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“It’s not? Huh? It appears to be working exactly how I had planned.”
“Release the boy.”
“I want answers first. Katherine, is she with you?”
“Katherine? Why would she be with me?”
“I had a run-in with Pan, and I believe she may have come to you for help.”
“I’ve not seen your mistress nor heard of this ‘run-in.’”
I waved my stump for Tiger Lily to see as the gathering crowd gasped around me. “The bastard has disfigured me.”
“Clearly, you must have done something to deserve this punishment. The Divine does not just take away without warrant.”
“I have no desire to discuss the logistics. Pan will get what’s coming for him. I’d advise you to stay out of the way or find yourself with the same fate.” I took a step closer, keeping the young satyr under my blade. “Why is my blood now a vile shade of purple?”
“You came to me seeking blood magic. What did you expect would happen? Were you so naïve to believe you wouldn’t be changed?”
“What kind of demon have you turned me into?”
“I never changed you into a demon. That piece of you was already there. The magic simply altered your blood. This cannot be undone.”
“You didn’t tell me there would be consequences for my request.”
“Oh, I did. You chose not to hear it. Tell me, James, are you now ungrateful for your memories?”
“Where is Katherine?” I asked again. Ignoring her remarks. “Someone must have seen her. If you’re hiding her from me, this boy will be the least of your worries.”
“We have not seen your missing woman. Release the boy and leave my village before I have my guard remove you.”
Frustrated, I spun around the young satyr, slicing my cutlass through the air and lobbing off his small hand in one fell swoop. An eye for an eye, right? The surrounding crowd screamed in sync with the boy, rushing to his side. A pool of bright red blood blooming at his cloven feet. I turned and simply walked away from the growing chaos. “Ask your Divine what he did to deserve that. I’m sure it was warranted.”
The day quickly grew late, and there was still no sign of Kat anywhere. I’d searched the Mermaid Lagoon and even bloodied the waters with one of their own after she made a vile comment about Katherine and how I’d be better off without her. For such beautiful creatures, they were ugly on the inside. I ensured that they would think before they spoke in the future.
Kat wasn’t hiding in the grotto either. I was running out of places to look. Desperation began to gnaw at my breaking heart. I refused to believe that she had run off with Peter. She would never hurt me like that. We had plans for a future together. Had I said something I didn’t remember last night? The enchantment wouldn’t allow that. Or was I so far gone that I?—
“Captain?” A disembodied male voice called out through the trees, startling me. I scanned the surroundings, my bloodied cutlass poised and ready.
“Captain James? Is that you?” Smee popped out from behind a large tree, sending me whirling.
“Smee, for fuck’s sake! Where did you come from?”
“Starkey sent me looking for ya. He said you were out searching for Miss Hawkins.”
“Yes! Was she back on the ship?”
“No, Captain.”
I sighed, completely defeated. This was not the news I’d been hoping for. “I was beginning to think I hadn’t yet found her simply because she had gone back home. Did she say anything to you last night before she left?”
“No, but in all fairness, I was on a mission to find my son. I didn’t exactly linger after our conversation.”
“Were you able to find Eli?”
Smee adjusted his spectacles. “Aye, I believe it was him we found in the Viridianwood.” His chin quivered, and he wiped at his cheek, sweeping away a fallen tear. “We brought him and three others to the edge of the tree lines, looking out at Three Pence Bay, and gave them a proper burial. Pan must be stopped before he kills another innocent.”
“You have my word. I will not stop until Pan is dead and molding with the fallen leaves. The beasts will feast upon his rotting flesh, and through their shit, he will become the very island that worships him.”
