Island of Bones (The Djinn Kingdom Book 2) Read online

  “Miss Nova, ye go in with the brig master and Gold-tooth. Master Atlas and the crew will stand watch outside unless they see fit to help.”

  “I thought you had to retrieve the eye,” she said angrily.

  “Aye. You’ll bring the Beholder out to me, and I’ll do the rest. But no sense in me walkin’ meself into a dangerous situation when I have ye to do that for me.” He laughed darkly and stalked toward the forest line, leaving them alone in the small clearing.

  “Nova,” Atlas said, gripping her arm. “Madame Vix is a brilliant mystic. She isn’t dangerous. Will you promise…would you try to explain our situation? Perhaps she’ll know a way to help with the payment.”

  Nova saw the desperation in his eyes. Before gently pulling away, she nodded. “I’ll do what I can.”

  Nova, Kale, and Taylor crouched low as they crept up to the small shack. Slowly, Kale pushed the thick wooden door open and they stepped across the threshold.

  The room inside was warm and pungent with spices and citrus fruits. Nova saw small bowls and apothecary jars filled with long sticks of dried cinnamon, red balls filled with purple berries that smelled much like tree bark, and endless rows of amber liquid in dropper bottles. The center of the room had a long wooden table covered in a white sheet with little specks of bright blood. She removed her dagger from her belt—something felt off about the room. It was as if someone had just left right before they’d come in.

  “What is it?” Taylor asked.

  “Someone’s here,” she whispered, moving toward a shrouded corner of the room.

  A gun hammer cocked back and with it, Nova’s blood drained from her face. The barrel of a flintlock pistol pressed up against her forehead as a man stepped out from behind the tattered curtain. His eyes were bloodshot, and the skin underneath bulged in gray bags from endless sleepless nights. His collar was unbuttoned down his chest and his exposed neck revealed linear puncture wounds still bleeding.

  That explains the blood, she thought as the dark surge of anger frothed and hardened in her chest.

  “Ready to die, pirate?” he snarled with a noticeable familiarity.

  “Gregor, no,” a woman with a smooth, deep voice said.

  A silver headdress dangled over her wrinkled forehead, and her long dark hair spilled over her shoulders with bits of gray woven throughout. She was plump around her hips, so her dress pulled tight over her curves, but she moved with great finesse next to the man.

  “You would not be wise to threaten this one. I sense something more than is on the surface,” she said.

  “She’s come to rob you, Madame,” he argued. “I’ll not allow a pirate in here.”

  As he said the words his finger pulled against the trigger. Nova’s mind whirled wildly, but everyone surrounding her moved as if trapped in cages of water. Kale reached for his cutlass so slowly she could’ve crossed the room twice before he reached the handle. Taylor loaded his pistol while the door began opening; she assumed more crew were making their way into the shack. Every moment was so detailed she could see each pound of heartbeat in their necks. The man’s finger pulled tighter against the trigger, preparing to fire straight into her chest while the woman slowly reached out to stop him, but she wouldn’t make it in time.

  Frustration wrapped around Nova’s stomach like knotted ropes as she watched the angry man in disbelief.

  He has no right to kill you. With such clarity, the woman in white’s voice filled her mind. Without even disputing how her words had slithered into her mind, Nova nodded though she knew no one else could hear the voice.

  Time found normalcy once again. Narrowing her eyes, Nova unlatched the dagger from her belt and in one swift motion, ripped the blade across the barrel of the pistol as it fired a deadly shot. The blade knocked the gun to the side just in time, and Nova watched as the ball dug deep into the wooden wall near the front door.

  The man’s jaw dropped and he took two trembling steps away from her. Her mind was clear as she swung her blade again, this time hitting it across the knobby bone in his wrist. He cried out in pain, covering the wound with his other hand while letting the pistol crash to the floor. Nova pushed him to the ground angrily.

  “You tried to kill me,” she seethed at him. His wrist was visible—no blood flowed from the wound and there was only charred, burning skin.

