*Isla*
This is probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done in my whole life.
Yet, I seem to be doing it.
Seth has agreed to help me. I’ve decided not to tell Trinity because she has been oscillating back and forth as to whether or not she thinks I should go to the island. At first, she sounded like she thought it was an awful idea. More recently, she’s sounded like she thinks perhaps I should do it after all.
It doesn’t matter. As long as Seth can help me get out of the castle and delay Maddox from finding out about the situation until I am on that boat, I should be good.
Now, I just need to let my cousin know.
I don’t trust Antony. Not completely, anyway. After all, he’s lied to me a few times about the true reason why he thinks I should go to the islands. Either that, or he’s just extremely misinformed. Does he really think that his mother wants to kill me? Does he not know that there was another witch involved? Why has he never mentioned the treasure?
As I am secretly packing, Poppy, whom I have confided in despite knowing it’s probably not a good idea to do so, says, “He just wants the treasure for himself, that asshole.”
I stare at her for a moment before going back to shoving a few comfortable outfits in a bag. I have to pack light because I’m not lugging this baby and a bunch of clothing through the jungle. Besides, I’m not planning on being there long. I have no idea how frequently boats arrive in or leave Maatua, but money buys anything, right?
“I don’t know why he didn’t tell me everything,” I say. “But we will need to keep one eye on him at all times.”
Yes, Poppy is going with me. The moment I told her I thought I would go, she said she was coming along. I didn’t bother to protest. I have tried to argue with her before, and it gets me nowhere.
I fight back the idea that Trinity would be able to get her to do whatever the hell she needed her to do.
“When are we leaving?” she asks. If she’s packed, I don’t know where her bag is. Or maybe she doesn’t think we’re in that much of a rush. Maybe we shouldn’t be. The Blood Moon is about two weeks off. Surely, we can get there before then even if it takes us a few days to leave the castle, right?
“We can’t leave until Seth says the coast is clear. He’s trying to figure out how best for us to get to Willow pack. I believe that’s where Antony is right now. But I haven’t gotten a clear response from him from the trail of mind-link messages I have to send.”
“Why would he be in your old pack?” she asks me.
Again, I don’t have answers for you. “I don’t know. I sent a message to the person who is supposed to be able to contact him, and they messaged me back that they’d try to get in touch with him, but that it might take a while before he could get a response to me. He’s trying not to be captured and killed. I get it.”
“I thought he’d be long gone by now. Are you sure we even need him?” She leans against the bedpost, staring at me as I put in the last few items.
“I would feel better with someone who has been to the island recently.”
“Well, what if we hire a guide or something.” Poppy shrugs.
“Yeah, no. I’d have no idea who I was getting if I did that,” I pointed out. “At least with my cousin I know I can’t trust him.”
“What about Mystica?”
This time, Poppy’s suggestion actually does sound like a good one. Having Mystica with us makes sense to me. Not only does she know the island but she is a healer so if something happens to one of us, or if this baby decides to come way early, she can help with that.
She might not want to go, though. I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t. Not only is it just going to be dangerous getting over there, finding the treasure, breaking the curse, that sort of thing, it’s going to be dangerous because if Maddox finds out, he will be so mad at all of us.
“Yeah, I don’t know,” I admit. “It might not be the best idea to bring her. I don’t want her getting in trouble.” Besides that, Mystica is older and might slow us all down.
“I think we should ask her. She’s way more trustworthy than your stupid ass cousin, and she will be able to help if you end up going into labor early.”
Even the suggestion of me going into labor early was enough to send a shudder down my back. “Let’s assume that’s not going to happen,” I tell her, even though I’ve just had the same thought. I don’t want to speak it aloud in case we manage to manifest it by doing so.
“We have to take every precaution, you know?” Poppy challenges.
She isn’t wrong, but it is unsettling.
Once I have my bag packed, I sit it behind some long gowns in the closet where I can grab it as soon as I need it but it isn’t obvious when Maddox comes in.
Then, I sit down on my bed, pondering whether or not I should speak to Mystica. Maybe it would be a good idea to have her there just in case.
