Page 66 of Tin God
Now the world was laid out before him, the brutal reality of it, the slithering politics and the destruction. What Ben had told them about the attack that Brigid and Tenzin had found the night before disturbed him on a deeper level.
He knew there was evil in the world. He’d seen the cruelest acts of war and the desperation of the survivors. He’d seen good men turn to darkness when there was no place left in the light. He knew that keeping a code of morality was considered useless to many of his kind.
After all, what god could judge those who never died?
What he could never reconcile was evil for evil’s sake. The wanton destruction of a family, the death of an immortal who had found a modicum of peace. Useless, disgusting cruelty.
“Carwyn?”
He turned to see Buck standing in the doorway, offering a steaming cup of something. Carwyn walked toward him and realized it was herbal tea.
“You don’t seem like the type to drink much,” Buck said, “or I’d offer you a whiskey.”
“I do love a whiskey.” Carwyn took the mug. “But I appreciate the tea too.” He sipped it, glad to taste honey instead of sugar. “Where are we with finding that boat?”
“I’ve called the main office in Seattle, so they’re on it. Katya’s tracking all of Oleg’s fleet that we know of and trying to get information on all his unregistered vessels too.”
“So she’s still convinced that Zasha is working with Oleg?”
Buck shrugged. “You have to admit it makes sense. You want to disrupt the territory of your enemy before you try to take over. Makes the new boss look like a better bet than the old one, you know?”
Okay, the human had a point, but Carwyn knew that Zasha wasn’t working with Oleg. Brigid would have figured that out by now.
“Henri Paulson’s boat,” Carwyn said. “The one that went missing. Could Zasha be working off that?”
“TheFlying Dolphin? It’s good-sized. Possible. That might be the reason they were meeting. Zasha wanted to buy his boat. Or they took it.”
“No one’s seen or heard from Paulson in months, right?”
“Not that I know of, but that’s not unusual. He’s real private.”
“But his crew has gone missing too. Is that normal?”
“No.”
Paulson. Why did that name sound so familiar? Henri Paulson. There was something there. A thread that begged to be tugged.
“Any idea how we’re supposed to get around?” Carwyn asked. “I can’t fly. I never wanted to, but I have to admit, it’d be convenient right now.”
“Katya’s sending thePacific Ladyback to Ketchikan for you.”
“The boat that carried us here?”
Buck nodded. “I’ll go with you, help out Jeb so Jennie can stay here. He’s the water vampire who captains theLady.”
“So no choice but to get around by boat?”
“It’s the best option here.”
Carwyn sipped his tea and stared out over the water. “How would a castle attack?”
Buck looked confused. “How do you attack a castle?”
“No.” He sighed. “It’s a chess thing. I don’t know much about chess, but a smart young man told me that I fought like a castle, which apparently used to mean a chariot.”
Buck frowned. “Attacking like a chariot? That’s a chess thing?”
“I’m told it is.”