Venom

by Bex Hogan

  ‘We’ll watch over him as best we can,’ Harley promises me with a warm smile, but then it fades away. She has more to say. ‘You’ll notice we’re not giving you much in the way of food,’ she says and there’s concern in her voice. ‘Things are worse than when you left, and our barrels are emptying. Reckon if you’re careful, that’ll be enough to last you there and back, but don’t expect any more feasts.’

  ‘I can barely remember what food tastes like,’ I say, though my heart’s sinking at the news. How quickly things have deteriorated. The islands aren’t strong enough to survive further suffering.

  ‘Here,’ I say, and I take the piece of crystal from my bag. ‘Use this to help where you can.’

  Harley’s eyes widen at the sight of it. ‘That’s worth a fair bit. You sure you won’t be needing it?’

  I shake my head, and press it firmly into her palm. ‘It’s needed here.’ But I’m keeping the diamond dust for myself.

  She tucks the crystal safely into her pocket. ‘You have my word it’ll be used wisely. Though if the crops keep failing, even crystal won’t be able to help anyone.’

  ‘Thank you. And, Harley? Make sure you get Ferris,’ I say to her under my breath. ‘He’s a parasite and must be stopped. But take him alive. He might be useful in tracking Karn down.’

  ‘I know,’ she says with a look that reminds me she’s no fool. ‘Don’t you worry about us. You just get yourself safely West and do … whatever it is you’re going to do.’ And, squeezing me tight, Harley reminds me that nothing escapes her attention. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll make sure your ship is waiting for you when you come back.’

  The smile I give her is somewhat sheepish. ‘Thank you.’ I glance at Bronn, who’s busy organising the changeover with his usual efficiency. ‘Bet he made a good Viper, though.’

  Harley shrugs. ‘He’s Bronn. Of course he did. But he has no interest in replacing you, you know that.’ When I say nothing she says, ‘Don’t you?’

  ‘Yes. But I sometimes think he would be the better choice.’

  Harley takes a deep breath. ‘He would be a different choice. But it’s irrelevant. You killed Captain Adler, not him. The title is yours. The only way for Bronn to earn it is … well, like I said, it’s irrelevant. That man wouldn’t hurt a hair on your head, let alone take your life. So stop thinking on it.’

  She pulls me to face her square on. ‘Now go raise us that army. And when you return, bring hell with you.’

  ‘I will.’ And I throw my arms round her, the sudden thought that I might never see her again too powerful to ignore. ‘Goodbye.’

  My affection knocks the hardness from her for a moment and her whole person softens. ‘I’ll see you soon.’

  I nod and smile, but as I take my leave, pausing to briefly hug Ren, Toby and Ana, the sensation only grows stronger, Old Tatty’s words haunting me. She said she saw my death and right now every fibre of my being thinks she is right. The chances of me seeing my crew again, or my ship, feel very remote.

  As the space between the two ships grows, I have to fight the impulse to change my mind, to abandon this journey. There’s still time to forget the whole thing, to stay here and fight the King alone.

  Instead I watch the Maiden disappear into the gloom of nightfall. My fear isn’t going away, but I won’t let it rule me either. It’ll just have to be my companion, because I’ve made my choice. I choose magic. I choose my heritage. I choose to try to bring peace for one and for all, or die in the attempt.

  But as darkness wraps its cold arms round me, I can’t shake the certainty that what I’m about to embark on is a one-way trip.

  To start with, I deal with my sense of impending doom by throwing myself into work. I’ve missed being on a ship, and with only a small crew there’s plenty to be done. I’m also keen to recover my fitness after being imprisoned and on the run. It’s invigorating to scale the rigging as the sun breaks the darkness, the salt clinging to my lips and the sea breeze sweeping over me like a wave. It’s good to be on an adventure again, to have a purpose.

  At night I keep to my cabin, poring over the books Bronn and I heaved around the Sixth Isle. Though my death may have been prophesied, though the odds may be stacked heavily against me, I’m not about to give up, so I do the only thing I can. Improve my odds.

  Magic is the key. I have no idea how but I do know that I need to learn as much as I can if I’m to stand any chance of figuring it out.

