Stone Heart (The Cursed Seas Collection)

by Pauline Creeden

  “Wait up.” He slipped the rope on the steering wheel again and stepped toward me. “It’s not safe to go alone. Someone could be hiding down there.”

  “Why bother?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “You’ll just stand there and watch me fight them anyway.”

  He stopped and scowled at me. “Fine, go alone.”

  I spun away, heading down the stairs to check out the ship. The scent of fish guts, vomit, and other bodily fluids accosted my nose as soon as I was halfway down the steps. A sticky fluid clung to my shoes with each step I took. Whoever mopped up top, never made it down below. I kept my hands close to my sides to avoid touching anything. I opened the nearest door and peered in. Several maps covered the walls of a well-kept room and were neatly stacked upon the table. I inspected the closest one on the wall but couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

  “We’re here,” Kane said, his hand passing over my shoulder to point at a spot on the map in front of me.

  My heart leapt, and I stifled a cry. I jerked away from him, slamming my shoulder into the wall of the room. “What the—”

  He smirked. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “How do you move so quietly?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

  “Practice.” He stood straighter and rubbed the back of his neck.

  I turned back to the map and looked where he had pointed. “We’re heading toward this island, then?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  I studied the colors on the map, wondering what the seafloor beneath the blue looked like. I wondered if it was inside or outside the borders of our township below. Wondered what my mother was doing right now. I shook my head. She was probably completely inebriated and had forgotten all about me. Loneliness filled me for half a moment until I stepped back and found my back against Kane’s warm chest. It comforted me, but I didn’t want to accept it right now. Not after the afternoon we’d had.

  I turned to the side and stepped away from him slightly. “Where will we go from there, if we don’t find it on that island?”

  He slid his finger along the map to the next island. “Here.”

  “Next?” I asked.

  He slid his finger along to another land mass. “Here.”

  “And then?” I asked again.

  He chuckled. “Why don’t we take the map? Then you can ask me as many questions as you want later.”

  I tore the map from the wall, folded it up, and handed it to Kane, who put it in one of the pockets on his shorts.

  “Where do all these other maps show?” I asked, looking at them all.

  “The rest of the world,” he said. “I’m not sure how they managed to get all these maps, but normally pirates stick to one territory, claiming it as their own.”

  “Maybe they were running out of options, so they went in search of more places to find food, and treasures.”

  Kane nodded. “That’s very likely.”

  I explored the room, looking at the wide world the maps held before us. Suddenly the world seemed so big and I felt so small and insignificant at the same time. Did parts of the world really heal after finding the stone? Would the world be an open sea again so that travel between territories could happen again? Did the entire world deal with the same monsters we did, or was it just our territory? What if there weren’t even people in those territories anymore? And what if we never found the stone? If the monsters were getting worse, as they seemed to be, would they destroy us all?

  Papers rustled as Kane stood, looking at the maps on the desk. I wondered if he had the same questions I did.

  “Wait. Who is steering the ship?” I asked, my eyes widening and mouth dropping open.

  “I’ve got the wheel held to keep us on course. It’s okay." He shrugged.

  My stomach growled in response.

  Kane’s hand moved to his own stomach as though the sound had come from his. “Let’s keep looking for some food.”

  I nodded and followed him as he moved to the next room. Inside were bunks and hammocks, but the smell in that room was worse than the hallway. We didn’t stay long as we couldn’t find anything useful. We opened the door to the last room, which turned out to be the galley. But the stench of rotted meat and garbage hit us before we even took one step in. I backed up and dry heaved. Tears filled my eyes from the sour scent. Kane closed the door, holding his breath and backing away with me.

  “Do you think there is anything edible in there?” I asked.

  “There has to be.” He frowned shaking his head at the door as though, like me, he was measuring whether it was worth venturing in there to find out. “How else were they surviving?”

  “On each other.” I swiped the tears from my eyes, feeling bile rise up in my throat again.

