Page 31 of Queen of Whispers and Mist

CHAPTER11

SHADOW

Dinner was long over, and as the candles burned low, the conversation turned to old seafarer tales about the kinds of monsters who lurked in the inky depths.

“Piss off. Everyone knows the Lusca is the true terror of the deep.”

Calypso’s comment had Bronn snapping his mouth shut and Tiny politely hiding his laughter behind his napkin. The ever-stoic Jagger didn’t react, but Buttercup let out a soft tweet that sounded like agreement. Meanwhile, Ronan had abandoned all pretense of paying attention and was currently snatching another of Cookie’s frosted cakes off the platter that had inched its way closer to him over the course of the last half hour. The man might have had to skip the main course, but he’d more than made up for it with the petite desserts. That was the seventh she’d seen him take, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d managed to sneak others. Who would have predicted the merciless Butcher had a sweet tooth?

“Lusca?” Shadow asked, curious to hear more about the monster that had several grown men squirming in their seats.

“Aye, a fearsome creature it is,” the captain said, her eye appearing almost violet as she leaned in with all the zeal of a storyteller knowing she had a captive audience. “Two hundred feet at least, with massive tentacles that can crush a galleon as easy as this here butter. Those who don’t drown from the wreck are sucked into the Dweller’s mighty maw and swallowed whole. Dead before they even realize they was caught.”

“Dweller? I thought you called it—”

“The Lusca, aye. Though there are many that refer to it as the Dweller of the Deep since there’s power in a name and they believe to utter it is to summon it.”

“But not you?” Shadow asked as goosebumps prickled the length of her skin.

Calypso shrugged. “I have more realistic fears.”

“That’s because you know it’s a myth,” Bronn scoffed, balling up his napkin and tossing it on his plate. “Besides, what’s so scary about a toothless squid? What Meg lacks in size, she more than makes up for with all those teeth. A creature that can tear you to shredsandensure you feel every miserable second leading up to your death?That’sa monster worthy of fear.”

Ronan snickered, and Shadow gave him a curious glance.

“What?” he asked with a shrug. “The man makes a valid point.”

Shadow shook her head, thinking she wasn’t keen on meeting either the Lusca or the Megalodon—Meg as Bronn called her. It was a good thing these were all just tales sailors made up to frighten their swabbies... weren’t they?

“No,” Jagger rasped, with a slight shake of his head.

It was only the second time he’d spoken all night, and everyone turned his way in surprise when he joined the conversation.

“You disagree?” Bronn asked. Jagger dipped his chin in a jerky nod that Buttercup echoed with a soft chirp. “By all means, enlighten us.”

Tension radiated from the bosun, a muscle fluttering wildly in his jaw. After an affectionate nuzzle from his bird, his throat bobbed and he said, “It’s worse not to know.” For a second Shadow thought that might beallhe intended to say, but then Jagger cleared his throat and continued. “Pain is forgotten. True fear is not... the mind... it can... it is...” He huffed out a frustrated breath as he trailed off, jaw clenching tight as he struggled to find his words. When he did, he nearly shocked her with their eloquence. “There’s nothing worse than what the mind conjures in the face of the unknown.”

Jagger may not speak often, but it was clear to Shadow that was due to choice rather than circumstance. It made her itch to learn what secrets he was keeping... and why.

Bronn wasn’t nearly as impressed with the answer as Shadow, perhaps because he was better acquainted with the mysterious bosun. Instead of agreeing with the assessment, he snorted. “How is being swallowed whole by a creature so vast you don’t even know it’s happening any different than being snuffed out in your sleep? It’s a mercy if you ask me. One should be so lucky.”

The question was rhetorical, so Shadow didn’t think she was alone in her surprise when Jagger spoke up once more. This time, she almost wished he hadn’t.

“The difference lies in the darkness. Terrible, never-ending darkness with only your thoughts for company. A mind splinters under the weight of it... becomes twisted in its desperation. Unrecognizable... until it inevitably shatters.”

Delivered in his hoarse rumble, the words held a sinister edge that had a shiver of foreboding skittering down her spine. It was as if they were torn from deep inside him without his consent, filled with the agony of a festering wound. Her heart twisted in the confines of its bony cage, his remembered pain summoning hers, forcing her to share in the horror of it.

It wasn’t until Ronan’s hand snaked out, covering hers, that she realized she’d been holding her breath. She sucked in air with a strangled gasp, forcing herself to shake off his touch and instantly mourning its loss when he allowed it.

The jovial atmosphere from dinner was officially gone, their easy banter replaced by the guttering of the candles. Everyone seemed caught in the spell Jagger’s words had woven until Calypso reached out, resting her hand on his knee with a concerned frown. The moment of tender comfort between the captain and her bosun was unexpected and hinted at a relationship far more complex than simple crew dynamics. Not for the first time, Shadow wondered about the people that manned theRevenge. Specifically about the kind of lives they’d led and how such an unlikely bunch found themselves together.

“Annnd on that joyful note, I think it’s time we turn in for the evening.”

Bronn’s proclamation had everyone up and moving. It was almost comical the way they all jumped into action at once. As if time had slowed to a crawl and they were now forced to act in triple time to make up for the delay. But she knew the truth was far less fanciful. It was simply relief. The quartermaster had provided them with an excuse to run away from the bleak despondency Jagger’s words left them trapped within, and they all gratefully latched onto it. Only the forced smiles of the crew hinted that it would take more than a speedy exit to reclaim their equilibrium.

Hoping to help them along, Shadow followed Bronn’s lead and offered a gentle tease of her own. “Perhaps next time we could opt for sea shanties as the after-dinner entertainment.”

“I didn’t realize you were such a fan of music,” Ronan murmured, his eyes crinkling with amusement as he helped her from her chair.

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