Before I can decide what to do, my telephone rings, jarring me. It scares me every time. I’m still not used to it.
Poppy steps over to it quickly. “Hello? Miss Isla’s room.”
I can’t tell who she’s speaking to from her side of the conversation, but she seems annoyed. “I’ll see if she’s available. I said hold on. Hold on!”
“Who is it?” I ask as she covers up the mouthpiece with one hand and turns to look at me.
Rolling her eyes, she says, “I’m pretty sure it’s your stupid cousin, judging by how impatient the caller is, but I didn’t ask.”
I didn’t know why she wouldn’t ask. It just seemed to make sense that she would. I slid over closer to the phone and took the receiver from her. “Hello?”
“Isla. It’s Antony. I heard you were trying to get in touch with me?”
“Yeah,” I tell him. “Listen, I don’t think you’ve been completely straight with me about a lot of things, but now that I know about the diamond, I think it would be best if I went to the island.”
He is quiet for a long moment. “What diamond?”
I roll my eyes. He has to know, doesn’t he? It was in the book. Surely, he’s lying to me. “The Diamond of Faith.”
“Oh. Right. Well, if that’s what’s most important to you, I don’t give a rat’s ass if that’s what motivates you to go, as long as you go.”
“I got a letter from your mother. She doesn’t want to kill me. She wants me to help her to break the spell.”
“Oh? Is that what she said? And you believe her?” I can hear the skepticism in his voice. “Well, if that’s what you want to believe.”
“Why would she want to kill me? She called me her Princess Tropicana.”
“Touching. Listen, if you’re going, you have to get there before the Blood Moon. We need to be heading to the port in the next day or two in order to make sure we can get to the island and find the right location before the Blood Moon,” he says in a rushed, quiet tone.
“Where are you calling from?” Curiosity gets the better of me. I feel like I have to know.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll tell you the address of the place to meet me. You have to be there by tomorrow evening at six.”
“But—I don’t even know if I can get out of the castle that quickly. I’ve got to find a way to get out without the king suspecting anything, you know?”
“What I know is that we are running out of time. Isla, if you really want this, for whatever reason you’ve established in your own mind, you’ll make it happen. Here’s the address.”
He rattled it off to me. It was a bat I was aware of in Willow pack but had never visited before.
“Be there on time or don’t bother. And don’t bring that stupid-ass maid with you. She drives me insane.”
“I have to bring her with me,” I counter. “If she doesn’t go, I don’t go.”
He mutters some curse words under his breath. “Are you shitting me?”
“Antony, don’t bother to argue with me on this one.” I use his own words against him.
“Fine. Bring her, but tell her if she doesn’t learn how to shut her yap, I’ll shut it for her. Don’t bring anyone else, Isla. It’s critical that we keep this party as small as possible so we’re not detected. And bring some coins for the boat. I have no money left.”
“How much?” I ask him, wondering if this will be a problem. I can’t use Maddox’s credit card. That would be traceable, and I don’t have a lot of coins.
“Five thousand,” he says quickly.
“Five thousand?” That sounds like a treasure by itself to me.
“Yeah. I’ve got to go. See you in two days.”
Antony hangs up, leaving me sitting there with my mouth open wondering what the hell I’ve gotten myself into.
I really want to help my people, and I want to help Maddox overcome the chaos that has been unleashed in his kingdom. But I don’t want to put my baby in danger or do anything to make Maddox madder at me.
“Well? What did he say?” Poppy asks. “Besides the fact that he doesn’t want me to come with you.” She rolls her eyes.
“We have to meet him in Willow pack in two days. And we need five thousand coins.”
She grumbles. “No problem.”
“Right? Maybe we shouldn’t do this, Poppy,” I suggest.
“I’ve got the money.”
I’m shocked. “You do?”
Poppy nods. “Yeah. I’ve been saving it for a while. I just… don’t know if we’ll be able to get out of here that quickly without being detected.”
“I know.” She’s right. If Maddox finds out, he probably won’t give me much of a chance to explain before he flips out.
And I really hate it when the king flips out.
I will have a restless sleep tonight, trying to figure out whether or not I’m making the right decision.