Page 112 of Ship of Shadows
“The people that you’ve never seen?” I asked.
“Correct,” Lochlan mumbled. “Not without trying, though. Mal and I have scouted out this entire island. It took hours to trek up that damn mountain to the tall walls surrounding the shadow court. They’re built of stone, and Mal and I had to scale a tree to get ourselves up there.”
“A tree?” I asked in disbelief.
“Well, how else were we going to do it?” Mal asked.
“I’m just surprised,” I said gently, hoping to lessen the tension between us. “Trees are not exactly in abundance in the water court.”
Mal had still been grumpy with me this morning, and I desperately wanted us to move past this so things could return tothe way they’d been before Bastian, before they’d disappeared, before everything.
“So what happened next?” Bastian asked.
Mia and Kara approached and crouched on either side of him, both of them studying the map.
“We got up the tree and shadows swarmed us, knocked us down. Almost broke my arm,” Lochlan said. “Instead, all I broke was Mal’s fall.” He jabbed a finger in our younger brother’s direction.
Mal rolled his eyes.
“Did you see anything when you were up there?” Kara asked, scratching at her brow.
“Not much,” Lochlan admitted. “The tops of what looked like thatched roofs, dirt roads, banana trees. And the castle, dark and at the top of the mountain.”
Mal shifted. “We tried to go back, but every time, the shadows wouldn’t let us near. It’s like they’re also trained to guard that place.”
“What are these shadow people planning? Why don’t they ever leave the confines of those walls?” My gaze traveled around the circle. “Do you think they’re trapped as well? That the shadow king is keeping them hostage?”
Lochlan spread out his hands. “Your guess is as good as mine. The boys know nothing about this shadow king. The pixies work for him, with him... spirits if I know.”
I shot a look at Bastian, and he raised his hands in the air. “Goji and I didn’t discuss the shadow king or these shadow people. She didn’t know much about him either. Apparently he’s not much of a talker.”
“Who’s Goji?” Lochlan asked, brows furrowed.
“It’s a long story,” I said. “Do the pixies visit regularly?”
Lochlan shook his head. “They come by to collect the new arrivals. They use their dust to knock them unconscious, then flythem to the shadow king. He takes their shadows, and the pixies return the boys the next day. Sometimes when they come, they’ll bring the boys food or supplies.”
“How does he know when a new boy arrives?” I ask. “Do the shadows communicate with him?”
Lochlan opened his mouth.
“If you say I don’t know one more time,” I warned.
“It’s not his fault,” Mal snapped. “Ask your pirate lord about it. He’s the one who’s been working for the guy for sixty years.”
“Fair point,” Bastian said, not letting Mal rile him. “Unfortunately, like I just said, this shadow king isn’t much of a talker. Just likes to rip our shadows away and not much else.”
“What is your problem?” Kara asked my younger brother.
Bastian and I locked eyes. The last thing we needed was a fight to break out between Kara and Mal.
“Maybe we can take a break, continue this conversation later,” Mia said.
“No.” Bastian’s gaze locked on Mal. “Let’s settle this. You don’t like me, mate. I don’t blame you. Yes, I’ve been working for the shadow king for sixty years. He has our shadows, and I have no choice unless I want my crew, my sisters, to die. I took your boys because he commanded to me to, a show of faith after he found out about my relationship with your sister, whom I love very much.”
Mal crossed his arms. “Tell me something new, pirate lord. Gabby has already told us all of this.”
“You want to know something new? Your sister doesn’t need protecting,” Bastian said. “I have two of my own, and I know firsthand how hard it is to stop trying to save them. But they don’t need us to rescue them. These women? They can save themselves. The best we can do is get out of their way and support them so we don’t lose them. I had to learn that the hard way.”