  His body tensed, and he turned to face me. “What?”

  “They’re cannibals,” I said. “Didn’t you know that? Isn’t that why you used me as bait?”

  “No.” His usually impassive face twisted in horror as his eyes grew wide. “I did not know they were cannibals.”

  “Why else would you—”

  Realization hit, and I took a step back from him. The betrayal I felt earlier stabbed my heart again, but this time it twisted. “What if they had caught me?” New tears stung the backs of my eyes. “I think I’d rather be killed and eaten.”

  “I wouldn’t have let anything happen to you.” His frown deepened, and his brow furrowed.

  “And how would you have prevented it, while you were sailing away?” I asked, taking a step back as the feelings tore at my heart.

  “Ivy,” he whispered, his face softening. “I wouldn’t—”

  I took another step back, pain spreading throughout my body and my skin prickling. Without another word, I climbed up the stairs to the main deck, and sat at the bow of the ship. I swiped at my tears as though they were at fault. This was a good lesson. A lesson I needed to learn as I started this journey. Don’t trust anyone. It was everyone for themselves, and I would remember that.

  Kane still hadn’t come up as the sun began to set. A flicker of worry for him ignited in my chest, but then reminded myself that he’d used me as bait, and I was mad at him. Why should I care? Still, if he was hurt, I wouldn’t just leave him to die. I wasn’t like him. I wouldn’t betray him like that when we had a mission to accomplish. No, I wouldn’t do that to anyone, no matter how much I hated them. Getting to my feet, I rubbed my cheeks to remove the tear stains and then went back down the stairs.

  “Kane!” I called when I found the hallway empty and didn’t spot him in the maps room. “Come on, this isn’t funny. Where are you?”

  The ship was eerily quiet. Maybe he’d fallen asleep somewhere?

  It was either the galley or the room where the sleeping cots and hammocks were. No way he’d brave the galley. Not with that stench. Was he in the sleeping quarters? I’d kick him so hard if he fell asleep while I was worried about him. Anger welled up in me as I ripped open the door.

  I did find Kane there, but not sleeping. He was being held by two pirates, while a third stood before him, a sword in his hand. The pirates all wore little more than rags crusted in dirt and whatever other nasty things stuck to them. The ones holding Kane had a few yellowed and decaying teeth, and I was sure the other had the same gorgeous smile. The other pirate held a dull, rusted sword to Kane’s neck, the blade almost serrated for the number of nicks it had in it.

  Kane hadn’t looked up yet and seen me, though his left eye appeared swollen shut and his right cheek had a nasty bruise. The gash on his right arm proved the sword could indeed cut. None of them had looked my direction.

  “Tell us where she is!” the pirate with the sword shouted.

  “I’m right here,” I said calmly, leaning against one of the support beams and crossing my legs.

  All eyes focused on me.

  A smile spread across the pirate’s face as he turned and pointed the sword toward me. “You’re coming with us.” I let out a bark of a laugh. “Ha. As if. I’m
not going anywhere with you.”

  He turned back and pointed the sword at Kane, pressing the tip to his chin. Kane had to lift his chin higher to avoid being cut. The pirate’s sneer exposed that he had a few more yellowed teeth than the other two. “You come with us, or I kill him.”

  My heart raced in my chest, but I feigned a yawn, letting my eyes go half-lidded. “Do whatever you want with him. I don’t care.”

  The three pirates looked at each other, their brows going up and their jaws dropping.

  One of the pirates holding Kane blinked at me. “But... Aren’t you his woman?”

  I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “No.”

  “So, she is untouched,” the pirate with the sword said, leering at me, and licking his lips.

  Ew.

  “You come with us now,” he growled.

  “I’ll have to pass,” I said, yawning again. “We’re getting close to land, and I don’t like being on this boat. It smells awful.”

  The pirate with the sword stabbed Kane in the shoulder. Inside I screamed, but I schooled my expression and forced myself not to move a muscle.

