Chapter 2
Chapter Two
BELLAMY
T he captain roared with laughter as he drank his third tankard of ale. “I like you.” He wagged a finger in my direction. “For someone who can’t speak, you’re feisty.”
Ah. And what a backhanded compliment that was. As if me not being able to speak was some sort of deficit, like it was shocking that someone who couldn’t use words still had a personality. I was starting to regret making him my target, but I reminded myself that I had no choice in the matter. People were looking for me, and they’d be here sooner or later. I had to be gone by the time they found me.
The tavern had emptied considerably in the last few hours as the moon rose higher in the sky, everyone retiring to their rooms in preparation for whatever journeys lay ahead. I wished I could be doing the same.
But Matthew, the captain, wouldn’t stop talking. He faced me, straddling the bench, while I turned my body toward him, red skirt hanging over my legs and down to my ankles.
Mary’s head lay in her folded arms, eyes closed as she snored softly. I was starting to see why she was so grumpy.
“Do it again,” Matthew said, eyes alight.
I rolled my eyes, then signed at the man across the room who’d been making kissy faces at me the last few minutes. “Fuck off” my hand movements said.
It delighted Matthew to no end, and he erupted into a fit of giggles. “So that’s how you curse in sign language. I may not understand much of it, but I do understand that sign.” He repeated it, movements sloppy.
Spirits below, this man had the emotional maturity of a sixteen-year-old.
The man across the room glared but thankfully didn’t come over to start anything, not that I was worried if he did. I grew up with seven brothers. I could handle myself.
Matthew leaned closer, his scent of ale and days-old fish making me want to gag. “Tell me, what’s a pretty little thing like you doing in a shit town like this? Surely you’re not a merchant or a fisherman?”
Here went nothing. I lowered my eyes, stuck out my bottom lip, twined my hands together. When I peeked a glance at Matthew, he was frowning, his grey mustache drooping. “Are you running from someone?”
I shook my head, then pointed to my eyes.
His own eyes widened in understanding. “Looking for someone.”
I nodded.
“Well, if you’re needing passage somewhere, I could accommodate you,” Matthew suggested.
And there it was. Now came the hard part.
He took another sip of his ale. “Where are you headed? Human town or elemental?”
I steeled myself for the answer I was about to give.
“Sorrengard,” I signed.
Matthew’s brows furrowed. “Sorry, miss, I don’t understand.”
I knew he wouldn’t. I was just delaying the inevitable. I locked eyes with him.
“Okay, let’s start with this.” He raised a finger. “One finger for human.” He raised another one. “Two for elemental.”
I held up two fingers.
He smiled, two of his front teeth missing. “Now we’re getting somewhere. Is it Elwen, the earth court? You have a kind of earthy look about you.”
I snorted and shook my head.
“Okay, well clearly it’s not Fyriad since that’s where we currently are.” He studied me. “Plus, you ain’t got that fair coloring of those in the frost court, not with that raven hair of yours. “Valoris?” He looked behind me. “Though you don’t have wings. And I hear those sky isles are high, high above the sea.”
I shook my head again.
He frowned. “Okay... so that leaves either Apolis or Gilraeth. Are you a water elemental or a fire elemental?”
Wrong again. I shook my head, and his frown deepened. “There aren’t any other courts. Everyone knows that the star court was destroyed sixty years ago and the shadow court...” He trailed off, eyes widening in realization.
There you go. Look at you, connecting those dots.
I held his gaze as he sputtered. “You said you’re looking for someone.” He swore and took another deep gulp of ale. “I know what this is about. I’ve heard the rumors, you know. They’ve spread to the human lands. Of the boys who have gone missing. The mysterious shadow king, who’s now said to be Spirit Shadow himself. He’s taken the boys and their shadows. It’s your brother isn’t it? That’s who you want to find?”
I jolted, my pulse spiking. This was hitting too close to home.
His gaze softened. “The shadow king took your brother and you’re thinking you’re gonna go save him.”
Right, of course that’s what he meant. He couldn’t know the real truth, which was so much worse than my brother’s shadow being taken. At least I didn’t have to speak, to explain. People often had no problem speaking for me. Coming up with their own stories, conclusions about me. And all I had to do was sit back and let them.
“I can’t take you to the shadow court.” He lowered his voice, gaze flicking around the room. “That’s a suicide mission. You won’t make it out alive. Them boys have been trapped on that island for, well, sixty years. Ever since the supposed Spirit Shadow took up residence there.”
I grabbed his hands, drawing them into my lap, widening my eyes.
“Oh, don’t do that. Don’t go looking at me like that. It’s too dangerous for me or my crew.”
I shook my head, then let go of his hands and mimed swimming.
He raised a brow. “You want me to drop you off so you can swim to the island yourself?”
I nodded.
He swore again. “I don’t know, miss. I’m going to have to think on it. We could use another hand on our ship but the shadow court?” He shuddered. “I don’t know if I want to be going anywhere near a supposed spirit. They was supposed to be disappeared from this earth. That’s what we always been told. That thousands of years ago, the Seven Spirits got tired of the elementals abusing the powers they’d gifted them. So they went and killed them all, then disappeared and haven’t been seen since.” He wagged a finger at me. “Now that sounds pretty damn ominous. And now one of those spirits is supposedly back? Ruling the shadow court and stealing boys and their shadows?” He shook his head, raising two fingers and pressing them to his lips. Some religious sign humans made. “I don’t want nothing to do with that.” He peered at me. “If I were your father, I’d be hauling you back to wherever you came from.”
The mention of my father sent sharp spindles straight to my heart. My father. I didn’t want to think about him right now, didn’t want to think about what he’d done, how all of this was his fault. Most of all I didn’t want to think about how much I missed him despite my anger toward him.
The captain shook his head again and took another long drink.
I’d hoped I would be able to convince him with words alone. But I had a backup plan in case things went to shit. It was going to be a long, long night.