Chapter Fifty
ELARA
‘I remember—I remember going into the sea. To dive for jewels. Our stock was low, and Mama always said I was the best diver out of my sisters. Then, as I was searching, I remember seeing a shadow, a terrible shadow. It seemed like a wound in the ocean floor, an awful trench. I tried to swim away, but the most wicked, unnatural current dragged me towards it. Even though I’m a strong swimmer, I couldn’t get away.
I remember being pulled into it, an immeasurable pain scorching through my body, and then…
blackness.’ Annabel coughed again, and Elara winced, reaching for a handkerchief.
When she offered it, Annabel shook her head.
‘Don’t you remember the ocean spitting you back out?’ Elara asked her. ‘Walking back home and uttering Piscea’s prayer before being taken to bed?’
Annabel frowned.
‘No,’ she said. ‘I don’t remember any of that.’
A terrible, frightening feeling coursed through Elara.
‘Merissa,’ she called, fear high in her voice.
There was the sound of running, and the door burst open. ‘Yes?’ Merissa gasped as she hurriedly locked the door behind her. ‘Are you all right?’
Elara pointed a shaking finger to Annabel. ‘Adrian’s sister is here.’
Merissa frowned, looking around the room. ‘Whatever do you mean?’
‘Please tell me you see her,’ she rasped.
Merissa slowly stepped closer.
‘She won’t see me,’ Annabel said quietly. ‘Only you will, my queen.’
‘Why did you just say that?’ Elara breathed.
‘El, who are you talking to? You’re frightening me,’ Merissa said.
‘Because I have realized now who you are. Why I had to find you.’ Annabel gave a watery smile. ‘You’ll try to save my soul, won’t you? You’ll try to get me to the Hallowlands?’
‘What do you mean?’ Elara asked frantically.
Merissa was squeezing her arm now, still looking at nothing.
‘You rule Death, sweet Moon,’ Annabel said gently. ‘But not for long. They’re coming to get you.’
There was a great crash at the door, and Elara and Merissa screeched as Annabel drifted into the corner, watching as black tears ran down her face.
Elara reached once more for her dagger, mind reeling, before cursing. ‘Adrian has my fucking dagger!’ she shouted at Merissa.
Merissa trembled as Elara raised her hands. What the fuck could she call upon? Her moonlight wouldn’t come willingly, and her shadows were gone.
With another almighty bang, Elara’s bedroom door was kicked open. The first man that entered was Ivan, a leering smile upon his face.
‘It’s about time you got what you deserve,’ he hissed.
Ropes were laced around her as she struggled.
‘Leo!’ she screamed. ‘Leo!’
She was dragged out of the room as Merissa screamed too, her own terrified eyes wide as she was also bound.
Ivan chuckled. ‘Your general’s in the Land of Nod. He shouldn’t have drunk so much rum at dinner.’
‘You poisoned it,’ she said hoarsely.
He shrugged. ‘I could have killed him. But why, when I can let the pompous prick watch as his lover and his best friend’s missus get their comeuppance?’
Elara fought, teeth gnashing and nails scratching as she was hauled by him and two others she vaguely recognized to the upper deck.
It was then that she sank to her knees.
Candles lit the Everchanging Deck, the wood dark. A Stella deck was spread in a circle, each card neatly displayed, and Pieter, the cook, knelt in the centre of it.
‘Sorry, love,’ he said hoarsely. ‘But we need to appease our god.’
She looked at his bloodied hand, at the slow drip of blood on to the card of a Star.
There was a flash of acidic-green starlight as the crew got to their knees, a heavy thud of boots behind her.
It illuminated the Starred Siren in its eerie glow.
Something scuttled past her and her heart leaped into her mouth as she saw a small scorpion, tail pronged as it clicked this way and that. Another followed, then a third.
She turned slowly as the footsteps stopped.
Scorpius smiled down at her, poisonous green eyes alight.
‘It seems like your luck has just run out, Elara Bellereve. And now, I get to drown the Moon.’