Page 48 of Ship of Shadows
I turned to Driscoll. “You can go too,” I said. “You don’t have to help with this.”
His eyes softened and he ran a hand over his hair. “Of course I’m going to help. I know how important a proper burial is.” He shrugged. “It’s the only way to be united with the SevenSpirits. To finally greet them before you enter the spirit world. I wouldn’t rob your people of that honor.”
His words warmed my heart more than he probably realized. “Thank you,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady as more tears dropped.
Leoni gestured to all the bones. Her own father had died when she was younger, so his wouldn’t be among those scattered on this beach. “How are we going to do this?”
I twirled a strand of hair around a finger. “I think the best way would be to find a small rowboat of some sort and fill it with the bones, then set them adrift?”
Leoni gave a small nod. “So we just need to find a boat. Maybe we can trade for one in town?”
“Maybe,” I said. “Or maybe there’s one around here? Abandoned boats that people had no use for?”
Driscoll stepped forward. “I’ll start looking.”
He walked off through the sand, Leoni studying him as his figure grew smaller. “He’s not so bad.”
Despite the awful circumstances, that made me smile. “No, he’s not.”
Leoni and I started walking. “I’ll go this way.” I pointed. “You go that way, and let’s meet back here when the tide has come in.”
“Okay.” She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something but closed it and turned.
I walked closer to the tree line, wanting to avoid stepping on any of the bones, eyes searching for signs of abandoned boats that we could use. We could collect the bones, one by one, and throw them into the sea, but that somehow felt wrong. Like we’d just be tossing them aside as if they meant nothing. They deserved better.
Not able to help myself, my gaze trailed to the graveyard of bones. Some were full skeletons, others were broken apart. I wanted to find my father, to say goodbye, but it would beimpossible with nothing but bones left. What could have caused this? My father’s entire crew just killed and scattered along the beach? It made no sense. My gaze flicked to the sea.
Unless . . . Bastian had somehow been involved.
He’d kidnapped the boys, so I couldn’t put this past him either. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t wanted me to see it. Maybe there was a clue here that tied this atrocity to him and his Lost Boys.
But after hours of searching, I found no such clue.
I walked until my legs could no longer trudge through any more sand. Driscoll and I ran into each other and met back up with Leoni, who’d had no luck either. The tears started building again. I couldn’t even do this one thing for my father and his men. So much was going wrong, and I had to wonder if anything would start going right at some point.
“Should we head to town, then?” Leoni asked.
My heart splintered at the thought of not being able to give them the sea burial they deserved. “I guess we have no other options.”
Just then, Bastian’s ship rounded the bend of the island, that skull flag billowing. The vessel sailed toward the single rickety dock that stuck out into the water.
“Is it time to go?” Leoni asked. “We still need to get clothes, to bathe.”
“And maybe get some food other than salted meat and mush,” Driscoll muttered.
Not to mention send these souls to sea. I spread my feet apart and planted them deeper in the sand as if readying myself for a fight. If Bastian was about to tell me we had to leave, I was going to drown him for good this time.
The ship arrived at the dock, and I squinted at two objects floating alongside it, long ropes tying them to the ship.Crew members hopped out, docking the ship, while Bastian climbedthe rope ladder, along with the others, and jumped onto the dock. I realized what I was seeing floating in the water behind his ship: two smaller boats that they’d brought with them.
“How did you...?” I trailed off as Bastian approached.
“I know a thing or two about the courts and their customs. I’ve seen one of your water court burials from afar. Seen your priestess with her book, how you send your dead off.” He gestured to the small boats. “We have a few rowboats stowed aboard. They’re covered with tarp on the main deck, so you might not have noticed them. You’re welcome to use them to send your people off.”
I swallowed back the tears. I’d cried enough for one day. My eyes were swollen and puffy, my cheeks hot and sticky.
“Thank you,” I said, and he just gave a curt nod.
Mia appeared next to him. She brought two fingers to her mouth and let out a loud whistle. “Let’s get going,” she yelled to the rest of the crew. “We have a lot of work to do!”
