Iron Seas 03 - Riveted

him dig through the pile of coal, as if making sure that no one hid within. He opened the bunker, his steps echoing hollowly inside.
    The steps retreated. The sound of male voices came again, farther away now. David’s fingers squeezed lightly at her waist, as if to reassure her that they’d made it. Long minutes passed, then there was only quiet again—except for the distant thrum of a powerful engine. Phatéon moved around them, an almost imperceptible swaying.
    “We’re under way,” she breathed, and felt his nod. “How long should we wait in here?”
    “They wouldn’t take two ships just to kill the crew. They must be after the cargo.”
    And they’d have to unload it. What would they do with the ships then—spit them out and let them sink? If so, David and she needed to escape before they emptied the hold. But where to hide then? They’d be stuck in the submersible whale, without a boat in the middle of the ocean.
    But, no. That distant thrum told her more than that, the distinctive thrust of so many pistons. “That engine is enormous. They can’t possibly supply their furnace with enough coal if they only take it from stolen ships. They must have a port somewhere—and probably not too far away.”
    “So we’ll hide on this ship until we reach it?”
    “Yes.” They had to anyway. There was nowhere else to go. “Were they speaking Spanish?”
    “Yes. They’re Castilian.” He sounded suddenly tired. “You should sleep now. You might not have the opportunity later.”
    She’d have loved to sleep. Her shivering had eased, but now she was aching, exhausted. “I don’t think I can. Not while we’re trapped here, waiting.”
    But between his warmth, the gently rocking ship, and the soothing thrum of the engine, she did.

    The sudden quiet of an engine at dead slow woke her . Annika opened her eyes to darkness again, David’s arm still around her, his body tense. He hadn’t slept then—or had been unable to. The gentle swaying of the ship had sharpened, become more pronounced. Each swell rocked her into his side. She lay like softened butter against him, savoring the unfamiliar pleasure.
    “Awake?” he murmured.
    She hadn’t made any noise. “What gave me away?”
    “You opened your eyes.”
    Oh. She’d forgotten he could see. Thankfully she hadn’t drooled—not that it would have mattered. His shirt was still damp, as were her drawers and stockings. “I think the whale might have surfaced. It feels like we’re pitching against the waves.”
    “Swallowing another ship?”
    If so, they needed to brace themselves for another collision. But, no. Silence fell as the engine stopped. Then a distant bump, a faint shudder. “I think she’s being tethered—or docked, like a sailing ship.”
    “So they’ll come for the cargo soon.”
    “I don’t know.” She paused, listening, but heard nothing else. “If she was an airship, she would sit until the officials came aboard and inspected her papers, and then a full day might pass before she was unloaded. But I have no idea what pirates do—except that they usually leave the crew alive so they can be ransomed.”
    “Yes, they do. They also don’t swallow ships using a giant mechanical whale.”
    “Perhaps they stole that, too.” But the ironic edge in his voice made her wonder, “You don’t think they’re pirates?”
    He didn’t answer, his fingers tightening at her waist. She heard it, too—footsteps, voices. Her heart clattered against her ribs. They came directly to the engine room.
    Had she and David been discovered after all?
    She barely dared to breathe. Beside her, she heard the quiet click of a pistol cocking. The rigidity of his muscles changed the firm pillow of his shoulder into stone.
    Two men entered the room and stopped after taking a few steps. They spoke, their conversation brisk. Annika didn’t understand a word of it. Within minutes, they left again.
    Though she longed to ask David, she didn’t dare speak yet. She waited. When enough time had passed without hearing anyone, she wondered, “What did they say?”
    “That Phatéon ’s engine is in better repair than the fluyt’s.”
    “Of course it is.”
    His chest rose on a quick, silent laugh. “Of course. That’s why they’ll begin dismantling it tomorrow and send it north for the drill.”
    North? On the southern rim, all of Iceland was north. And moreover, “Why would pirates be drilling ?”
    “They’re not pirates. They’re di Fiore’s