Death's Cove

Late Frostfall

Death's Cove takes no prisoners.

Words Kane Blackwater had heard his father say many times when the Iron Jewel would sail too close to the ship trap. It was a treacherous place he'd never been to, but one that had haunted his dreams as a child. Yet even though the thought made his spine go rigid, the Iron Jewel sailed straight toward its dark waters.

Kane stood at the helm of his ship, one hand gripping the smooth blackened-oak handle of the wheel, the other holding a spyglass to his eye, as he searched for a safe spot to enter. The clouds above were as gloomy as his mood, growing darker by the moment. Death's Cove was a splotch on the map of anyone who sailed the Sister Seas. It lurked on the tail of the Silver Sea like a silent predator waiting for its prey.

Jagged sea-stacks sprouted up from the waves like daggers, sharp enough to rip straight through any ship that dared to venture close. Kane was used to sailing through the deep turquoise waves of the Sister Seas. From Crossbones, all the way to Sarva, the waters were the clearest and most beautiful of any he'd sailed. The sea surrounding Death's Cove was nearly the black of kra-ken's ink. It's only because of the weather, he lied to himself.

"Death's Cove takes no prisoners," said a voice very different from the slurred rasp of Kane's father. Kane pulled away from the lens of his spyglass and glanced to his right. Flynn Gunnison leaned against the railing, the wild sea wind blowing stray pieces of his sand-colored hair out of its tie and across his face. Two seasons ago, Kane would've decked Flynn for standing too close, but today, he was glad to not be alone. Today, he was glad to have a friend. Typically, Flynn would've been manning his own ship on this search mission, but the Anaphine remained docked in Baltessa, receiving much-needed repairs after a skirmish with a small Incendian fleet. Kane needed all the help he could get.

"We won't be anyone's prisoners," Kane replied, collapsing the barrels of the spyglass with a clap. "Not today or any other day."

Flynn slapped Kane on the back and chuckled. "Those sound like famous last words, Blackwater." The crooked smile slipped from his face for a moment. "I would rather not die today though. No offense, mate, but I'd much rather have Csilla's face be the last thing I see. Not your ugly mug." Csilla Abado was the newly crowned Queen of Bones. She was back in Baltessa, the capital of the island kingdom of Cerulia, along with the Maidens and Lorelei Storm—whose face was one that Kane found himself missing as the days and nights at sea blurred together.

"Remind me again why I brought you here?" Kane asked, pocketing the spyglass and grabbing the wheel with both hands. "It's become apparent that it wasn't to help man the ship, as you're up here and not with the rest of the crew."

"You brought me to help search for Rove because there's a chance you might need my impeccable shot." As a reminder, Flynn drew one of his pistols from his belt and spun it over his fingers. The barrel came to a stop in front of his pursed lips and he puffed once like he was blowing out the wick of a candle. "Besides, is there really a need for me to break my back over some sails? Your crew has beefed up pretty nicely over the past few moons. Plus, Arius and Borne are down there, so I'd say we're faring well."

"You say faring well, I say barely cutting it."

"You have always been the flask-half-empty type."

Kane was about to attempt a comeback when something white caught the corner of his attention. He turned to his left just as the shouts from the men on the deck reached his ears. From behind one of the largest sea-stacks emerged the white sails of a fully stocked brig. It slid out from behind its hiding place like it had been waiting for them all along. Kane didn't have to pull out his spyglass to see the flag waving in the wind atop the brig's highest mast, or the emblem of flame and sword imprinted on the fabric.

"Incendians!" Kane yelled down to his crew. "Man your posts! Prepare for evasive maneuvers!"

His crew burst into action, some disappearing belowdecks while others prepared the ropes and pulleys for sail adjustments. Kane wasn't afraid to take on a brig. He'd sunk more than one with fewer men on his ship, but this was the worst possible time. He couldn't waste his energy and resources on these Incendians when he was so close to Death's Cove and the answers he sought in its shadows.

Kane was about to tell his men to drop the sails so that they could sail full course through the sea of stone daggers when a burst of light arced over the deck of the Iron Jewel, followed by the scream of flames. Kane witnessed the ball of fire before it hit the sea with an angry hiss. Waves from the impact washed up onto the deck, coating the wood and making it even slicker.

"They have an emberblood on board," Flynn said, breathless.

Kane had forgotten that Flynn was standing next to him. "It would seem that way," Kane grunted as he gripped the wheel harder, trying to keep his balance as the ship rocked from the sudden waves.

"If you can get us close enough, then I can take him out." Flynn was already staring down the barrel of his pistol, watching, waiting for his moment.

