Extraits

What's done is done; it cannot be undone.

"You can't undo your past. You know that as well as I. But you also can't foresee the future. Not even Veda's prophecy can do that. What you want to do next, who you want to be, where you want to belong, that's entirely up to you. As I always say, nothing is written in stone."

"Don't come for me until you hear me call for you," I continue. "If you hear me scream, ignore it. It's just ... part of it. And if they come for you -for us- don't wait for me. Run"

I look to where the others are standing and catch John staring at me through the crowd. I'm sorry, I mouth. Then I turned around. And I run.

I turn away from them, toward the water. I can feel their eyes on me anyway.

"I was afraid of being alone." My voice is quiet, small. I don't know if they can hear me over the sound of the men shouting on deck or the waves lapping against the ship's hull, but I keep going. "Of dying alone. Caleb says we all die alone, but I don't think that's true, not really. It's different to face it alone. To know that no one is coming, that no one will ever come. To know it's just you and that's all it 'll ever be-"

Schuyler.

He's come back for the sword, and Blackwell sent him. It's the only explanation for his being here. I spin around, snatch the Azoth by the hilt from under Fifer's cloak, and advance on him, pointing the blade directly at his throat. Behind me, Fifer gasps.

Schuyler doesn't even flinch. "Ah, my little mouse, my bijoux. I knew we'd meet again someday. Though this is not at all how I hoped it might go. I imagined less weaponry, less hostility, less clothing-"

"Shut up", I say. "Turn around and walk away. If you can do it without opening your mouth again, I might let you keep your head."

The four of us start up the narrow wooden bridge. A bearded, heavyset pirate stands at the top, sword in hand.

"Stop right there," he commands. He aims the blade at John's chest.

"I want to speak to the captain," John says.

The man laughs. "They all want top speak to the captain. I tell them all no. What makes you any different ?"

"Because this is my ship," John replies. I shoot a surprised look at George; he shrugs. "I assume that makes me different enough ?"

"I believe you," I say!. "But I don't believe Blackwell."

"What are you talking about? Caleb says. "We'd be nowhere without him. We'd still be in the kitchen, or God knows where else. He gave us a chance when no one else would." His voice rises with conviction. "You owe him your life. We both do."

Okay, so Fifer didn't have a boy hiding under her mattress. But she did have one hiding outside in the bushes, which is just as bad. For some reason, I'm filled with a sudden, immense dread.

"Schuyler, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

Fifer takes the boy by the arm and spins him around to face me. I suck in a breath. I should have known by his speed; by the way he leaped through a window two stories off the ground. But it's his eyes that tip me off. The second they meet mine: feral, hard, and knowing-too knowing- I know who this boy is. Rather, what he is.

He's a revenant.

And I'm in a lot of trouble.

I'm still singing, but my voice has dropped to a whisper. I'm so tired. I rub my cheek against the soft linen of the guards shirt, wishing it were my pillow. His arms tighten around me, holding me close.

Finally, I feel safe.