But I shookthe very thought from my mind. There was no way he’d go to thefuture with me. He stated as much back on The Devil’s Heart. Itwould be an unknown world to him. Plus, I had friends here. Family,even. And a responsibility as their captain. Lottie trusted me tosail her father’s ship. And my crew believed I could. They’vealways believed I could.
I owed themeverything and they blindly followed me across the Atlantic fornearly four months. The least I could do was make the damn wishthat would end this journey and allow us to go home. Then I smiledas the brilliant idea entered my mind, trailing in behind my lastthought like a warm light. My final wish.
I’ll use it toget us home.
I laid therefor a while, trying to get to sleep, but the room was too hot andthe thick sheen of sweat that covered me made it impossible torelax. I needed some air. I flung my legs over the side of the bedand, ever so quietly, tiptoed across the room, grabbing my grungyred pirate’s coat on the way out.
The inn wassilent and held a chill in the air as I crept down the stairstoward the front door. Wrapping the jacket over my shoulders andslipping my hands through, I glanced down both ends of the oldEnglish street and took off toward the water. The sounds of myfootsteps, leather against stone, flapped in the air. Stark againstthe eerie silence around me. The feeling of walking through acivilized village without the polluting sounds of electricityflowing all around, the bustling of vehicles, or the cry of asiren… it comforted my old soul.
Small lanternsof fire led my way to the boardwalk as I bypassed the abandonedmerchant tents and touched my foot to the weathered wood that linedthe length of the wharf. Funny, how eager we all were to get offThe Queen and spend time on land, it was the one thing I nowcraved. I knew the salt of the sea air would fill my lungs and washaway my stress. I sucked it in, breath after breath, while rollingthe pearls around in my pocket.
Just do it,sweetheart.
The sound ofmy mother’s voice so loudly in my ears startled me to my core. Iglanced around frantically, searching for her, but Constance Cobhamwas nowhere to be found. I willed my heart to slow and pinched thebridge of my nose. I had to do it. I had to make the wish then andthere or there’d be no hope in getting back to sleep thatnight.
Slowly, Ipinched one of the pearls and pulled it out from the bottom of myjacket pocket. I twirled it in my fingers, admiring the way itglistened in the moonlight. It was the grey one. I clutched ittightly and walked to the wharf’s edge. With one big gulp of air, Iflicked the enchanted pearl into the water and watched in awe as itbegan to dissipate just like the black one had done. The tinyparticles were nearly gone when I realized I’d yet to say thewords. I panicked and opened my mouth to speak.
“I wishto–”
But the wordsdried up in my mouth. The sound of my mother’s voice still echoedin my head and I second guessed what I truly wanted. Wish to findMaria, or wish to find my mother first?
“I… I wish tofind Maria.” There. It was done. But my heart still raced with thepoison of regret. The final grains of pearl slowly fizzed away, andI shouted before it was too late, “before she finds my mother!” Theweight had been lifted and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Now Ijust had to wait for the universe to do its duty.
I just hopedit worked.
***
Three days hadpassed since I made the wish. And nothing happened. Not one singlething. No sign of Maria, not even a hint of what direction to goin. I was beginning to think it didn’t work, that perhaps I waitedtoo long, and the pearl had dissolved too much before I spoke thewords. What if I did it wrong altogether? The siren didn’t exactlygive me detailed instructions. Worse yet, I began to worry that myfirst wish hadn’t worked. That Benjamin was still trapped aboardThe Black Soul with no way home.
But I couldn’tthink like that. He just had to be free. Benjamin riskedeverything, even sacrificed his own brother, for the hope that Icould save him. I couldn’t bearthe thought that I may have let him down. So, I resorted to pacing.I walked the length of The Kraken’s Den every waking minute.Scanning every corner, catching the eye of every guest I crossedpaths with, and desperately searched for a clue. A signal of somesort that told me what to do.
“Knock,knock,” spoke Lottie as she peeked her head in the door of myroom.
Henry wasdownstairs getting us breakfast while I got dressed. Lottie stoodin the doorway, clad in a clean creamy clue skirt and thick, greycloak with fur that hugged her neck. I smiled and motioned her tocome in.
She held up ahandful of trinkets. “I came to do your hair.”
My eyesfocused on the trinkets she held and realized they were hair clipsand combs. “Do my hair?” What’s wrong with the way it is now?” Iasked and gave my head a shake, letting the straggly black curlsfall down around my shoulders and upper arms.
Lottie gavethat sideways look she often shot me, the one that said justlisten to me, Dianna. “Women here have a certain image touphold. If you don’t blend in, you’ll be talked about. And ifyou’re talked about, then you’renoticed. And perhaps by the wrong people.” She came to where Istood by the floor-length mirror and placed a chair behind me.“Now, have a seat.”
I sat down andwatched attentively at our reflections as Lottie grabbed my heap ofhair in her hands, molding and twisting and braiding until itresembled that of a beautiful up-do. She stuck gorgeous combs inplace, lined with pretty beads and pearls. I almost looked like alady. Almost.
“Where did youlearn to do that?” I asked, slowly
