The tallest of the group, a lanky man with a split lip and a belt of weapons, tilted his head, licking the wound on his mouth. “Looks like this bitch can bark.”
“I wonder if she can learn new tricks,” Simon added, his eyes raking over Vivienne in a way that made her stomach curdle.
“Take it easy, fellas,” the goateed one, Billy Goat, muttered, adjusting his pipe. “Enyo said bring back anything valuable from the tree before any side quests, Little Pete.”
Little Pete, the one with the ponytail, smirked. “Well, there must be something valuable if she’s so desperate to keep us out.” His eyes flicked to Billy Goat. “What do you think?”
Billy Goat stroked his scruff. “I reckon you’re right, Little Pete. Let’s see what’s worth guarding.”
“You can’t,” Lewis blurted.
Joe’s beady eyes narrowed. “And why the everdark not?”
“It’s not treasure,” Cirrus growled. “It’s a tomb.”
Little Pete’s fingers traced one of the many daggers on his belt. “Check it out while I make sure our new friends don’t move any body part they plan to keep.”
Owen’s grip on his sword tightened, his usually bronze knuckles now bone-white from the force of his grasp. “Have you no respect for the dead?”
Little Pete scoffed. “You wanna join ‘em, navy boy?”
The conversation was muffled in Vivienne’s ears. Her attention was fixed on the hollow beneath the tree, where the rest of Enyo’s men had disappeared. The longer they were inside, the worse the sickness in her stomach grew. Cirrus stood rigid, blade raised but unmoving. Lewis’ eyes darted between the entrance and the thick trees, searching for an escape route.
The sailors reemerged.
Simon held a small skull in his palm.
The rainforest rumbled.
Lewis whispered in panic, “Did this ape just remove remains from their resting place? Xanira is going to skin them alive.”
Xanira, the goddess of life, and death. Forgiveness wasn’t an option to those who disturbed her realm.
“Put. It. Back.” Owen snarled, half-drawing his sword.
Billy Goat chuckled. “Or what? You two gonna take on the five of us?”
“Yeah, asshole, we will.” Cirrus squared his shoulders. “Return the skull. This doesn’t have to turn ugly.”
“I mean,” Lewis muttered, “have you seen these guys? The ugly already arrived.”
Billy Goat lifted his hands in mock surrender. “Fine, fine. Simon, you heard them. Make sure it finds its place.”
Vivienne barely registered the movement before Simon dropped the skull and stomped.
A sickening crack echoed through the clearing.
For a heartbeat, even Enyo’s men froze, eyes wide in stunned silence.
The next sound was Vivienne’s scream. “WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?”
Simon didn’t have time to turn before she lunged, only to be yanked back by Lewis, his grip firm around her arms.
“How dare you desecrate this hallowed ground and the remains of a murdered child. Do you have a fraction of a brain behind that butchered slab of meat you call a face?” she spat, her voice burning with pure fury. “It’s a godsdamned miracle you haven’t sunk Enyo’s ship with the sheer weight of your stupidity! You worthless, spineless, soulless coward!”
Cirrus exhaled hard, shaking out his limbs, preparing for the inevitable fight. The look on his face landed somewhere between annoyance and affection. It wouldn’t be the first time he had to brawl their way out of trouble because of Vivienne’s temper and ruthless tongue.
The impending brawl was halted as the ground began to tremble. A low rumble grew into a guttural bellow as the shaking intensified. The ancient tree groaned in response. Vivienne staggered, grasping one of the tree's gnarled roots for balance. Owen knelt near the trunk, and Lewis and Cirrus braced themselves against rocks along the perimeter. Enyo's men shifted from smug predators to fearful prey. The quake lasted only a few tense moments.
