Kaz took a deep breath before starting to move forward again, Owen at her side. The boat, gently illuminated by newly-lighted torches and the last remnants of sunlight, was the largest of the small line at the docks. It had a raised canopy in the middle, just under the central mast, with hammocks slung underneath. It was towards this they now moved. 

Standing just outside of the canopy, were Cascade and the other passengers. Cascade was a slight, compact woman wearing trousers and a shirt covered in bright, geometric patterns. The other passengers were two of the most beautiful women Kaz had ever seen, and she had grown up in the Inca’s court. One was slight and willowy and had skin the color of moonlight, with hair that was almost white and pale blue eyes. She wore a simple blue shift that seemed to magnify the unnerving shade of her eyes. The other woman was all curves and strength, tall with striking features and sparkling dark eyes. She wore trousers that flattered her hips and a low-cut red shirt that drew Kaz’s eyes instantly to her cleavage. Kaz worked hard not to stare. 

Kaz forgave Cascade her earlier comment - even without knowing anything about them, these two were definitely ‘interesting.’ 

Once she and Owen had caught up to the small group, Cascade gestured towards them.

“Chel, Ember, these two are going to join us on our way to  Ticlanac,” she said. “I’m sorry,” she added, frowning slightly. “What did you say your names were? I’m usually so good with names - you’ll have to forgive me.” 

“It’s no problem,” said Owen. Kaz was grateful. She didn’t have the presence of mind to be so calm. “My name is Owen.” 

The pale woman inclined her head. The curvy one peered at Owen for a moment, glancing at Devlin before breaking into an enormous smile, revealing deep dimples. 

“Chel, a nod won’t be enough,” she said to her companion. Her voice was low and smoky. “You are blind aren’t you, Owen?” 

“Yes.” 

Cascade turned to stare at him, open-mouthed. “How did I not…? I’m so sorry - I didn’t realize!” 

Owen smiled. “It’s quite alright,” he said. “I’m pretty steady as long as I have Devlin here. Not sure how I’ll do on a boat, though.” 

Ember and Cascade laughed, and even Chel, who seemed more reserved, smiled. “I’m sure you’ll amaze us all,” said Ember, placing one hand on Owen’s shoulder. 

Then Ember looked at Kaz. Her gaze was direct and intense. Kaz had to work not to look away. 

“Owen,” she said quietly. “Won’t you introduce your lovely friend?” 

There was a moment of silence. Kaz’s brief, startled pleasure at being called lovely by someone so beautiful evaporated into worry as her brain went blank in panic. Should she use her own name or an assumed one? They hadn’t covered that in their cover story. Owen’s hand tightened on Devlin’s leash, but he showed no other outward discomfort. Kaz was about to jump in, not even sure what she would say, when Owen spoke. 

“Of course,” he said. “This is my cousin, Alaya.” 

“Alaya,” said Ember. She reached for Kaz’s hand - Kaz had to work not to flinch - and, to her surprise, brought it to her lips. “It is a pleasure to meet you and your cousin. I’m sure we will all be good friends by the time we reach our destination.” 

When Ember turned that smile on Kaz, she felt something inside her give way. Her cheeks heated up. “Yes,” she stammered, wondering why she was suddenly so intensely nervous. “I - I’d like that.” 

Ember released her hand and turned to Chel. “My dear, we should let Owen and Alaya get settled. We’ll have plenty of time to get acquainted on the journey. Cascade, didn’t you say that there would be dinner soon?” 

“Yes, that way!” said Cascade, indicating the ship’s prow where a large, low folding table had been set up.

Chel nodded to Ember, then said, “A pleasure. I very much look forward to getting to know you both better.” Chel’s gaze lingered on Kaz as she spoke. Kaz wasn’t sure whether her unease came from the words themselves or from the unnerving paleness of those intense eyes. When she turned and followed Ember to the ship’s prow, Kaz breathed a sigh of relief. Cascade showed them the small cubbies under their hammocks and also left them alone. 

“Alaya?” Kaz asked, leading Owen towards the cubbies. 

Owen shrugged. “I have a friend called Alaya. It was the first name that I thought of that wasn’t my mother’s or my sister’s.” 

“Ok, I like it, I guess.” 

“That’s probably a good thing, since you’ll have to be my cousin Alaya for at least a week and a half.” 

“Thanks for catching that. I had forgotten it might not be the best idea to use my real name. This whole fugitive thing is complicated.” 

Owen nodded. “No problem.” He lay back in the hammock, wobbling slightly, and closed his eyes. “Will you wake me when it’s time to eat?” he asked. Kaz agreed. She also lay down in her hammock, but despite her own exhaustion, she had too many thoughts and worries chasing themselves through her head to sleep. 

