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“I’ll be fine... They can’t say the same.”
Stepping closer, being mindful of the burning embers, I enter the cargo hold, Zephyr in tow. “None of this makes sense. Why are blood witches here? The king won’t let the marked join the guard. Even he thinks they’re vile.”
It’s one more reason for me to believe the ship was abandoned. They must’ve taken up residence and decided to feast off whatever was left of the crew.
“Who knows, but the sooner we get what we came for, the sooner we can leave.” Zephyr starts thumbing through the items on the shelves, archives by the look of it. Boxes upon boxes of them. “They’re empty. Almost all of them. Look.”
Grabbing a box, I lift the lid and find the hollow bottom. “Fuck...”
Ripping box after box from the shelves, I form a pile of them until finally, I find one with something in it. A note scrawled in blood for ink, and with it, the compass.
‘Congratulations Captain. Hopefully, this token of my appreciation can let us become allies, assuming you can forgive and forget. Maybe having your shadow will help with that. - C’
The Crocodile. My father’s sworn enemy. Suddenly, everything makes sense. He’s the only slimy creature that would do business with blood witches. He and his crew of freakish misfits likely pillaged this ship and left a present, knowing we’d find it once it floated into our waters. But it still doesn’t explain why he called me captain. I’m certain it was me specifically since he brought up my missing shadow.
He’s planning something. I just wish I knew what.
Zephyr lets the others know to head back to the ship and when we reach the deck, the grapples await us to slide down like a zipline. Smee goes first, hooking her sheathed sword over the rope and gliding down. The other men follow after, one by one, giving me a moment to take in the sight.
The Jolly Roger is a mess. Arrows are lodged into the spars, and holes are shredded into the sails. What happened? Where did they come from?
We cleared the deck of the merchant ship and the others only found stranglers below. So, who shot the arrows?
Whisking down the line, my feet touch down on the familiar planks of the Jolly Roger, but Smee jerks me toward the captain’s quarters before I can get my bearings or question further.
“Something happened.” She tugs me faster by the fabric of my shirt.
“You don’t say.”
“I’m serious, Sebastian!” she snaps, whirling to face me. Her face gives me pause, the tears in her hazel eyes. She never cries.
“Who?” I ask, dreading whatever name leaves her lips.
She doesn’t answer as she pushes open the door to our father’s room. No. It can’t be. But the truth confronts me without mercy.
My father groans as the men force him to lie down. Zephyr is already hard at work, examining where three arrows have pierced my father’s torso, but the look he gives me tells all. The thick scent of hemlock in the air means they’ll be fatal... Even with an antidote, his odds of survival are slim, but without one it's impossible. There’s nothing Zephyr can do, but like a loyal friend, he’ll try everything he can.
I fall to my knees beside the bed. My father’s face is pale, his breathing ragged. Still, he manages to spit out a string of curse words at Zephyr.
“It’s alright,” I say, nodding to the orc. His own head is still bleeding and needs tending to still. With a curt nod, he bows his head, his long dark hair falling forward as he takes a step back and exits the room.
“Did you get it?” my father breathes. “The compass. Did you get it?”
Pulling it from my pocket, I show him, and a smirk tilts his bloodied lips. “Well done, my boy.” He grips my hand and it’s impossible not to notice how cold it is.
“Save your strength,” I urge him, though I know it’s a losing battle.
No one can convince the infamous Captain Hook to do anything he doesn’t want to. Smee gets it honestly... She kneels beside me, her hand wrapping around both of ours.
My father closes his eyes, exhaling long and deep. “The tips were dipped in poison.”
“We know,” Smee says, pressing her lips together as the tears slip down her cheeks.
“The Crocodile knew we’d be here. He must’ve rigged the ship. I swear they came out of nowhere, but they all flew at me like they were spelled to do so. I thought for sure that the compass wouldn’t be there. At least I won’t die for nothing.” I’m not sure if he’s trying to convince himself or soothe our souls, but he smiles big and cups his free hand over Smee’s.
“We did it,” she says, trying to grin through the tears, but the smile never reaches her eyes. “We’ll get his shadow back. I promise.”
With the last of his strength, my father lifts the captain’s hat from his head and places it upon mine. “She’s yours now. Take good care of her. Promise me the two of you will take care of our people. They need a Hook just as much as they need air.”
