a panic. Was it morning already? How much time had passed? Gods, he couldn’t afford to fall asleep!
Waves lapped at his legs, and the salt water stung the myriad cuts on his skin. The pain helped him focus, and he realized that whatever time he’d lost couldn’t be recovered, so worrying over it was a waste. All that mattered now was getting to Tiger’s Belly as quickly as possible.
I need a boat. I can’t beat Prince Gin there, but maybe I can still get to Tiger’s Belly before they leave with the new batch of recruits. In time to save Sora.
Daemon rolled over and got to his feet. His legs felt like jelly, but he forced himself to jog toward the cluster of thatch-roofed huts farther up the beach.
Half a dozen fishermen sat on a small pier, some sorting through the day’s catch, others mending nets. It must have been later than Daemon thought it was. Please let the ryuu still be at Tiger’s Belly.
“Yah-ho!” he shouted when he was close enough.
The men looked up at his greeting.
Daemon stopped at the edge of the pier and gave a short bow of his head. “Hello there. I was hoping you could help me.”
They blinked at Daemon, as if he were a strange apparition. He must have looked like some sort of sea creature, dripping wet with seaweed and sand clinging to his clothes.
“Look at his hair,” one of the men whispered. “It looks like the midnight ocean.”
The others gawked.
“Um . . .” Daemon ran his fingers through his hair. Damn blue roots. Once this was all over, he was going to dye them again. But first, he had the small order of business of defeating a magical, vengeful prince bent on hypnotizing all of Kichona. Easy.
After a few more seconds of gaping, the first man who’d noticed Daemon’s hair dropped to his knees and lay out prostrate on the pier, as if bowing to the empress herself.
“What are you doing?” Daemon asked, blood rushing to his cheeks. “Get up. I’m not royalty.”
“Nauti is testing us,” the man said to the others.
They murmured their understanding that they were in the presence of the god of the sea, who in some myths had hair as blue and black as the deepest part of the ocean. They immediately fell to their knees and laid themselves before Daemon.
“No!” Daemon said, the ridiculousness of the scene pushing back on his own embarrassment. “I’m not a god. Especially Nauti, who I’m pretty sure wouldn’t look like a drowned dog if he wanted to appear before you. Look, I’m only a taiga.”
The men crawled up from their bows a little, although they remained on their knees, just in case. “A taiga?”
“Yes, I am called Wolf, and I am in dire need of your assistance. I need a boat so I can get to Tiger’s Belly. Whatever it costs, the Society will reimburse you, and then some. But please, get up. I need this boat quickly.”
They studied him, then discussed among themselves for what seemed like an eon. Finally, the first man stood up.
“We do not have much to offer, but whether you are Nauti or Wolf, it is our honor to help you. We’ll row you ourselves, wherever you wish to go.”
Daemon nodded. I suppose if believing I’m a god means they’ll get me to Tiger’s Belly, I’ll let them go on believing. He’d donate next month’s apprentice allowance to Nauti’s temple as an apology for not setting the record straighter here today.
“Thank you,” he said. “You are truly honorable citizens of Kichona. Now please, let’s go.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Soon thereafter, the ship swept briskly into Tiger’s Belly. The ryuu disembarked, led by Hana, who refused to meet Sora’s eye.
The harbormaster ran down the pier, waving papers angrily. “This ship is not registered! You cannot take up a berth!” he shouted.
Prince Gin took his time walking up to him.
“My ship serves Sola, Luna, and Zomuri,” he said. “You insult our gods by refusing me in your port.”
“I don’t know who Zomuri is—”
Prince Gin flicked his wrist.
The harbormaster’s head snapped cleanly off his neck.
Sora gasped. The man’s body remained standing for a few seconds, as if, in its shock, it still expected its head to return. But a moment later, it collapsed onto the pier, splattering blood everywhere.
The new recruits joined Sora in her surprise, but Prince Gin turned to them and said, “We aim for peace while in our own kingdom, but sometimes, expediency requires sacrifice. Blood is a price