Page 34 of The Curse Breaker

I stiffened. What did she mean by that?

Charlotte came closer once more, her smile returning. “You did what was best for you. You’re like me. Which is why, we get on that island, take all the treasure we can carry, and leave together so that no one ever finds us.”

Walk away from my family and friends? My heart felt like it was fluttering fast. “But your husband and daughter. My family.”

The wind rustled through the beach grass like whispers. She touched the green ring on her hand. “Listen to me, Evelyn. You have to take care of yourself. And no one else. I learned that the hard way. Take what you can get, and leave nothing to chance.”

I knew then she was no mother. What mother would become immortal and leave her child behind?

“Don’t overthink this! I’m offering you forever. Say yes.” I hesitated and her expression darkened. “I hope I haven’t made a mistake in trusting you, dear. I’ve never looked fondly at those who try to cheat a woman.”

“Cheat?” I didn’t understand.

“If you’re thinking of keeping the treasure for yourself”—she raised her voice—“of getting on that island without me, I will see to it that you and your family have no future.” Charlotte’s once beautiful face looked ugly.

I realized then I’d made a mistake confiding in this stranger. How could she believe a story about a treasure that could make one immortal unless…?

“You’ve been to the island before, haven’t you?” I realized.

A large gust of wind nearly knocked us both off our feet. We both stood our ground, staring at one another.

“I knew you were smart when I met you.” Her voice was quieter now. “Of course I’ve been. Do you think I’d be out here talking to a child if I didn’t need help? I’ve longed for that treasure for two hundred years, and I won’t miss my chance to get it again.” She grabbed my wrist hard. “Now you’re going to help me get it back.”

Welcome home, Evelyn Terry! Welcome!

My ears pricked up. The island was calling to me. I glanced at the water but still couldn’t see it. Charlotte didn’t flinch. Could she hear the island too? I licked my lips before I had the nerve to say what I was going to say. “Why would I help you?”

“Because you want to rescue your friends, do you not?” She smiled wickedly. “And to do that, you need me. The island will only let you return if you have something it wants, and I do.” She pulled something shiny out of her undergarment.

I gasped. “The treasure.” The coins looked identical to the pieces of eight I’d stolen. I reached out my hand to touch the gold.

Charlotte held it out of reach. “You didn’t think I would just give you a piece, did you?” Charlotte’s smile was cruel. She held up one of the coins between her thumb and index finger. “The island is still here. Last time it stayed for a fortnight.”

A fortnight meant when the island was here in the 1600s, it stayed for two weeks. My friends and I had been visiting that island for a few weeks, hadn’t we?

“So if you want on, after the island disappeared, you need to return a piece of its lost treasure. Which means you’re going to have to do everything I say.”

I kept my eyes on the coin. “What do you want?”

“Good girl.” Charlotte sounded pleased. “What I want is for you to help me get back to the island, retrieve your friends’ coins, and have your friends help you carry the treasure chest off. You’ll get your friends back, and I’ll get the Tesouro Eterno.”

So the treasure had a name. Still, something made me suspicious. “Why do you need my help? Why not go alone?”

“I have my reasons. Now. Do we have a deal or not?” Thunder clapped overhead.

“I told you, I don’t see the island anymore,” I said, frustration creeping into my voice. I felt like the island was taunting me. “I can only hear it.”

Charlotte put the coin back in her undergarments. “That is fine. It just means we need to find a new entrance point. It can’t be far from the first one. You just need to know where to look.”

She walked ahead of me now, humming a tune I didn’t recognize. I walked in silence along the water, wondering whether she knew Kimble. If she did, why weren’t they searching for the island together? She was an enigma, much like the pirate.

Oh, how I wished he were right there to help me. While mysterious, he never lied. Lost in my thoughts, it took me a moment to realize what was happening. Suddenly, the beach started to widen, the sand stretched out ahead of me, and the harbor of Greenport grew farther away. Sun broke through the clouds, and I felt warm air, the scent of gardenias and jasmine hitting my nose. And then I heard the island calling through the fog.

Welcome, Evelyn Terry. Welcome!

There were other voices this time too.

Evelyn, where are you?