I spotted one of the cooks hunched over a pot. As I crossed the room, he looked up, his apron stretching around his protruding middle.
“Kitchen’s off limits to you, madam, unless you mean to help cook breakfast in this bloody storm.”
“No, thanks. I’m looking for something,” I said. “A gray scarf. Have you seen it?”
He nodded to a shelf on the far wall. “Might check there.”
I crossed to the shelf and inspected the items. The lost and found wasn’t where I’d expected to find the missing scarf, but at this point, I’d search anywhere. Of course, I was assuming that whoever had stolen the scarf had also discovered its enchantment and would have reversed the spell.
A clang came from behind me, and I spun around. The cook stood with thick porridge dripping off him. An overturned pot lay near his feet. He cursed and grabbed a towel off the shelf.
A gray towel.
I crossed to him and snatched my scarf out of his hands.
“Whoa! Watch it,” he said.
“Sorry, but this is mine.”
He snarled but didn’t argue. Instead, he grabbed another towel and wiped his apron.
Inspecting my scarf, I found a hole had been burned through the middle, as if someone had thrown it in a fire, so I turned to the cook.
“Where did you get this?”
“Eh? Found it lying on a lit burner last night. Rescued it just before it went up in flames, I did.”
“Did you see who put it there?”
“Nay. ‘Twasn’t anyone in here but me.”
“Then how did it get on the burner?”
He wiped a glob of porridge from his mustache. “Ghost, perhaps? ‘Tis the Sea Ghost, yes? Odder things have happened on this vessel.” He chuckled.
I inspected my scarf more closely. My suspicions had been correct. Whoever had found the scarf had used magic to reverse the spell, and right now, only a few people possessed magic.
Using my Earth magic, I slowly searched for any enchantments left on the fabric. My own spell was easy to detect—I recognized my trace of magic—but there was something else, too—a gray, cloudy enchantment—the same sort of magic I’d felt in the fire.
There was a goblin aboard the ship, and now I had proof of it. But who could it be? And how would I ever be able to find him or her? It could be anyone—the captain, the cook, my father; it could even be Kull for all I knew.
“You’re sure there wasn’t anyone else in here?” I asked the cook.
“Aye.”
“Was anyone in the dining area?”
He shrugged. “Always a few people lingering in there, but I wouldn’t know who for sure. Your scarf means that much to you, eh?”
“Yeah,” I said and folded it under my arm. “It’s pretty special.”
I left the kitchen, a sense of foreboding following me. Whoever had taken my scarf was bound to find the real orb next, which left me with two choices: I could scour the boat and try to discover the identity of the goblin, which would be incredibly difficult to do; or I could make sure the genuine orb was safe and possibly discover the goblin in the process.
My stomach knotted at the prospect of losing the orb. The existence of magic in Faythander depended on that one tiny blossom.
I made my decision. After I left the galley, I found the stairwell that led down to the cargo hold, praying I stayed one step ahead of the goblin.
Chapter 26
I hurried toward the cargo hold and found Kull in the hallway. He wore his leather breeches and a white peasant’s shirt, and his sword hung from a scabbard at his belt. I also noticed a teal-green rabbit’s foot hanging from his belt loop.
Umm… okay.
I looked closer to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. “Is that a rabbit’s foot?” I asked.
“What?”
I pointed at the paw. “Where’d you get that?”
He gave me a lopsided grin. “It is the appendage of an Earth beast who carries ferocious diseases, although I suppose you’ve already heard of such creatures, haven’t you?”
“Yes. It’s called a rabbit. They’re frightful. Where did you get it?” I repeated.
He shrugged. “The captain was selling them. Is it true that these feet are supposed to bring good luck?”
“I’ve never believed it, but yes; some people claim they bring good luck. Why would you need good luck, anyway? If anything, I’m the one who needs a lucky rabbit’s foot.”
“Then it is yours,” he said solemnly as he unlatched the charm and tried to hand it to me.
I pushed it away. “I was joking. You can keep it. I’m not really into wearing animal body parts.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.”
“Very well.” As he replaced the chain on his belt loop, his slightly damp hair fell over his face.
Its scent was of rain and meadows, and it made my heart skip a beat. When he caught me staring, I looked away and expected to hear some witty remark about my inability to resist his manly good looks.
Instead, he ran his hands through his hair, the way he did when something was bothering him, and that’s when I noticed the dark circles under his eyes.
“You all right?” I asked.
“I’ve been better.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Trouble sleeping. Night visions and,” he hesitated, “and the like. This cursed boat is getting to me.”
“What sort of night visions?” I asked.
“I cannot say for sure, but… I saw something, or someone.”
“Was it a drøgelse?”
His eyes widened. “How did you know?”
“Ket said she saw the same thing.”
“Yes,” he answered, “she mentioned it to me, although I am surprised she admitted it to you. Visions of drøgelse are considered a bad omen.”
When did he speak to Ket?
“When did you see it?” I asked.
“Last night after the fire. I was making my way down the hall when I heard footsteps behind me. At first, I thought nothing of it, but when I turned to see who had followed me, there was no one there.
“And then, after I’d retired
