Page 183 of Salt Between the Wolves

The command sounded remarkably familiar, and Eira found herself thinking that Silverwake seemed to produce an unusual number of people who expected to be obeyed without argument.

She sat beside the woman, who continued studying the harbor below, where several ships drifted through the fog beyond the cliffs.

"You've never seen the sea before."

This time the words were clearly a statement rather than a question.

"Was it that obvious?"

"You looked at it the way sailors look at storms."

Eira frowned.

"And how do sailors look at storms?"

The captain smiled around the pipe.

"Like they should run."

A laugh escaped Eira before she could stop it, and the woman seemed quietly pleased by the reaction.

"Maren Voss."

"Eira."

"I know."

Of course she did.

Maren tapped ash over the side of the wall before speaking again.

"You survived Frostvein."

The words caught Eira off guard, not because of what they meant, but because of how casually they were spoken, as though surviving such a place were an achievement worth acknowledging.

Perhaps it was.

Maren turned her gaze back toward the harbor.

"Silverwake likes collecting strays."

Eira raised an eyebrow.

"Is that what I am?"

"At the moment?" The captain considered the question briefly before adding, "Possibly."

"And what happens to them?"

A slow smile appeared on Maren's face.

"They usually discover they're much more dangerous than everyone assumed."

For reasons Eira couldn't fully explain, she found that answer deeply satisfying.

The dresses arrived two days later.

Not just one dress, but five.