“Thankyou,” I told him as I discarded the skin and bones into the fire.“I really needed that.”
“How faralong are you?” he asked and then tossed his scraps in aftermine.
“Aboutfour months, give or take.”
“Youdon’t show that much,” he noted.
My heartsqueezed. “Yeah, I know.”
That wasall I was willing to comment on the subject. The health of myunborn child was something that plagued me on a daily basis andspeaking my worries out loud made them all the more real andterrifying. I was stuck in a world with no proper doctors, nopenicillin, and no way to save my baby should something go wrong.Thankfully, Benjamin seemed to sense my reluctance.
“So, whatelse do you need?” he asked and scooped up the burlapsack that held the thingsI’d found so far.
Truthfully, I’dmanage with what I already had, but I knew I had to keep up therouse or the pirate might catch on that I was up to something inhis absence. “Uh, just a few more of those thick white roots. I’mnot sure I have enough for the whole crew.”
“Youshould be fine,” he quickly replied.
“Are youcertain? How many of there are you? I’ve only seen twodeckhands.”
He looked away.“That’s it.”
That couldn’tbe. The Black Soul was a massive ship. The crew to maintain itwould have to be pretty large. At least a dozen or so. “What? But,how–”
“That’sit. Alright?” Benjamin’s dark brow furrowed in frustration and Icould tell he just wanted to drop the subject and get back to theship, so I nodded and let him lead the way.
I followedclose behind, but not too close. My plan to leave a signal wasn’tfinished. When his back was turned, I bent and scooped up a jaggedpiece of stone and sliced the palm of my hand. I stifled the moanthat threatened to come out at the first flash of pain but remainedquiet as we traced our footsteps back to The Black Soul.
All the while,I left behind a smear of my blood. A wipe on a tree, and few dripson a rock. If there’s a slim chance that Henry and my crew spot thesmoke of our fire, they’d come searching. I only hoped they’d findthe necklace and follow the trail of blood. But that would stillbring them to a dead end with the ship being cloaked.
When wefinally emerged from the forest, Benjamin walked to the edge of thewater and summoned the rowboat. I quickly grabbed a handful of the brokenbits of the telescope andcompass from my pocket and dropped them in the sand.It wasn’t much of a map to find me, but it was the best I coulddo.
I took the fewsteps to his side, so he wouldn’t turn and find what I’d left inthe sand. The boat bubbled to the surface just as he looked down atme and spotted the blood on my hand. Before I even realized whatwas happening, Benjamin grabbed my wrist and pulled it up to get abetter look.
“You’vecut yourself,” he noted. “Are you alright?”
I tried to yankmy arm back, but his grip was too firm. “I’m fine. Must have caughtit on a tree or something.”
He rolled itback and forth, examining the gash. “No, it’s deep. You should getthis cleaned and wrapped up as soon as possible.” He released mywrist and let it fall to my side as we stepped into the boat. “I’llmend it when we return to the ship.”
Self-consciously, I wiped the wound against my pants. It stung likeHell. “No, really, I’m fine.”
His eyebrowquirked. “Do not be stubborn.”
“I’mnot.”
“Thenyou’ll let me tend to your wound without whining,” he insisted ashis long, muscled arms pumped the oars and we rowed out to theinvisible curtain that cloaked his ship.
I had no reply.I just sat and chewed at my bottom lip as I stared at the crystalblue ocean next to the boat. I felt bad letting Benjamin help me inany way. I was gaining his trust only to betray it at even theslightest chance of escape. I couldn’t let myself get attached.That was the only solution. Don’t get too friendly. Gain theirtrust, but don’t give yours.
ChapterEight
We crossed over into the invisible space thatsurrounded the ship and, even though I’d seen it before, the beaststill took my breath away. It was both terrifying and beautiful,like the embodiment of death wrapped up in the form of a ship. Istared in awe as we neared the side where the rope ladder stillhung. I grabbed hold and pulled myself up while Benjamin climbed afew feet below.
When I finallyclambered over the railing, I saw that we had an audience waiting.The captain, Pleeman, and the two deckhands stood around, anxiousand eager. Hovering. It made me uncomfortable.
“I seeyou were successful on your foraging trip,” the captain spoke as heeyes the sack that hung over Benjamin’s shoulder.
“Uh,yeah,” I replied. “If you could show me where the kitchen is, I canget started on supper.”
“I’d behappy to escort ya, Miss,” Pleeman piped in.
But thecaptain stepped forward. “No need, Mr. Hynes,” Captain Cookinsisted and held out his hand for me to take. “I’ll show thelady around after Ispeak with her in my quarters.”
My breathingsuddenly quickened. The man was bound and determined to get mealone, wasn’t he? But, thankfully, before I could form a response,Benjamin saved me.
“Actually,” he said firmly and stepped in front of me.“Dianna has a wound I’d like to tend before she does anything atall.”
“Is thatso?” the captain inquired. But it was almost as if he werechallenging his brother in some way. The disbelieving tone in hisvoice, the curious raise on an eyebrow.
“Oh,yeah, that’s right. Deep, too,” I replied, remembering whatBenjamin had said about it. I then held my hand up, palm out, sothey could see. Captain Cook stepped closer and took it in his coldhands, examining it with an unnerving admiration. The blood haddried in messy wipes across the skin, while fresh blood still oozedfrom the opening. I’d had worse. It never bothered me. But I knewthen, with a quick sideways glance at
