“You think he’s still down here?” Jack asked.

“I can feel him,” Bella explained. 

They were in the ship’s hold. It felt like a tomb. Everything was still, and quiet, and lifeless. Bella slowly wandered down the hallway and found herself in front of the Quartermaster’s hold. The bars blocked her way.

“He’s in there?” Jack asked. 

Bella nodded. “I’m honestly surprised he didn’t run off into the jungle as soon as we got here.”

“Maybe we can get Mister North to give us the key,” Jack said, looking at the sturdy lock.

“He’s busy and I’m worried,” Bella said. “Something isn’t right. Do you have a hairpin? Or something like that?”

“When have I ever used hairpins?” Jack raised an eyebrow. 

Bella gave her a terse look. “Anything long, straight, and metal.”

Jack pursed her lips in thought. Bella smiled at how attractive she found that expression. It was exactly what she needed. She let her eyes trail down Jack's body, enjoying where the shoulder belt of her weapon harness pulled her shirt tight and emphasized the shape of her breasts. Bella’s eyes travel the curve of Jack’s body where she leaned against the wooden wall, her weight on one foot, throwing her hip into a pronounced curve. 

Jack caught Bella staring and raised an eyebrow. “Yes?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Bella smiled. “Just getting ready.”

Jack gave her a knowing look and walked away abruptly. Bella watched her butt sway as she walked. She’d always loved how Jack’s trousers fit her. Jack knew she was being watched and was putting a little extra strut into her step just for Bella. 

Bella let her mind wander, fantasizing about Jack pressing her against the wall right there in the small hallway, kissing her, sliding her knee in-between Bella’s, and lifting until her thigh was pressing tight against the witch’s pubic bone. She squeezed her thighs together, enjoying the mounting frustration.

Jack came back a few moments later with a small leather sack. Bella recognized it as the bags that usually hung from the mast in the hold. Jack pulled a nail out of it. 

“Perfect,” Bella smiled. “Give me one more,” She pulled a grease pencil out of her bag and very carefully drew a small sigil on the heads of the nails. Then she held them by the tips between two fingers and stared at it, pouring the sexual energy she’d been gathering with her fantasies into a small ritual. “Flow,” she whispered. Slowly, the metal began to feel like wax in her hand. Bella slowly twisted them together, then put them into the lock. She kept concentrating. It took about a minute, but finally she exhaled and released the energy. The metal hardened again. With a bit of effort, she turned the nails in the lock.

With a heavy clunk the door opened. 

With a bit of effort, Bella pulled her makeshift key out of the lock and gave the now useless chunk of metal to Jack. They’d been twisted together about halfway down their length and fused together into an ugly but apparently functional key. “Well that is a useful trick,” Jack said, impressed.

“It’s a shaping ritual. Only works on things like glass, or metal, that flow when heated up. It takes a tremendous amount of energy. I wasn’t sure I had enough left.”

“So that’s why you were ogling me,” Jack teased.

Bella gave her a guilty shrug. “I needed every bit I could muster. I’m really not very good at that one. My mother used to use it to make gorgeous ornaments and fixtures to sell at markets. I can only do rough shapes, and they usually aren’t very strong. I was afraid this would break.”

“Good thing Mister North keeps his lock well oiled,” Jack said, pocketing the makeshift key.

They slipped into the quartermaster’s hold, ignoring the crates, chests, and stacks of haphazardly strewn papers. The door at the back of the hold was decorated with a brass compass rose and a fancy letter N.

“He’s in their room?” Jack asked.

Bella sighed. “Apparently, yes.” She tried the door. It was unlocked. As soon as it swung open, her tiny red and white monkey exploded into her arms, chittering and touching her face and hair with its hands.

Bella laughed and scratched the distraught animal. “Aw, did you get shut in? How long have you been in there?”

Jack rolled her eyes, amused and exasperated. “What was he doing there in the first place?”

“No idea. Think we should ask the Norths?” Bella asked. 

“Only if you want them to ask what you were doing in their quarters, behind a locked and barred door,” Jack mused.

“Good point,” Bella agreed. They walked back out, Bella stroking her slowly calming pet. “Lock the door, please?”

Jack pulled the nail key back out and locked the hold. “Now what?” she asked, catching back up to Bella.

“Well, he doesn’t look hurt. He’s probably just hungry,” Bella shrugged.

“I thought you said something was wrong,” Jack asked.

