protect him for here.”
“How?” Regan had shot back.
“Combine your powers, young birds,” Ching-Ching had said. “Send your combined strength to him. He will take note of it, believe me.”
“You don’t know he’s in trouble,” Regan had answered.
Ching-Ching-s wise monkey face screwed up in annoyance. “I know your father!”
WINDDECEIVER Charlotte Boyett-Compo 50
“I’m thinking this ain’t so bad,” Meggie Ruck pronounced as she waddled across the deck toward Sentian. “A little bit like walking with your snoot full, but not so bad.”
“He’s going to blow his top when he sees you, Meg,” Sentian warned her.
Meggie sniffed. “So let him. Won’t be the first time my bonny boy showed his arse.”
“Watch your mouth,” several men cautioned her.
“Go to the devil with you!” Meggie smirked at them.
“The worse ship’s cook I ever had,” Holm lamented and he watched Meggie sit down on a coil of hemp. “Whoever told her hardtack and biscuits was what was served at sea?”
“Thom,” Roget answered. “Hoping she wouldn’t come along.”
Holm stared across the deck at the tall, bald headed man. “Remind me to teach that bastard a thing or two when we get aboard that Outer Kingdom vessel.”
Wyn peered down from the crow’s nest. He loved sailing as much as his father did. He had scampered up to the lookout point before the Ravenwind had even cleared Boreas Harbor. It was him who saw the man standing on the cliff when the ship had started its tack south.
“ Roget !”
Du Mer had looked up to see Wyn pointing at the cliffs they were passing. He narrowed his gaze, made his way to the taffrail and stood staring across the span of water.
“Is it him?” Sentian had asked.
“Aye, it is.”
Holm was curious to know what the other men were looking at and walked to the rail. He looked out across the waves and a hard glimmer of anger shot through his pale eyes.
“Du Mer!” Holm shouted, making those on deck flinch with the fury and hurt in the man’s booming voice. “Get your ass back to jenny!”
Roget saw his brother, Teal, thrust his hands into the pockets of his breeches, but he did not answer. He wondered if Teal knew where Conar was and that they were going to find him.
“He knows,” Ching-Ching had told him. “He came to wish you well.” The Chrystallusian had shaken his head. “A man’s pride is a terrible burden at times.”
“Conar doesn’t blame him for what Sadie did,” Roget had argued. “Teal should know that.”
“No, but du Mer blames himself.”
Teal had stood there for a moment longer, listening to Holm berating him, then had turned and disappeared.
“He’s got a wife and babe and the man has forsaken them!” Holm had bit out, slamming his hand down on the railing.
“Give him time, Holm,” Tyne had tried to soothe the man. “Let him come to grips with it.”
“When we get Conar home,” Sentian had vowed, “we’ll go find du Mer and bring him home, too.”
“Bring her around, Mr. Tarnes!” Holm shouted to his first mate.
Paegan scampered forward, giving orders to bring in the yards.
“Jasmine Cay,” Sentian whispered, never thinking to see the island again.
“He loved this place,” Thom said.
“Aye. Once,” Sentian agreed. “But after what happened to Nadia--“
“Do you think Edan is the traitor?” Thom asked, surprising Sentian.
“Edan?” Sentian shook his head. “No. He loved Nadia as though she were his own daughter. Whoever took her from the keep is our traitor, Thom. It can’t be Marsh.”
“He left,” Thom grumbled. “Right after Conar did.”
WINDDECEIVER Charlotte Boyett-Compo 51
“He told us why,” Roget said, joining them. “Do you have reason to think he was lying?”
Thom scrunched his rubbery face into a mask of worry. “Maybe.”
“What does that mean?” Roget asked.
But Thom would say no more. He kept his suspicions to himself.
Captain Serge Nickolayevich Kutuzov grinned widely
“How?” Regan had shot back.
“Combine your powers, young birds,” Ching-Ching had said. “Send your combined strength to him. He will take note of it, believe me.”
“You don’t know he’s in trouble,” Regan had answered.
Ching-Ching-s wise monkey face screwed up in annoyance. “I know your father!”
WINDDECEIVER Charlotte Boyett-Compo 50
“I’m thinking this ain’t so bad,” Meggie Ruck pronounced as she waddled across the deck toward Sentian. “A little bit like walking with your snoot full, but not so bad.”
“He’s going to blow his top when he sees you, Meg,” Sentian warned her.
Meggie sniffed. “So let him. Won’t be the first time my bonny boy showed his arse.”
“Watch your mouth,” several men cautioned her.
“Go to the devil with you!” Meggie smirked at them.
“The worse ship’s cook I ever had,” Holm lamented and he watched Meggie sit down on a coil of hemp. “Whoever told her hardtack and biscuits was what was served at sea?”
“Thom,” Roget answered. “Hoping she wouldn’t come along.”
Holm stared across the deck at the tall, bald headed man. “Remind me to teach that bastard a thing or two when we get aboard that Outer Kingdom vessel.”
Wyn peered down from the crow’s nest. He loved sailing as much as his father did. He had scampered up to the lookout point before the Ravenwind had even cleared Boreas Harbor. It was him who saw the man standing on the cliff when the ship had started its tack south.
“ Roget !”
Du Mer had looked up to see Wyn pointing at the cliffs they were passing. He narrowed his gaze, made his way to the taffrail and stood staring across the span of water.
“Is it him?” Sentian had asked.
“Aye, it is.”
Holm was curious to know what the other men were looking at and walked to the rail. He looked out across the waves and a hard glimmer of anger shot through his pale eyes.
“Du Mer!” Holm shouted, making those on deck flinch with the fury and hurt in the man’s booming voice. “Get your ass back to jenny!”
Roget saw his brother, Teal, thrust his hands into the pockets of his breeches, but he did not answer. He wondered if Teal knew where Conar was and that they were going to find him.
“He knows,” Ching-Ching had told him. “He came to wish you well.” The Chrystallusian had shaken his head. “A man’s pride is a terrible burden at times.”
“Conar doesn’t blame him for what Sadie did,” Roget had argued. “Teal should know that.”
“No, but du Mer blames himself.”
Teal had stood there for a moment longer, listening to Holm berating him, then had turned and disappeared.
“He’s got a wife and babe and the man has forsaken them!” Holm had bit out, slamming his hand down on the railing.
“Give him time, Holm,” Tyne had tried to soothe the man. “Let him come to grips with it.”
“When we get Conar home,” Sentian had vowed, “we’ll go find du Mer and bring him home, too.”
“Bring her around, Mr. Tarnes!” Holm shouted to his first mate.
Paegan scampered forward, giving orders to bring in the yards.
“Jasmine Cay,” Sentian whispered, never thinking to see the island again.
“He loved this place,” Thom said.
“Aye. Once,” Sentian agreed. “But after what happened to Nadia--“
“Do you think Edan is the traitor?” Thom asked, surprising Sentian.
“Edan?” Sentian shook his head. “No. He loved Nadia as though she were his own daughter. Whoever took her from the keep is our traitor, Thom. It can’t be Marsh.”
“He left,” Thom grumbled. “Right after Conar did.”
WINDDECEIVER Charlotte Boyett-Compo 51
“He told us why,” Roget said, joining them. “Do you have reason to think he was lying?”
Thom scrunched his rubbery face into a mask of worry. “Maybe.”
“What does that mean?” Roget asked.
But Thom would say no more. He kept his suspicions to himself.
Captain Serge Nickolayevich Kutuzov grinned widely
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