We Walk As Wolves

Chapter 3

Cass

The clunking and dragging of heavy steps from the deck above snapped Cass awake. 

He held his breath, waiting. The room had gone cold, dark, an empty void without the orange flames playing in the glass bottle. The hatch in the deck slammed shut above his head, and his body jolted as the strides of boots drew closer. He struggled to rise to his feet, the muscles in his knee seizing like a broken toy. 

Bella's weight in his lap held him down. "Bella." He reached for her cheek in the darkness. "Bella, you need to get up." She curled into him more, burying her face in his shirt. Footsteps ricocheted off the walls, flooding Cass's ears. He let his voice rise. "Bella, get up now." 

She mumbled out his name, then shifted until he could roll her onto the wood. He pushed himself to his feet with the wall as the boots slowed to a stop in front of the door. 

He could hear the tremble in her voice. "Cass, they're here." 

"You have to go with them," he said, searching the empty room for a spot to hide. 

Her stare stung. "What?" 

"I'll be right behind you, I promise." Before she could protest, he kissed the top of her head and shoved her toward the door. 

Cass shrunk back against the wall as the shadows walked in. They didn't say a word to her, nor to each other. With a quick snap of the chains, like a dog on a leash, they pulled her through the doorway. Cass trailed along behind them, flitting from one murky corner to the next as they trekked back onto the deck of the ship. 

The sky was still swathed in night when he poked his head up from the wooden hatch, but they weren't floating in Thames's water anymore. The city of London was nowhere in sight. The crew had gathered at the center of the boat, and Cass caught the pirate who had given him the warning standing at the bow, a spyglass raised to his right eye. 

One of the men turned in his direction. "Anything, Captain?" 

He lowered the telescope, his wrist grinding under the long sleeve. "Not yet." 

The captain was relaxed, but the remaining crew couldn't stay still. They twitched at every sound, trembled at every movement. It reminded Cass of the rabid dog that had stolen his sandwich a few summers back. 

"She's gonna be here, ain't she?" one asked, running his shaking fingers up and down the chain. Cass didn't know bones could shake. 

"Oh, she'll come." The salted wind tugged at the high collar of the captain's coat as he turned. His gaze landed on Bella, the black cavities lingering too long for Cass's liking. He clenched his teeth, told himself to stay hidden, as the captain approached her. 

Bella didn't lower her head, but Cass saw her lip tremble. "What's going to happen?" 

He knelt down beside her, the tail of his coat billowing in the night's wind. "You're a very important gift to some old friends." 

"I'm not afraid." She tilted her chin, locking eyes. "My Mum told me all about you." 

If the captain had any information about their mother, he didn't show it. "You should be." Three small bones jutted out from his sleeve, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "The ocean's cold, lass. And the things that live in her are even colder. They want their payment, we want our recompense." 

Bella seemed to shrink down into the floorboards, her small voice nearly lost in the wind. "Do they want you to kill me?" 

The captain laughed, a rotted breath whistling through his teeth. "You'll be begging me for something as gentle as death."