Chapter 34

 

 

“The game is over, Bird,” said William. “Drop the knife. You don’t want another murder charge on top of everything else. Aside from that, I’m also sure you don’t want to die.”

“I won’t be charged with anything, Lord William.” Bird’s voice shook, but he spoke with force. “You’re going to get off my ship and let us sail out of this bay, or the duke dies.” He pulled the knife closer to Vincent’s throat for emphasis.

“Are you hurt, your grace?” William asked Vincent.

“Not enough to matter,” answered Vincent in a strained voice. “Don’t do what he says. You know what’s at stake William. My life means nothing compared to—”

“Shut up,” said Bird as he jammed the butt of the knife into the duke’s throat. “Such a noble nobleman, so ready to sacrifice himself to save his friends a little trouble! But Lord William knows the truth: the king and the other dukes can’t let you die. They’ll pay millions of crowns to avoid giving people the idea that a duke can be killed. You’re worth more alive than dead to everyone. That’s why Lord William is about to leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” said William. “Even if I walk away, you can’t sail the ship on your own. Your helmsman jumped ship, and everyone else is locked up under the watchful eye of an angry dragon. You’re the only one left, Bird.”

“I can get someone else to steer the damned boat,” yelled Bird. “And you’ll release my men, or the duke’s blood will spill all over his pretty white shirt.”

Sweat poured down William’s forehead. He wasn’t getting anywhere with Bird by talking to him. He tried following Melissa’s advice, wracking his brain to figure out what the man wanted, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Even the obvious desire—survival—hadn’t worked. How could he negotiate with someone who was willing to die?

Attacking him wouldn’t work either. His sword was useless against Bird’s knife in such cramped quarters, and he couldn’t risk the duke’s life by trying his odds against such a desperate criminal. But he couldn’t let Bird go either.

“Take me instead,” he said without thinking. “Let the duke go, and I’ll be your hostage.”

“William, no!” said Vincent.

Bird gave a single, cackling laugh. “Don’t worry, your grace; there’s not a chance I’d accept his offer. Not even the great William Whitehall would fetch a hundredth the ransom a duke can. Nice try, hero. Now get off my ship.”

William shook his head in disbelief, trying to detect any clue, even the slightest hint of Bird’s true purpose. “Who are you working for that you’re so willing to risk your life and your freedom?”

“That’s none of your business,” said Bird. “Now get out of my way, or I’ll do to the duke what I did to your butler.”

A chill of anger passed through him. “That was the wrong thing to say,” he said in a cold voice. He pictured himself running his sword through the man’s gut, then standing over him as he slid helplessly into death. Everything else faded away—the cabin, the ship, even Vincent vanished from his sight. A stray sunbeam shone through the porthole, momentarily blinding Bird. William lifted his sword and strode forward.

The cabin door crashed open behind him, stopping him short. “Don’t do it, Will,” a voice warned him.

William whirled around. “Melissa! How did you get here? And why are you all wet?”

Melissa stood dripping, hand on her hip as she shook her head at him in disappointment. “Seriously, Will—don’t those two questions answer each other? I jumped from my dragon and climbed the ropes.”

“You jumped off the drone?” he asked, his jaw slack, but with one eye remaining on Bird. “What on Esper for?”

“Because I saw you land on the ship, dummy, and I couldn’t let you face danger by yourself. What sort of wife does that? And don’t say ‘the normal sort’—we both know that’s not what you want.” She nodded toward Bird and Vincent. “Looks like I came just in time. Are you okay Vincent?”

Vincent pulled at the arm wrapped around his throat and managed to croak his reply. “Well enough, considering. Maybe you should let William handle this, Melissa.”

Melissa cast a dirty look toward the duke. “What is it with you men thinking women can’t ‘handle’ things? I know what I’m doing, your grace. I’ve got this.”

“No one’s got anything,” said Bird, angry that the attention had shifted away from him. “Except me. And what I’ve got is a duke who’s thirty seconds from death if the two of you don’t get out of my way.”

Melissa laughed. “We both know that won’t happen, because the second you draw the duke’s blood, my husband will skewer you like a roasted squab. But let’s talk about what’s really going to happen, shall we? When I jumped from my dragon, five rowboats full of guards were less than thirty minutes from this ship. In fact, they may be boarding the ship already. They’re about to storm in here, causing all sorts of chaos, during which time either you, or the duke, or both could get killed. They won’t stand here and bargain with you like I am.”

A look of fear flashed across Bird’s face, although he did his best to conceal it. “What’s it to me if I die?” he asked.

“You say that now,” continued Melissa. “But I’m sure you have family you’ll be leaving behind. And what if you get thrown into prison? You’ve got at least one death on your hands, so you’ll probably go away for the rest of your life. Isn’t there someone you’d like to see before you die? Someone you’d like to have visit you in prison? I can make that happen. Will can make that happen. And you can be certain the duke can. Let us help you. Who in the world do you want to see most?”

