Page 85 of Tin God
Carwyn smiled. “I hunted before we left this morning, but thank you.” He looked around the compartment. “Are we close?”
“Almost there. Name’s Clovis, and I don’t need to know yours.”
“Understood.”
“Your friend meeting us?”
Carwyn peered out into the dark, overcast night. “He’s flying. Said it would only take an hour or so after dusk.”
The captain nodded. “I’ll put the lights on then. Give him a place to land if he’s coming from above.” The wiry human captain glanced over his shoulder. “Ain’t really a place for earth types. Kinda surprised to see one of you this far out.”
“I’m not with the Athabaskans.” Carwyn reached out to balance himself as the boat hit a rough spot. “I’m from Wales.”
“Eh-yup.” The man nodded. “You’ll see them out here too.”
Carwyn blinked. “Athabaskan vampires?”
“Nah, whales.”
Right. Carwyn nodded and gave the man a smile. “Well, I thank you for the lift. Buck said you know these waters much better than he does.”
“I been around a while, but Jennie calls the shots in my world. She tells me to take one of you boys where you need to go, I don’t ask questions.”
Carwyn looked at the darkness all around him. He could barely make out the dim outline of islands rising up out of the water, covered in dense trees, but there was no moon and no stars reflected on the water. The sun had only been down for half an hour, but it was already pitch-black.
“We’re not sure what we’re looking for,” he warned the old man. “It might be a while.”
“No worries. I got a book with me. Take all the time you need. You got about sixteen hours before the sun comes up, so plenty of time to go exploring.” He nodded at the glowing panels in front of him. “I pick up anything on the radar, I’ll let you know.”
“Hopefully once my friend gets here, he can give you directions.”
“I gotta say, I don’t envy the blood-drinking thing, but that vampire night vision would sure come in handy.”
“You’re not wrong, Clovis.” Carwyn settled into a bench seat to wait for Ben.
No more than half an hour later, he heard a thump on the back of the boat. When he looked out the back window, he saw Ben’s tall figure dressed in black, crouched on the deck and clearly trying to find his balance.
Clovis smiled. “Wind vampires hate small boats.”
“Lucky they don’t have to take them often.” Carwyn threw a yellow slicker over his shoulders and walked out of the enclosed compartment. “You’re here.”
The young vampire straightened. “I saw the barge coming in. If he takes the boat toward the shore and around this island here” —Ben pointed to the right— “it’s in a cove.”
“I’ll tell him.”
Carwyn poked his head into the bridge and said, “Around the island and to the right. There’s a cove?”
Clovis nodded. “Eh-yup. I know the place.” The old man walked out on the deck and flashed a lantern toward the shore. “Just callin’ Gus.”
“Gus?”
The human frowned at Carwyn. “You didn’t think I was gonna take this big thing close into that barge, did you? You want eyes on that boat, you need a water vampire. Jennie said to call Gus.”
Carwyn had to assume that Gus was one of Katya’s people too if Jennie said to call him.
A few moments later, a flash from the shore came back, and Clovis headed back to the bridge. “He’ll bring ’er around.”
“Good.” Carwyn didn’t know what was happening, but he was going to follow the old human’s lead.