“I could feel his anxiety and thought he was in danger,” Bella explained. “Do you have anything to eat on you?”

“I thought witches could talk to their familiars?” Jack asked as she opened one of her utility pouches and pulled out a wad of jerky wrapped in wax paper. 

“Sort of,” Bella said, scratching the monkey under the chin. “We can feel each other’s emotions, and he has a pretty good grasp of what I want him to do. It’s like having a really well-trained pet, I guess.” 

Jack handed a strip to the monkey, who grabbed it greedily and shoved the treat into its mouth. “You’re welcome,” Jack said flatly. 

“He said thank you,” Bella nodded sagely.

“No he did not,” Jack scoffed. 

“Alright, I did,” Bella smiled over her shoulder. 

Jack tried not to laugh, but didn’t quite manage. “You’re incorrigible.”

Bella grinned. “You know what they say about pets and their owners.” Returning the favor, she put an extra swish in her step just for Jack as she walked up the stairs.

They reached the gangplank and the monkey wriggled out of Bella’s arms and sprinted down to the sands, heading straight for the series of fires and cook pots Stewpot had set up near the shore. 

“Oh this will be good,” Jack laughed. “The cook might kill your monkey.”

Bella sighed, watching as Stewpot began shaking a ladle in the monkey’s direction. “Why does everyone hate monkeys?”

“Because they’re dirty little thieves,” Jack said with a shrug. 

“Yes, but they’re so cute!” Bella threw up her hands in surrendered acknowledgement.

“You couldn’t have gone with a cat?” Jack asked.

“Too cliche,” Bella said. “Besides, cats make lousy pickpockets.”

The pair stifled laughs as Stewpot started waving his arms and yelling, threatening the monkey with his ladle. “Witch! Come get your beast!” the cook bellowed.

“Wait, you picked a monkey because they’re thieves?” Jack blinked, taken aback. 

Bella grinned wider and nodded. “Yup.”

“And then you named it after me?” Jack’s eyes narrowed. 

“Uh, gotta run, things to do!” Bella laughed, waving and quickly skipping away across the sands towards the cook fires. “Just toss him something Stew, he’s been stuck in the ship since last night!”

Jack let out a long sigh, and shook her head slowly, then she smiled in spite of herself. 

_______________________

“Wonderful,” Caine deadpanned, staring down at his own corpse, watching Tonya panic and shake. “You know this is your fault, right?”

“Yes, yes,” his glowing twin sighed, rolling his golden eyes. “You might as well say it.”

The pair watched from the other side of the veil, their twin souls ejected harshly into the Ways Between by their unexpected death.

“I told you so,” Caine obliged.

“Yes, you did,” his golden counterpart admitted begrudgingly. 

“Again,” Caine said flatly. “You’re complete shit at learning from your mistakes, you know that?”

“I’m an optimist,” the other Caine shrugged. “Besides, you’re the one who has to deal with the consequences, not me.” He grinned happily.

“You just enjoy watching me suffer,” Caine grumbled. 

“I do not!” his double huffed. “I enjoy watching you overcome your suffering. I only want to help. The difference is important.”

“Right. So the important part is the suffering,” Caine nodded.

“No! Well alright, yes,” his spiritual twin said thoughtfully. “I don’t like the way you frame it, but I can’t deny that without suffering I wouldn’t have much of a reason to exist.” 

“Glad we cleared that up,” Caine deadpanned. He shook his head sadly, watching Tonya’s breakdown. Her form was ephemeral to them, a black and white shadow of herself, like everything else in the mortal world when viewed from the Ways. She was sobbing against Caine’s still and lifeless chest. Her entire body shook, and it looked like she was pleading. He couldn’t hear her, but he hardly needed to. Even with the muted, grey, indistinct view of the physical world, he could tell exactly what she was feeling. 

She collapsed onto her side, no longer able to hold herself up. She gripped his lifeless hand in both of hers. Her whole body shook with wracking sobs. She was starting to hyperventilate. 

Caine’s heart hurt for her. He knelt next to his own body, reaching out to stroke Tonya’s head with a hand she couldn’t see or hear, but stopped. He caught a faint glow from her chest, only barely visible from the way she was curled on her side. He couldn’t see all of it, but he recognized it immediately. It was a portion of a circle of faintly glowing sigils, right against her skin, like a mystic tattoo that could only be seen from the spirit realm. He looked down at his own chest. The same mark sat there, beneath the lattice of other mystic runes that slowly orbited him like floating chains. 

