There were fresh vegetables.

  One of the reasons why the Bokor dealt with dried food was because it kept for longer. Considering that a master could be away from civilization for days, if not weeks, having dried food and knowing where the water supply was located were some of the most important things to prioritize, after their sword.

  Fresh fruit was available from wild trees all over the place, but wild vegetables were often too bitter to eat. The only time I ever ate fresh vegetables was when I was back at the Island and even then, it had to be the right season and we had to be staying long enough that Master Bran sent me to help with the apprentice chores.

  Tomatoes, peppers, onions, lettuce all went on bread that smelled fresh and was so soft and fluffy that it was like eating a cloud. I was less interested in the fish, but even that was dripping with flavor. I could see why Captain Jace was on his fourth sandwich.

  Val had only taken a few bites of her bread. She hadn’t bothered to make a sandwich, she just wanted plain bread, refusing to take any of the various jellies that were placed on the long table.

  “How soon can you begin loading the people onto the ship?’ Val pushed away her plate with a piece of half eaten bread.

  “Food first, then we can talk about trivial things.” Sir Kaeso looked across the table at her over his own food. He was eating his fish with a fork. His bread had a mixed berry jelly on it, otherwise his plate was devoid of anything else.

  “The lives of the people on that island are not trivial.” Val growled and motioned out at the island. “There could be more people trapped in Port Reggo! With this ship-”

  “You could do what? Save a few more humans?” The ship’s captain laughed. “You’re a pebble trying to save a few grains from being swept aside by the river.” He pointed his fork at her. “Why struggle against the current when you can bask on the shore?”

  “There are people dying-”

  “People die every day.” Sir Kaeso cut her off. “Even in cities where there aren’t any Zombies.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “We were trained to kill Zombies. If we sit on the sidelines, then we’re no better than a knife that rusts on the shelf while the cook blisters his hands, tearing the apples into wedges.” I stopped eating and glared at the older man. “That sword you’re carrying stands for something. You should-”

  “Become a Touched like you? HA!” The long-haired man scooted his chair back. “Or maybe an illegally made Bokor?” He turned to Captain Jace. “Or should I just throw everything away and run like you did, Captain Jace Malvern Perrous?” His face scrunched, then he snorted. “Really? That was the best you could do? Sounds like a poor choice for the famed spy, Lee Gheist.”

  Captain Jace stopped chewing and looked up at the man. His voice got firmer, but there was still a hint of the twang he’d been speaking with. “It’s best to leave things alone you don’t understand.”

  “You’re not a captain?” Of all the information, that was probably not the one to focus on, but it was the one that came to mind first.

  Captain Jace still had that huge smile. “I owned my own boat for a few years. I reckon that qualifies me to be a captain.”

  “You’re not a normal captain.” Val’s eyes narrowed. “But you’re too pretty to be a bounty hunter. Who are you really?”

  “Just a concerned citizen who is doing my very best to clean up trash.” He smiled as he stood up and walked to the railing overlooking the main deck.

  “The Bokor would let someone like you run around without supervision.” Val backed away from the table and pulled out her sword. “How did you learn about us?”

  Sir Kaeso looked bored as he turned around to look at her. “The Bokor leash was too tight, but the Touched…” He smiled as he tapped his fingers on the post to the handrail. “The Touched don’t have a problem working with someone like me.”

  My mind went to Port Reggo. Then I remembered the Master. There were too many Touched that knew about us and what we were.

  “BOYS!” The black-haired captain glanced over his shoulder. “Bring our guest up her to meet his cell mates!”

  Captain Jace and I pushed away from the table and stood up. My hands felt a little numb, but it wasn’t enough that I couldn’t pull out my sword.

  Gary prodded a man in torn shorts, a bare chest, and a brown bag over his head up the stairs. As soon as the man fell to his knees, the young man ran away.

  I didn’t need the bag to be removed to know who it was. A huge bang tore my attention away from the reveal. I turned to look at the shore. I couldn’t tell what was going on, but I had a bad feeling about what it was.

  I turned back to see a pair of glowing yellow eyes locked on to me.

  “Byler, help me.”

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