  But as the days pass, the lure of the books grows stronger and I spend more time alone and less time pitching in with the crew. Soon I don’t want to be disturbed at all, and so I put Bronn in charge of the Storm, while I read till my eyes want to bleed. As I discovered months ago when Torin introduced me to the books, there is more information in these pages than I could ever hope to absorb, but this time at least I understand more of what I’m reading. The small tome that called out to me from the top shelf is written entirely in the ancient language of the Mages and every word causes the magic to flutter inside me, like a baby bird testing its wings. I spend hours trying to decipher it, writing down any mention of a word and its translation from other volumes into a book of my own. The language seems to be half the incantation, half of any spell and vital to harnessing the magic itself. The memory of how one word coaxed the mountain to my aid still stirs excitement deep in my belly and drives me through my tiredness to discover more.

  Bronn joins me in the evenings, bringing small scraps of food and water, though I take very little. The crew who are doing physical work need it more than I do. Mostly we sit in silence, Bronn tired from his labour and me buried in dusty pages.

  ‘Why don’t you have a rest?’ Bronn says on the second week after parting ways with the Maiden. ‘We’ve barely spoken these past few days.’

  ‘Did you know, in the West, there are plants so filled with magic that in the right hands they can be used to bring life back even to someone beyond all other help?’

  ‘Really? And do you know which plant that is? Or how to use it?’ Bronn doesn’t sound impressed.

  ‘No, it doesn’t say. But I’m going to keep looking.’ I look up and the sparkle in my eyes fades. Bronn isn’t sharing my excitement. ‘I’m sorry. I’m not trying to ignore you; it’s just important that I know as much as possible.’

  ‘Can’t Esther teach you all this when you get there?’

  I extricate myself from the pile of paper I’m buried under and move to sit beside Bronn on the floor. ‘Maybe. But time isn’t on my side. Who knows how long Torin has left before the King decides to be rid of him? Or how long the islanders will survive once the food runs out entirely? I can’t waste a second.’

  He leans over to kiss me lightly, sighing when I pull away. ‘All right,’ he says. ‘I understand. I just miss you.’

  His words soften me, and I rest my head on his shoulder. ‘Do you think we’ll ever have peace? To just be alone together without the rest of the world demanding things from us?’

  Bronn presses his lips into my hair. ‘I hope so.’

  A sharp bang on our door makes us both sit up.

  ‘But not today,’ he says with a wry grin.

  ‘Come in,’ I call, and a young Snake called Gretchen walks in.

  ‘Sorry to disturb you,’ she says, and she’s blushing. ‘But you need to see this, Captain.’ Her eyes dart from Bronn to me. She doesn’t know which one of us she’s supposed to address.

  I leap to my feet a little too quickly, wanting to assert my authority, but Bronn’s close behind as we follow Gretchen on deck.

  The light almost hurts my eyes after so long hidden away in my cabin, but I soon see what the problem is.

  ‘Is that …?’ I squint hard, wanting to be sure I’m seeing what I think I’m seeing.

  ‘That’s Ferris’s ship.’ Bronn doesn’t sound impressed.

  ‘But he’s supposed to be somewhere else,’ I say, thinking of the map Jed gave us, where the Maiden was headed.

  ‘That weasel must have foun
d a way to warn him,’ Bronn says. ‘Should have killed him when we had the chance.’

  ‘Well, we can’t let them get away.’

  Bronn doesn’t conceal his surprise. ‘What are you suggesting? That we fight them in this?’

  ‘That’s exactly what I’m suggesting.’

  We stand glaring at each other for a moment. Apparently Bronn is unconvinced.

  ‘We can take them,’ I say, determined they’re not going to elude us once more. I hate the thought of them laughing at us, thinking they’ve outrun the Maiden yet again. ‘This ship’s got guts, and so do her crew.’

  ‘Her skeleton crew,’ Bronn reminds me.

  ‘And I’d take a few of us over an army of them any day.’

  We’re back to our stand-off once more. But there’s only one Captain on the ship, no matter what confusion some people might be experiencing.

  ‘What are your orders?’ Bronn knows when I’ve made my mind up.