“You see that?” he asked his other half. 

The glowing figure knelt as well, looking between them. “Strange. Do you know what it is?”

“No,” Caine shook his head. He leaned in close to his twin, shielding his eyes and squinting hard at his other half’s glowing chest. There, he could faintly see the mark. It was hard to make out, but the sigils were a fainter light. “You have one too.”

His twin looked down at himself. His golden brows shot up. “I didn’t know that was possible.”

“We need answers,” Caine said, suddenly very concerned. “Can you do your thing?”

There was a pause, then his twin nodded. “Yes, earlier today I couldn’t have, but your… erm… activities with the young witch somehow managed to empower me. It was similar to earlier, but this time when she… ah… finished… I managed to keep her from draining me so much. I will be quite tired after this.”

“Good enough,” Caine nodded. “I’ll try to stay out of trouble while you’re sleeping.”

“Without me convincing you to ignore your instinctive caution, it should be easy,” his twin smiled, and reached for their body.

Caine hated the next part. He always felt like he was falling into oblivion. 

_______________________

Lace chewed her last bite of peach cobbler and nodded to herself, satisfied with the morning’s work. Her riggers had hung ropes between many of the trees and used sailcloth to make tents. The swabs had gotten all the supplies off the ground and set up on logs, and were working on digging a latrine trench a ways away. Morant’s porters had set up a massive pavilion tent in a gap between the trees at the edge of their makeshift camp. It looked like the infirmary was established. The progress was helpful to morale. The crew was still tired, hurt, and feeling the weight of the horror and defeat from last night, but soon they’d be able to get some rest and start repairing the ship.

Mister Reeve hauled a sailor over to her, holding the smaller woman by the back of the neck, half-dragging her along. “Found a shirker,” the giant man growled. 

Lace recognized Price, one of her riggers. She gave Reeve an incredulous, judgemental stare. “I don’t know what things are like on your ship, Reeve, but on the Kestrel we don’t manhandle our crew.”

“Maybe you should,” Reeve shrugged, not letting go of the rigger. “Might keep ‘em from hiding in the supplies and taking a nap while everyone else works.”

“Seems like I wasn’t clear. Get your paws off my sailor,” Lace said flatly. 

Reeve gave Price a shove. Lace caught her and stood her up straight while she rubbed her neck. Reeve crossed his arms over his massive mottled chest. “That’s why I brought her to you. She’s yours. If she’d been one of mine she’d already be building herself a sweatbox to spend tomorrow in.”

Lace ignored Reeve and turned her attention to her rigger. “What happened?”

Price looked guilty and chagrined through her anger. “I had just hauled another fifty-pound coil down from the ship, and was out of breath. I just meant to sit down for a minute. I was sitting on the crates, closed my eyes, and the next thing I knew I was being dragged over here.”

Lace gave Reeve a flat look that spoke volumes and gave Price’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. “You’re exhausted.”

“Couldn’t sleep after we landed. Nightmares,” Price shrugged. “I can’t get it out of my head.”

“You should have said something,” Lace admonished her gently.

“I made it through with only a few scrapes,” Price said, still sounding angry and guilty. “I can work better than most, so I should.”

“You’re damn right,” Reeve grunted.

“If you’re falling asleep on your feet, that’s not better than most,” Lace pointed out. Price nodded, too tired and angry to come up with a retort. Lace gestured to the medical tent. “Go tell Mister North what happened, then go see the doc.”

Price nodded and walked away without looking at Reeve. He eyed her as she left, looking unsatisfied. Lace watched him and waited. Reeve grunted and turned back to Lace. “No wonder your crew got so worked over last night. Fucking soft.”

“Don’t you have a latrine to dig?’ Lace asked. 

Reeve snorted and walked away. 

_________________________________

His head was splitting. Everything was shades of blistering white. He took a breath through his teeth, his longs shaking as they remembered how to work again.

As his vision slowly focused, he saw Tonya’s eyes slowly widen in horror. She crab-walked backwards away from him, frantically scooting herself backwards as quickly as she could. She toppled into the mostly empty hot spring with a yelp and a splash. Caine slowly sat up. Tonya’s fingers and head rose over the lip of the spring and her eyes peeked out at him. 

“You alright?” Caine asked

“Fuck,” Tonya whispered. “What? Fuck! What is… fuck!?” Her breath was quickening and her face was white.

