Page 18 of Empire of Death
The Keeper took the vacated seat and slid the stew out of the way without taking his eyes off me. “Keeper Ironhook Scurvy—but you can call me Jack.”
“Why Scurvy?” I asked, knowing a pirate’s name was chosen with intention.
“Because I’ve never had it. Me crew was stranded, and they fell to it…except me.”
“Because you had your stash that you hid from everyone else?”
A ghost of a smile moved over his lips. “Not that kind of pirate. At least, I wasn’t. Haven’t been at sea in many years.”
“Afraid you’ll get rusty?”
He never answered the question, eyes still on me. “You don’t remember me.”
The assumption was right. I’d never seen him before in my life, but I didn’t give anything away.
“Your galleon stopped here a few months ago. Your crew needed supplies before you headed farther north. Said you weren’t in search of battle or treasure—just adventure. I knew you were King Talon’s daughter because it sounded like child’s play.”
If only he knew how that journey had ended.
“But rumors here spread like sparks over lit firewood, and I heard you were a mighty fine sailor.”
“I learned from the best, so no surprise there.”
“They say it’s bad luck to have a woman on a ship. Tell me, how did that journey end?”
“Interesting, because it doesn’t seem like courtesans count as bad luck.”
His smirk widened and even reached his eyes. “I’m the Keeper of the Code, the protector of Skull Island and its banner of truce, a thriving oasis out in the middle of nowhere. You’ve come here for my audience, so make your request.”
“You haven’t asked about my father.”
“If you’re queen, I assume he’s dead.”
“He’s not. But you offer no condolences if you believe that to be so?”
He stared at me for a while, cocking his head slightly the other way. “Yes, I know he used to be one of us, but everyone who ever served with him is either dead or forgotten. You will find no loyalty to Talon Rothschild here if that’s what you seek. Remember, you sit among pirates, those who don’t believe in kings and queens, so your name holds no power here. I’m far more impressed that a galleon full of men had nothing but praise for you. So pray tell, was your journey successful?”
I pictured the faces of my crew, flashbacks of our time together moving across my mind in an instant. “That is the reason I’ve come here. A fleet of golden ships passed us and killed everyone but me. I was the only survivor. Then they sailed to the Northern Isles to conquer Riviana Star. My father and I fought to save the forest, but he was injured by a cursed blade. A blade so cursed he can’t heal from the wound.”
His eyes narrowed when he heard that.
“We call them Barbarians. Do you know of them?”
“Golden ships, you say?”
I nodded. “I wouldn’t provoke them if I were you. Their ships are bigger but somehow faster, and they would destroy you and this island if they knew of your whereabouts.”
“It might be worth it, though,” he said. “Just to see such a spectacular ship.”
“Well, I did see it, and I can assure you it wasn’t worth it at all,” I said coldly, wanting him to take this seriously. “I’ve forged an alliance with King Ithaca of the Empire Colonies?—”
“He’s a swine.”
“But he has men and a fleet of ships?—”
“And you have dragons, Your Highness.”
“I suspect we’re all going to need one another if we’re going to survive this. Because if they conquer one of us, they may be able to conquer all of us.”
