Read Online Salamaine's Curse by V. L. Burgess - Free Book Online Page B

attention.
    Willa stepped between them. “Look, forget it, both of you. We all made it aboard and that’s what matters. We can’t fight among ourselves. Not if we want to get the book.” Turning to Tom, she said, “Now, are you all right?”
    He rose and stepped around her, standing nearly toe-to-toe with his brother. “What’s your problem?”
    â€œNo problem.” Porter gave a cool shrug. “It’s been a while. I guess I’d just forgotten how you love to play the hero.”
    â€œPlay the hero?
Are you serious?”
    â€œWe had a plan. All you had to do was get on the ship. But I guess that was a little too complicated for you.”
    â€œWhat’d you expect me to do? Just stand there and let those scavengers attack that woman and her kids?”
    â€œIt wasn’t about you! Her husband was right there, seconds away. But you had to go and risk everything—”
    â€œAnd what if I hadn’t?” Tom challenged. “What if I’d just followed you aboard? You would have crashed into those gates. That’s what would have happened. This ship would be torn to pieces, and we’d all be in that river right now, fighting off scavengers. Think about it. Is that what you want?”
    Porter’s eyes went icy. “Like I said, you’re a hero. You saved us all.”

    A sharp gust of wind blew across the deck. The upper sail, likely the one he became tangled up in when he’d fallen, bellowed out with a deafening
crack!
Tom’s rope whipped past them, slithering across the deck like some kind of underwater snake.
    â€œWhere’s my crew?!” Umbrey bellowed. “Do you lazy bilge rats need to be told to tighten the halyard line?!”
    A sailor sprung to and secured the wayward line. Umbrey watched the man see to his task, then returned his attention to Porter, Willa, Mudge, and Tom.
    â€œI’ve got bigger problems on my hands than your petty little squabbles. I run a ship here, not a blasted nursery. Split up and cool off.” He looked at Willa and Mudge. “You two go below decks and get some sleep. And you two …” He reached for a pair of long wooden poles equipped with vicious-looking iron hooks. He thrust one pole into Tom’s hands, the other in Porter’s. “You start on the starboard side, you start on the port. Comb the hull for scavengers. You find any of those slimy creatures, hook ‘em and cast them far enough out to sea that they can’t come back. You let one sneak onto my ship and I’ll personally feed you to it. Understood?”
    Tom gave a tight nod, as did Porter.
    â€œGood. Get to it.”
    Willa sent them both a fuming glare and stormed away without a word, which made Tom feel far worse than Umbrey’s scolding had. She was right. If they were going to make it through the Cursed Souls Sea, he would have to find a way to get along with his brother.
    By the time he had finished his task (he’d only found one scavenger on his side, but judging by the hissing and howling and subsequent splashes he’d heard on the opposite side of the ship, Porter had had to deal with three), he was considerably calmer. He triple-checked to make sure he hadn’t missed any, then returned his pole to its proper place by the main mast.
    He looked around. Porter was gone. The flickering lights and shrill chaos of Divino were long gone. Umbrey’s crew, or at least the ones who remained above deck, moved about their tasks with quiet efficiency. The stars had shifted. Time had passed, but there was no way to guess how much. An inky black sea surrounded them. It lapped against the hull, setting a soft, steady rhythm to the night.
    Tom was suddenly aware how exhausted he was. His muscles ached and his eyes were sore with the strain of keeping them open. He wanted to find Umbrey and find out more about the scavengers, but his thoughts were too cloudy. Better to wait until the