  Madame Vix eyed the dagger with curious fascination, seemingly unfazed by her acquaintance’s injury. Nova took a step toward him again, lifting the dagger over her head. Inside was a storm of anger. He needed to pay for what he’d done, but another part of her mind fought against her, holding her back if only by a small bit.

  Strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her away from her victim. “Nova, stop. This isn’t what we came for,” Kale said, holding her as she struggled, yearning to appease the thick, dark anger building in her chest. “We’re already drawing too much attention from the village. Can’t you hear them?”

  Shouts filled the quiet outside and breaking branches signaled the pirates protecting the shack had burst into motion against the villagers. She took a deep breath but kept her eyes locked on the fallen man. He looked at her fearfully but didn’t try to stand as the door creaked and heavy footsteps plodded into the room. The plump woman smiled coyly and put her hands on her hips.

  “Well, I never thought I’d be seeing you again. I admit I didn’t expect you to be the one to lead them here.”

  Nova glanced over her shoulder and saw Atlas, followed by several pirates filling the doorframe. His nose curled up as if smelling something foul while the other men pushed in, immediately scouring the shelves for anything to steal.

  “So, this is what’s become of you. Seems I was right all along. Look what you amounted to— nothing. Comin’ in here all gallant without so much as a hello,” the man Vix had called Gregor spat in Atlas’s direction.

  Nova glanced between them, gripping her dagger tighter. Atlas never looked at her, he only kept his dark gaze on Gregor.

  “Hello. It’s been a long time, Father,” Atlas said as the room fell into a deadly silence.

  Chapter 10

  The Eye

  “Wait, Father?” Nova asked incredulously, holding her dagger out again.

  Atlas nodded, his jaw twitching as he kept his eyes on Gregor. His eyes flicked around the room and his shoulders slumped away from the fierce glare his father shot across the room. If Nova hadn’t seen Atlas engaged in ferocious battle aboard the king’s vessel, she would take him for a frightened child in the face of his father.

  “He doesn’t deserve to address me in such a way,” Gregor snarled. “Abandoning me all those years ago, only to take up with pirates. My son is dead to me.”

  Nova felt the wave of anger overtake her so furiously any rational thought was swallowed up in the blanket of fury. She crossed the short gap between her and Gregor and kicked her foot deep into his midsection. He folded to his knees, coughing deeply until he found his breath again.

  “Nova, no,” Kale said, pulling her back from a second attack.

  “You have no right to speak like that after what you’ve done,” she spat at Gregor, though she desperately fought against the blind rage filling her heart.

  She knew what kind of father Gregor had been, and she knew what Atlas had done against her to simply save the sorry excuse for a man. Gregor coughed once more, resting on the floor. He glared at Nova but didn’t argue.

  Nova felt Kale wrap and hand around her elbow gently and took her to the back of the room as Atlas stepped forward.

  “Madame Vix, I didn’t want to come here.” His voice was low, and Nova saw he intentionally turned away from Gregor.

  “You need an Eye,” Madame Vix said.

  Atlas gaped for a moment before nodding. “Yes, ma’am. I’m afraid the crew is indebted to men called the Three Brothers. I didn’t know the captain would bring us here.”

  Madame Vix’s eyes widened. “What sort of life have you been leading, young Atlas, to find yourself in
debted to the Three Brothers?”

  “It’s not him,” Nova said, scowling while Kale held firm to her arm. “It isn’t any of them. It’s me and the captain. They are here against their will.”

  Madame Vix eyed her curiously but nodded her understanding. “You are much more than meets the eye, my dear. I can see why the brothers have taken a keen interest in you.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Nova asked curtly.

  “Don’t you know?”

  Nova sighed in frustration. “I’ve heard many things like that over several months, but no one tells me more so, no, I don’t understand what you mean.”

  “It is not my place to enlighten you,” Madame Vix said. “But I assure you, your time living blind to the truth is nearly over. All will be made known soon enough.”

  At her words, Nova coughed against a sharp pain in her chest as if she had been run through by a bayonet. The gravity of the words reached her on another level, against a part of her not wanting to know the truth.

  “Forgive me, Madame, we don’t have much time,” Atlas said. “Can you help us?”

