Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 93948 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93948 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
In what world will the crew be in agreement? Especially if they talk like that. I lean forward. “Then let me talk to them. Let me explain—”
“And use your glamour to get their agreement.” They shake their head sharply. “Absolutely not.”
I jerk back, stung. “You truly think so little of me?”
“Not under normal circumstances.” Their jaw is set and they’re still not looking at me. “You’re not a bad man, Bastian, but right now you’re desperate—and desperate people cross moral lines they never would have imagined crossing in other times.”
I can’t even argue with that. I would glamour the crew if I thought I didn’t have any other choice. Not to sail directly into Lyari—not even I am that cruel—but to drop us on the other side of the island so we can make our own way into the city. That’s honestly the preferable course of action, for all that time is of the essence. The officials in Lyari tend to focus almost entirely on the bay, instead of on any foot traffic into the city. There isn’t much of it, so it would be a waste of resources.
“I will—”
Nox cuts Siobhan off. “No. They’re my crew. They’ll get their vote and we will abide by it.” They rub the back of their hand over their forehead. “No matter what the vote is, I’ll see it through. But I won’t let them continue this fight without understanding the full stakes.”
True to Poet’s word, within five minutes the crew is gathered on the deck. I search their faces, trying to divine the mood. Exhaustion seems to be the overarching theme, but beneath that, it’s hard to tell what they’re thinking.
Nox steps easily onto the railing, putting themself head and shoulders above even Bowen, the tallest here. “You all know we came to Kanghri for information. Well, we have it.” They motion at Dia. “There is a horn in Lyari that may summon the ancients that the Cŵn Annwn take their name and reputation from. We don’t know what will happen when we blow it, but it’s still a chance to avoid a full-out battle.”
Siobhan growls. “That’s not all of it.” She turns to the people gathered, every inch a leader despite her relative nakedness. “There are a lot of stories about the originals, and some of them come from my family, who can trace their lineage back to those very originals.”
A shocked murmur goes up among the crew. They knew she was powerful, of course; she’s displayed prowess in a number of ways since coming aboard, let alone before. But my glamour did its job and concealed the sight of her from enemy and ally alike. They haven’t witnessed her in her true glory, and even without that, I can see the effect she’s having on them.
She seems to meet every gaze individually. “The theory is that whoever blows it will be able to ask one favor of the originals. In this case, that favor would be to purge the rot from Threshold. Nox is right: we have no guarantee that it will work—or that it will result in the outcome we want. It’s entirely likely that nothing will happen if we blow it. Or that if the ancients do show up, they’ll simply kill us all.”
Lizzie snorts. “What a rousing speech.”
Nox gives her a long look and cuts in. “I won’t lie to you or anyone else on the crew. Siobhan has been searching for a way to bring the Cŵn Annwn down for years. This is the only plan that has even a chance of succeeding without a massive loss of life.” They take a breath. “I want you with me. I won’t pretend that any other outcome is preferable. But I value you and I won’t hold it against you if you want nothing more to do with this.”
Poet steps forward, drawing attention to herself. “We’re calling a vote. Yay to continue on this course. Nay to drop Nox and the others at the nearest safe port and sail through the portal in Skoiya to wait out this trouble in that realm.”
From the way Nox’s eyes widen briefly, they had no idea Poet was going to offer another option like that. It’s a good option, as such things go. The Cŵn Annwn aren’t above traveling to other realms when the situation calls for it, but it’s likely that with the right sleight of hand, Poet would be able to make a good showing of the Audacity going down, freeing the crew to disperse and start new lives.
It won’t do a damn thing to help the people stuck in Threshold, though.
The crew murmurs among themselves. Even as I try to make out the individual words, it’s impossible to know which way they’re leaning. I had foolishly thought they would take us to Lyari’s island, which shares the same name as the city. If they drop us somewhere else, we’re going to be starting from less than zero. We’d have to find a ship, and then contend with the fact that no ship can match the Audacity in speed.