Page 106 of Vengeance of the Pirate Queen

“I thought you said he gave you three days to decide,” Roslyn says.

“That was before I made plans to leave the island.” A pause. “Roslyn, lesson number three of being an assassin is always assume everyone is lying.”

“What if someone caused a distraction inland?” Visylla asks. “We could draw them away from the ship.”

“We’ve already done that once,” I say. “They won’t fall for the same trick twice.”

Everyone falls silent, and no more ideas are forthcoming. I simply stare out at the ocean, watching those ice-cold waves crash onto the shore.

Cold to everyone except me.

I wince as I remember my time alone on the ocean floor. It was horrifying, something I never want to experience again. But I know what I must do if I’m to save everyone.

“I need to go around,” I say.

“Around what?” Kearan asks.

I point to the west. “The tree line meets up with the ocean over there. I could slip into the water, swim to the ship, then board her.”

No one says anything for a moment.

“How would you manage that without dying?” Shura asks, speaking up for the first time.

“Cold doesn’t affect the captain anymore,” Enwen says. “She’s half undead. ’Twas an unfortunate accident.”

“What?” Captain Warran bellows.

Kearan silences him with another look.

To Dimella, I say, “I know you don’t like me going off alone, but this might be our only chance off the island.”

She nods. “I think you have the right of it. We can’t risk waiting for nightfall with everything that’s hunting us.”

“We don’t have time for me to silently kill the whole crew,” I say, more to myself than everyone else. “I’ll be the distraction so you can approach the ship. When you hear them sound the alarm, you’ll know they’re sufficiently occupied and it’s safe to board.”

“Just don’t get yourself killed.”

“I’ll do my best.” I point over my shoulder. “Fill in the crew of theWandereron everything that’s happened. They need to be prepared for the worst.”

“Aye-aye,” she says.

“I’ll walk you to the beach,” Kearan says.

I don’t argue with him. I leave Roslyn in Enwen’s care before following the edge of the tree line toward my destination. Kearan is silent at my side, matching my strides.

“He knows what we’re planning,” I say. “I saw one of the undead at the camp. It overheard my orders to the crew. He’s definitely coming.”

“He won’t catch up,” Kearan reassures me. “We’ll be on that ship sailing away before he gets here.”

“He will catch up eventually. Even if we get away today, even if this is the only ship on this island—which I doubt it is—then he will swim after us. He doesn’t need food. I don’t even know if he needs rest. Nothing can harm him. It may take months or years, but he’ll make the swim to the Seventeen Isles.”

“By then, Alosa can be prepared to handle him. She’ll have her mother and the charm ready. He won’t be able to hurt anyone else.”

“If he gets me—”

“He won’t.”

“If he gets me, do I have your word that you will help Dimella get everyone safely home and warn Alosa?”

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