Page 28

Chapter 28

Kaneko

T he sea was merciless.

The ship pitched violently as waves crashed against its sides, the wooden beams groaning beneath the strain. Rain lashed the deck in furious sheets, and the wind howled through the rigging like a chorus of vengeful spirits.

But the sea was not the most dangerous thing aboard this ship.

The men who sailed it were worse.

Far worse.

I curled in on myself, huddled in the blessed darkness of my tiny hold, my arms wrapped tightly around my legs as the ship lurched again and again. My wrists still ached from the coarse ropes that had bound me on that first day before Kazashita had them removed. My stomach was hollow, refusing to hold even the smallest drink of water. My throat raw from thirst.

The air was stale, reeking of salt, sweat, and spilled rum. Somewhere above, heavy boots thundered across the deck, and the shouts of pirates rose over the storm. I had no idea how many days had passed since they had dragged me onto this ship. Time had lost all meaning.

I only knew that I was a prisoner, and that there was no escape.

The door burst open.

“Still breathing, Little Fox?” The voice was thick with cruel amusement.

I lifted my head, my pulse spiking as I made out the hulking forms of three pirates. Their faces twisted in ugly grins, their eyes gleaming with the vicious glee of men who enjoyed breaking things.

They stepped closer, the flickering torchlight casting shadows like specters against the wooden walls. The tallest of them, a brute with a missing ear and a scar running down his chin, crouched before me, resting one massive arm on his knee.

“Shame about your village, boy.” He licked his lips, watching me like a wolf watches a wounded rabbit. “Bet they screamed real pretty when we burned it down.”

I clenched my jaw, forcing my hands into fists at my sides. That was what they wanted—a reaction. I wouldn’t give it to them. Not if I could help it.

The second pirate, a wiry man with rotting teeth and fingers covered in rings stolen from the dead and dying, chuckled. “Not much of a talker, is he? Maybe we oughta loosen his tongue.”

“I’d rather loosen something else,” the kneeling pirate said, earning laughs and grunts of agreement from the others.

The third pirate—a beast of a man with a shaven head—tilted his head. “Maybe we oughta find out what he’s worth, what some rich bastard will enjoy.”

The implication sent ice through my veins. They weren’t just here to taunt me. They were here to see what they could take.

I forced my voice steady. “If you lay a hand on me, Kazashita- san will kill you.”

The pirates laughed. I’d meant the honorific to add weight to my threat, but it only emboldened and amused the insane men before me.

“Kazashita?” Scar-Chin spat. “That bastard might be first mate, but he’s no better than the rest of us. You really think he’s protecting you out of kindness?”

“Or maybe he just wants you for himself.” Rotten-Teeth sneered. “That it, pretty boy? You warming his bed yet?”

“Or has he already dipped his oar? Made you his? Is that why—”

“No!” I growled, immediately disappointed I’d opened my mouth at all.

Laughter exploded between them.

I felt sick. I hated them. I hated their laughter, their smirking faces, their reeking breath. I hated the way they looked at me, like I was something to be devoured. But I hated that I was afraid of them even more.

Their laughter died in an instant as a heavy bootstep echoed through the hold.

The pirates’ grins faltered.

“Get out.” Kazashita’s voice was icy, sharp as a blade. He didn’t have to shout to command their attention.

The three pirates turned slowly, their amusement flickering, then winking out.

Scar-Chin straightened. “We were just having a little fun, First Mate. No harm done.”

Kazashita stepped into the light, and for the first time, I was grateful to see him. He wasn’t armed. He didn’t need to be. His presence alone was enough to make the pirates hesitate.

“The taichou gave his orders,” he said, his tone even, almost bored. “The boy is to remain untouched. I would hate to report insubordination. You know what happens to men who disobey orders, yes?”

A tense silence filled the hold.

Scar-Chin’s lip curled, but he didn’t argue.

One by one, the pirates backed away. Not because they feared the captain, I realized suddenly, but because they feared Kazashita.

Rotten-Teeth spat onto the floor. “Soft-hearted bastard.”

They left without another word, their footsteps fading up the stairs.

Kazashita waited until the door slammed shut before turning toward me. His expression was unreadable, but for the first time, I noticed something strange. He looked . . . tired . . . like a man who had been playing a role for so long he wasn’t sure where it ended and where he began.

I swallowed thickly. “Why do you protect me?”

He exhaled through his nose. “It is my job.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It is the only answer you will get.”

Without another word, Kazashita left, locking the door behind him.

I curled in on myself again, my pulse still pounding from the encounter. I was alone. Alone with the storm. Alone with the creaking wood and the distant crash of waves. Alone with my thoughts.

And all I could think about was Yoshi.

Had he escaped?

Had he survived?

Or was he dead—another lifeless body among the ruins of our home?

I pressed my forehead against my knees. My breath hitched. How many years had we spent by each other’s side? How many years had we known each other better than anyone? How many years had I loved him, even before I knew what it meant to love another?

That was too much to bear. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. I refused to cry. I would not give these men my tears, but I had never felt so hollow, so lost, never missed anyone so damn much it hurt.

The ship pitched again. Somewhere above, the pirates laughed and drank and forgot the world they had burned. And below, in the dark of the hold, those I’d known since birth grasped at a grate and begged for mercy.

I closed my eyes and prayed to whatever gods still listened.

I didn’t believe, but I prayed, prayed that somehow, Yoshi was still out there, that somehow, we would find each other again.

Before it was too late.