Page 65 of Virelai's Hoard
“To open the path forward, we need to sacrifice someone marked by the sea. That’s what the tablet says.”
Why are you asking for their permission? You already know how this ends.
Calla closed her eyes. A flash of Draven walking into the lake, laughing as the rotting hands dragged him under the surface. And then, silence.
When she opened her eyes again, they settled on Eryx. The young pirate looked calm. Resigned. As if they’d been expecting this. Calla didn’t realize she’d taken a step forward until Sable stepped in front of her, cutting off her view. The flashes of gurgling laughter faded as she stared into her first mate’s hard eyes. The harsh curl of her lips, the disgust on her face.
“No,” Sable said, crossing her arms. “Absolutely not. I can’t believe I have to even say this, but we’re not going tosacrificepeople, Calla.”
The harshness, the challenging, the disgust… A distant part of Calla knew they should’ve all felt like a punch to the gut. But all she could feel was the pull. The whispers.
That voice she’d been hearing was her own. It must’ve been. Was that the beast she’d been spending her whole life silencing, pushing down, hiding?
She was so tired now. That must be why she couldn’t silence it anymore. Couldn’t fight it anymore.
Soon. It will all be over soon. Do what you must.
Calla faced the other pirates. With some effort, she asked, “Do any of you have a different solution? Because I’m listening.”
Feet shifting, uneasy frowns, lips pressed tight. No one talked.
They are all cowards. Only you can do what must be done.
Sable still stood in the way. “We’ll keep waiting until we figure out something else. We have rations.”
“Not for long,” Thorian intercepted, an ever solid presence at her back. “There’s no fish in these waters. And we don’t know when we’ll reach the mainland again after this, or if we’ll be able to find a pirate cove nearby. Starving on the way back still means we’re dead, mist or no mist.”
Uncertain murmurs lapped around the deck. Eryx’s head drooped.
Sable shook her head and squared her shoulders, adjusted her stance as if she was expecting a fight. As if she wasreadyto fight Calla on this. “I knew you were a lapdog, Thorian, but this is too much, even for you.”
A muscle moved in his jaw. “I’m beingrealistic.”
“Fuck that,” Sable snarled. She pointed a finger at Calla’s. “And fuck your treasure. This is crossing the line.”
The voice inside her head laughed.
You are doing all of this for them, and still they do not trust you. Respect you. Imagine if they found out what you really were.
A flare of anger sparked in Calla’s chest. Just who did Sable think she was? Did she think this waseasyfor her? Shouldering all the responsibility so they didn’t have to, making all the decisions the others wouldn’t be able to live with? This entire time Calla had done nothing but look for another way out of this, but there was none. It was too late. She’d brought them to a point of no return and the only way to get out of this was–
Calla took in a sharp breath, her thoughts clear for the first time in cycles. If it were up to Sable, she’d make the crew starve out at sea rather than sacrifice one of her own to save the many. It was a good thing Sable wasn’t captain, then. Calla would make the choice Sable didn’t have the heart for, and they could all spit in her face after, once they got out of this alive.
Yes. You get it, now.
A wave of calm washed over her.
“Thorian,” Calla said. She didn’t take her eyes off her first mate. “Take her to the brig. A night in the cell might clear her head, or at least stop her from doing something stupid.”
Pain twisted Sable’s features, quickly morphing into disbelief, then realization. Thorian took a step toward her. In a splitmoment, she had her machete out, blade pointed at the quartermaster. “This isn’t you, Calla. It hasn’t been you for a while. You’re not fit to lead us, not in this state.” When Thorian stopped advancing, Sable dropped her machete, but Calla would’ve preferred a stab to the gut to the last words coming out of her mouth. “You’re not our captain anymore.”
The statement struck the deck like a blow to the head. It shook the crew out of their stupor.
Venn threw his hands in the air. “Damn right she isn’t!” He turned to the pirates around him, leaping on the opportunity. “First she got Draven killed, and now this? None of us are safe withherin charge.”
Some of them nodded along, others studied their surroundings, assessing which way the wind blew. Most of them seemed uncertain.
“It’s not fair to blame Calla for Draven’s death,” Nyxen spoke up. He threw Calla a look she didn’t know how to interpret. Was he apologizing for before? Because this wasn’t what he’d told her on the island. “Not any more than it’s fair to blame me, or Gadrielle, or Draven himself. We were all there. We all failed him.” He swallowed thickly, crossing his arms and blinking up at the green-filled sky. “I’m sorry for your loss, Venn, but we all knew what we were signing up for. If anything, Calla tried to talk us out of it. She practically begged us to abandon the ship back when there was still time.” He shook his head. “Or did you all forget?”
