Page 94 of Cursebreaker

I sob, my chest aching. “But—she’s gone. Elsie—”

“What happened to Elsie is not your fault,” Father insists, holding me tighter. There’s something in his voice—something between guilt and regret—and I wonder what he lost on his search for the Relics. Wonder if he somehow blames himself for Elsie’s disappearance.

When I’ve no more tears left to cry, I draw back. “Where’s Mother?” I ask, looking over his shoulder to see if she’s come to greet me, but the doorway is empty.

“She’s waiting for us on the beach,” he says. “Sunset dinner in honor of the Starchaser’s return. It’s somewhat of a tradition. That is, when people aren’t sneaking off to commandeer ships and set sail for the Burning Lands.” He quirks a brow at me.

I huff, my stomach twisting. “So she’s still mad at me?”

He chuckles, but his brow furrows. “If she’s mad at you, she’s furious with me.”

My eyes narrow, my mouth working on a question I’m not sure how to form.

His lips curve, a sly smirk that reminds me so much of Owen, his kind eyes twinkling with mischief. “Did you really think Orella took that compass from me and I didn’t know?”

Sand shifts underfoot as I make my way to the long wooden table, overflowing with a feast fit for royalty—skewers of pork, baskets of fresh fruit, plates stacked high with cheese and loaves of steaming bread. Father and I are the last to arrive. Lady Isabelle waves at me from her seat between Annie and Henry, her weary eyes brightening just a little. Beside them, Orella murmurs something in Killian’s ear, and it could be the dusty-pink light of the setting sun, but I think I see him blush. My siblings have already begun loading their plates, along with Eliza, Rook, Gabriel, and Diana, their faces fresh, hair still damp. And there, seated at the head, Owen smiles despite his swollen, puffy eyes, already regaling Orella with a lively tale from our time at sea.

Albert leaps from his chair and into my arms before anyone else notices my arrival. I start to crouch, but he’s grown, even in the short amount of time I’ve been away. Still, he looks up at me with red-rimmed eyes, his bottom lip trembling. “I’m coming with you to get her back,” he says, his voice hoarse. “I won’t be left behind again.”

The conversation lulls at Albert’s statement, and Owen glances our way, his lips turned down in a tight frown. My gaze drifts to the empty chair to the right of Mother, at the old cloth-covered book of Myths propped against the backing, and tears prick my eyes.

A place for Elsie.

I pull Albert closer, holding on to him the way I couldn’t hold on to her.

“No one’s leaving anyone behind,” I say, my voice thick.

Albert sniffs, nodding. “Promise?”

My mouth works. I can’t make that promise. After everything that’s happened, I don’t want my siblings anywhere near me when I find the two remaining Relics—if I find them. Thankfully, before I can answer, Owen calls for Albert, and our little brother’s attention snaps to him like a whip.

My heart aches as I pull out my chair between Titus and Charlie, but a few seats over, Mother doesn’t even acknowledge I’ve arrived. I understand why she doesn’t want to talk to me. She told me to make them all pay, and instead I’ve already returned before I’ve even drawn blood. And we might have the Helm, but without Elsie…

“. . . the wedding here.”

My attention whirls to Margaret. “What?”

She grits her teeth in an uneasy smile. “I was just telling Isabelle that Jack and I were thinking about going ahead with the wedding.”

“Oh.” I blink. “When?”

“Now,” Margaret answers as Jack covers her hand with his, his thumb brushing her knuckles. “Before we leave again.”

“How soon?” It’s Lady Isabelle who speaks up.

Margaret and Jack share a look. Smile. “Tomorrow.”

Lewis lets out a loud, “Whoop!” Charlie claps, and Father wipes joyful tears from his face. Rook gets up, throws his arms around Jack and Margaret, planting kisses on both of their cheeks. Lady Isabelle looks as if she were ready to start planning the party before she’s even eaten a bite of her food. Mother stands, raising her glass in a toast, but her voice warbles in my ears.

A wedding. Tomorrow.

I should be happy for them. I am happy for them. But when Margaret looks at me, as if asking for permission, my gut twists. Do I not look happy?

Margaret knows I didn’t want to come back here—didn’t want to stay through the night. But after what happened to Elsie, my crew needs the respite from sea, if only for a little while. And though everything within me tells me to board the Starchaser tonight and set sail for the Eerie—to search for the next Relic before Will discovers that we’ve come home—I realize, by the looks on their faces, I won’t be able to persuade anyone to leave now. And despite my urgency to keep moving, I won’t order my family and friends to follow me if they’re not ready.

One day. We can afford to stay for one day.

I force my lips to lift, the ghost of a smirk. “Does this mean I have to start calling Jack my brother-in-law?”