Shadows in the Trees: Book 1

Chapter 41

The Captain braced herself for the chaos as best she could. They had reached the island and docked. She insisted on telling the crew herself, despite Barnabas and Jeremiah's protests. Whoredog carried her from her bed to the top deck, where the crew was waiting for an announcement from their captain. 

The men looked pale and drawn, their wide eyes following her as Whoredog emerged from belowdeck. She flinched at the sudden assault of sunlight. She knew she must have looked a fright; she was pale and thin, her skin stretched tight against her bones. Her hair was tangled and stuck to her neck and forehead. Her lips were stained with the blood she had been coughing up more and more frequently with each passing day. 

Whoredog set her down gently on a chair that had been brought up from mess. She looked out at her men, trying to meet each one in the eye, but her vision was too blurry to distinguish between them. 

"Can you name an instance I have failed you?" she said. There was silence. 

"No, Captain," one brave man called out. The rest of the men nodded their heads. 

"Good, good," she said. Her tongue felt thick and heavy in her mouth, and she struggled to remember what she was going to say. A bird cawed overhead, and she looked up to see a large bird of prey, a falcon she thought, circling the ship. She watched it weave through the sky above, dipping its wings into the wind. 

"Captain?" Barnabas murmured softly. She looked at him, her eyes glassy. 

Whoredog stepped forward. "Do you love your Captain?" the men cheered in response. "I do! She's made me rich beyond my wildest dreams. And with her, I know I'll only get richer." The men cheered again, louder this time. "We have a way to save her. But you aren't going to like it." He looked back at Barnabas and Jeremiah. "Get her on the dinghy and get her to shore. I'll handle whatever comes," he said under his breath.

They nodded, and together they were able to lay her down gently in the boat. Jeremiah cut the ropes, dropping them down rather roughly into the water, as Whoredog turned back to face the crew.

They rowed as quickly as they could. The Captain was only vaguely aware of where she was. She was transfixed on the falcon flying above, following the rowboat to shore. Eventually, it flew ahead, leaving her only blue to stare at. 

When they reached the dock, Lorelai and Sidka were already there. Sidka helped them take her out of the boat and lay her on the dock. The wood was rough on her fragile skin, and even though the sun was beating down on her, she felt cold. 

"How did this happen?" Lorelai asked. Her face was pulled into a taut mask, and through the haze over her mind the Captain felt a twinge of fear. 

"Competitors. We made quite a bit off of what you gave us, and they wanted to know who our supplier was," Jeremiah said. His voice was quiet but steady. 

"And what? She could not defend herself?" Lorelai snapped. 

"Three men ambushed her. She only escaped because of how well she can defend herself," Barnabas shot back. Lorelai glared at him. 

"We will help her," Sidka said. He motioned to two guards standing nearby. "Take her to the palace." 

"Sidka!" Lorelai hissed. The guards paused. "We cannot help humans. Our medicine is for us, not for these parasites." 

"Without the Captain, you won't have a trading partner anymore," Jeremiah said. "She holds our crew together. Without her, they wouldn't dare come near this place." Lorelai blanched. 

"We need her," Sidka said. "Take her to the palace." The guards came forward and one gently picked her up. 

"The crew will need to come ashore, eventually," Jeremiah said. "Stretch their legs. And some provisions would be nice." 

"Of course," Sidka said. Lorelai bared her teeth, but remained silent. "In due time. Let us get her comfortable." 

"May we go with her?" Barnabas asked. 

Sidka hesitated. He glanced at Lorelai. "I'm afraid not. Go back to your ship. We will send provisions by sundown." 

Barnabas looked at Jeremiah, his eyes panicked. "We can't leave her here alone with them." 

"We have no choice, my boy," Jeremiah said. Barnabas looked at her withered frame, made even smaller by the towering guard. Tears welled in his eyes and he looked away. Jeremiah knelt down in front of Sidka. "Thank you. We can never repay you for this kindness."

"It is no kindness," Lorelai said coldly. "You can repay us by ensuring our trade deal endures." 

Jeremiah rose and nodded curtly. He took Barnabas by the arm and dragged him to the dinghy. They both watched as their captain was carried away, lifeless in the guard's arms, before rowing back to the ship to face the crew.