a choice?”
Arell release Hawk and the captive stooped, glancing fearfully at Barin and Arell both, he drew a map on the wet floor.
“At the end of this row of crates, there’s a grate that drops down to the bilge. She’s in there.”
“In the bilge?” Barin’s jaw tightened and he restrained himself from lashing out. “Or is that where you plan on imprisoning me?” He looked up at Arell, questioning whether taking Hawk’s route would be a good idea or not.
“I should go, then,” Arell suggested.
“Look, I’m the one that took her down there, and I was supposed to tie her,” Hawk said. “But I didn’t. Airmed plans on sinking this ship once she gets her hands on you. She’s got a man named Waylen tied up in the gear deck, the admiral bound in his cabin, and she thinks Anna is imprisoned in the bilge. She might as well be since there’s no way she can get out of there alone. They will all go down with the ship. I told Anna I’d do everything I could to save her.”
“Why?” Barin asked. “Why do you care so much for Anna?”
Hawk’s face flushed. He looked Barin in the eyes, sweat dripping down the side of his face. “You’re a king, you get what you want. I’m just a nobody. If I could have a woman like Anna, I’d never lift another vial or potion in my life against anyone.”
Barin clenched his teeth. Was there something happening between Anna and Hawk?
“I’d take care of her. You’ve been in that castle of yours enjoying your comforts with people around you, family, drink, good food. But Anna, she’s been lost in the wilderness. Foraging, without a home. It’s not right. She shouldn’t be here, and she shouldn’t be out there by herself either.” Hawk shook his head and looked away.
“I’m sorry, I just had to say it. Makes me sick to see a woman treated like that.”
Blood rushed to Barin’s head and the heat of it burned his cheeks. He didn’t know whether to slap the man out of jealousy, kill him on the spot, or cringe from guilt. He held his breath, indecisive, staring at the markings Hawk had made on the wet floorboards. No one had ever reprimanded him like that before aside from his father.
“Vasil,” Arell said. “Let me go get her, or at least see if she’s in there.”
“She’s in there,” Hawk said.
“It’d be a good place to leave a rival, wouldn’t it?” Arell growled. “Throw the king in the bilge and then run off with the woman? Don’t trust him, Barin!”
Barin didn’t know what to believe. They had no other leads to where Anna might be, and the ship was crawling with people. Putting a prisoner in the bilge made sense. He would probably do the same thing. But what would happen if it was a trap? What if Anna was in on it? She had conspired against him in the past. Still, she had paid for her mistakes and every word he had heard about her afterward were of remorse. Couldn’t he forgive her? If not, then why, besides capturing the thieves, had he risked his life to board this ship? He studied the map Hawk had drawn. The grate was not far from where they were.
“What do you know about the stolen magic?” Barin asked Hawk.
“Enough to show you where it is and how it’s been harvested. Look, I’m not here because I want to be. I meant what I said.”
Finally, the young man’s eyes met his and Barin searched for sincerity.
“If you think Anna and I are in a relationship, I’m flattered. She’s yours. What I want is to be free of this curse.”
Free of this curse! Barin shuddered. How often had he said those same words?
“Arell, have this man show you where the magic is. See if there’s a way to get it back.”
“I know how the Machine works. I don’t know if we can return it to the island though. We can try. Waylen is tied up in the gear room. He knows more than I do.”
“And how is he going to greet us?” Arell asked.
“Probably with open arms once he’s untied,” Hawk replied.
“We’ll meet back here as soon as we can. If there’s trouble...well if there’s trouble, we’ll have to improvise,” Barin said.
He left the two, a cold unsettled feeling rumbling though him like the noise shaking the ship. There was nothing comforting in thinking he’d find Anna. He was, in fact, nervous about that as well. Hawk’s lecture didn’t help. Already Barin’s choices had cost him three of his best ships and the loss of many of his soldiers. And Neal. God, if he had lost Neal, he’d never forgive himself. That thought alone sent bile up his throat.
Please don’t let Neal be dead.
Barin crawled on his knees, avoiding the light that seeped in from the grates above him. The passage was clear. No guard watched over the drop to the bilge, which roused suspicion. If they had a prisoner down there, wouldn’t they put a sentry at the only escape route? Water puddled around the grate, and as the ship rocked, it dripped inside the hole.
If she is in there, she must be soaked and freezing.
Barin shivered, the chill inching its way to his bones. When he reached the metal bars, he knelt and yanked them out of the way. They fell with a thump, but the monotonous sound of the ship drowned out the noise.
Barin threw his knees over the edge, held onto the floorboards, and lowered himself into the bilge. He had not a dry garment on him. Water splashed back and forth as the ship rocked. When he landed in a puddle, his boots soaked up water like a sponge. Darkness enveloped him.
“Anna?” Barin called out softly. “Anna, they told me you were here.”
She gasped. He stepped toward the sound. Surprised to find Hawk had told the truth, he swallowed and balanced himself as the ship swayed and water splashed.
“Anna?”
She said nothing.
“Is that you, Anna?”
She still didn’t answer, and Barin wondered if the person he approached was her.
“Are you well? I mean, well enough to come with me?”
He reached out, found her arm, and held her gently. She tried to move away but he tightened his grasp ever so slightly.
“Anna, it’s me. Barin.”
With his other hand, he felt for her face and moved closer. He found her cheek and gently stroked it. Wet from rain or tears, her drenched hair stuck to her face.
“Anna,” he said.
“Why did you come?” she asked, stiff and unyielding. “They plan on killing you. You’re a fool to have come.”
“To save your life.”
“And lose yours?”
“No. We’re both going to survive.”
She pulled away. He let her go feeling the empty air of her absence.
“I’ve been wrong, Anna. All these years I’ve been in error.”
“You’ve been a good king. How can you say that?”
He reached out again, feeling for her hands, and when he found them he took them and squeezed tightly. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her go, not this time.
“Don’t fight me, Anna. We’ve been fighting too long already. I’m getting you out of here.”
“I’ve already accepted death. Go and save yourself.”
“You’re coming with me.”
“Why? What is there for me, anyway? I have no home. I can’t find my father’s horses so I’ll never be able to earn a living. I’m a target for any hoodlum or pirate that comes along. The Neverworld will haunt me for as long as I’m alive. I can’t get any lower. No—”
“Come with me to Prasa Potama. I’ll provide for you there.”
She turned away. “You’re a king. You don’t need the likes of me anywhere near you.”
Barin took her head in his hands and kissed her. She struggled, but only for a moment, and then her body relaxed in his arms.
“I love you, Anna. I was angry at you. And then I felt I needed to keep you at a distance because of your affiliations and for political reasons. I’ve been wrong in that. If I’m going to live life as an honest man, I need to be honest with you.” He paused and wiped her cheek with his thumb. “I made many mistakes.”
“Not as many as I have. You never chose evil, Barin. I did.”
“You were under a curse. I know what that’s like.”
She wrapped her arms around him. Even though he was cold, wet, and on the enemy’s ship, he had never felt more at home than in her embrace.