Page 55 of Virelai's Hoard
That was when they noticed the jungle. All the trees were dead. Perhaps they’d always been dead.
At the sight, Nyxen’s face darkened with anger. “It didn’t have to happen like this. We could’ve done more.”
“Nyxen–”
“Save it.” He shrugged Calla off, rushing ahead.
As she watched Nyxen’s back, Calla knew Draven wasn’t the only thing lost on this island.
Aelion hung low on the horizon once their group made it back to the dinghies, Sable’s crew dark silhouettes against the mist at their backs. They paced back and forth, waiting. Calla could only tell which one was Thorian, the man’s shadow looming over the rest of them. One of the smaller silhouettes noticed their approach and alerted the others, then started waving enthusiastically.
As Calla got closer and the energetic silhouette’s movements halted, her stomach tied in a knot. A few more steps, and she made out Venn’s features. Once they got close enough to make out the confusion on Venn’s face, Calla’s mouth went dry, and she swallowed, bracing for what would come next.
Venn jogged over, then a little ways past them, peering at the dead, blackened trees at their backs as if his brother might be following at any moment. When nothing moved, Venn called over his shoulder, still staring at the trees, “Where’s Draven? Did he get held up or something?”
Calla momentarily closed her eyes, took in a sharp breath, and shrugged into her captain’s coat. Gadrielle opened her mouth to say something, but Calla stopped her with a shake of her head. This washerresponsibility.
Everyone stayed quiet.
Calla approached Venn, setting a firm hand on his shoulder. “Venn,” she said, drawing his gaze. “Draven is not coming.”
Venn frowned. “What do you mean, he’s not coming?”
“He’s dead. I’m sorry.”
A sharp shake of his head, a slight tremble in his voice as his eyes settled on the trees again. “That… No. What?”
She squeezed his shoulder, and let her hand drop. She forced the words out while he was still disbelieving–still willing to listen to her. “There was a lake. It… took him. There was nothing we could do.”
Nyxen’s earlier accusation echoed in her mind as she voiced the last sentence, making it feel like a lie.
It didn’t have to happen like this. We could’ve done more.
Calla shook it off.
Venn heard her, but clearly those weren’t the words he’d wanted to hear. He looked at the others, silently asking them to contradict her, tell him she was making this whole thing up. That this wasn’t real. That it was all a joke. The pirates didn’t say any of that. They looked away, to their feet, at the mist, anywhere but at the hopeful look on Venn’s face. Only Gadrielle and Nyxen met it head on. They both gave him grim shakes of their heads.
Venn’s face crumpled, his shoulders slumping with the weight of the news. He took a few quick breaths in succession, and Calla wondered whether he was trying to keep himself from crying, but then she noticed his hands. His fists. Shaking with rage.
His lip curled as he pointed a finger at her. “Where wereyou? You were supposed to look after him. After us. How did he justget takenby a fucking lake?”
Calla hated to do it, but she straightened her back, setting upon him what she knew to be a flinty, cold expression. She’d practiced it so many times in the mirror as a youth. “Watch it, boy,” she said, standing her ground even as the bigger, taller brother got all up in her face. “You both knew when youvolunteered to come onto this island that there would be risks, and you are both grown men. Save locking you below deck, I cannot guarantee your safety and I never claimed I could.” She let her voice soften, gently grabbing the wrist of his still pointing hand. “We’re all doing the best we can to look after each other. Today, our best wasn’t enough. I am sorry.”
She meant it, but it was hard to believe that when Nyxen turned and walked away with a soft scoff. When Venn’s lip curled in a sneer.
He looked her square in the eye and spit at her feet. “Fuck you,captain. We never should’ve trusted you.”
Venn stormed off, an angry twitch of his shoulder shrugging off any sympathizing touches.
As she met Sable’s gaze, Calla could not tell what her second was thinking. She kept her own expression blank as they set out back towards the ship.
You’re losing your crew, captain. What are you going to do about it?
17. No Harm Done
Riley
The Moonshadow had a fraction of the crew usually roaming its deck, and this was perfect. With a virtually empty ship, there was no one there to pay any mind to Riley as she approached the aft companionway and slipped beneath toward the officers’ quarters. To Calla’s blessedly empty cabin.
