“They’ve done nothing to you,” the Captain says. His muscles are rigid against my body, and I couldn’t escape if I wanted to. “They mean nothing to you.”
“But they mean everything to you, Captain, don’t they? And I think you’ll do most anything to protect them.” Pan’s face turns serious then. His crystalline eyes go stormy. “Give me the girl, and I’ll let them live, including this one,” he says, nodding to Will. “You won’t be so lucky, of course, but then, you’ve nowhere to run. Nowhere to go. Save your boys or watch them die, but either way, the girl will be mine.”
“If I give you the girl, you’ll assure their safety?” the Captain asks.
I struggle against his grip, trying to wriggle free. There’s no way I want to go back with Pan, not with the way he’s looking at me, all anger and anticipation lighting his eyes.
“Of course,” Pan says. “I’ve no reason to harm them, so long as they renounce their loyalty to you, of course.”
“And Will, you’ll ensure his life as well?”
“No!” Will says, writhing against Pan’s grip. “It’s not worth it, Cap’n. I’m not worth it.”
“Never doubt that, Will,” the Captain says, and the desperation in his voice chills me.
I try again to writhe away from him. He will do this, I realize. He will hand me over to Pan to save his boys, to save Will. In truth, I’d probably do the same, but that thought doesn’t comfort me any.
“Make your choice,” Pan says, dangling Will more precariously now, teasing the Captain with his friend’s death.
Will’s eyes are sharp with pain, but they are no longer filled with fear. “You know what needs to be done,” he tells the Captain. “You’ve delayed long enough.” Then, with a violent wrenching, Will twists and rips at the bandage on his arm. It falls away, revealing the black, menacing crack. And before Pan realizes Will’s intention, Will thrashes, pounding at the crack with his fist.
Pan’s eyes widen as he realizes what Will’s about to do, but it’s too late. With a vicious shout, Will smashes his fist through the cracked skin, and the weight of his body does the rest. One moment he is staring at us with challenging eyes, and the next, he’s gone. Fallen to the depths below.
“No,” the Captain rasps, his breath hot against my skin. His muscles quiver, and I can tell it’s taking everything he has not to let a sob break free, not to toss me aside and go after his friend.
Pan only laughs, examining the lifeless hand he’s still holding before he tosses it aside. “You can still save the rest, Captain. Give me the girl.”
The Captain is shaking against my back. His muscles tremble in their unyielding hold, but he doesn’t release me. “I’m sorry,” I hear him say, but I don’t know who he’s speaking to, and I don’t have time to figure it out. Without any warning at all, he hurls us both off the cliff, to the sea below.
His brother shook him. “If it comes to that, you will leave me behind. If it comes to that, you keep going. Swear to me!” But the boy wouldn’t. And then a shell screamed so close that the time for promises was at an end. . . .
Chapter 28
THE CAPTAIN’S ARMS ARE A cage around me as we plummet to the sea. The force of our fall sucks us both far beneath the surface. The shock of what just happened has me gasping for air, but the moment I feel the salty water rush into my mouth, I force myself to focus. Then I’m kicking up toward the light, the water above burning a lurid red-orange from the fire of the ship.
When my head breaks the surface, I gasp again. At first I can’t see anything but the churning sea and the dark smoke from the burning ship hanging above us. But then strong arms secure themselves around me, and a hand goes over my mouth before I can scream.
“Swim, lass,” Rowan orders. “And swim hard.”
Relief shudders through me. He didn’t give me up, I realize. He chose me.
And for what? He must be completely insane, because there is no way we will be able to get away from Pan, not when he can attack so easily from above.
I don’t argue, though. Black smoke hangs heavy in the air, blanketing the sky and giving us some measure of cover. Even though the water burns my eyes and chokes me with every misplaced breath, I do my best to keep up with Rowan’s steady strokes. I push and push until my legs ache with the effort of my kicks.
By the time we clear the wreckage of the ship and make our way across the open water, my muscles are screaming. I’ve been cooped up too long in ugly little cabins or pretty flower box rooms, and my legs feel weak and ineffective as I kick against the heavy drag of the current.
But when something cold brushes against my leg, I grab for Rowan.
“What is it?” he shouts, turning back to see what’s caused my distress.
“I don’t know,” I sputter, my arms and legs churning frantically to keep myself above the waterline. “I felt something.” I can’t make out anything in the depths below except murky shadows along the ocean floor.
He pulls me closer, his eyes serious and determined. “We have to go now, as fast as you can. And don’t be looking back.”