Page 49 of Ship of Shadows
After hours spent searching,we’d collected every last bone on the beach, all of them piled in the two boats. Everyone stood on the little dock as Leoni commanded the ocean to take the boats out to sea. It obeyed, carrying the smaller vessels.
My throat grew thick as I watched them float farther and farther away. I had to believe my father would be happy that he got a sendoff like this. He’d talked about how he didn’t fear death, how death was just another form of life, a beginning, not an end. He’d always told me not to mourn his death but to celebrate his life. I would honor him by saving my brothers,by getting back to Apolis and throwing a huge celebration that showcased the man he’d been. The king he’d been.
I sniffled, wiping at the tears that never seemed to stop. Leoni sucked in a shuddering breath, and Driscoll wiped away a few stray tears of his own.
I would find out what had happened to my father and avenge his death. He might be at peace now, but I couldn’t have peace until I knew why his life had ended in such a horrific way.
“I don’t have the tome,” I said to Leoni. “I don’t know the words for the burial ritual.”
She placed a hand on my shoulder. “It doesn’t matter. They’re at peace now. You did good.”
Bartholomew stepped up, clearing his throat. “I can sing a song if you’d like. To honor the dead. It’s one from our lands, but it’s fitting, I think.”
I gave him a soft smile and nodded, words stuck in my throat at the kind gesture.
Bartholomew opened his mouth and started singing, the song about a maiden who lost her life at sea. But it wasn’t sad like I expected. It was full of hope, the words painting a picture about the woman who loved the ocean and how when she died the sea greeted her with gentle arms, a welcome smile, and whispers of comfort. It sounded so much like how my father viewed his relationship with death. It was perfect, and despite everything that had happened, I’d forever be grateful to Barty the Bard for this.
When the song ended Leoni took a deep breath as she grabbed my hand. “Are you ready?” she asked.
I straightened, then pushed out my hand and watched as the water obeyed and lifted up over the boats, crashing down and capsizing them. I watched until they both sank from view. It was done.
I turned to face Bastian, his entire crew. “Thank you,” I said. “For understanding.”
He held my gaze, giving the barest of nods.
I felt so empty, so raw, right now. I just wanted to lie in a bed, fall asleep, and close out the world, the pain. I’d already grieved my father twice. And now this felt like yet another punch to the gut, one so hard I could barely breathe.
Everyone began boarding the ship, climbing the rope ladder that flapped in the wind.
I scoured the beach one more time, making sure there was nothing we’d missed, when something caught my eye. A glimmer. I walked across the dock, jumping over a missing plank, feet dropping back into the soft sand.
The sun caught on a sparkle of gold, the object almost entirely covered.
“Princess Gabrielle, where are you going?” Driscoll shouted, but I ignored him, moving toward the object that lay near the jungle, gaining speed until I was in a full-on run.
I arrived in front of it and knelt down in the sand, digging frantically to unearth it. Finally, I’d dug enough that I could grasp onto its handle, and I pulled with all my might until it slipped from the sand.
I flew back with the force of the pull, landing on my ass with an oomph, the object clutched tight in my grip. Gasps sounded behind me from the dock. I shook my head slowly, looking down at the gleaming gold weapon that was almost as tall as Leoni. I sucked in a sharp breath. I’d seen this before. Heard about it from myths and stories passed down through generations, from sketches in historical texts. From my father. But I’d never actually believed we’d find it.
I stood, holding it up in wonder. The handle was long and solid gold, leading to the sharp points of the bottom. Power coursed through it, making my hands tingle.
“Blood and water,” Leoni said as she arrived in front of me.
“What?” Driscoll called from the dock. “What is it?”
“A trident,” I breathed out, unable to believe what I was seeing. “Spirit Water’s golden trident.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
After I’d discovered the trident on the beach, we’d boarded Bastian’s ship and docked in town, and the first thing I’d demanded was that we find an inn where we could sleep for the night. The crew had cheered at that, silencing any protests Bastian had.
Of course he wouldn’t care about our sleeping conditions. He had his own cabin, a bed, his own toilet and private bath. It was just a metal tub in his room, but still, it was better than the metal tub sitting across from the toilet on the bow of the ship—which smelled strongly of rotting fish and seaweed.
We’d spent the rest of the day exploring the little town on the water, cobblestone roads and shops shoved next to each other, tall and skinny with shingled roofs, palm trees sprouting up with fresh coconuts dangling and locals climbing the trees to pick them. The town was small, but it was a common stopping point for anyone traveling that far south on the Dark Seas, making it crowded and full of life.
We’d finally bought new clothes. Much to Driscoll’s displeasure they were not silk. Just plain brown trousers and simple linen tunics. Since I had no gold on me, the pirate lordhad paid for everything, and he hadn’t even made a snarky comment about it.
“I’m surprised you’re not just looting the place,” I’d said to him, knowing it was immature and mean, but my emotions were still raw from what we’d done on the beach, from what had happened after that with my father’s bones. So I’d acted like a brat as the pirate lord bought me new clothes. “Isn’t stealing and pillaging kind of your thing?”
