“Which one?” Thatcher joked. “This place is full of crazy heads. There’s that girl you’re in love with, Alaric. But there’s more. There’s a man–might as well call him a witchy madman–who claims oil can bedrilledfrom the shores throughout the Tempest Seas.”
For a moment, I paused the conversation. Oil could be… drilled? Not harvested by whales?
“Really?”
“You don’t actually believe him!” Thatcher laughed, then frowned. “Do you?”
What if?
“Where is this man?” I asked.
My navigator raised an eyebrow. “Met him at the pub the other day. You don’t really believe him, do you?”
I swallowed hard.
“If there’s a way to obtain oil without killing whales…” I started to say, when Thatcher folded his arms.
“She’s one ofthem,isn’t she? A whale lover?”
“What?” I looked up.
“That witch?”
I shook my head, returning to our conversation. I’d think about the oil-drilling madman later.
Right now,thatwitch might be in danger.
Malia.
My shoulders tightened. “What are they saying about Malia?”
Destin ran his hands through his dark hair, looking around to make sure nobody was listening. Then he leaned in again. “They said not to make eye contact or she’ll put a curse on you. They say she worships darkness and lives in the woods alone. Some said she’s beautiful, but if you get too close she’ll kill you.”
“Someone else said she fled from Moanalei,” added Thatcher. “And she’s hiding from Sereth.”
“Sereth?” I blinked. What was Malia hiding?
But this is nonsense.I lived with her for days now and she did nothing but help me, serve me, and help me heal.
Yet, glancing at Thatcher’s cut, I knew Malia was not safe. She had to be warned.
My closest friends frowned. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” said my cousin.
Not a ghost. Pieces began coming together.
Malia.
Two children she once housed.
The burn marks…
Ithadto be them.
And they were coming for her.
I stood, the pain in my side severe from the sudden movement, but I had to go. The kids could be anywhere.
“So they’re going after Malia?” More a statement than a question.
