Page 84 of Tin God
“In… ice?” Buck frowned. “Melting ice for that matter?”
Carwyn stared at the map. “Melting ice is exactly the point.”
Buck leaned one arm on the table and narrowed his eyes. “You’re talking about the Northwest Passage, aren’t you?”
“The Northwest Passage?” Ben asked.
Carwyn ignored the young one and looked at the older man. “I’m talking about a very lightly controlled area of the vampire world” —he spread his hand over the map, concentrating on the blue water— “that could become a major shipping region over the next century. Paulson didn’t make a fortune without thinking ahead. He might be betting that this area will be a gold mine in the very near future.”
“I don’t know about that.” Buck shrugged. “But I know Katya is watching the Russian for that exact reason.”
“Oleg?” Ben asked.
Carwyn closed his eyes. “Oleg and Zasha are not working together.”
“Same sire,” Buck said.
“Oleg’s not a sociopath. This was his territory for centuries; it’s not exactly unexpected that he would?—”
“You on his side or something?” Buck asked.
“I don’t take sides in?—”
“Can someone explain this to me?” Ben interrupted them. “What’s the Northwest Passage?”
“A shipping lane.” Carwyn dragged his finger across the edge of the Arctic Sea north of Asia. “And potentially a gold mine. Europe to Asia through the warming Arctic Ocean instead of going through the Panama or the Suez Canals. It would cut the shipping time of goods and the fuel used by a huge margin.”
“People have been speculating about it for years,” Buck said. “Hell, explorers died tryin’ to find it back in the day. Katya knows that Oleg has his eye on it.”
“I’m sure he does, but that doesn’t mean he’s working with Zasha,” Carwyn said.
Buck leaned on the table. “There’ll be a conflict eventually, or some kind of settled agreement. I imagine Katya’s gonna depend on the Athabaskan Confederation preferring stability over Oleg.”
“Why?” Carwyn asked. “They’re interior. We’re talking about water.”
Buck looked stumped. “I don’t know. I guess I always assumed?—”
“You’re thinking like a human.” Carwyn stared at the map. “Because you are one, so of course you are. But we’re vampires. What happens on the water and what happens on land are very different things. The Athabaskans won’t be consulted if water vampires go to war.”
“That’s what Zasha wants then?” Ben frowned. “War? I don’t see them as a general for anyone to command.”
“And we don’t know that Paulson is involved in any of this.” Buck pointed back at the yellow pins. “For all we know, he’s another victim like these vampire compounds along the coast.”
“One way to find out.” Ben looked at the map. “I think it’s a good idea to pay this barge a visit.”
“You’re right.” Carwyn glanced at Ben. “I don’t think it’s smart for you to go without backup.”
“Five hours by boat,” Buck said. “And that’s making good time if the weather holds steady.”
Ben crossed his arms and looked at Buck. “Can you get Carwyn in a boat during the day? That’ll put him up there right about nightfall, right?”
“Not a bad idea.” Buck nodded. “Carwyn?”
“More boats,” he muttered. “I’ll do it.” He glared at Ben. “Only time in my life I’ve wished I could fly.”
Carwyn climbedout from the ship’s hold and into the small enclosed bridge just in time to see faint lights in the distance through the rain-dotted windows beyond the control panel of the fishing boat. An old man in a dark blue sweater and a ragged baseball cap sat in a bouncing chair behind a cracked helm in the center of the sealed compartment.
“Evening.” The old man pointed over his shoulder. “There’s some blood in that fridge if you’re hungry. I am not on the menu.”