Mark Chadbourn - The Devil

The younger spy snorted. ‘And in no way did this enter your calculations as you dragged us all on your personal quest for destruction.’

‘You chose to come,’ Launceston interjected. ‘No one forced you. Indeed, we might have found more joy on this voyage if you had been left on that island.’

Strangewayes glared at the Earl.

‘To answer your question, Tobias, of course I knew the attention of the Unseelie Court would be drawn to Dr Dee, allowing us to sail quietly by,’ Will said with a grin, seemingly unruffled.

‘Then should we not have accompanied him? Two galleons could better fight off-’

‘Two galleons are neither here nor there against the overwhelming power of the Enemy.’ Will leaned on the rail, staring into the night. ‘The Tempest is the finest galleon in all the world, race-built and fleet. We would only have slowed her down.’

Gnawing on a ship’s biscuit, Carpenter added, ‘Courtenay has four days’ start, and he will give them a good fight if they want one-’

‘Against the Unseelie Court fleet?’ Strangewayes interrupted, incredulous.

‘-and with Dee in his right mind once more,’ Carpenter continued as if the younger spy had not spoken, ‘there will be magics and trickery aplenty if battle is joined. In truth, I would not wish to be on a Fay galleon.’

Will watched Grace walk up to the clutch of men, her brow furrowed in suspicion. ‘Why do you argue?’ she asked. She kept her voice light, but Will sensed in it a hint of caution for the one who professed to love her. She was more than aware of Strangewayes’ loathing for Will, and she had taken it upon herself to prevent any trouble from developing between the two men.

‘Nothing,’ Strangewayes muttered. He turned away, seeing the other men were closing ranks against him too. But Will sensed that not only Strangewayes but all there recognized that he had taken a gamble with the lives of men he knew; and indeed with England itself, for if he had truly sacrificed Dee to gain an advantage, all would be lost. They still trusted him, for now, but he wondered when they would begin to suspect he would sacrifice even their lives to bring Jenny home.

Will watched as the Unseelie ships disappeared into the night. ‘Enjoy this moment of peace. The Unseelie Court will become aware of us soon enough, and then we will feel the full force of their fury.’

‘You have a plan?’ Carpenter asked.

‘I always have a plan.’

For near three weeks, with the crew surviving on meagre rations, the Corneille Noire seethed under a merciless sun, heading towards the west away from the main trade routes. Though the compass remained reliable, Captain Sanburne would scowl and stare up to the heavens as the sunrise flipped from west to east and back again with no rhyme or reason. Will wondered if the land the Enemy called home was like the autumn mist on the Thames, flowing in and out of every nook and cranny along the crowded banks of the city. He took comfort from the fact that they sighted no other Fay vessels, and that only one Spanish treasure galleon crossed the blue horizon.

As they neared the New World, Will felt the obsidian mirror calling to him. Time and again, he found himself in one of the cabins with the looking glass on the trestle in front of him, hoping against hope that Jenny would appear before him. Only once did he catch a fleeting glimpse of her face. Her eyes seemed heavy with worry, and that only spurred him on. She lived, and that was enough. And soon he would bring her home or die trying.

As he climbed back into the sweltering sun from his latest attempt to use the looking glass, he glimpsed Meg watching him with a curious expression from the narrow strip of shade near the forecastle. It was as if she knew every doubt that plagued him. He turned away, pretending not to see the beautiful Irish woman’s searching gaze, but she glided over and hailed him in a jaunty manner. ‘Such a handsome face should not be troubled by a brooding look. You need good company to raise your spirits,’ she said with a smile, flapping a hand to cool her flushed brow. ‘Indeed, we both do. Life aboard ship has little in the way of excitement, or comfort, and it seems I have been looking at nothing but blue waves for a lifetime.’

‘I fear I would be poor company,’ he replied, putting on a practised smile. ‘My mind is weighted down by plans and strategies.’ He heard a splash and watched Carpenter draw up a flapping silver fish on a line at port. As if standing guard, Launceston stood nearby with his arms folded and a blank expression, studying his colleague.

Meg cocked her head to one side. ‘There is still time to turn this galleon round and sail for more entertaining climes.’ When she saw he lacked enthusiasm for her suggestion, she sighed and added, ‘But no. There will be no turning away while the memory of your long-lost love has its hook in you.’

‘I have waited too long to discover the truth, Meg. I would have some peace in my life.’ He grabbed a stay and looked up to the yards and the blue sky beyond, but the intensity of her attention drew his eyes down to her once more.

‘You would have her back beside you, more like.’ Her features softened briefly and he glimpsed some honest concern there. ‘I hope you gain your heart’s desire, I truly do,’ she added on a wistful note.

Her words struck too close to home and he changed the subject, nodding towards Strangewayes and Grace locked in intense conversation by the mainmast. ‘I have a favour to ask. Grace is not accustomed to the life we lead. I allowed her to accompany us against my better judgement, but she deserves her answers and her own peace, and I know she would rather die than live the way she has been.’ He ignored the Irish woman’s searching gaze. ‘If you could do all within your power to keep her safe, I would be in your debt. Should we return to England, I will find as much gold as you require.’

‘It is not gold I need,’ she replied with a teasing smile. ‘Sometimes she buzzes like a fly, and I must resist the urge to swat her, but I will do as you ask.’

‘I fear I cannot trust Tobias to protect her. He is too raw, too fired by his passions.’

Meg’s eyes narrowed as she flashed a glance towards the younger spy. ‘You cannot trust him at all. He is a lovesick fool who can only see the world with the simple eyes of a child. Black and white, good and evil. He thinks you place his girl in danger and so you are his enemy. If only he knew the truth. How much you harm yourself-’

‘Enough.’ Will waved a dismissive hand. ‘Let us not wish upon him this grey world of compromise. He will arrive here soon enough.’

He saw a softness in her look, but she hid it quickly. ‘And yet there is some truth in what he says.’

Will watched the cut and thrust of dolphins’ fins slicing the waves alongside the galleon. He sighed. ‘I presume you are going to tell me your thoughts, whether I wish to hear them or not.’

Meg leaned in close so no one could overhear. ‘Your desire to save your lost love has consumed you,’ she said. ‘I understand that it is driven by more than just the heart, and that for long years now the wound has festered.’ He felt that she wanted to hold his hand, to comfort him or to share their hidden bond, but she restrained herself, knowing it would be unseemly. ‘But young Strangewayes sees your blood quicken as you perceive the end of your long quest, and how in your eagerness you are prepared to risk others’ lives to achieve your ends.’

Will rested on the rail, not meeting her eyes. All she said was true, he knew, but he had reached the stage where no gamble was too great.

The Irish woman smiled to soften her words. ‘I care little. John and Robert too, I feel, and even young Grace. We are with you in this and do not mind your. .’ she fluttered a hand while she searched for a word that carried no poison, ‘insensitivities.’