  “I’ll kill him,” he warned.

  I waved my hand and turned away. “Have at it. I’m sure you guys are dying for some new meat to eat.”

  Footsteps slammed against the floorboards as one of the pirates ran after me. I assumed it was the guy with the sword as I slipped my knife back out of its holster. I grabbed one of the support beams and slid around it and stabbed my pursuer in the side. He bellowed in a mixture of pain and rage and tried to backhand me, but ended up smacking the beam instead, causing another bellow of pain.

  I pulled out my knife and kicked him in the hip, smirking. He fell toward the wall, the sword clattering to the ground. His movements were slow and his body was lighter than I’d expected as though he was just skin and bones. Were the pirates aboard the ship left behind because they were too feeble to give chase earlier? How much could their lives change with proper nutrition?

  I shook my head. I couldn’t let my mind go there and feel sorry for them right now. Right now, they were my enemy. “Come on, boys. Didn’t you say you wanted me? If you can’t catch me, what hope do you have of anything with me?”

  The sword-wielding pirate hadn’t gotten up yet, wheezing on the ground with a pool of blood growing beneath him.

  One of the pirates holding Kane let his arm go and ran towards me, yelling wildly.

  Kane stood, used his free hand to make a flame, and covered the pirate still holding him with it. He lit up like he was covered in oil and began screaming.

  “You’re going to burn the whole damn ship!” I yelled at him, ducking around another beam to avoid the pirate coming for me.

  The pirate caught one of my arms and wrenched it up behind my back. I cried out in pain but was glad he was so stupid, because he hadn’t grabbed the arm with the knife. I stabbed him in the thigh, forcing him to release me, and spun around, stabbing him again in the chest. He fell to the ground, his eyes glassy.

  The smoke grew worse as the cots and beams caught on fire. I coughed and covered my mouth with my hand. Kane sat on the ground, his head bowed.

  “Kane! What are you doing? We have to get out of here.”

  He didn’t reply.

  Shoot, was he more hurt than I knew?

  I walked to him and knelt down. “Come on,” I whispered softly, and pulled his uninjured arm over my shoulders. He was a big guy, and I couldn’t carry him, but I was going to try. I trudged one slow step after the next towards the stairs.

  “Kane, you stupid idiot. I need you to wake up and walk. You’re too large for me to carry.”

  “You were going to leave me,” he whispered.

  I scoffed. “I’m not you. I wouldn’t have left you. If you haven’t noticed, I am currently dragging you to safety.”

  “He had his sword at my throat, and you yawned,” he mumbled.

  “Yes, because I knew it would make him mad and he would come after me when I turned my back. Now, put some of your strength into walking, please.”

  He trudged forward, taking some of his own weight back, and we ascended the stairs. It took a lot longer than I wanted. Smoke billowed out of the stairway when we emerged into the night. Then the boat slammed into the shore, making us both topple forward. Somehow, I ended up on top of Kane, so he took the brunt of the fall for both of us.

  “We have to get off the ship.” I pushed myself up and started dragging Kane. “There might be gunpowder or something down below. If that goes off, the ship will explode and there will be bits of Kane and Ivy scattered about the waters.”

  He mumbled something, but it was too soft and incoherent for me to understand.

  “Why couldn’t I have been paired with a smaller partner?” I grumbled. “One that would be easier to save from a burning ship? And what mage lights a person on fire in the bottom of a ship? Ships are made of wood. Wood burns. Don’t they teach you this stuff where you grew up? I live beneath the waters, and I know that much.”

  I was rambling because I was terrified. I had to get us off the ship before it burned us alive. I had begun dragging him toward the front, but once I spotted my pack, I grabbed it and decided to go into the waters. I propped him up on the railing on the side of the ship and heaved with all my strength. It took several attempts, but I finally got him over, and he plunged down into the water. My foot hit his staff just before I leapt into the waves, so I grabbed it and shoved it across the top of my pack. I looked down at Kane.