"There's no way you could—"

"You must've not been there when I shot a nectarine off Arius's head."

"I could do that."

"While blindfolded."

Kane huffed. He could get Flynn close enough for a clear shot, there was no question about it, but there wasn't time to ponder as a second Incendian brig emerged from behind a sea-stack on the starboard side of the ship.

Shit.

He'd been following leads for two moons about Rove and where he might've been hiding since his disappearance from Crossbones. The harbor gossip had led Kane straight to Death's Cove, but it seemed those rumors had also reached the ears of the Incendians, who were getting bolder by the day.

A burst of flame erupted from the second brig and arced over the sea toward the Iron Jewel. The shot nicked the top of the ship with a crash and crackle of fire, taking the eagle's nest with it. Scraps of singed wood rained down on them. Another emberblood. They didn't stand a chance. They had to evade.

"We'll have to test your impeccable shot another day," Kane told Flynn as he spun the wheel, changing the angle of the masts.

The ship rocked to the right as the wind filled the sails and took the Iron Jewel's course to the southwest, narrowly dodging a sprouted sea-stack. This move, however, put them in line with the second brig, the wind pushing them straight toward the Incendians. Another burst of flame sliced through the air toward his ship, cutting close enough on the starboard side for Kane to feel the heat of the blaze. Two out of three shots from the emberbloods missed, but how many did they truly need in order to sink a wooden ship? Kane wasn't going to find out.

Turning the sails again would bring them too close to the brig, close enough for the emberblood to cause catastrophic damage to the Iron Jewel. He had to turn faster, much faster.

"Take the wheel!" Kane yelled to Flynn, who shoved his pistol back into its holster and took hold of the handles. "We're club-hauling!" Kane leapt away from the wheel and down the flight of stairs leading to the lower deck.

"Don't rip a hole in your ship!" Flynn's yell was barely audible as another ball of flame arced over them.

This time the attack came from behind, where the first brig chased them, both the brigs beginning to trap them in. Kane shoved past the men who scrambled in front of him with ropes in their hands and ran forward, his boots slipping through the sea-slick as he raced toward the fore of the ship.

Taking two steps at a time up the stairs, he reached the fo'c'sle deck and ran to the portside. A knotted rope sat on a wooden hook, holding one of the portside anchors up on the side of the ship. Sea spray whipped at his face, stinging his skin, but with one heave, he lifted the knot and threw it over the side of the ship, dropping the anchor down into the sea with it. He only had a moment to withdraw his sword before the rope tightened and the anchor hit the sea floor. The ship jerked like a plaything, sending men flying onto the deck, as it made a sharp turn away from the incoming brig.

Kane gained his balance and sliced through the anchor's rope in one clean sweep of his sword. As soon as they were untethered, Kane spun and leapt back down the stairs.

"Drop the sails!" he yelled as he raced back to the helm of his ship. "Full sails! Full sails!"

His men brushed themselves off and heaved at the ropes, sending them sailing at full mast. Kane wove through them, hoping to the Sea Sisters that Flynn could stay away from at least one sea-stack until Kane returned to the wheel. The wind was on their side, pushing them quickly against the angry currents surrounding Death's Cove.

Kane bounded up the steps to the poop deck and quickly pivoted back to the helm. Flynn stepped aside and swept his wild hair away from his face. Kane watched as the two brigs raced toward each other now, the current of the sea and the wind in their sails pushing them until they crashed together in the middle. A sight that made the storm inside Kane settle just a smidge.

"Quick thinking," Flynn said, giving Kane a pat on the back. "You really outdid yourself there. I mean, the sheer brilliance of—"

"Will you shut up?" Kane growled, not needing any of Flynn's distractions. He had to get this ship into Death's Cove in one piece. If he had any hopes of finding Rove or learning what the man had planned next, this is where he would find answers. Kane squinted at the two dark peaks in the distance and the shadowed crevice between, the place where ships went to die, taking with them the secrets they held. Secrets that Kane was hell-bent on uncovering.

The closer the Iron Jewel sailed 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 the ship at the mercy of the dark and restless waters. Sea-stacks would destroy the ship 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 them sailing 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 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 in him but the fire of determination.

"Aye," mused Flynn, looking up 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 in there for lifetimes."

Kane stopped and whipped back around to Flynn, unamused. "No distractions. We're here for one reason: to find Rove." As the two descended the stairs together, Kane yelled to Doan, one of his longest-serving 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 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 were scattered over the bridge of his nose, and his auburn hair blew in the wind like the flames of a brushfire.

