Page 13 of Lost and Stolen Gods
“Something killed my grandmother the same night that you kidnapped me, and they’re related. I know it, and I believe you know it too. You know what that creature was. Please…” I blinked back the threat of tears and watched his hawkish profile for a reaction, anything that would tell me that I’d hit the nail on the head.
He sighed. “Look, I’m sorry for your loss, truly. But I have no idea what the shadow monster could be. We come for the marked, but it is never our intention to hurt them.”
“No, your intention is kidnapping. Tell me, do youenjoytaking humans from their homes by force?”
His mouth turned down slightly. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never taken a human.”
“What the?—"
“There are many monstrous creatures where I’m taking you.” He canted his head. “Maybe you’ll find the answers you seek at your final destination.”
“Oh my god,” Remi said.
I tore my attention from Rathor and followed Remi’s gaze to where the sky was eclipsed by the mammoth birds, white and black with viciously curved bright orange beaks and dark flashing eyes. They flew soundlessly, around and around, but their attention was on us. On the approaching ship.
Teeny figures appeared against the cliffside. There must be a path there. They were headed to the beach.
“Your welcoming party has arrived,” Rathor said with a roll of his shoulders.
“Ah, fuck,” Sprigg said. “I spy Lomis.” He pointed out to sea where another ship had appeared out of nowhere.
“Who’s Lomis?” Dharma asked.
“The other transport.”
Other transport? Which meant…“There are more of us?”
Rathor’s gaze flicked to me, alight with amusement. “You’re not the only special ones.”
“How many more?” Priti asked.
He shrugged. “Don’t know. Don’t care. As long as I get paid.”
“Then we get sleep,” Sprigg said in his soft, sibilant voice.
“Yes, Sprigg, once our cargo has disembarked, sleep it is.”
The other ship’s sail billowed, and it sped up, cutting us off and entering the bay first.
The birds dipped low, then rose again, and on the shore, several figures waited.
As we entered the bay, a smaller boat detached from Lomis’s ship and drifted to shore. We drew closer, and I got a better look at it—larger, fancier, and in better condition than this one.
There was a splash behind us and the rattle of chains, followed by another splash.
“Follow me.” Rathor led us starboard and swung his body over the side, vanishing from view.
I peered down in time to see him leap from a rope ladder onto a rowboat. “Hurry up,” he called out to us.
“There’s no going back now, is there?” Remi’s voice quivered.
I put an arm around her shoulder. “No, not today, but if there is a way back, then I’m sure we’ll find it soon.”
We clambered off the ship one by one, stepping onto a boat that rocked dangerously and looked as if it had taken more than a few knocks in its time.
“Is this thing safe?” Remi asked.
“Of course, she is,” Rathor snapped. “Now sit down. Don’t try to stand until I tell you to.”
