Page 21 of Drift: Willa & Koy

They dredgers climbed out of the skiff one by one until it was empty and Bruin stepped inside, making it rock. There was a scratch on his cheek where I’d hit him and the bloom of red below his cheekbone was spreading. Between my fingers, the pain was only growing. I was pretty sure I’d broken something.

The woman running the skiff avoided Koy’s gaze, turning the small sail before she pushed off from the dock. Bruin’s eyes didn’t leave mine as it caught the wind, drifting toward the beach.

Koy sighed, watching the boat grow smaller in the distance. “We’re going to pay for that.”

EIGHT

The thick scent of tung oil burned in my nose as I watched a single star move across the sky. The breeze coming through the window wasn’t strong enough to cool the cramped bosun’s post, but it carried the smell of a storm—a scent that made me miss theMarigold.

I’d never felt that way about the hovel we called home in Waterside. I didn’t miss the streets that always seemed to be wet, even if it hadn’t rained, or the sounds of the city. I didn’t miss my mother, either.

I just missed West.

TheMarigoldwas the first place I ever had to come back to. A place that I belonged. And now that I was gone, I couldn’t quite remember why I’d been so set on leaving. For the last few hours, as I painted oil onto the unsealed wood in Coen’s quarters, I’d been asking myself the same questions over and over.

Had I made a mistake when I came here? Was any of this even real? Could I really make it without my brother?

I could see it in my mind, everything falling apart piece by piece. The harbor, the port, all the copper I’d sunk into this dream. It was all crumbling before my very eyes. How had I been so stupid?

Only a few steps away, Ailee’s soft breaths echoed the faint brush of waves outside. She was curled up in her hammock, one foot dangling from the fabric. We’d worked until well after sundown to finish the sealing in Coen’s quarters and after another coat, theWellworthywould be on its way. Their departure couldn’t come soon enough, and while only days ago I’d been convinced it was our big chance, now I was hoping it was the last we’d see of the ship.

That blank, empty look in Coen’s eyes when he’d stood up on the deck of theWellworthywas burned in my memory. I couldn’t shake it. What had that look meant? Did he know that I knew? If he did, what would he do about it?

I hadn’t seen him on the ship as I worked for the rest of the day, and I hadn’t gone to the tavern because I didn’t want to run into any Jevalis looking for payback in Bruin’s name. I’d also been hesitant to let Ailee out of my sight, surprising myself with how protective I felt over the girl. The old rules we lived by would have forbidden the risk Ailee had brought into my life, and it was possible I was just filling the empty place West had once occupied. But the thing I feared even more than that reality was the possibility of being alone.

The wind picked up, making the bosun’s post groan around me and I smiled to myself, thinking it almost sounded like a ship. Almost. But the smile fell when I heard the creak of wood on the dock outside. I stilled, listening.

A bigger wave crashed against the barrier islands and I relaxed, letting out the breath I was holding. I was skittish, and I didn’t like that feeling. It reminded me of those months after Crane, when the burn on my face was healing about as fast as my heart was. I’d been truly terrified, and even more terrified for anyone to know it.

I closed my eyes, trying to push the memories from my mind. I listened to the sound of the water. The wind. The ring of grommets on tilting masts. But my eyes popped back open when I heard a metal click outside the door. No,atthe door.

My heartbeat quickened as I sat up, silently touching my bare feet to the floor. There were whispers drifting in through the open window. Shadows moving over the wall. Someone was coming.

I stood, reaching into Ailee’s hammock to cover her mouth with one hand before I shook her awake with the other. She startled, eyes widening in the dark as they focused on me.

I leaned down, putting my mouth close to her ear.

“Get up,” I whispered.

Ailee obeyed, her skinny limbs untangling from the fabric as I helped her to her feet. Another scrape of metal sounded, drawing her gaze to the door, and I could see the moment the panic gripped her. She pushed the curls back from her face, frantically searching the darkness around us.

I pressed a finger to my mouth and pointed to the small window at the back of the post above the counter. It was too small for me, but she could fit. She could get out before that door opened.

Ailee looked from the window to me before shaking her head.

The lock on the door clicked and I went still, watching the flicker of light beneath the door. When I pushed Ailee toward the back window, she planted her feet, refusing again. She didn’t relent until I had all but picked her up, hauling her toward it.

I lifted her to the opening and she scrambled through, her black eyes meeting mine for a breath before she melted into the dark. My pulse was a sprint now, my breaths coming so fast that I could feel my head going light. This is how it had been before. That buzz in the air telling me that somewhere terrible was about to happen, only there was nothing I could do to stop it.

My hands fumbled along the wall in search of my belt and when I found it, my fingers hooked the handle of my dagger. My grip closed around it as the door to the post opened, bringing a stream of moonlight inside.

Two silhouettes were painted against the glare and I squared my shoulders to them, my skin going cold as ice. It was Bruin. I’d known it must be, but seeing his shape there against the black sky filled my insides with pure fear. By the time anyone heard me screaming, he’d have his hands around my throat.

“Where’s your harbor master now, Willa?” The grin was thick in Bruin’s voice.

I lifted the dagger before me, letting my weight shift back and forth from one leg to the other. It was possible I could outrun him, but I’d have to get past him first. That didn’t seem likely with two of them. My best chance was to fight like hell and hope I’d bought myself enough time for Ailee to get help.

Bruin took a step toward me and I stood my ground, tightening my grip on the blade. Moonlight glinted off the jewels set into the handle as my hand shook. I could barely keep hold of it.