After perhaps ten minutes of staring blankly at the dim outline of the canopy above her, she gave up. She was too nervous to rest and too hungry and anxious to socialize. She sat up and took in her surroundings. 

The boat was moored at the last of six narrow wooden docks, each with a boat bobbing gently on either side of it. The rest of them were a lot smaller than the one she sat in, which was obviously the only passenger boat. 

She glanced out over the water. The sun had just set behind the mountains on the other side of the river, so that they rose silhouetted against the fading light. They were further away than she would have expected. How wide was the river here? 

She heard uneven footsteps and a pair of men’s voices calling out in greeting. Turning, she saw two men coming up the gangplank and carrying enough food to feed a small village for a week. 

They were an odd pairing. One was large and solidly built, with biceps the size of her head and a grin that radiated from him like sunshine. The other was short and wiry, with skin so weathered that his face had topography more than features. The smaller one also had a wooden leg that clunked on the gangplank, but went silent when he passed onto the tightly woven reeds of the boat. Kaz wondered uneasily if it ever poked holes in the deck. He had the air of someone whose default was gruffness. Now, however, he beamed as widely as his colleague. 

“Cascade!” boomed the larger man. “You found us passengers!”

Cascade hurried forward to gather some of the food, followed by a man Kaz had yet to meet. 

“I always do,” Cascade responded. “It’s a good group this time.”

“You always say that,” said the large man. 

“And she’s always right,” said the other. “There’s a reason I always give her that job. Our Cascade has never met a stranger in her life.”

“Aww, Captain,” said Cascade. She stood on her toes and kissed him on his leathery cheek. “You say the sweetest things.”

Ah, Kaz thought, So that’s the captain. 

She watched the little group make its way to the table at the prow, where Ember and Chel had already gathered. Kaz’s stomach growled, and she knew there was no way her body would allow her to skip dinner. She wished she could. She had never liked casual conversation even back when everything had been normal. Now, with her world completely askew and pretending to be someone else, she wished she could just hide here under the awning for the entire journey.

She caught Cascade looking in her direction and hurriedly lay down before she could be invited to join. Dinner would be plenty. She didn’t think she could handle mingling beforehand. Hopefully Cascade would correctly interpret her desire to be left alone to rest. 

It seemed that Cascade had understood, for they had no company for a solid half hour. The remaining sunlight faded and the waxing moon rose, bright and misshapen over the city. Kaz was gazing at it, thinking about her brother, when a voice jolted her out of her reverie. 

“They say that Killa looks back at everyone that favors her with their attention.” 

Kaz sat up in the hammock. It rocked slightly but Kaz stabilized herself by grabbing one of the poles it hung from. Chel had joined her and was sitting across from Kaz on an unoccupied hammock. 

“Oh,” said Kaz, unsure of how to respond. “That’s nice of her, I guess.” 

Chel didn’t reply at once. And it soon became apparent to Kaz that she wasn’t going to reply at all. Her face was very still, though her thin mouth quirked up at one corner. Kaz wished she would blink those unnerving blue eyes. She had the uncomfortable sensation that they perceived more than what lay on the surface. 

“Um,” said Kaz, finally unable to take the staring any longer. “Did you want something?”

Chel blinked, and Kaz found herself immensely relieved to discover that she could do so after all. 

“Oh,” said Chel. “I’m sorry. I was distracted by...anyway, dinner’s ready, if you two would like to join us.”

Kaz thanked her, and Chel made her way back towards the others. She would dearly have liked to know what exactly had distracted Chel, but asking felt dangerous. What if she could somehow perceive Kaz’s true identity through the flimsy alias she had presented?

Deciding that there was no use in dwelling on it, Kaz approached Owen. He lay fast asleep in his hammock, one arm trailing over the edge of the fabric to where Devlin lay snoring slightly below him, paws twitching in some doggy dream. She almost felt guilty in waking him. He looked so peaceful with his body sprawled against the cocoon of fabric and his mouth slightly open. 

She shook herself and reached down to grasp his shoulder. He must be as hungry as she was. She managed to rouse him by shaking his shoulder and calling his name a few times. 

Owen sat up, moaning. “If I hurt this much now,” he mumbled, “I won’t even be able to move tomorrow.”

“Maybe that’ll make boat travel easier,” said Kaz. 

Owen chuckled. “That’s the spirit.”

“Come on,” said Kaz. “Dinner’s ready.”

“Oh, thank the Dreamer,” said Owen, groping for Devlin’s leash. Kaz pressed it into his hand. He thanked her, adding, “And Kaz, there’s no need to be nervous. Remember, I’ll do most of the talking.” 

Kaz hugged him. It already annoyed her sometimes after only a couple of days that he could read her so well. This wasn’t one of those times.

Pulling away, she said, “Ok, let’s go.” She helped Owen up and led the way across the deck. 

Next Chapter: 30: Owen - Rumors and Politics