  ‘We can get close without arousing their suspicion,’ I say, though once they see the name of our ship, they’ll know it’s the one we stole from Jed. ‘Then we attack.’

  ‘We can’t use the cannons,’ Bronn says. ‘There’s virtually no gunpowder on board.’

  ‘Assassins don’t need weapons.’

  ‘You want us to get close enough to board?’

  I nod. ‘Hand-to-hand combat. It’s the only way.’

  To my dismay Bronn doesn’t appear to share my confidence. ‘Are you sure this is the best idea? We can send word to Harley, tell them our coordinates. Maybe we should focus on our mission and leave this to the others.’

  He might be right. He usually is. But I can’t bear the thought of Ferris getting away with what he did on the Sixth Isle. The vengeful voice inside me drowns out all others. I have to make someone pay before it drives me mad.

  ‘No. We have an opportunity and we’re not going to waste it. Change course and prepare for battle.’

  I think Bronn sees it: the flash of doubt in my eyes. His own expression is grim as he nods obediently and sets to rallying the crew, while I run back to my quarters.

  This is going to be brutal, I know that. But I’m sick of my enemies slipping through my fingers. I’m being thwarted at every turn. Now I have a chance to claim a victory, and I need one so badly right now.

  I grab my dagger and ready my pistol. And then I secure the manuscripts in chests, hoping to keep them safe from any intruders.

  When I return to deck, armed for the fight, Bronn comes to stand beside me.

  ‘I’m guessing they’ll have a crew double our size. Not great odds.’

  Irritation burns through me. ‘Are you afraid?’

  My words cause the intended anger. He tries to suppress it, but I see it nonetheless. ‘I don’t like to lose good men unnecessarily.’

  ‘What have we been doing all these months?’ I say, my voice rising. ‘Stopping bandits. This is precisely what we have been trained to do. You used to attack spontaneously all the time under Adler.’

  ‘Yes, under Adler. Not under you. This isn’t like you.’ He pauses. ‘You don’t have to prove anything.’

  His opposition causes me to waver for a moment, but then, steeling my resolve, I stare at him hard. ‘Yes, I do.’

  ‘Fine.’ It doesn’t sound fine at all, but Bronn knows how stubborn I am. ‘I assume you want Ferris alive?’

  I nod.

  ‘Let’s do this then.’

  The Storm is only slightly smaller than Ferris’s galleon, and we close in on them with ease. As we get near, Bronn signals for the mainsail to be furled while I shout for the crew to prepare for close quarters. But already a cold disquiet is growing inside me. Something’s not quite right. They should be emptying their cannons at us by now.

  Bronn stands beside me. ‘It’s too quiet.’ He echoes my own thoughts. ‘Ask for surrender?’

  I exhale. ‘Think it’s a trap?’

  He nods. ‘It’s a trap.’

  ‘Right, let’s go see what they’ve got.’

  I hail the galleon, requesting their captain surrender and it isn’t long before the white flag is raised.

  It’s far too easy. I turn to my crew, checking they’re ready. Several of them will stay on the Storm to cover the deck of Ferris’s ship with a fusillade of fire, creating a blanket of smoke to give us an advantage once we board. I hope it’s enough.

  Once the Storm has come alongside the galleon, we throw over some grappling hooks and I lead the way on to the other deck.

  ‘Hello?’ I call out, all of us keeping a pretence that we’re uncertain about what’s happening, when really we know that they’re hiding, ready to strike.

  And strike they do. All at once Ferris’s crew come screaming up from below deck, pistols firing and swords drawn.

  We duck for cover before the shots can reach us and my crew start firing their own pistols from over on the Storm. Using the distraction, we come out blazing and launch our attack. Bandits are thugs – their fighting is brutal, but without skill. My crew, on the other hand, are lethal. Cutlasses slash through bellies, axes plunge into skulls, and blood is flying everywhere. I make for the galleon’s ropes, targeting the ratlines with my blade, while I search for Ferris. Instead my gaze falls upon a familiar face – Jed. Angrily I hack through the ropes once and for all, releasing the mainsail on to the deck like a cloud of confusion.

