its jumbled assembly. It would take an imagination. He did find it distinctive that the cairn appeared to be built using pieces of granite when the rest of the rocks on the island were dark and volcanic. The clacking of the real skulls rattled his nerves as the wind picked up again. He wished to run through the forest, cutting them down and arranging for a re-burial.
“Maybe Dak can figure out if there’s a trapdoor or secret switch,” Arayevo said. “He’s good at pushing buttons and levers.”
Dak’s eyebrows rose.
Arayevo placed a hand on Yanko’s forearm. “While he’s doing that, I need to talk to you about things.”
“Things?” Yanko had dreamed of talking about things with her for most of his life, but this seemed an odd time for it. Besides, he highly doubted she was thinking of the same types of things he always was.
Dak’s single eye closed to a slit as he continued to regard Arayevo.
“It took Minark leaving me behind and almost losing you to realize how important some things were,” Arayevo said firmly and nodded toward some scrubby bushes farther along the butte. “Can I steal you for a moment?”
Lakeo propped her fists on her hips, a surprisingly fierce scowl on her face.
“I’ll see what I can find,” Dak said, turning to consider the cairn. “Don’t go far.”
Arayevo pulled Yanko toward the bushes. She didn’t have to pull hard. Even if he had been mulling over the lodestone, his feet would still follow her wherever she wanted to lead. Her words echoed in his mind. Was it possible that she had come to realize that she cared about him? As more than a friend?
“What is it?” Yanko asked quietly when she stopped. He kept his voice casual, not wanting to sound too hopeful, not wanting to let her know that his arm tingled when she touched it like that.
“Badger goddess’s furry hide, he sticks close, doesn’t he?” Arayevo glanced back at Dak.
“Bodyguards are supposed to.”
“Come on, Yanko. You know he’s your spy, not your bodyguard.”
Yanko spread his hands. “He’s been effective at the latter while doing the former.”
“Well, he’s definitely not on our side.” Arayevo grimaced.
“He didn’t... do anything to you, did he?” Yanko had a hard time imagining Dak acting dishonorably, but her grimace made him wonder what had gone on during those three days she and Lakeo had been alone with him.
“What? No, nothing like that. To Lakeo’s lament maybe. But listen, in case you’re wondering why he’s not too worried about the underwater boat being destroyed, it’s because he’s got company coming.”
“What kind of company?” Yanko shifted so his back was toward Dak, even though the Turgonian seemed to be busy examining the rocks. “And when did he get a chance to invite it to come?”
“The underwater boat had a communications orb tucked away in a little cubby in the engine room. You didn’t sense it?”
“I sensed that the engine itself was powered by something magical, but I didn’t get much of a chance to explore the ship.”
Arayevo acknowledged that with a flick of her fingers. “I didn’t know it was there, either, until I heard him talking to someone in the middle of the night when he thought Lakeo and I were sleeping. My Turgonian isn’t great, but I’ve picked up a few words—we visited one of their ports while I was with Minark, and we had Turgonians in our crew.”
Yanko nodded for her to go on, though dread had settled in his stomach, and he worried he didn’t want to hear what else she had to say.
“I’m not sure who he was talking to, but he asked to have a message delivered to an Admiral Markcrest. He held up the journal, the page with the map on it. Yanko, a Turgonian fleet could be on its way here right now.” Arayevo looked toward the sea.
From this side of the butte, the pirate vessels were not in view, and Yanko realized he ought to have left one of his teammates by the cliff to monitor them. Of course, Pey Lu’s ships might not matter if Dak’s people truly showed up with a fleet. As powerful as his mother was, Yanko doubted she would take on the Turgonian military, especially not after losing her ship to a single underwater boat. He remembered what she had told him, that the pilot was quite experienced with the craft and naval warfare. At this point, Yanko hadn’t found much that Dak wasn’t experienced with.
“Just because he requested