The Curse of the Blessed

Chapter Sixty-Four

Captain Rayan awaited us on the deck of the ship. I'd expected her expression to be elated. I'd expected her white smile to flash in the darkness—her laugh to ring out through the night like the full teal of a bell. Instead, her face was somber. Happiness still lay somewhere within it, but the emotion seemed mild, barely there at all.

"Are all of you all right?" she asked.

"We're great," said Cass. "No casualties. No injuries."

Jaret raised his hand. "Actually, I've got a papercut."

"No in-battle injuries," Cass amended.

Captain Rayan turned to me, and Bran, and Reed, and Lark, and the children who shivered nervously behind Lark as though she was some sort of shelter. She knelt down. "Hi."

Wren, Lark's sister, gave a small smile and said, in a voice that was also small, "Hi."

"Will you be needing anything? Other than rooms? Are you hurt at all?"

One of the boys ducked past Lark to stare at Captain Rayan. "We're fine. Do you have any cake?"

She grinned. "Actually, yes."

His eyes grew wide. "Yes? Where is it?"

"I think it's a little late for cake," Lark said.

Eyes firmly fixed on Captain Rayan, the boy shook his head. "You're not the captain. She's the one who makes that decision." A smile broke out on his face. "So? Cake?"

"Lark's right," said Captain Rayan. "It's a bit late." The boy groaned and turned away, and she hurried to add, "However, we'd better have a celebration for these new Blesseds, as we always do. Don't you think?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "I definitely think so."

Captain Rayan gave a satisfied nod and stood, turning to Cass. "Would you and your rescue Blesseds be willing to show them to their rooms?" She jerked her head at us. "I'd like to have a word with those four."

Cass nodded. "Of course. Come on, guys. Time for the tour."

Wren looked up at Lark nervously.

"It's okay," Lark told her. "You should go with them. They're nice. I'll see you tomorrow."

They embraced, and Wren joined the other children, trailing after the rest of the rescue Blesseds into the belly of the ship.

Captain Rayan twisted her wrist, and five chairs rose from the deck of the ship. She sat in one and motioned for us to join her. We complied.

"So," she said. "Are the four of you all right?"

I shrugged, as did Lark and Bran.

"As good as can be expected," Reed said.

Captain Rayan raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure? You're always welcome to talk to me, you know, if you want to get anything off your chests. I know it can be hard to leave your hometown on bad terms. It can be hard to know you're never coming back." She looked down at her hands and began twisting a thumb ring. "I want to make sure you have what you'll need to get used to living here. Coming was always a worst-case scenario for you, I know."

Lark immediately shook her head. "We'll be honored to live here with you. There's nothing wrong with it."

"But that doesn't mean you're happy with." Captain Rayan shrugged, crossing her legs and relaxing. "It doesn't mean you have to be happy with it, either. This is a big change. If it's not hard now, it will be eventually. You'll have to grieve for the past sooner or later. But this ship is full of people who have gone through the exact same thing. Most of them would jump at the chance to help you."