“I mean we are looking for one gem, but we don’t know where it is.”

He huffed. “Are you serious?”

I nodded once.

“And how exactly are you going to do that?”

I rolled up the map between us, tapping it on the table.

“I knew it,” he muttered, shaking his head. “You’re a gem sage.”

I didn’t deny it.

“I told everyone on that island there was a reason you were dredging more than Jevalis who’d been diving for fifty years.”

He’d never accused me outright, but I’d known Koy was suspicious. The only thing I’d had to hide behind was the fact that I was so young. No one was going to believe him unless they knew who my mother was.

“I’m not interested,” he said. “I only got half my pay from Zola before his body was dumped into the harbor by whoever cut his throat. I’m going to spend most of it getting back to Jeval.”

And that’s what I was counting on. Koy had a family on Jeval who depended on him, and that was the reason he’d taken the job from Zola in the first place. His brother was probably running his ferrying trade while he was gone, and in a few days they’d be wondering where he was.

But I’d have to get him to trust that I was good for the coin if I was going to convince him to come with us.

“We’ll double the pay Zola promised you. And we’ll give it to you now,” Clove grunted between sips of his tea.

“What?” I turned in my chair to face him. It was a much better offer than the one I was prepared to make.

Clove looked uninterested, as usual. Not a single feather ruffled. “You heard me.”

“We don’t have that kind of coin, Clove. Not here.” I lowered my voice. Even if we did, the crew would have my head for spending that much from the coffers.

“I do.” He shrugged.

He was talking about the bounty for Zola. The one he was going to use for his own fleet.

“Clove…”

“You need it,” he said simply. “So take it.”

That was the Clove I knew. He’d have stolen the coin for me if I asked.

I gave him a weak, grateful smile. “I’ll pay you back. Every copper.”

Across the table, I could feel Koy’s eyes slide to me. He was clearly listening now.

“We’ll also give you passage back to Jeval, free of charge when we head back to the Narrows,” I added.

Koy bit his bottom lip, thinking. “What have you gotten yourself into?”

“You want the job or not?”

He shifted on his feet, hesitating. It was an offer he couldn’t refuse, and we both knew it. “Why?”

“Why what?”