She spoke between sobs. “All their bones must’ve washed up on shore, along with that trident. I thought it lost to the sea. But then I saw it last night, on board this very ship. I couldn’t believe it. I was sure I was seeing things at first.”
Right. When I’d been waving it around like an idiot the previous night. Blood and water. We were lucky it was Marian who saw it and not her aunt.
“I went to my father, and he understood enough to follow me to your ship. Once he saw the trident, he knew what I wanted and that’s when we attacked.”
I squeezed her hand. “I understand. I’m just glad we could help you get your voice back.”
Marian wiped the tears from her cheeks, her nails long and blue, dotted with little shells. “I do have information for you about the island. I’ve spent months studying the layout of it, and I know the best places to dock, to hide. I can at least give you that.”
Bastian heaved a sigh.
“The pirate docks on the northern side, but that’s the most visible part of the island. On the western part of the island,there’s a pathway of narrow cliffs, dangerous to navigate, but if you can get through them, they’ll provide the perfect cover for any ship.” She took a breath. “On the eastern side is the marsh, surrounded by thick jungle and full of crocodiles. Dangerous for a different reason, but the foliage also provides good cover.”
Crocodiles or sharp cliffs. Perfect.
Marian cleared her throat, wincing. It must’ve been getting harder for her to speak after so long not having her voice. “I’ve thought about it so much over the months, the necklace’s comment about the light. I do think there’s something to it. If you could find a way to trap the shadows with light, force them into a corner or something, then they could easily be captured.”
I mulled over her words. That wasn’t a bad idea.
“It’s time for us to go,” King Salazar said. “I have much to say to my daughter.”
Bastian nodded to his crew, who started preparing the ship to once again set sail.
“Wait, what about the southern part of the island?” I asked, realizing she hadn’t mentioned that.
“There’s no cover there,” Bastian said.
Marian nodded. “He’ll see you. It’s the perfect view from his?—”
“Enough.” Bastian’s voice split the air like the crack of a whip.
My eyebrows furrowed together. “No, we’re not done.” I glared at Bastian, then turned back to Marian. “Who will see? Who are you talking about?”
Marian began coughing, the sound raspy and throttled.
Bastian stepped forward. “We’re done here, Your Majesty. Thank you for the information.”
Marian clutched at her throat, coughing hard. Her father put a protective arm around her. “Let’s get you back home.”
I looked at King Salazar. “Please, don’t leave yet?—”
“She’s given you enough information,” he said as he tugged his daughter away.
Bastian began shouting out orders to his crew as they hopped to attention and scurried to their posts. Leoni shot me a confused look.
“Please find Mal’s shadow.” Marian reached out for me. “Save him.”
A determination settled in me as the ship started to move. “I will,” I shouted to her above the rush of wind, watching as the seafolk became smaller and smaller, the ship gliding through the waters.
I looked up at Bastian, who stood at the helm, steering the ship. He’d cut Marian off, been so determined to sail away. She had been about to say something, something he didn’t want me to know.
“So what did I miss?” Driscoll emerged from the cabin and clapped his hands together as Leoni and I both stared at him. “Did we kick some ass?” He rolled his eyes as Leoni glared at him. “Okay, I might’ve fallen asleep on the pirate lord’s bed, which is far more comfortable than the sad excuse for beds we have to sleep on. You know, we should lobby for new mattresses, and some pillows while we’re at it. What kind of barbarians don’t sleep with pillows?—”
“Driscoll,” Leoni said. “Shut up.”
Driscoll’s mouth snapped shut, and for once, he didn’t have a snarky comment in return.
Leoni chewed the inside of her cheek. “The pirate lord is hiding too much, keeping too many secrets. I don’t like this, Princess.”