  My crew were expecting it. Ferris’s weren’t, and I seize the opportunity to run towards Jed, who sees me coming and flees. I give chase, effortlessly cutting down a bandit who leaps into my path. The delay gives Jed time to find another sword, though, and he faces me with a victorious grin. He thinks he’s already won.

  ‘Found a way to warn Ferris then?’ I snarl at him.

  ‘Your mistake for not silencing me,’ he says.

  ‘A mistake I won’t repeat.’

  He laughs. ‘You’re outnumbered. And outarmed.’

  ‘And you still think any of that matters to me?’

  I attack fast – wielding two swords takes a lot of training, and I’m willing to bet he’s not that skilled. I may only have a dagger, but bringing it hard against the blade in his left hand is enough to send it clattering to the ground, his grip too weak. Before he can adapt, I lunge forward, sweeping my blade across to sever his other hand.

  He screams, dropping his second sword, and clutching at the wound spurting bright red blood.

  ‘Where is Ferris?’ I demand, grabbing him by the shirt.

  He whimpers, a coward to the last, but his eyes betray him, flicking to his left. I follow their direction and see a man decorated with trinkets and oozing authority.

  ‘Goodbye, Jed,’ I say, and plunge my dagger deep into his chest. I don’t even wait for his body to drop to the deck before I’m running towards Ferris, crashing into him and throwing us both down before he can empty his pistol into Gretchen’s back.

  He’s strong and tries to push me away, but I’m small and nimble and duck under his arm, smashing into the arch of his back and manoeuvring so that I’m sitting on top of him, pinning him down with my blade at his neck.

  ‘Ferris, I presume?’

  ‘And you must be the child Viper,’ he says with a laugh. ‘How does it feel to be continually thwarted by bandits?’

  I shrug. ‘I’m not feeling too thwarted right now.’

  His laugh grows louder. ‘We outnumber you three to one. It is I who shall be claiming you as a prize.’

  My anger rises dangerously high and I pull my pistol from my belt.

  ‘Bronn?’ I shout his name loudly and in the corner of my eye see him locate me. He takes in my situation and follows the direction of my pistol’s aim.

  ‘Get back to the ship!’ he screams at our crew, running as he does so.

  I glance down at Ferris and see his confusion, before he too realises what I’m about to do.

  Fear clouds his face. ‘You wouldn’t dare.’ He doesn’t sound too sure, though. ‘You’ll kill yourself.’


  I smile at him. ‘I’m not dying today.’

  And I shoot.

  As soon as I press the trigger, I’m on my feet, pulling Ferris with me, and as the blast detonates, we’re thrown from the ship into the water, my shot reaching the barrels of gunpowder I’d seen stacked at the far end of the galleon. Splinters of wood rain down from the sky and I see the Storm moving hastily away, putting as much distance as possible between itself and the sinking, burning ship. I’m still holding on to Ferris’s arm, which is just as well because he’s been rendered unconscious by the impact of the water and would drown if I weren’t keeping him afloat.

  Despite everything that’s just happened, it’s being in the ocean that makes my heart begin to race too fast. Though I’ve spent the past few months trying to overcome my fear and forge the connection with it that my parents wished for me, the sea still sparks a panic unlike any other.

  And as the fear spreads it carries with it a cold undercurrent of uncomfortable truth. What did I just do? It’s as if the water has restored me to my senses, washing away the darkness that had gripped me. I struggle to understand what possessed me to make such a succession of foolhardy decisions. I could have got my crew killed. And for what? Just so that I could be the one to administer revenge?

  But unless I wish to drown along with Ferris, I can’t dwell on my mistakes now. It takes a while to swim towards the Storm dragging Ferris’s dead weight with me, but eventually I’m helped back on board along with my prisoner.

  ‘Take him straight to the brig,’ Bronn orders, as he lifts me to my feet. ‘Are you hurt?’

  I shake my head. ‘Did we lose anyone?’

  ‘No,’ Bronn says, but despite this he doesn’t sound pleased. ‘A few injuries, but nothing you can’t tend to.’

  ‘Any other prisoners?’

  ‘Just a couple. I’ll interrogate them in a moment.’

  ‘Leave Ferris for me.’

  Bronn turns to look at me in surprise. ‘Really?’