"I don't know what we'll find in there," Kane said, his vision surveying 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. "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 had still been 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 that Kane wanted to smack off his face.

"Are you lot having a good time listening to yourselves?" Kane lifted one brow.

"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 across 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, his hand resting at his sword hilt, always ready for a fight. Nothing was there. Light crept along the wall as the ship sailed forward. More rustling. The others must have heard it too as they turned in the same direction as Kane. He pulled at his sword now, sliding the top inch from its sheath.

Then Kane saw it. Sitting in a nest built in a hollowed portion of the wall was a seabird unlike any he had seen before. It had a long, skinny neck like an egret, a black beak narrow and sharp like a dagger, and feathers that were 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 into the cove, more nests and comoras filled the crevices of the wall, pair after pair of mesmerizing eyes falling on the ship, long necks craning to watch them. Something twisted inside Kane, making him feel unsteady.

"Never seen them before," Flynn said quietly with his hands at his pistols. He must have felt 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 the fire god Magnus and other monsters and creatures, then there had to be a good reason for it. Kane wasn't sure he wanted to find out what it was.

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

The comora nearest to Arius spread its wings, its wingspan wider than Kane stood tall. Leaving its nest, it flew the short distance to the Iron Jewel, perching on the railing, big enough to be brow level with Arius. Arius reached toward the seabird, his fingers splayed. The comora stretched its neck forward, its head tilting as if observing Arius curiously, its ruffled black feathers falling smoothly back into place. Then it opened its beak, letting out a horrid, scratchy 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 fully.

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

Arius stood up quickly and dusted off his pants. "You know, Borne, you could have mentioned that before I tried to pet the thing."

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

It wasn't long before the first comora swooped down, its toothed beak wide open, ready to snatch someone up. It missed and circled 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, its 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 made Kane seasick. He stumbled back as the bird flew off with the man's head, leaving the rest of his 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 sea wind. 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 now.

Kane barely had a moment to compose himself before another comora swooped toward him, talons reaching. But he was ready. He held his sword back and waited. When the bird was close enough to rip into him, he 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 and a comora came crashing onto the deck, ramming into a lantern on its way down, making the shadows on the ship sharpen. Kane found Flynn holding his pistol and looking very pleased with himself. Arius and Borne stood back-to-back: Arius with pistols of his own, Borne with the short dual-swords Kane had 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, and he stepped out of the way of the 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 off, its flight wobbly.

The fight continued as comora after comora swept in, some finding victims in his men, but most dying at the end of a blade or pistol. As soon as it began, it came to a stop, the shrieks falling silent, the beating of wings the only sound 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 suggested. If a Bonedog ship had been through here first, then the comoras could very well be full from their last meal. "Someone relight the lanterns. Tend to the wounded and prepare the dead for a proper funeral when we return to sea."

Through all this, the Iron Jewel continued through the cove, the walls on either side of the ship beginning to widen. The fallen lanterns were lit again, revealing the carnage on the deck. More comoras than men lay scattered, the 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 and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Your guess is as 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, and 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 on 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'd been 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 had been. 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 foretold.

"Let me get this straight," Flynn said, his unkempt hair falling from its tie again. "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, what else can?

"And Magnus?" Kane asked aloud. "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!"

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

"It's a shipyard," Arius said.

"Imagine the loot . . ." Flynn said.

"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 as the Iron Jewel sailed closer, it became clear. The light from the lanterns reflected off the gold engravings and railings on the ship.

A Bonedog ship. Kane couldn't believe it. He'd actually found one of Rove's boats.

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 ignore 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 the ship before he 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 bloodstains streaked 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 block 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 shone on the dead man'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 was where Kane headed, his crew following behind him. He grabbed the golden handles of the doors to the cabin and swung them open. The stench of the dead exploded 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 gold ornaments and woven tapestries hanging from the walls. He'd expected a mess inside, but the room was 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 that he hadn't even been on this ship when it had sailed to Death's Cove.

Kane took the lantern from Borne's hand and went to the desk near the decomposing body. 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 desk and swept his arm across its surface, sending nearly everything to the floor.

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

limbo.

He held the lantern closer to the smudged words 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. Kane heard movement behind him and spun around.

The slouched-over dead man was now on his feet, sword in his hand, shuffling toward Kane. Kane had only a moment to dodge out of the way, but he wasn't quick enough as the dead man stabbed the tender flesh where Kane's 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 put the lantern on the desk and swiftly 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 he also didn't expect 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, his sword swinging aimlessly.

"What in Goddess's 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 head 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 cabin door. Kane followed behind them, rolling his left shoulder and wincing at the pain that shot through his 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.