Page 50 of Queen of Whispers and Mist

Shadow echoed his sentiments, more than ready to keel over. She’d pushed herself beyond her limits, and then kept going. Tired wasn’t even close to what she was feeling right now.

Delirious. Half-dead, perhaps. But nothing as simple astired.

As they neared the cave Bronn had indicated, a series of wooden structures came into view.

“What is that?” Ronan asked, squinting.

It was practically impossible to see past the torrent of rain to get a clear image of the three objects lined up outside the cave.

“They look like cages,” Shadow murmured, not sure if she was seeing bars or simply imagining them.

“Suspended ones,” Calypso confirmed. “There are some tribes known to imprison their quarry in such cages. It would make sense.”

“Is there... someone in one of them?” Shadow asked, her eyes barely able to make anything out beyond the soft glow of her torch.

“What are the odds?” Ronan mumbled at the same time Bronn said, “I think you might be right.”

Holding one of their two torches up, Calypso took a few tentative steps forward until the aura of light fell above the nearest of the cages. The poor creature suspended in the air made a pathetic moan and curled into themselves, their turquoise shirt nearly black from the rain.

“Ahoy!” Bronn called softly, trying to draw the poor letch’s attention without alerting whomever their captor might be.

The figure’s head shot up, eyes wide, face pale and etched with fear.

There was something familiar about the man, but Shadow couldn’t quite place him. And then Ronan’s bewildered call rang out into the night.

“Bast?”

CHAPTER17

RONAN

“Oh, merciful darkness, Ronan. Is that really you?”

The absolute shock of finding Sebastian here held him rooted to the spot.

Bast shuffled forward on his knees, hands grasping the bars as he pressed his face through the space between them. “You’re not just going to leave me like this, are you?”

Ronan blinked, then jerked forward as the words penetrated. If Bast wasn’t doing anything to disguise his voice he must be alone, at least for the moment, which meant it should be safe enough to approach. Meanwhile, Calypso and her men were looking to him for answers.

“You know this man?” the captain asked.

“Aye. From Glimmermere.”

“Well, don’t downplay it, Ronan. Tell them the truth.”

The pirates stared at him expectantly. Shadow seemed content to watch Bast as she slid one of her daggers free. He appreciated her distrust of the imprisoned man. It was nice to see her skepticism aimed someone else’s way for once.

“That is the truth,” he ground out.

It would seem that even when captured, Bast was a right pain in his arse. Good to know some things never changed.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “You make it seem as though we’re mere acquaintances.” He shifted to look over Ronan’s shoulder so he could address the others. “Ronan and I are best friends.”

Bronn’s bark of laughter was disguised as a cough. Calypso hid a smile behind her hand, while Shadow didn’t bother. Jagger’s expression remained unchanged, though Buttercup did a little dance on his shoulder, which Ronan could clearly picture as someone doubled over in laughter.

“You might want to reconsider annoying me untilafterI free you from the cage. I have no qualms leaving you locked up in the rain.”

Sebastian gasped. “You lie. You would never leave me here to fend for myself against those monsters.”

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