  His one good eye had flown open, but he scrambled in the water, arms flailing. Regardless, he sank beneath the waves. I dove in after him, grabbed a hold of his shirt, and said, “Welcome to my world. It’s a bit wet here.”

  Even with all his injuries, he still gave me an eye roll. It wasn’t as effective with only one eye doing it though. At least he quit flailing. We surfaced, and I heard a sizzling sound. That wasn’t a good sign.

  “Take a deep breath,” I ordered him.

  He took a breath, and I drug him back underwater, swimming deeper into the ocean, away from the island we had crashed into.

  The boat exploded above us, chunks flying in several directions, and some shooting down through the waters. After a minute, things appeared to settle. I pulled Kane back up to the surface, and he gulped in several deep breaths.

  “You’re welcome,” I said, beaming at him.

  He gave me a good one-eyed glare. Then his eye rolled up into the back of his head, and he passed out.

  He was bleeding into the water, which would attract predators. I didn’t want to deal with predators while holding a man who couldn’t breathe underwater, so I swam for shore. I dragged him onto the beach, around several smoldering and burning pieces of wood, and collapsed next to him.

  Chapter Six

  In the middle of the night, I woke shortly after passing out, shivering from the cold. I rummaged my pack, making a bandage for Kane from my supplies. To keep him warm, I piled the extra clothes I brought over top of him. Kane’s pack had been left behind and destroyed on the pirate ship, which meant no more tent. A frown stretched my lips. I shook my head and started to build a small, makeshift shelter over him, and then went in search of a stream for some fresh water. I didn’t want to build a fire, because that could draw attention. We were trying to avoid the pirates we’d stolen the ship from. They could be headed this way now and arrive at any moment in another ship.

  I didn’t really like leaving Kane, but I had to get fresh water. Holding my knife in one hand, and both the water skeins by the straps in the other, I walked into the trees that bordered the island. Crickets chirped, and frogs sang. That was good news, right. If there were frogs there would be water. I kept an ear out for growling and snarling, but no dangerous sounds reached my ears. The frog sounds seemed to be concentrated in one area, so I followed the sound and every third tree so that I could find my way back. I found a stream within half a mile. Once I’d filled both skeins, I jogged back to Kane.


  When I broke from the trees, I was struck by the cloudless sky scattered with stars and the sight of a full moon close to the horizon. My heart lifted, since with all the light, I could see for miles on the calm ocean, and nothing seemed the slightest bit pirate-like. I sighed and headed toward the shelter I built. Kane was untouched and still asleep. Gently, I raised his head until it rested on my bent knees, and then opened his mouth and poured a bit of water in.

  He swallowed it and stirred a bit, wincing as he did. How long would it take him to heal? If it was more than a day or two, I would need to build a better shelter. We had good weather tonight, but what if a storm showed up? And what if pirates came, they’d spot this shelter on the beach right away. I’d need to put the shelter at least at the border of the trees in order to keep it better hidden from view.

  “What should I do?” I whispered softly. Kane’s hair was thick, but soft, and then I realized I had been absentmindedly running my fingers through his hair. I jerked my hand back.

  “You need… to get to safety,” Kane whispered his voice barely audible and cracking.

  “Kane!” I gasped. “Stop talking. Here, drink more water.” I dribbled more water into his mouth, and he gulped it down.

  “You saved me.” His one good eye cracked open and his brown iris shined in the moonlight.

  A lump formed in my throat as I whispered, “Yeah, that’s what partners do.”

  “I should be able to walk tomorrow,” he said with a long, deep sigh. “My eyes won’t be useful, but I could support my own weight.”

  That was a relief. I wouldn’t need to build a shelter to wait until he was finished healing. And the sooner we could complete the quest the better. There was no way I could drag him with me through the trees and protect him from beasts like the wolfcupines.

  “We can stay the night here.” I took a deep breath of the cool night air, letting my shoulders relax now that I knew Kane was on the mend.