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KANE

Death's Cove

Late Frostfall

The farther the Iron Jewel treaded closer to Death's Cove, the fiercer the wind whipped at the black sails. Kane feared they might not hold up and they'd have to be pulled back. Doing so, however, would leave them at mercy to the dark and restless waters. The ship would be destroyed by sea-stacks in no time at all.

Despite his instincts and the ghost of his father's voice telling him to turn back toward safe waters, Kane kept his ship on track to the nearing shadowed sliver of the cove, weaving his ship between sea-stacks like a snake between rocks in its path.

When they miraculously reached the foot of the two mountainous obsidian peaks, a shadow loomed over the ship, casting the deck in darkness. The coolness of the shade pricked Kane's skin, making each hair stand on end. He should've felt some inkling of fear, yet there was nothing but the fire of determination.

"Aye," mused Flynn, eyes trailing upward toward the peaks. "I just got chills."

"Pull up your bootstraps," Kane told him, stepping away from the wheel. Flynn followed close behind.

"What's next?" Flynn asked. "We raid the cove of all valuables? Imagine the treasures that've been trapped inside there for lifetimes."

Kane stopped and whipped back around to Flynn, an unamused expression on his face. "No distractions. We're here for one reason: find Rove." As the two descended down the stairs together, Kane yelled to Doan, one of his longest and most loyal crewmates. "Doan! Take the wheel! Navigate us into the cove while I prepare a scouting crew."

Two pirates met Kane and Flynn at the bottom of the stairs. Arius Pavel smiled at them both, dimples in his light brown cheeks, his curly sun-kissed hair cut shorter since half of it had been singed off at Crossbones. Borne, a clear calm to Arius's wild storm, stood nearly a head shorter than Arius. The witchblood's golden eyes were now faded to brown, his magic diminished after giving it up to save Lorelei from her fate a season ago. Freckles scattered over the bridge of his nose, his auburn hair blowing in the wind like the flames of a brushfire.

"I don't know what we'll find in there," Kane said, cutting his gaze across the deck and to the nearing cove. "But a reliable trader in Ravana said that this was where a Bonedog ship was headed."

"Why though?" Arius asked, confusion twisting his brow. "Death's Cove is a no-man's-land."

Borne shifted his weight on his feet. "There may be no men, but there are secrets to be told."

"Did your mother tell you that one too?" Arius teased, giving Borne a light nudge.

"Why are you speaking of my mother?" Borne turned on him. If Borne's eyes were still gold like his mother's, Arius probably wouldn't be so brave.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen," Flynn said, interrupting their squabble. "Time is of the essence here. Let's not make the Blackwater mad now." Flynn glanced back at Kane with a devious smile Kane wanted to smack off.

"Are you lot finished or are you through?" Kane lifted one eyebrow.

"Oh, he has jokes now." Arius laughed. "We must be rubbin' off on him, mates."

Kane rolled his eyes. "Borne is right. We could very well find no Bonedogs, but a lost ship of theirs could hold the knowledge that we need about Rove's whereabouts."

The Iron Jewel entered the shadow of Death's Cove. Smooth obsidian walls rose up on either side of the ship, stretching so far up, most of the sparse sunlight was blocked, leaving the ship cloaked in cool darkness.

"Light the lanterns!" Kane shouted to his crew. There was some scrambling among the deck and several moments later, lanterns lit up one by one, casting the ship in an eerie glow. Sharp shadows cut through the light.

A rustling sound came from the left and Kane quickly spun toward it, hand resting at his sword, always ready for the fight. Nothing was there. Light crept along the wall as the ship continued to sail forward. More rustling. The others must've heard it too as they turned the same direction as Kane. He pulled at his sword now, slightly removing it from its sheathe.

Then Kane saw it. Sitting in a nest built in a hollowed portion of the wall was a seabird unlike any Kane had seen before. Neck long and skinny like an egret, black beak narrow and sharp like a dagger, feathers glossy like they'd been dipped in ink. Its brilliant cerulean eyes stared right at Kane, unblinking. A chill swept up his spine.

