Page 58 of High Seas

“How do I know that what you’re saying is true?” I asked warily.

He smiled. “She said you would say that.”

He showed me his palms and then slowly reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. “She asked me to give you this, but told me to make you promise her that you wouldn’t take it into the Compound, that you would burn it as soon as you read it, and that you wouldn’t tell a soul what it said, not even me.”

That sounded exactly like Eve. But could I trust a creature as vile as Enoch? He took a step forward, but I stopped him. “No. Lay it on the ground.”

His eyes never left mine as he crouched and placed a small envelope between the yellow lines dividing the street. He held his hands up as he stood. “If after reading this you’d like to talk again, I’ll leave this for you, too.”

He slid a sleek black device from his pocket and sat it next to the envelope. “The humans cannot trace communications to or from that,” he explained, and then a cautious look came into his eyes. “Maru, when she returns… you have to get to her first.”

My voice was clipped as I answered, “My life has been dedicated to helping her. Of course I’ll get to her first.” My mind spun. How did he have a letter from her? Was it real? Did he force her to write it to get me to cooperate with him?

He swallowed, pressing his eyes closed. “I’m a friend, Maru. Not an enemy.” Nodding his head respectfully, he turned around and walked quickly away, retracing his steps.

Chapter Seventeen

Eve

We sailed around a slip of land Enoch called Hog’s Island, because the ship was too big to take through shallower water. Finding a bay where the water was deeper, the crew dropped the anchor and let down the wherry.

Enoch wouldn’t leave his ship unguarded and none of his crew wanted to stay on board, so he asked Terah to keep watch – just until we spoke to Asa, and hopefully, found Abram. She complained and when he wouldn’t give into her hissy fit, she cried and ranted, but in the end, agreed to do it.

We had been in seventeen-seventeen for forty-eight hours. It felt like we’d been sailing for weeks, but Brutulo wasn’t far from Nassau and despite the lack of wind, we made it there quickly. The weight of all that had happened, every excruciating revelation that unfurled like a dark sail, made time feel stretched in this place.

The water and sky were the color of the flesh of a blood orange as the last slice of sun slid below the horizon, but Enoch swore the crimson was a good omen; one strong enough to influence some of his men to return and sail with him again. If the red sky wasn’t enough to prompt their return, the amount of gold Enoch sent them away with would at least make them consider it. Titus, Enoch, and I walked down the beach, the ocean breeze whipping the soaked clothing around our salt-washed bodies, a wake of droplets spotting the sand behind us.

Nassau was quiet compared to Brutulo, despite its larger size. It took several trips to and from shore in the wherry for the boat to empty of everyone but Terah. The clusters of Enoch’s men took off as soon as they hit shore and we hadn’t seen any of them since. More ships than I could count bobbed in the waters just offshore. So, where was everyone?

Just past the beach, scattered houses, taverns, and businesses rose from the sand. There were shops with signs that bore colorful paintings of what they specialized in. A sword for the silversmith, a loaf of bread for the baker, a meat cleaver for the butcher, and ale signs for the taverns sprinkled here and there. We even passed a distillery.

The eerie emptiness reminded me of plague-ridden England in thirteen forty-eight.

“Where are all the people?” Titus finally voiced.

Enoch shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s usually teeming with pirates. Nassau is a bit of a haven of sorts for our kind. There should be pirates, women, money, ale, and rum flowing like rivers.”

“Your men should be here, even if no one else is,” Titus remarked quietly.

The farther from the water we walked, the more my skin crawled. Did Asa make an island of vampires? And if he had, were they hungry?

Titus nudged me and patted his stakes meaningfully. I took one of mine out, just in case. Enoch glanced at the sharpened wood we armed ourselves with and sniffed. “When we arrive at Asa’s, you’d be wise to tuck those away. He will see them as an act of aggression.”

We wound through the streets and into the countryside where the homes spread out over the land. The sky darkened fast as we walked across the island, the sun disappearing from sight. The moon seemed to be in hiding and the sky seemed black instead of blue. The night was darker than I’d ever seen from the roof of the Compound, but then again, there were no city lights flickering here, only candles with small flames. Maybe the sky always looked this foreboding, and this was the first time I’d seen it the way it really was.

Enoch led us to a large house covered with dark wood slats, surrounded by a tall, stone wall. There were four stories, if you counted the steep tip capping the roof. It might just be tall enough. Titus noted the same, a silent promise in his eyes that said We run if there’s trouble. We run, and then we jump. Together.

Enoch unlatched a tall iron gate and strode to the front door, knocking three times. Someone stirred inside and the door was pulled open. A woman wearing a plain dress and apron looked us over. “Enoch,” she greeted, settling her eyes on him. “Welcome.” Her voice was wary, not warm, but she opened the door and waved us inside.

“Is my brother home?” Enoch asked.

“I am,” answered Asa, leaning against a nearby doorway, looking as roguish as Enoch. His dark hair fell onto his bare chest, and a pair of black as night trousers were all he wore. “To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure of your company?” he asked, his eyes narrowing as they met mine. “Another one?” he asked, cold excitement gleaming in his eyes.

Enoch shook his head. “It’s really her.”

Asa’s eyes raked over me, then combed hungrily over Titus.

“Prove it,” he challenged, jutting his bearded chin in our direction.

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