Blast. He frowned. She was right.
Nearby, Smee rubbed the back of his neck. “But there’s only one here—”
“Through the fog.” He stiffened under Tink’s touch, even as she scooted closer. “There may be more.” And they might not be so lucky the next time. It’d be easy to run up on a reef, a rocky shoreline, shallow coves… A hundred terrible possibilities spooled out before him. “We’ll go a little farther around this island.”
Perhaps Lady Luck would smile on them yet.
Ten minutes later, and their luck had only gotten worse. Fog crept over the isle, sidling out over the shore. He dreaded taking them into more danger on these unusual seas. Perhaps they could find another way, something else Queen Titania desired. If there was a treasure to be had, he could steal it. Finding one in this place, however, was another story.
“Not even any fish,” Smee lamented, leaning over the railing. None they’d seen, anyway.
No birdcalls reached Hook’s ears either. Other than the crash of waves on the shore and the comforting creaks and groans of his ship, it was eerily silent, as if nothing lived along the shoreline. His crew had spotted a few large birds in the distance,hovering near the forested peaks and sliding in and out of the fog, but nothing here. Not even one errant seagull.
“Is that…” Tink edged toward the side of the ship and leaned on the railing. “Smoke?” She glanced over one shoulder at him before gesturing back at the isle. “There. On the side of that hill.”
Smoke?With the fog looming over everything it was hard to tell but… He raised his spyglass. A small stream of fog, a bit thicker than the rest, filtered up from the trees. He sucked in a breath. It had to be.
“Bring us in, Smee!” he called. “Ready anchor!” They’d almost passed it by, sailed on without noticing the slight oddity that Tink,hisTink, had spied. But who would live in such a wrong, lifeless place? Farther inland, where the trees at least looked alive rather than like moss-covered wraiths, perhaps, but near a fishless shore? It made no sense. Even so, the sign was too promising to be ignored.
“We’ll take the rowboats in,” he told Tink, taking her hand after he slid his spyglass into its holder. “You can stay here—”
She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms. Thetap, tap, tapof her boot on the deck was answer enough.
He grinned, though a tingle of unease raced through him. It’d be nice to have her safe, protected here on the ship. But he loved her fire, that desire to push ahead no matter the odds. Hook held his arms up. “Or go with us.”
“That’s better,” she said, letting her arms drop to her sides. “Of course I’m coming. Titania charged us both to find it, remember? I’m not missing out on my half of the reward.” She winked before walking off.
She was oblivious to the dagger she’d just thrown his way. It slipped between his ribs, cutting deep, maybe worse than a real blade. She still wanted a way home. They’d find the scale for Titania, remove his curse, and fix her bracelet. Then she’d be gone. Back to her homeland.
He swayed. He’d never swayed on deck. No matter how she consumed him, she wasn’t his. The greatest treasure he’d found. But if he stole her again, locked her away, he’d lose her. And if he didn’t, he’d lose her then too.
In removing the curse she’d unwittingly placed upon them, in saving his ship and crew, he’d lose the one thing he’d come to prize. The only thing of true value he’d ever had.
Chapter 24
Tink
Little boats sucked worse than big boats. They moved more. Rising, falling, yawing endlessly side to— Tink gagged, clamping her hand over her mouth as the rowboat sped them toward the shore.
Eyes glanced her way, though thankfully no one looked too closely. Well, other than Sage, who gave her a dramatic frown as she kept rowing.
Pirates with stomachs of steel didn’t get sick on boats. But she was no pirate. Merrin’s teeth, how she hated the sea…most of the time. Wrapped in Hook’s arms, she could almost forget.
She leaned her head over the side. At least she could save them some mess. Then, something caught her eyes in the rock formations jutting out of the sea near the shore. Her fingertips dug into the side of the boat as she willed her rolling stomach to quiet enough so she could speak. “There.” Tink pointed. “Look.”
The boat rocked and swayed, sending bile rising up her throat, as pirates turned and shifted to get a better look.
“That…”
“A nose?”
“Aye, could be an eye…maybe two.”
She clamped her lips closed, fighting a war with her stomach.Oh, to be on land.
“The bearded man.” Finally, Smee arrived at the thing she’d seen.
“It is!”