"Comoras." Borne's whisper cut through the quiet like a knife. "I've only seen paintings in one of my mother's books."

As the Iron Jewel sailed farther, more nests and comoras filled the crevices of the wall, pair after pair of cerulean eyes falling on the ship, long necks craning to watch them. Something twisted inside of Kane, making him feel unsteady.

"Never seen them before," Flynn said quietly. Kane glanced at Flynn and saw his hands at his pistols. He must feel the same uneasiness as Kane. "Definitely never heard of them."

"Because they're not supposed to be here." Borne explained.

"Then where are they supposed to be?"

"In Limbo."

The words made the breath whoosh out of Kane. If these birds were supposed to be trapped in another realm like Magnus, the fire god, and other monsters and creatures, then there had to be a good reason for it. Kane wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

"Look at their eyes. They're nearly hypnotizing." Arius mused. Arius took a step forward toward the railing of the deck. "Their eyes are like little drops of seawater. Why would someone put such pretty birds in Limbo?"

The comora nearest to Arius spread its wings, its wingspan longer than Kane stood tall. Leaving the nest, it flew the short distance to the Iron Jewel, perching on the railing of the deck, big enough to be eye-level with Arius. Arius reached toward the seabird, fingers splayed. The comora stretched its neck forward, its head tilting as if eying Arius curiously, its ruffled black feathers falling smoothly back into place. Then it paused and opened its beak, letting out a horrid scratching shriek. Row after row of sharp teeth glittered at them. Arius stumbled back, falling onto the deck.

"What do they eat?" Kane asked, unsheathing his sword at his side.

"Anything that moves," Borne answered, matter-of-factly. "But they have a particular liking for human-flesh."

As if on cue, a chorus of shrieks blasted through the shadowed cove, echoing off the obsidian walls, and right into Kane's core. He nearly froze, knees buckling, but instead, he quickly burst into action, yelling at his crew to prepare to fight. Everyone scrambled about, some grabbing weapons they didn't have before.

It wasn't long before the first comora swooped down, toothed-beak wide open, ready to snatch someone up. It missed and arced back around toward a crew member in the middle of the deck who didn't see it coming. This time the bird found its target, claws ripping into the man's shoulders from behind. He screamed and Kane raced forward to help him, but it was too late as the comora's beak unhinged and cut off the man's scream with a quick bite.

The sound was enough to make Kane feel suddenly seasick. He stumbled back as the bird flew off with the head, leaving the rest of the man's body to collapse, blood spilling freely onto the deck. Black spots filled Kane's vision as his face went cold.

He couldn't die today. There was still so much to do, so many frayed ends that needed to be tied. Lorelei's face flashed in his mind, the soft blush that often rosed her pale cheeks, the delicate curve of her nose, the shocking blue of her eyes with her dark hair blown by the seawind. He'd promised her on the docks that he'd come back to Baltessa. He never broke his promises, and he wasn't going to start today.

Kane barely had a moment to try and compose himself before another comora swooped down, arcing toward Kane, talons open and reaching. But he was ready. He held his sword back and waited. When the bird was nearly close enough to rip into Kane, he quickly spun out of the way and severed the comora's head with one heavy swing.

The rattling shrieks of the comoras and the screams of his men began to blend together as the attack continued. A shot rang out to Kane's left as a comora came crashing onto the deck, ramming into a lantern on its way down, making the shadows on the ship sharpen. Kane's gaze trailed to find Flynn looking very pleased with himself and his pistol. Arius and Borne stood back-to-back: Arius with pistols of his own, Borne with short dual-swords Kane had his blacksmith make for him.

"I thought I told you I didn't want to die today!" Flynn yelled to Kane. He cocked his pistol and aimed at the sky again. His bullet found its mark as he stepped out of the way of a free-falling comora.

"Keep shooting like that and you won't!" Kane shouted in return, stepping forward to slash the back of a nearby comora. Its shriek split his ears as it took back off, its flight wobbly.