“Easy,” Caine said quietly, trying to ignore the throbbing in his head. “Breathe slow.”

“Zombie!” Tonya shouted, looking around for anything to defend herself with. She ducked out of sight for a moment, then stood up to her full height, brandishing a wooden bucket.

Caine started laughing, and immediately regretted it as pain lanced through his head. Wincing he ran his hands over his scalp and felt the new scar. It puckered and raised from above his left ear, curving around to the center of the back of his head. His entire back and most of his left arm were slick with blood and brains still. He sighed. “I’m not a zombie.”

“Zombie!” Tonya shouted louder.

“Tonya, zombies can’t talk,” Caine said with a small shake of his head.

“Ghoul! Ghost!? I don’t fucking know, something! You’re dead!” Tonya shrieked, her mouth running away with what was left of her senses.

“Alright, yes. I was dead,” Caine rubbed his head, trying to figure out the right thing to say. “I’m, uh, not... now.”

Tonya’s mouth hung open and her head shook fast enough that she looked like she might be having a seizure. “What?”

The door burst in and a pair of blond working girls practically fell over themselves as they rushed in. “What was that?” One asked, as the other talked over her. “Are you alright?”

They abruptly stopped talking as they took in the room. The spring was more than half empty, and everything was wet. The benches, chairs, tables, cabinets, toiletries, and towels were all strewn to the outsides of the room, and Caine was slumped and surrounded by blood.

“We’re fine,” Caine said.

“We are not fine!” Tonya snapped, her eyes wide.

The girls hesitantly stepped into the room. A slender gigolo rushed in behind them and skidded to a halt, his mouth agape as he took in the scene. “What happened?”

“Caine, what did you do?!” the other blond demanded.

“Me,” Caine blinked.

“She’s terrified!” the blond admonished. “Wait, why are you bloody?’

Caine rubbed his head again. “I’m fine. It’s fine, really.”

“That’s a lot of blood,” the other girl said. The gigolo didn’t wait for an answer to his earlier question. He’d seen enough. He rushed back out the door shouting for Chance and Cerise. 

“Dammit,” Caine muttered. 

“Did you blow up again?” one of the blonds asked Tonya. 

“What?” Tonya snapped. “Why is this about me? Caine’s a zombie!”

“I just hit my head,” Caine said.

“You died!” Tonya shrieked, panicked tears starting down her face again. 

“He’s sure active for a dead guy,’ the other blond said with a shrug. “Come on, let's get you cleaned up.”

Tonya allowed herself to be helped out of the spring and wrapped in a wet towel, never taking her eyes off of Caine. He gave her a small, apologetic smile and propped himself up against the wall. Cerise came in, took only a moment to assess the room before kneeling next to Caine. “Where are you wounded?” she asked. 

“Probably a lot of places,’ Caine shrugged. “Hard to tell exactly. Everything hurts. Mostly my head.”

Cerise quickly checked his scalp and neck, then cleaned the blood off him, looking for gashes. “Hmm,” she said, “There's a few smaller cuts, but nothing major. Where did all this blood come from?”

“Head wounds, you know?” Caine shrugged.

Cerise had him track her finger with his eyes and checked his spine, prodded his organs clinically, and helped him stand. “You’re fine.”

“Not a zombie?” he asked, glancing at Tonya, who was still staring at him while the blonds started trying to pick up the mess. 

Cerise gave him an unamused look. “No.”

“Thanks. I’ll clean up,” Caine said with a small smile. 

“Caine,” Cerise said flatly. “I don’t know what is going on, but I’m not an idiot. This the second room this week to look like it was hit by a cannonball, and that is far more blood than any minor head wound would cause.”

“It’s a magic thing,” Caine nodded.

Cerise eyed the young witch, then nodded. “If you feel nauseous or dizzy later, come see me.” Without another word she left, passing Chance as he came in.

Chance stopped a few steps in, his face reddening as he took it all in. He rubbed his face and focused on Tonya. “Pack your things. You’re out in the morning.”

“Chance!” Caine snapped.

Chance whirled on him. “Shut. The fuck. Up. My brothel has become a war zone lately! One of the most dangerous pirates in the whole fucking ocean was stabbed in the face in my lounge! You damn near killed a customer in the brawl, I have a rumor going around that Bella summoned a fucking demon, I’m harboring a fugitive, and now Tonya’s damn near blown the place up, twice! I can’t run a business under these conditions!”

“Chance,” Caine cautioned.