Bird swallowed hard and hesitated. “My two sons.”

“How old?” asked Melissa.

“Twelve and ten.”

“That’s too young to lose a father,” said Melissa, shaking her head with pity. “Don’t you want to give them the best option left to them? A living father in prison is better than a dead one.”

Bird’s breath came ragged and heavy as sweat drenched his face and neck. Without warning, the intense rage melted away, and calm resignation replaced it. “You don’t understand,” he said in a soft voice, more to himself than the others. “He won’t allow it.”

“Who won’t allow what?” asked William.

Bird looked at Melissa. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you would have kept your promise. But I really don’t have a choice.” He lowered the knife toward Vincent’s chest, aiming for the heart. The duke struggled, but Bird was too strong, his arm firmly wrapped around his chest, holding him in place. “Leave now,” he said. “I won’t be taken prisoner, but if I have to die, so does he.”

William leaped without thinking, the dull throb of his injured foot forgotten. He grabbed Bird’s knife-hand, wrenching it back as he simultaneously pushed the duke out of harm’s way. He held on with all his strength as Bird struggled to free his arm, knowing he couldn’t counter it with his sword in such cramped quarters.

Bird was strong—stronger than William, but he didn’t dare ask Melissa to help, and Vincent had gone through too much already. He would have to trick Bird somehow. Bird pummeled him with his free hand, fighting like a cornered animal, forcing William to duck and lose leverage on the knife arm.

William caught a glimpse of something through the porthole: a flash of green against the blue sky. With every last trace of power he had left, he twisted Bird’s knife arm, knowing what was about to happen. He suffered several blows to the head for his effort, but with seconds to spare, he spun Bird around, pushing him hard against the porthole.

With a deafening wallop, the ship’s hull smashed in, timbers shrieking as they were ripped apart. Sunlight poured into the cabin through the gaping wall, blinding William as the wreckage crashed around him, clattering against the walls. A searing pain tore through his side, but he refused to be distracted, saving all his awareness in case Bird used this opportunity to attack—or escape.

He needn’t have bothered. When the air cleared, all he saw in front of him was Clyde, sitting triumphantly on Bird’s mangled body. “No hurt Will,” he said to the corpse beneath him.

Stunned, William looked around in panic. Vincent stood in one corner, unharmed, staring back with his mouth agape. William quickly turned to the other corner and breathed a sigh of relief when he found Melissa unharmed, but her face an ashen gray. A low moan escaped her lips, and grew slowly into a piercing scream as she gestured at William’s stomach with a shaking hand.

“What?” asked William. All she could do in response was shake her head in denial. He looked down to where she pointed and froze, stupefied by the sight. A giant shard of wood as thick as a chair leg had punctured the left side of his gut, leaving a trail of blood oozing down his pant leg. He tugged the shard, steeling himself for an outpouring of blood, but it wouldn’t budge. Instead, it pulled his skin, along with what he assumed were muscle and innards. Suppressing a queasy feeling, he reached around to his back.

The jagged, bloody end was sticking out the other side.

He grabbed for something to hold onto. Vincent and Melissa climbed over the debris and caught him before he could fall, holding him upright as they looked at each other in dismay.

“Hang on, William,” whispered Vincent. “Stay calm—you don’t want to lose too much blood.”

William laughed, blood spurting from his lips. “Look where it hit me, your grace. Blood loss is the least of my concerns.”

“No,” said Melissa, her eyes welling with tears. “No, this can’t be happening.”

“Help me find a place to lie down,” said William. “I don’t think I can stand much longer.”

Vincent kicked at the wreckage until he cleared a space. They slowly lowered him until he was lying on his uninjured side, and he breathed a ragged sigh of relief. He felt Melissa’s hand caressing his arm and he seized it, as Oz had done with his so recently. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I’m so sorry.”

“Be still, darling,” whispered Melissa through her tears. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Coughing wracked his body before he could answer. He caught his breath after a moment and answered, “Yes I do. I’m sorry for the time we can’t be together. We should have married sooner, but—”

“Stop talking, Will. Save your strength. I hear the guards boarding the ship now. They’ll get you to the clinic and Maya will patch you up, good as new. I promise!” Tears flowed down her face unchecked, her eyes betraying her disbelief in her own words.

He squeezed her hand with what little energy he had left. “I love you, Melissa. We were a great team. I wish I’d learned that sooner.” He turned to Vincent and gave him a weak smile. “I’m glad we found you in time, your grace.”

“William, if I could trade places with you, I’d gladly do so,” said Vincent, his face a grave mask. “To have my life saved at the expense of yours is not a price I would have paid.”

William coughed again. “It’s better this way. You know the truth about Zander Bertrand, and you can do something about it. I don’t have that kind of power. You can stop him.”

“You’ve done a lot with the power you have,” said Vincent. “And you did it in the name of justice. Not many can say that.”

William glanced down at the wound and gave an amused grunt. “Like father, like son, I guess.”

His head fell to the floor.