The fight continued as comora after comora swept in, some finding victims in his men, but most the birds found themselves at the end of a blade or pistol. As soon as it all began, it came to a stop, the shrieks falling silent, the beating sound of their wings the only thing remaining in the quiet of the cove.

Arius laughed at the sky. "We were too much for 'em, mates!" A chorus of cheers rose up from the crew, but Kane remained stoic, curious.

"Perhaps they've eaten recently," Kane wondered. If a Bonedog ship had been through here first, then the comoras could very well still be full from their last meal. "Someone relight the lanterns. Tend to the wounded and prepare the dead for proper funeral when we return to sea."

Through all this, the Iron Jewel continued onward through the cove, the obsidian walls on either side beginning to widen in berth. The crew sheathed their weapons, following Kane's orders. The fallen lanterns were lit again, revealing the carnage on the deck. More comoras than men lay scattered, wood slick with the black blood oozing from their bodies.

"So..." Flynn's voice trailed off. "Anyone have any ideas why those birds are here and not in Limbo?"

Arius shrugged his shoulders and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Your guess is good as mine."

"There must be a crack in Limbo," Borne said, his voice soft but clear. He held more wisdom than the three of them at a younger age. "An opening left behind by Lorelei."

Lorelei had died in Kane's arms back in Skull Cave. He'd felt the warmth leave her body, guilt staining his soul like her blood staining his clothes. She'd spent her stolen moments in Limbo until Borne was able to reverse what Rhoda Abado's dagger had done. Kane could never get her to tell him what had happened while she was in the realm-between-realms, but Borne had mentioned that she might not return to the realm of the living as the same girl she was before. Kane hadn't seen a sign of this yet, but he often found himself lying awake at night, staring up at the ceiling, wondering what Borne had meant and what future it would bring.

"Let me get this straight," Flynn said, sandy hair falling from its tie. "You're saying that when Lorelei came back through Limbo, she left the door open behind her?"

"In a way, yes," Borne answered. "Possibly more than one."

If the comoras can slip through, Kane wondered to himself, what else can? "And Magnus?" Kane asked. "Could he pass through as well?"

"I do not know," Borne replied, hanging his head. "Only time will tell."

"Captain!" yelled Doan from behind them at the helm. "Shipwrecks ahead!"

Kane glanced out on the starboard side of the ship, watching as the light from the lanterns crept over the shapes hidden in shadow. He could make out the stretch of masts and tarnished sails. Ships split in two and others untouched but as empty as Arius's flask.

"It's an outright shipyard," Arius said.

"Imagine the loot..." Flynn said from next to him.

"If we could just have an hour..."

"Focus!" Kane snapped. Flynn and Arius stood straighter. It was then that he saw it sitting on the farthest edge of the shipyard. He wasn't sure at first, but the closer the Iron Jewel sailed, it became clear. The light from the lanterns reflected from the gold engravings and railings on the ship.

A Bonedog. Kane couldn't believe it. He'd actually found it.

Kane directed Doan to sail the ship toward the Bonedog while Arius and Borne prepared a dinghy for their scouting group to board. While they worked, Flynn turned to Kane.

"Are you certain about this, Blackwater?" he asked. "This doesn't feel right."

Kane straightened the collar of his black overcoat and tried to bury the pit forming in his stomach. "We didn't come this far for nothing."

#

Stepping onto the deck of the Bonedog was like stepping into a bad memory. Dominic Rove had once owned the most ships in the pirate fleet, until he disappeared with them all after betraying Cerulia at Crossbones. This particular ship might not have been the one Kane visited to make deals with Rove in exchange for gold to fix the Iron Jewel, but that didn't change the unease that swam in his veins. He had to finish this and get off of this ship before his lost his mind completely.

He tried his best to focus on the echo of his boots on the deck and the task at hand, not on the dark memories threatening to cloud his mind. Everywhere he looked, he saw the past, the faces of the men he'd once silenced for Rove—in the grooves of the wooden planks, in the shadows cast by the lantern Borne carried, everywhere. Kane blinked, attempting to be rid of them all.

