Light of the Second Star by Vanessa Raccio

Author:Vanessa Raccio [Raccio, Vanessa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Vanessa Raccio

Jay sent Henry and Benji to collect the fruit from the forest. By the time the boys returned and food was divided among them, Lou had retreated to her place on the ground, her mind a hurricane, her body calm. Jay laughed at the pirates’ threat on their den and busied himself with a new bandage around Benji’s finger, twisting the bindings until they lay flat. The children moved in a slow whirr of beautiful colour and renewed calm.

“We’ll stay,” Jay finally announced. “Those pirates came here without Blackbeard knowin’ about it. They won’t come back now they’re scared they’ll be shot, and they can’t go back to the ship without admitting’ where one of their men went. The tribes’ll get ’em before we even have a chance.” He tossed a peach from hand to hand, satisfied with his choice.

“We can find another den.” Sammy straightened his glasses and stepped closer to Jay. “It won’t be so bad.”

“We won’t run from our home,” Jay said. “They can’t force us out. But if you wanna put it to a vote—”

“Those men were promised a key to get off the island. By Peter.” Faces turned to Lou, a mixture of disbelief, confusion, and irritation landing on her like a hammer. “Didi and Kiran heard it too.”

“You never met Peter, lady,” Didi said. “He’ll say anythin’ if it means gettin’ out of that cell. Even turn us in.”

“And what if Peter told them the truth? Is it not worth considering that an answer to freeing us is hidden somewhere on this awful island? We wouldn’t even need to free him to set the world straight. We could do it ourselves without risking any lives again!”

Jay touched the tip of his dagger to the ground and spun it around on its axis, orange light reflecting off the blade in blinding shards. In her anger, the rapid shift of light and dark was an unwanted distraction meant to blind and distract. She lurched to her feet and crossed the den in three quick paces. And when she kicked his dagger into the far wall, she unleashed every frustration she harboured in her heart. He gawked at her, his hand now empty.

“Tell me,” she demanded. “Where does Peter keep his valuable belongings?”

“How would I know?”

Benji tiptoed to the edge of the room and plucked Jay’s dagger from the dirt. Jay bestowed a smile on the boy when his blade was finally back in his palm and sheathed it at his side.

“You were his closest friend and his right hand; I’ve heard it many times,” Lou said, “including from the boy himself. Number Two, is that right?”

She had met a stray dog in the Briarwood once; while she had still been small at the time, the mutt had been smaller. Patches of missing fur had revealed red skin, its ribs standing out against the fur. It had cowered, baring teeth. Afraid. She’d approached, ever so slowly, but the dog had never relented. And had never looked her in the eye.

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