Page 57 of Of the Stars and Sea

Something scurries over my feet and I hear little squeaks rise up to my ears.

“Agh! There’s fucking rats!” one of Grayson’s men laments, and I hear the drawing of a sword then the distinct sound of metal scraping against stone.

“Fucking cowards,” I mutter and Grayson laughs beside me, giving my hand a squeeze that shouldn’t impact my heart rate the way it does.

After what feels like an eternity, Grayson leads me to the right and around another bend. A bright light emerges and I blink rapidly against the discomfort.

“Oh, thank gods,” I hear Tommy say and I feel his relief. “I thought Captain was bringing us to the pits of the hells, never to return.”

Zaos’s voice is rough as he sneers at Tommy and says, “The hells are not shrouded in darkness,boy. Their fires roar to make sure you can see the despair that surrounds you.”

I look back and as my eyes finally adjust back to the light, I see Tommy’s cheeks redden with both fright and embarrassment. “Yes, Tommy,” I interject. “Zaos knows this as he has been to the hells countless times to visit his mother. It’s why he’s so grumpy. He’s inhaled so much smoke from the fires it’s twisted his mind into a permanent state of discountenance.”

Tommy laughs and when Zaos shifts his dagger-sharp attention onto him, he starts coughing to cover it up. I don’t miss how Zaos’s hand slowly moves to the pommel of his sword as his eyes slip over to meet mine. Glancing at him over my shoulder, I stick my tongue out at him.

Grayson clicks his tongue at me. “That mouth is going to get usbothinto trouble. With my own crew, no less.”

“I’m just giving him a taste of his own bitterness.” I shrug.

“Hmm.” He arches a brow at me.

“Wow!” Tommy moves past us and Grayson lets go of my hand as we both turn to see what he’s going on about. I try to ignore the pang that hits my chest at the absence of Grayson’s touch.

We might have come to a truce—for now—but that doesn’t mean he cares for me. Or thatIcare for him.

A smile pulls at my lips when I see what Tommy’s going on about. The dark tunnel opens to a large basin filled with emerald green water surrounded by large amethyst crystals. There are small holes at the roof of the cavern where sunlight shines through and reflects across the crystals’ surfaces, making the space look like an amalgamation of stars.

Memories of my father’s warm smile tugs at the back of my mind, reminding me of the first moment I laid my eyes on this place. He’d told me there was something ancient and violent about the deep cavern at the center of our home. How the sea tormented the stone into submission and despite the continuous assault, something beautiful still rose from it.

“It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?” I ask Tommy.

He turns and beams down at me, his smile rivaling the stunning scenery in front of us. His face reveals every bit the boy Zaos called him to be. Innocent and pure, even though I know the dark secrets that lurk beneath the surface.

“You’ve been here before?”

“A long time ago. With my father.” I look back out at the wide expanse of the pool of sea water and surrounding crystals.

“And here I was thinking I was the only one to discover the island’s secret.” Grayson walks up to my left and peers down at the water. Ripples fan out in all directions as tiny droplets fall from the crystals lining the ceiling into the basin.

“No one else knows about it? Is that why you chose this as our meeting place, Captain?” Tommy asks.

Grayson shifts toward him. “That’s exactly right.”

“And who are we supposed to be meeting here?” I ask just as I notice movement out of the corner of my eye.

Across the basin, two more groups emerge from the northern and eastern tunnels. I immediately recognize the two leaders of each group—nefarious pirate lords in their own right. Seger Synth and his crew come from the northern tunnel, each of his men wear a blue sash to signify their allegiance to Seger and theSea Viper. Seger has been roaming the Aelynthi Sea since before I was born. He was a good friend to my father—or at least he was before my father was found indebted to Red Beard. I have no idea how they left things. But the half-breed doesn’t look a day older than the last time I saw him all those years ago. Probably due to the sea witch’s blood that runs through his veins, giving him immortal life.

His bald head nods toward Grayson as he finally notices us and we all start moving toward the eastern tunnel where Hawke Digsby and his crew awaits us.

“Is that truly Hawke Digsby?” Tommy whispers beside me so low I can hardly hear him.

I give a subtle nod and whisper back, “Hawke is known for his obsession with black pearls. He would chase a prize to the ends of the world if he knew they had black pearls on board. It is said that he collects them for the Mer Queen to end a curse she bestowed upon his wife after he offended her by running his ship upon her shores during a storm. I’ve never seen Hawke’s wife, but that’s not to say she isn’t chained to some part of his ship, theFallen Bones, waiting for her husband to break the curse.”

Tommy’s eyebrows nearly touch his hairline as he looks down at me. “You really think he has her chained to some room on his ship?”

My teeth hurt from how hard I clamp them down. The wider his eyes get, I can’t hold in my laughter anymore. The gargled sound bursts past my lips and Tommy’s face falls. Narrowing his gaze on me, he elbows me lightly in the ribs. “You wicked little snake! You had me for a fool.”

“I’m sorry, Tommy.” I snort and grab my pained stomach, my muscles aching from holding in the laughter. Zaos shoots daggers with his eyes at me over his shoulder. I waggle my fingers at him, giving him a sweet smile.

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