Page 60 of Astrid at Sea

Even though the ramp was designed to take only the weight of one person at a time, the last few crew members on the shore rushed up it simultaneously. Two was risky when it was claimed that the plank could only handle the weight of one person–though I had a feeling that the weight of two young teenagers, such as Roscoe and Manny, added together to equate to the weight of one fully grown man. Three would be stupid, and all three of them would end up on their asses, and we would be stuck with the issue of a broken ramp and the prospect of losing three of our men to an island of hungry, bloodthirsty cannibals.

Roscoe and Manny were the last ones onto The Serpent, leaving Viktor the only man on the shore, waiting for his turn to climb up the ramp. The entire time, I willed for them to move quicker so Viktor could follow.

I wouldn’t be at rest until Viktor wrapped his arms around me, assuring me he was safe.

“Hurry, Viktor! They’re nearly here!” I screamed at him as he climbed onto the ramp.

I held my breath the entire time Viktor climbed up the plank. He all but threw himself over the side and onto the ship, and Caspian had The Serpent pulling away from the land before the others could pull up the ramp. I winced at the sound of the bottom of the ramp cracking, no doubt making it difficult for us to use it next time, but that was the least of our worries right now.

We were all safe from the cannibals, and that was all that mattered.

I exhaled in relief and dropped myself to the ground next to Viktor, throwing my arms around his neck and holding him tightly.

“They were so close to getting you,” I whispered, unable to stop picturing some of Bjorn’s men less than a foot away from him. If Caspian hadn’t started sailing away when he did, they would have been able to get onto the ramp themselves…and I didn’t even want to think about what would have happened then.

“I would never let that happen, my siren,” Viktor into the crook of my neck. “I will never leave you.”

“Good.” I pressed my mouth to his in a quick, chaste kiss, not wanting to give the crew a show. “I love you, pirate.”

He squeezed my hips and followed my retreating mouth for another kiss. “I love you, my siren,” he grunted into my mouth.

I pressed my hands to his chest and playfully pushed, wanting to put some distance between us before we got carried away. While Viktor held me, whispering sweet nothings into my ear, I glanced around at all the crew to do a head count, needing the assurance that everyone had made it safely onto the ship.

I counted thirteen, including Viktor and myself, which was correct, but the orange peel on the deck a few feet away made me rigid, and fear washed over me.

Crosby.

CHAPTER THIRTY

“Please tell me Crosby is chained in the bottom deck,” I all but begged, staring at all the crew with wide eyes. I was trying to think positive thoughts, but it wasn’t working.

“He’s not,” Hammond whispered in a small voice, his eyes just as wide and fearful as mine. “He said he was hungry, so I unchained him earlier to get some fruit.”

“Where is he now?”

My question was answered with deafening silence.

“He must still be on the island,” he murmured, his voice low and barely audible, sounding ashamed.

“How could this have happened?” I groaned, pressing my face into my hands to muffle the panicked shout. “How could we have left one of us behind like this? They’re going to eat him alive!”

“We’ll figure something out,” Viktor tried to assure me, but his words didn’t do much. Not when I knew Crosby was up against an island full of cannibals. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were already planning how to eat him.

“Don’t get so worked up over this, Astrid,” Laurence said, looking as troubled as I felt. “It’s only Crosby. Maybe this is the punishment that we were holding out for?”

“That’s a terrible way of looking at it,” I groaned.

“I agree with Astrid,” Hammond frowned deeply. “This isn’t right. We have to go back for him.”

“Are you crazy?” Latham exclaimed. “We can’t go back for him! We’ll be walking ourselves into the lion’s den!”

“There’s no point getting all us all killed for just one person,” Gustav sided with Latham. “I know it sounds horrible, but we must be realistic.”

“And it’s Crosby!” Odin reasoned as if that was a good enough excuse in itself. It wasn’t, but I didn’t blame him for feeling that way. If Canne weren’t an island full of cannibals, I would have celebrated leaving Crosby behind. “It’s not like he’s a saint worthy of being saved.”

“But does he deserve to be turned into breakfast?” Viktor groaned.

“What are you suggesting? That we turn around and get him?” Garth asked. “You’re Captain. Whatever you choose, we’ll stand by you and honour your decision.”

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