Page 107 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

Tiernan returned, holding the strung bow.

“Give her a try,” he said, pointing to a target at the far end of the shop. He handed the bow and an arrow to Baylis, and she promptly nocked it.

“Too easy.” Turning, she fired an arrow out the open double doors, hitting a pigeon perched on the roof of the neighboring building. The creature toppled over, rolling off the roof onto the nearby butcher’s stand. The man with a long mustache gasped but, upon seeing the bird was fresh, pulled the arrow from its neck and began to pluck the feathers out.

“It’ll do,” Baylis said, turning to Tiernan and giving him a friendly smile.

He nodded, and I handed him a stack of gold coins.

“Come back any time, ladies.”

“We know where to find you.”

We left Tiernan’s shop and returned to the harbor, where we easily found Conrad’s ship. With its black hull and voluptuous maiden spearheading it, quite hard to miss.

I stood by the ramp leading to the ship. Conrad approached, followed by twenty of the roughest-looking sailors I’d ever seen. Everyone looked like they had been in multiple fights the night before. Blood stained their shirts. Whether it was theirs or someone else’s, I couldn’t decipher. Some of the men stumbled as they walked.

“Lovely day for a sail,” Conrad said, reveling in the breeze coming off the bay. He wore a long black coat with red accents and a large-brimmed hat with an exotic red feather.

Baylis and I smiled politely at him.

“Yes,” I said, examining the sky for ominous clouds, but saw none, only the blue of a crisp winter day. Across the bay, the Island of Fate sat still and menacing, unnerving me.

Baylis and I boarded the ship, and the crew prepared to sail. The smell of seawater wafted up over the bow of the ship. I hoped Ursula had delivered my message, and that Calliope would not enact her revenge too swiftly.

We took our places behind Conrad and pushed off from the dock. Rocks piled in my stomach the farther away we got from shore and the closer we got to my mother and the monsters waiting for us.

“The sea is calm today,” Conrad called out, looking through his spyglass. “Even around the Island. Your plan must have worked.”

“How can you tell?” I yelled over the blustering wind making my hair a tangle of knots.

Conrad pointed a finger toward the Island.

“Usually, a dark ring of water encircles the Island and never calms, no matter how tranquil the water is. That ring is gone.”

I allowed myself a moment of triumph. My plan had worked, at least for now.

“Settle in, ladies. It will take us a few hours to reach the Island.”

Baylis did her best to keep her composure. The sea did not agree with her, and her skin turned a greenish hue.

“Why don’t you sit down?” I ushered her onto a bench.

Even on a calm day, waves rocked the ship violently. I borrowed a bucket from one of the crew members in case Baylis’s breakfast decided to reappear. Anticipation made myblood run quicker as we approached the Island. I tried not to be nervous—tried to think about getting the information and leaving as fast as we could.

“Everyone, hold on! We’re reaching the outer ring!” Conrad called to his crew.

I held my breath.

Nothing.

I scanned the water for any sign of monsters.

Still nothing.

The boat glided through the water; sails unfurled.

I let out the breath I’d been holding in.

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