  “You coward, coming here, fighting against a woman who helped us after Eliza died,” Gregor hissed at Atlas.

  Atlas’s face notably fell at the mention of his sister, but his shoulders heaved dangerously as if he were keeping a strain of emotions locked just beneath the surface. Nova stepped toward Gregor again, ready to charge, but was drawn back forcefully.

  Kale looked at her from the corner of his eye. “Calm yourself, feisty,” he said sarcastically. She scowled darkly at him but relented.

  “Gregor, I can take care of myself,” Madame Vix said with surprising firmness. “You have caused enough pain in this young man’s life with your words and actions. Perhaps you would permit me to handle my business alone.”

  Nova chuckled, and even Kale smiled at Madame Vix’s reprimand. Nova was liking this Beholder the more they spent time together.

  “I don’t want to hurt you, Madame,” Atlas admitted.

  “Who says you must?” she replied, cocking her said to one side.

  Atlas’s brow furrowed. “I just assumed when they said eye that…”

  Madame Vix chuckled, her plump face brightening. “My, Atlas, what angst you must have gone through on your journey here. Surely you didn’t believe you would have to take one of my eyes?”

  Each of them glanced at one another sheepishly with an understanding it was exactly as they all thought.

  “Oh my,” she said, clapping her hands together in delight. “What unnecessary worry. Come with me, except you Gregor, you stay put.”

  Nova and Kale followed Atlas and Madame Vix, with Taylor bringing up the rear through the curtain. The back room of the small shack was surprisingly cozy. Every wall was filled top to bottom with small glass jars filled with ingredients of every kind. Wild bird beaks, talons, and feathers. Black tar-like liquid next to golden syrup, with endless jars of colorful powders in between.

  “When the Three Brothers ask for the Eye of a Beholder, they don’t mean an eye in a literal sense, though I’m certain Co and Virtus wouldn’t mind taking my eyes. Did you all meet with them?”

  “Only Nova,” Atlas said quietly, nodding in her direction.

  Madame Vix nodded. “I’m certain they found you fascinating.”

  “Co and Virtus, in particular,” Nova admitted. “Pardon me, Madame, but what can you tell us about the brothers?”

  Madame Vix cleared her throat as she began sifting through cupboards. “The brothers were once great Beholders, many years ago. People throughout the kingdom, noblemen, even the previous royal family sought their guidance, and over the years they became obsessed with the power of their abilities.”

  “Why do they…look the way they do?” Nova said, remembering the empty eye sockets of two and the pale, emaciated bodies each brother suffered.

  “Oh, young miss, that is a tale I do not know if you have time to hear,” Madame Vix said, removing a long brown box from a lower cupboard. “There are so many powers in this world. Beholders are chosen—blessed so to speak, from powers unseen, to have insight for our fellowmen. Some work wonders with remedies for ailments, others can see the inner workings of the soul. It takes years of practice and training, but I view my gift as a great blessing.”

  “So what happened to the brothers?” Kale asked, showing increased interest in her tale.

  “It began with Virtus. He believed himself entitled to more gifts, more status, more wealth. Co followed suit, and for a while, only Patus fought against them.”

  “Can you please tell us their story?” Nova asked again. “It may help us understand what we’re up against.”

  Madame Vix sighed as she pulled several wooden boxes from a cupboard. “Very well. Each brother possesses a gift of the soul: heart, mind, and strength. They were once known as the Three Beholders, not Brothers.” Nova raised her eyebrows in surprise and Madame Vix chuckled before continuing. “Long ago, the Three Beholders gained fame and fortune, but they wanted more. Consumed by greed and power the Beholders sought for the one who could grant them the desires of their hearts. Years passed, the Beholders used those in their confidence to gather offerings for a Being named the Great Djinn.”

  “Wait, I’ve heard that word before,” Nova interrupted. “It was on…on Smythe’s map, the Temple of the Djinn. What is a Djinn?”

  Madame Vix pressed her fingers together. “It is a forgotten legend, but from my studies, I believe it is just a term used, in general, for unknown powers throughout Launi Kingdom.”

  “Please continue, Madame,” Atlas said with peaked interest.

