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“We will.” I don’t dare to meet his eyes. It’s not just this ship he’s leaving us, it’s the entire island. Those on the Island and in the Luminaries will depend on us to protect them from the king’s voyagers. They’ll rely on us to bring them the goods they need to survive. They always have.
Smee leans forward, placing her lips on his sweat-beaded forehead. She lingers for a moment, her chest heaving as she strains to contain the tears.
The steady tap of blood dripping off the saturated bed turns into a steady stream and, as she sits back, I realize why. She’s spared him... Hemlock poisoning is no glorious way to die. It’s ruthless and by the time you get your foot in the afterlife, you want it to end. She’s given him a quick way out.
My father’s hand squeezes one last time around mine before his eyes drift shut. Captain Hook is gone.
I sit in silence for a long moment, hat in hand. This changes everything. But it cannot be undone. When I rise and step out of the captain’s quarters, the crew is waiting on the deck, hats in hand.
“Sebastian...” Zephyr says, his voice barely audible even though he’s merely a foot or two away. “Your father. He made me write this down before he’d let me treat him. It’s about a gauntlet. He thought it would get you access to the mainland.”
My eyes skim the paper, penned in rushed lines but legible. Swallowing the thick lump in my throat, I fold it carefully and put it in my pocket, feeling the cool metal of the compass. Pulling it free, I examine its face while Smee wraps her arms around my waist.
“Do you really think it will work?” she asks.
I clench my fist. “It has to.”
“We’ll find him, Sebastian. I swear it. I made a promise and I plan to keep it with my dying breath.”
3
Hook
Turningovertheglassvial in my hand, I pull the cork and gulp down the metallic liquid. It’s sour upon my tongue, but the sweet contrast of magic makes me grimace more.
Normally, I shy away from witchcraft. It’s different from the elements some of my crew wield, me included. Even the king’s royal mages don’t use it. Our gifts originated at birth. They were blessings from the gods that came before us.
Blood witches, however, use sacrifices to fuel their spells. Some of which can be derived from plants and animals, while others cost a steeper price, and whatever it can’t take from the sacrifice, it takes from the caster. It’s what makes their bones rot from within and causes their skin to shrivel. They’re vile, despicable creatures who are power-hungry, and so much so they’re willing to die for it.
Yet, we paid one of those wretched souls to make this glamour... to brew us up a batch to maintain our facade while we’re on the mainland. It was all I could think of to carry out my father’s wishes. In a world where beasts hide around every corner, sometimes it’s necessary to conspire with darkness, even if I despise the creatures that speak it into existence.
Circumstances like this, for instance... Walking into the belly of the beast, it might be the one thing preventing the guards from snatching me up and hanging me from the highest arch in this castle.
My father believed this gauntlet was the way forward. The king hasn’t announced one in over a decade, but coincidentally enough, my father managed to catch word of the event before he died. One of the king’s daughters has come of age and this gauntlet is his way of celebrating. A fight to the death between the men in our realm brave enough to enter. Only one will emerge victorious, but that one will be crowned a chosen prince.
Since the king is incapable of providing an heir to his throne, this is his way of securing his legacy, but for me, it’ll be what gets me, and my people, pardoned. The king will be forced to wipe my slate clean to save face, paving the way for my crew to search the mainland for Pan without constantly looking over our shoulders.
“It will last for a couple hours, Captain, but you’ll need to take another before the moons smother the hell flame,” Zephyr says, adjusting the lapel of his leather jacket.
The glamour didn’t just change his face, but his clothes, too. Where he used to have sage-toned skin and dark, twisted horns, and ivory tusks, he’s more humanoid now. His long, dark hair is still present, but everything else appears like a man of nobility. Rich, dark leathers embezzled with rubies hang from his form, and it makes me wonder how much the glamour has changed my appearance.
Brushing a hand through my hair, I don’t notice a significant difference in length or texture. It’s still shaped closely to the side of my head and wavy up top, landing just above my eyebrows. From what I can see, it still holds the same dark color, too. My clothes, on the other hand, are much different.
Instead of the loose shirt and leather pants I’d worn here, the glamour made them appear like something a prince would wear. Knee-high leather boots end into white pants, belted around my waist. A fitted black shirt, made of some of the finest fabric I’ve ever laid eyes on, tucks into them. A long black coat that splits from the waist down rests on top of it where my father’s red one used to be, though the color still remains in accented swirls and jeweled buttons.
Clenching my fist, I test the stretch of the leather gloves, hating the way they constrict around the rings on my fingers. It’s why I usually cut the finger sections off, leaving the leather to cover the thicker part of my hand but allowing my fingers to maintain full mobility. It’s perfect for dealing with the ropes on a ship, and for handling my sword if needed.
“Well?” Zephyr says, holding his hands out. “Are you going to tell me I look pretty?”
My lips tip up at the corner for a short moment. “It’s better than before.”
“Aye, I’ll take it. Let’s hope you can be smoother for the princess, though.” He swipes a hand over his eyebrow as if to slick it close to his skin. “If you can’t be, then this plan is dead in the water.”
“I don’t need help in the art of wooing.”
“You don’t? I can’t seem to remember the last time you went steady with a lass. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with one for more than a night. You don’t get to throw around your title here, Captain. You actually have to make her like ya, and with your chipper personality... Good luck.”
“Thanks for the pep talk.” Rolling my eyes, I step out from the alley between merchant shops and head down the cobblestone path. “When we get to the castle, stay low. I don’t want any surprises. I promised I’d bring you back in one piece. Don’t make a liar out of me.”