Rotting bodies of the Bonedog crew were scattered over the deck. Old blood stained in streaks across the wood. Claw marks slashed the brown sails above into ribbons. Just as Kane had suspected.

"Looks like the comoras got them first," Flynn said, fingers under his nose, trying to cover the stench that filled the air. "How long do you think they've been here?"

Kane crouched down by the dead Bonedogs nearest to him, angling himself so that the light from Borne's lantern shown on the dead's hollowed cheeks. The man was bloated and gray, splotches of green and black stretching over his skin. His eyes were sunken in and the white fuzz of fungi had begun to grow below his nostrils and around the edges of his mouth. "About two weeks or so," Kane answered before standing again.

Anything of importance would be in the captain's cabin, so that's where Kane headed, the echo of footsteps following behind him. He grabbed the golden handles of the doors to the cabin and swung them open. The stench of the dead barreled out of the room, making him stumble back. Behind him, Arius heaved. Kane put his sleeve to his nose and stepped inside.

The lantern light set the room in an eerie glow, illuminating the gold ornaments and woven tapestries hanging from the walls. He'd expected a mess inside, but the room remained mainly untouched aside from a chair knocked to the ground. A body sat slumped against the far wall, but Kane could tell from its clothes and lack of feathered-hat that it wasn't Rove. It was very possible he wasn't even on this ship when it sailed to Death's Cove.

Kane took the lantern from Borne's hand and went to the desk near where the body sat slumped and decomposing. Scrolls, maps, and pieces of gold were scattered across the oaken desk. Kane fumbled through them, brushing scribbled papers and quills to the side. Nothing. There was nothing here. Kane slammed his fist on the table and swept his arm across the top, sending nearly everything to the floor.

He cursed under his breath and was about to walk away when a scroll left behind from his tantrum caught his eye. It was more tattered than the rest, having lost its color, and was frayed and torn at the edges. One word on the paper stood out among the rest.

LIMBO.

He held the lantern closer to the smudged words, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make out the print.

"What does it say?" Flynn asked.

"It's a scroll about Limbo," Kane said, his voice echoing in the quiet room. "How it was closed after the Old War and how to open it again..."

Flynn's mouth opened in reply, but nothing came out. His eyes suddenly grew wide, as did Arius' and Borne's. Kane heard movement behind him.

Kane spun around. The slouched over dead man was now on his feet, sword in his hand, ambling toward Kane. Kane only had a moment to dodge out of the way, but he wasn't quick enough as the dead man's sword stabbed into the tender flesh where his chest met his left shoulder. Kane grunted through his teeth and kicked the dead man away with a boot to the chest, sending him stumbling back into the wall, the tip of his sword coated with Kane's blood.

Before the dead man could attack again, Kane swiftly put the lantern on the desk and unsheathed his sword. One smooth slash sent the dead man's rotting head flying through the air. Since it was a corpse, Kane didn't expect any blood, but what he didn't expect was for the body to continue its attack. The dead man swung his sword again, narrowly missing Kane's face. He quickly rounded the desk and shoved it forward until it pinned the now headless dead man to the wall, sword swinging aimlessly.

"What in Goddess' name?" Flynn asked quietly.

"Half-souls," Borne replied. "Part of their souls have remained in their bodies, while the rest remains trapped in Limbo. It's the crack in the realms. It's worse than I'd thought."

"Do you think the rest of the Bonedogs are—"

Bootsteps echoing across the main deck outside the cabin answered Flynn's wonderings. Kane glanced back at the dead man still trying to attack while pinned to the wall. "There's no use in fighting them," he said. "It seems our swords do nothing to end them. Jump ship, get to the dinghy, and back to the Iron Jewel. Then we set sail straight for Baltessa. We have to warn them about Limbo as soon as possible."

The crew nodded and drew their weapons, facing the door of the cabin. Kane followed behind them, rolling his left shoulder and wincing at the pain that shot through his entire arm and chest. It had only been the tip of the dead man's sword that had gotten him, yet he felt it deep in his bones.

Just a scratch, he told himself. It's only a scratch.