  “The brothers acquired a vessel of some kind, one that supposedly had the ability to summon this Djinn, or power. Whichever you choose to believe. With the vessel to summon, the brothers were granted an audience with the great Djinn. Impressed by their bravery, the great Djinn offered them what they desired, but with the warning that with great power the Beholders would be asked for much in return. Foolishly, the brothers ignored the warning and with the summoning vessel spent years using the Djinn’s powers to create the wealth and status they had always desired. Little did the Three Brothers realize with every use of the summoning vessel, a small part of humanity was taken from their souls. By the time they recognized what had happened it was too late. The brothers were left with nothing but their curse of starvation for power, but never being able to feed the hunger. The brothers were nothing but slaves of the Djinn’s curse for all time.”

  “Is that it?” Atlas asked.

  “Yes. Consumed by lust for power the brothers you met are what was left after feeding the darkness of their souls. The vessel was rumored to be a highly cursed object, though I doubt it actually summoned another being, or Djinn. I believe they used it to create the life they wanted. But when we force the hands of the fates, there are repercussions. Such consequences are apparent in the present-day brothers.”

  “Why do they want this Eye so badly?” Atlas asked.

  Madame Vix shrugged as she cradled a small tin box against her chest. “An Eye of the Beholder is a power source that allows a mystic to reach deeper into the powers of our world. Without an Eye, a Beholder is nothing more than a common herbalist, or fortune teller. With enough of those sources of power, the brothers would finally be able to release themselves from their curse. I can only imagine this is why they are gathering Eyes, and not always diplomatically. Many Beholders have gone missing over the years.”

  “Madame, we cannot take this from you. It will take your power,” Atlas protested.

  Madame Vix smiled kindly and held the tin out for Nova. “My dear boy. I have wished every day since you ran away that I might have done more to help you. This is how I can help, finally, after all these years.”

  “No,” Atlas said trying to grab the tin from Nova.

  “Atlas,” Madame Vix said. “You don’t understand. If you do not pay the brothers, everyone involved with this young woman or the
captain will be destroyed, or worse, cursed much like the brothers. Please take my Eye, given willingly. If you do not, you will have to take another Beholder’s and I fear they would not part with an Eye without a fight. This is yours without any bloodshed. You must promise me you will be careful, young Atlas. Do not lose yourself in this life you now live.”

  Kale scoffed quietly and Nova scowled. Atlas’s face filled with guilt at her words.

  “We must go,” Taylor said in a whisper. “I hear a ruckus comin’ our way.”

  “Go now,” Madame Vix said gently.

  Reluctantly, Atlas nodded and turned through the curtain followed by Kale and Gold-tooth. Nova heard shouting and a blast from a distant pistol. It was time to go, or Rand Islanders would face the same fate as those on Mollem.

  “My dear,” Madame Vix said quickly before Nova left. She turned slowly to face the kind woman. Madame Vix took one hand of Nova’s in hers and looked at her intently. “You must make a decision between them or you will be driven to the brink of madness.”

  Nova looked at the floor feeling her cheeks flush. “Atlas betrayed me. I don’t believe I could ever trust him again. And Kale, he’s betrothed to another.”

  Madame Vix lifted her chin, smiling so her gray eyes twinkled. “That is not what I meant. You must decide between the battle of two within you,” she said pointing to Nova’s heart. “It will be your destruction if you do not determine who you will be.”

  Nova’s chest tightened in both irritation and pain as Madame Vix sensed the battle between her inner darkness and the side of her that yearned to be the happy girl from Mollem. “How can I choose?” she finally asked.

  “I cannot tell you that. But it must be done,” Madame Vix answered. “Now go, take the Eye to the brothers. Rid yourself of their debt. Be safe my dear.”

  “Thank you,” Nova said before stepping through the curtain.

  Taylor had left the shack, but Kale stood in the doorway with Atlas close.

  “Ready?” Kale asked. Nova nodded and he turned to leave.

  “You would leave your father again?” Gregor shouted. Nova jumped, almost forgetting he was there. “You are no son of mine if you leave, choosing a pirate over your own blood.”