“No!” the short proprietor snapped. “Your bleeding heart isn’t going to convince me this time, it keeps getting worse, and you’re in the middle of it! She’s gone, and as soon as the other one wakes up, she’s gone too!”

Caine eyed him coldly for a few moments, the pain in his head making it hard to think quickly. Still, he knew exactly what he needed to do. It had been coming for a while now. “I’ll be going with them.”

“Fine!” Chance threw his hands up.

“I want my pay,” Caine said. “All of it.”

Chance’s face slid from anger, to confusion, and finally to fear. His entire demeanor changed. “What? No, you can’t…”

“I can,” Caine corrected.

“You’ve never wanted to be paid,” Chance shook his head frantically. 

“What was our agreement? The contract?” Caine slowly took a few steps, not caring that he was naked and half covered in blood. 

“A room, and as much beer as you could drink!” Chance snapped. 

“And five crowns a week,” Caine added. “Cheapest bouncer anywhere.”

“You never took the money! You’ve just been taking your pay stubs and not collecting!” Chance was starting to look sick.

“I asked you to hang onto it for me,’ Caine nodded. “Did you?”

Chance’s mouth moved, but no words came out.

“Should be a pretty good chunk of change by now. I’m not sure how much exactly, but I kept all those pay stubs,” Caine shrugged. 

“A-all?” Chance blinked. 

“Yup,” Caine smiled. “How’s it work again? I’m supposed to sign the slip to show you’ve given me the money, and you keep them for your expense records so the counting-house knows you aren’t skimming? You wouldn’t want Miss Mary to think you were stealing from her, right? So you go get the money, and I’ll start signing the slips.”

“Mary? How do you know…” A deeper horror slowly crawled across Chance’s face. “You can stay. They can stay!”

“Don’t want to,” Caine shook his head. “You’re right, it’s too dangerous.”

“Caine, I… don’t…. Please,’ Chance was looking unsteady on his feet.

Caine groaned as he picked up an overturned chair and righted it, sliding it behind Chane’s legs. The shorter man sat down and put his head in his hands. Then he slowly started laughing mirthlessly. “You’re ruthless. I’d never have guessed you had this in you. Fuck.”

Caine shrugged. “I’m nothing. You did this to yourself, Chance. I knew you were cooking the books. Hell, we all know. I just didn’t care until now. So, get me my money, I’ll keep this to myself, and I’ll be on my way.”

“I don’t have it. Not all of it,” Chance said, defeated.

“Hmm. I bet we could set up some kind of payment arrangement through the counting-house,” Caine suggested. 

“No,” Chance said quickly. “No, that won’t work.”

“Why not, Caine asked. He knew exactly why but enjoyed watching Chance squirm.

“They’ll… they’ll notice the numbers don’t make sense,” Chance admitted. 

“So you’ll just have to owe me?” Caine suggested. “Call it a private loan? We just need a notary.”

Chance looked up at him like he was watching Caine transform before his eyes. “You’re a loan shark now?”

“No, a loan shark would charge interest.” Caine’s eyes were benign, but his smile was full of teeth. “I’m only going to blackmail you.”

_______________________

“I am ashamed tae say that some of them, I dinnae even know,” Captain Vex said solemnly. “But I want tae.”

The crew was gathered around the rows of graves the swabs had dug. The fallen had been laid into them, wrapped in old sailcloth and partially covered in earth to hide the horrific injuries that had killed them. Only the faces were visible. The crew all held their cups and their words while the captain did her best to eulogize more than a dozen deaths. 

“What I want,” Captain Vex continued, “Is tae hear their stories before we lay them tae rest. I want us all tae know who died so that we could survive.” She stepped up to the first grave in the row. “This is Camilla Craff. We all called her Cammy. She was with the Kestrel for two years. I recruited her outtae the Camberly isles. Her mother was a seamstress and her father was a crab fisherman. She was a deft hand with a needle or a rope, and she was never without a smile.” The Captain swallowed back the tears that were forming in her eyes. “She always wanted children, but she was barren. She made up for it by trying tae mother everyone around her.” Captain Vex smiled wistfully. “She’d only been aboard for three weeks when she decided tae bring me a blanket while I was at the helm when the winds picked up. I could tell she was nervous tae approach her Captain for the first time, but it dinnae stop her. She’d made up her mind tae be sure I stayed warm. After that, she decided it was her job. Any time the winds picked up, I knew she’d come around.” Captain Vex wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “It’s always going tae be colder at the helm now.” She raised her cup, and the crew raised theirs. Then she stepped to the next grave as Cammy’s friends began their work with shovels and sad eyes. 

