Snapping back to the present was difficult but Starling’s deep voice did the trick and she turned to the woman. “What was that?” she asked.
Starling looked at her with arched brows but repeated, “The ship is captained by an old bitty who took me for most of the gold we had. It sails on the morning tide, so get some rest.” The woman lay back on the hay and closed her eyes.
Kalicka turned her eyes on Jacobi warily. She didn’t know what to make of this so called “Beastmaster”, and she was on her guard around him. Starling trusted him, said that she had known him since she ‘came to be’, whatever that meant. Kalicka wasn’t secure though, not in the trust that Starling had for him, nor in his ability to seemingly change into any beast he chose.
Thinking back on how scared she had been when S
