Page 82 of The Secrets of Jane: Reborn
I thrive on plans.
“It would be a long process. She has to be willing.Verywilling, or else the magic won’t transfer properly. It’s why he wants her as quickly as he can get her, but again, he’s weak. He doesn’t want to make a move unless he’s certain he can get her all the way north without anyone stopping him. It’s risky otherwise. It’s why he let you have her for a bit… it would have caused too much of a stir among the Council. There are those loyal to Ritter in there, and I’m sure some guessed who she wasas soon as they saw her. Letting you have her appeared the most normal, meanwhile, I as to keep an eye on her when she came to Rosmertta’s, because Misery said therewouldbe an opening…”
My mind rushes with considering every avenue that this can go wrong for us, feeling Jane out over my shoulder. “And what is the second thing he wants her for?”
“They want as many offspring as possible that are Cinders,” he quickly gets out. “Since making her willing will take time… I’ve heard them state they might as well use her to make more Cinders in the process.”
My rage flares, standing as I look at Jane, the thought of her stomach swelling with an abomination of Ash striking at a mania I didn’t know existed within me.
Jane doesn’t even seem fazed, despite her father looking at Shade like he might rip his balls off. She slowly tells him, “Well, I’ll never letthathappen. Tell me, why did you come talk to me back at Rosmertta’s?”
“It, well… I wanted to meet the person Misery is fixated on,” he answers, which is most of the truth; the rest of it is related to Ritter, like I guessed.
“And?” I coax again.
There’s a dehumanized feeling in him, like he’s embarrassed this is all turning out in such a manner. “I admired Ritter when I was younger. I wanted to see his daughter.”
I face Tempest. “What do you want to do with him? That’s all he knows. His knowledge of Misery and Blackwell is shallow, which means he hasn’t been around for long enough to gain deeper insight.”
It’s almost paralyzing to think of what Misery intends to do with Jane, and I want this over with so I can start plotting with everyone in this room. My heart pounds so feverishly, I start pacing.
Tempest inhales deeply, looking him over. “Then we are done. I don’t want him to have that ring, though. Let’s give him to the sirens. They’ll judge his worth, and if he’s got a rotten soul or not. If he doesn’t, he’ll be released when Misery is no longer a threat. That’s the safest thing to do with him.”
Panic explodes inside of Shade, more petrified of that than death. “No, no, please. Not the sirens. Not coral skin, not their curse...”
It’s said that the sirens take men they dislike into their waters, affixing them to the stones below; metamorphosis takes over as they slowly lose bodily needs, coral growing out of their bodies that the sirens use. But the mind never dulls.
One just remains there, forever.
The siren’s curse.
Tempest stands, her head held high. “There’s nothing to fear if your heart is true,” she says, like telling a child not to fear the dark. “Let’s go. Get this over with. We have many things to consider.”
We all follow as Shade is led, while screaming for mercy, to the top of the deck. The sunlight nearly blinds me, and I’m reminded why so many wear an eyepatch. “We offer him to the sirens!” Tempest shouts. The pirates are all smiling like they’re feeding a prized pet, some clanking against metal and others stamping their feet to a rhythm.
Tempest pulls out a small pendant from underneath her shirt and blows on it. I don’t hear a fucking thing, but it seems to work as the crew start cheering when looking overboard.
Shade shouts, blood stained on his chin, neck and chest. I can’t resist and look overboard; it’s a far drop, but I can see many heads sticking out of the water, a mesmerizing crooning brushing against my ears coming from the sirens.
Without hesitation, Shade is tossed overboard, screaming all the way down until the waves consume him.
J A N E
Two weeks later
We’re landing today.
The sun kisses the horizon of an island that belongs to Tempest, a soft glow lighting our way. A mist lies on the morning ocean and wraps around us like we’re ghosts entering the afterlife. It’s hard to see anything outside the harbor that we enter. I breathe in the wet air as I stare at thecloud surrounding us that’s so soft, compared to the harsh, dark waters below that look like moving slate from up here.
There’s a sense of peace in this moment that feels like a precipice.
The distant sound of waves crashing against the ship makes me think of Shade, and I’m a little shocked it’s already been two weeks since that entire event. My mind constantly wanders to him, realizing how he’s just another piece of calamity in all of this, even though he still had a life himself. He was someone’s kid, maybe even a father. Someone’s family, doing what he thought he had to.
He died in a way I was positive would take me when I first met Soren.
At least, I assume he’s dead. I don’t know what the sirens decided, as I didn’t get to see them much before they disappeared back underwater. Tempest said they’ll be made aware of the verdict when this is all said and done.
The stranger part is that he really hasn’t been talked about since, like tossing him over was another part of the routine, like finding a rat and sicking a cat on it.