“I dinnae know him,” she admitted, looking down into the next hole. A children’s storybook lay on the chest of the cloth-wrapped body at the bottom.  “I think his name was... Jacob?” Captain Vex said. “Who knew him?” Only one hand in the crowd raised. “Tell me about him,” Belita said, gesturing the dark-skinned sailor forward. 

“Uh, Jodi be my name,” the fallen man’s friend said, looking around at the crew, feeling out of place. “Jake and I, joined up with the Kestrel in Barcola, we. Grew up there, we. Were born in the mountains, we, during the war. Spent our early years running messages and scouting. Scouts always ran in pairs, and made a good team, we. Jake, he made up hand signs so could talk, we, without giving away our positions. Loved stories, he. Never did learn to read, he, but loved being read to. Wanted to see the world, he. Was the one who convinced me to become a sailor, he. Took to it like a duck to water, he. Still can’t even tie a mooring hitch, I. Don’t know what I’m going to do without him to fix my knots. Never stopped using those hand signs we’d made up to talk to each other. It was our own private language. Guess I’m the only one who knows it now.” Jodi ran out of words. His hands shook on his cup. 

The Captain raised hers. The crew echoed the motion and the Captain squeezed Jodi’s shoulder. “My father spoke with his hands too. I want tae learn Jacob’s language. Tell me more, later.” Jodi nodded, and took a shovel from a nearby swab. As the Captain moved on to the next grave, Jodi filled the grave of his oldest friend.

Down the rows Captain Vex went, listening to the stories of her crew, telling as many as she could about those she knew well. Tears fell without shame. The rum flowed. Everyone was beyond tired from the terrible night before and the day’s work, but no one was going to leave until the last grave was filled and the last story told. 

Something about the ritual of burial and grieving seemed to break the damn of numbness and horror that had held the crew in it’s grim since the battle against the Grindylow. The Captain could feel it. The sadness was there, but the hollow despair was lifting. The crew was feeling the loss of their comrades, and bonding through the heartache and communal pain. As the drinks and tears flowed, some glimmer of hope began to take root in her exhausted crew. She was glad for it, and gave them exactly the Captain they needed to help them through this, but she did not feel what they felt. Her heart was still a hollow pit, and she felt like it would never be filled again.

_______________________

Jack walked Bella to the pair of tents that were next to each other at the edge of the makeshift camp. Bella seemed a little confused and surprised. “You and Will set up your tents next to each other?”

“No,” Jack said. “Morant’s porters did that. We were busy and I asked them to set up for us. I guess they don’t know about Will and I’s… history.”

“That or they do know, and are wanting to mess with you,” Bella smirked.

“Or that,” Jack admitted.

“Should we move the tent?” Bella asked.

“No, it’s fine,” Jack shook her head. 

“I guess you two are getting along better now,” Bella smiled.

“In a manner of speaking,” Jack agreed, then sighed. “No. Not really. All of our problems are still there, and I think they’re worse than I ever realized before. We’ve just agreed to ignore them for now. We thought it would be best to focus on the job. It’s even more important now that it is about survival. Our personal issues can wait.”

“Where is Will, anyway?” Bella asked. “He was at the funeral, but I figured he’d beat me back to the tent.”

“I didn’t see him,” Jack said. “Are you… staying with him?” there was an unspoken question in her voice. 

Bella rarely saw Jack so uncertain. She smiled gently. “Yes. Are you alright with that?”

Jack was poised, but there was a tension behind her eyes. “Yes, of course. It’s the way things have already been this whole trip. Besides, I have Quinn.”

“He wasn’t at the funeral,” Bella said. “Where did he go?”

“I had a job for him,” Jack said.

Bella noticed the evasive answer and gave Jack an arch look, but let it go. There were more important things to talk about. “You and Will are going into the jungle tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Jack said.

“I’m worried about both of you,” Bella admitted.

Jack seemed a little surprised. “This isn’t the first time you’ve waved us off when we went into a jungle.”

“Yes, but you always had a plan. Equipment. Maps,
Bella said. “And you had each other.”

“We still do,” Jack shook her head. 

“It isn’t the same,” Bella struggled with the right words. “I remember what you said about not going on expeditions with people you don’t trust.”

“I trust Will,” Jack reassured her.

