Page 345 of The Spider Queen
Not that I blamed them. They were human. Their lives were finite.
“No time like the present,” I said, eager to head to shore.
“Hold on,” Aloysius stated. “You need some things before you go.” He quickly unstrapped his belt, which held a sheath and large knife. “May I?”
I nodded.
“Aloysius,” Meghan murmured.
“It’s fine,” he said, tying the belt around my waist. He looked at me, hands at my hips. “This blade belonged to my father. It’s brought me a lot of luck, Stella. I hope you don’t have to use it, but if you should—”
“Thank you,” I said, sincerity permeating my tone. I stepped away from him and then took the satchel Meghan held out to me.
“The ghosts prepared this for you.” She smiled. “It’s a canteen and some provisions. There’s a tent in there, too. So if the weather’s bad—”
“Thank you,” I said to her and to the ghosts that provided it for me.
I wouldn’t sleep, though. Now that I was here, I couldn’t waste any time sleeping. I should’ve slept the last three days, but adrenaline had gotten the better of me.
I took a moment to study each of their faces. Memorizing them. Wondering when I’d see them again.
“I can’t thank you enough for your courage. Your friendship. And your acceptance. I’ll come back and spend eight months with your people—”
“Forget it,” Aloysius said. “The deal is off the table.”
“Why?”
He took a deep breath. “Because I don’t want to be anything like him. I won’t hold you against your will.”
“I’ll come. Of my own free will.”
Aloysius smiled. “That I will accept.”
I heard a plop in the water. The boat that would take me to shore was bobbing in the sea, waiting.
“Well,” I sighed. “Let’s get the show on the road.”
Chapter 32
My feet touched the white sand. I looked around; the beach stretched as far as the eye could see. I knew I wouldn’t find what I was searching for here.
I turned to face the ship and waved. I didn’t know if they could see me through the mist that was already rolling across the sea, concealing them from me.
I was truly alone now. My boots sank into the damp, white grit as I trekked toward the tree line. All I could hear was the lapping of waves. Aside from that one lone bird I’d seen soaring through the sky, I saw no other signs of wildlife.
The eerie silence made me nervous, but there was no use for it, so I shoved it away and plowed forward. I stepped into the greenery of a forest. Rays of sunlight peered through the expansive canopy and the temperature rose. It had been cool on the beach, but now it was heating up. Soon, it would be sweltering. It wouldn’t be like the desert, though. That had been dry and bleak.
This was something different, like the jungles in Vietnam. But I had no choice, so deeper and deeper into the jungle I went. Every now and again, I would see pairs of amber eyes blinking at me from the safety of the leaves. Yet nothing dared to venture close to me. I was an oddity here. I was a stranger. Though I only had Aloysius’s knife for protection, I didn’t fear the beasts I couldn’t see.
The bangle on my wrist winked in the golden light. I wondered if it was a magical talisman, one that would keep me safe from harm. What would I have to face in order to get the last pearl?
Poseidon knew. I was sure of it.
But like the immortals and oracles I’d met before him, he was equally as cryptic. Did their immortality plague them with sheer boredom? Did they enjoy the games and trickery for the sake of having something to do? They all had monstrous egos.
Hours passed and still there was no sign that the jungle would end. Maybe the island was mostly trees and vegetation. Night fell. Starlight and moonlight barely penetrated the thick canopy above me, but I didn’t have trouble seeing. Apparently my time in the desert had changed not just my appearance, but it had also given me stellar night vision.
My stomach rumbled and I stopped walking. I plopped down on a log and riffled through the satchel the ghosts had given me. As I was digging through it, searching for bread and cheese, I heard a hissing. I jumped up and whirled, attempting to find the source of the noise. No doubt some large jungle snake was waiting to devour me whole.
