Page 2 of Measure of the Stars

“I have been recently reminded,” Lord Cecil said, glaring at Delauney out of the corner of his eye, “that we are no longer permitted to execute sailors for mutiny under King Adrien’s rule.”

Don’t look so disappointed,Wes thought.

“You will have your rank stripped from you, you will not receive the customary pension, and you will be escorted to the Mount Hazel prison for ten years of hard labor.”Lord Cecil put his glasses back on.“That will be all.”

Wes’ stomach lurched unpleasantly.This wasn’t unexpected, but it was a wrench to hear aloud.Staria didn’t formally execute people anymore, but ten years of hard labor was still a death sentence.Mount Hazel was too far away for King Adrien’s people to conduct regular inspections, and Lord Cecil knew it.

“My Lord.”Delauney spoke up again, scooting forward in his chair as two military guards approached Wes on either side.“You do understandwhowe are sentencing?”

Wes’ blood turned to ice.

“In my day, submissives did not contest the opinion of the court,” Lord Cecil said.One of the guards slipped a manacle over Wes’ right wrist.

“There weren’t royal representatives on the council then, either.”Delauney seemed unbothered by Cecil’s dangerous tone.The sash meant that he reported to King Adrien, then.Wes wasn’t sure what kind of power Delauney held as a second son, but his family’s wealth clearly had weight.“Ferrin Leonhart serves as the king’s guard captain, and he was a personal friend of King Emile.”Delauney held a hand over the papers on Lord Cecil’s desk.“Perhaps it would be unwise to send his brother to Mount Hazel.”

Wes couldn’t speak.It was as though a rock had lodged in his throat.Wes had spent his entire career avoiding using his brother’s name to get anything, and now Lord Delauney was acting like Wes was a jumped-up noble who’d raise a fuss if a guard told him to stop pissing in the public fountains.

Wes stood still as the military council closed around each other, whispers filling the small room.It wasn’t that hewantedto be sent to hard labor.He simply expected it.He had known that it would happen the moment he had tied Captain Lennox to the rigging of his own ship.

Now, he clenched his fists as Lord Cecil, red-faced and trembling with weaselly rage, turned back to his notes.

“It appears this council has spoken in haste,” he said.Venom dripped from every syllable.“But we can’t let a dangerous sailor remain on Captain Lennox’s crew.Therefore, he will be sent to theManateeunder Captain de Mazet’s command to serve the remainder of his current contract with the navy.His contract will not be renewed, and he will receive no pension.”He turned his shuddering, chinless face to Delauney.“And he will beyourproblem to solve.”

A stunned silence fell over the room.Delauney looked from Lord Cecil to Wes, clearly alarmed by the direction his attempt at altruism had taken.

“Does this mean we take the manacles off?”one of the guards whispered over Wes’ shoulder.

“Yes, please,” Delauney said.Lord Cecil’s face went purple.His jowls trembled, and his glasses slid down his pencil-thin nose.

“That concludes this court’s session for the day,” he warbled, and slapped a hand on the desk.“Getout!”

“I’ll meet you outside,” Delauney said, flashing Wes a smile.

The guards ushered Wes out of the courtroom without removing his manacles, clearly as confused as he was.They stopped a few feet from the courthouse doors overlooking the busy street, and the guard on Wes’ left pulled out a cigarette and a matchbox while the other freed Wes’ hands.

“Been a while since I’ve seen Old Cici lose his shit,” the guard said, taking the manacles.“Who’s your brother again?”

“No one,” Wes said, gritting his teeth so hard his jaw ached.

“Wish I had a brother like that, ‘no one’ or not,” the first guard said.He lit his cigarette and tossed the match into a puddle.“What I want to know is how you did it.”

“I didn’t ask them to use my brother’s name,” Wes said.

The guard blew out a plume of smoke.He was an older man with a thick black beard, and he had a rusty medal on his breast that Wes hadn’t seen before.“Not that,” he said.“The rest of it.How’d you get away with tying a captain up and whipping him without one of the other officers stopping you?”

Wes eyed him sidelong.“Luck, I guess.”

It hadn’t been anything of the sort.The bo’sun had already refused to whip the boy when Captain Lennox had given the order.The other officers had tensed when Captain Lennox took the whip himself, and when Wes had stepped forward to tug it out of his grip, no one had stopped him.Captain Lennox had been beaten by a sailor with his crew looking on in stony silence.If Wes hadn’t taken full responsibility for the incident while Lennox had been indisposed, the entire ship would have been up before the council for mutiny.

Thankfully, people like Lord Cecil didn’t care enough to ask important questions.

“Good thing Old Cici’s too much of a noble to consider it,” the guard said, offering Wes a drag of the cigarette.Wes shook his head, and the guard shrugged.“I’d be shitting myself if I were Captain Lennox right now.”

“Maybe he’s due for a retirement,” the other guard said, and made a gesture with his right hand.It was an old sailor’s sign for good luck, and Wes couldn’t help letting a small, pleased smile slip through.

“I should’ve whipped Horseface Jack before I left the service,” the first guard said.“Wouldn’t mind a cushy post with a submissive captain.”

“We all know he’s fucking his first mate,” the other one said.