“That isn’t the problem,” Bella said pointedly.

Jack winced, then sighed. “I know.”

“He might be able to ignore everything so you two can work together, but I think part of that is because he doesn’t know what to do, so he doesn’t want to talk about it. You know how he gets when he’s at an impasse,” Bella pushed.

Jack nodded slowly. “You’re right.”

“So, this is dangerous!” Bella spread her hands wide. “You don’t have a map, you don’t have the right equipment prepared, and you’re both just ignoring years of bad blood so you don’t have to fight.”

“Well, as far as jungles go, this one isn’t bad,” Jack said. Even as she said it, she knew her reassurance was weak.

“Oh really?” Bella said flatly.

“It’s an island,” Jack explained. “There aren’t going to be any large land predators here. Maybe alligators, if they were able to island hop this far, but that’s doubtful.”

“I want to do a reading before you leave,” Bella said. “In the morning. I’ll feel better if I have some idea of how things are going to be. Maybe I can help.”

Jack shrugged. “Fine with me.”

Bella bit her lip. “I’ll… need energy. After the shaping spell with the key earlier, I’m completely drained. I haven’t had the time or the right state of mind to gather any more energy.”

Jack’s brows rose. “Bella, are you asking me to sleep with you?”

Bella looked torn. Her brows furrowed, and after a moment she shook her head. “No. It’s… too soon for that.”

Jack looked sad but nodded. “I understand. What do you need from me.”

“I want to draw a siphon sigil on you, so that when you’re with Quinn I can drain the energy,” Bella explained. 

Jack looked amused. “I’m rather tired, but I suppose I could. For you.”

Bella rifled through her bag and retrieved a red grease pencil. “We should go into your tent.”

“Oh?” Jack smirked. “Where are you going to draw on me?”

Bella looked nervous for a split second, then narrowed her eyes. If Jack wanted to play, Bella was fine with that. A small smile played across her lush lips. She stepped closer and traced the back end of her pencil down Jack’s shirt. “This first one goes here,” she said, lightly dragging a circle between Jack’s breasts.

Jack held back a smile, and didn’t step away. The two women enjoyed the tension of each other’s closeness. They’d set their boundaries, but they were both in the mood to push them. “And the second on?”

“Lower,” Bella smirked. 

Jack pulled the flap of her tent open and politely waited for Bella.

_______________________

Janie’s eyes slowly opened. The painkillers Cerise had given her worked well, but also made her very sleepy. She’d barely been awake all day. Tonya was in the room, packing her meager possessions into a few handbags with a lot of fervor and pent-up anger.

“Going somewhere?” Janie asked sleepily. 

“Yeah. You are too,” Tonya spat.

“What?” Janie blinked, propping herself up on her elbow and trying to focus. “Where are we going?”

“Not sure,” Janie said bitterly. “Chance is kicking us out.”

Fear slid up Janie’s spine. “Why?!” she asked, trying not to panic. “Is it about Bella’s room?”

Tonya sighed. “Yeah. And the baths.”

“What happened in the baths?” Janie asked.

“Same thing,” Tonya shrugged. “I did it again.”

“It wasn’t your fault!” Janie said, sitting up slowly. “Well, the first time wasn’t. Wait, why did it happen again?”

“I don’t know,” Tonya shrugged. “I… I was trying to see if it would be different this time.”

“This time? Wait, that means you and Caine… again?” Janie’s cheeks reddened. 

Tonya nodded. “Ever since blowing up Bella’s room, I haven’t been able to fucking cum!  I tried everything! I thought maybe it was about Caine somehow, so I convinced him to give it another go.. I was right! I had… well, it was amazing. And then I blew up… and he… well, I sorta… killed him.”

Jaine’s eyes went wide. “What?!”

Tonya’s shoulder’s started shaking, and she shook her head back and forth in sorrow and confusion. “He’s… fine. Now. I don’t understand it. Janie, I watched him die. It was my fault. I killed him, and then he just got back up.”

Janie’s mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. “Start from the beginning.”

“I don’t even know how,” Tonya swallowed. “We were fucking, and I finally came, and it felt amazing, and something… the energy just… burst. It threw Caine across the room. He hit his head against the wall and… Janie there was blood everywhere! I saw his brains! He was dead!”

“And now he isn’t?” Janie was at a loss for words. 

Tonya nodded. “I feel like I’m dreaming. Or crazy. I was just screaming and saying stupid stuff because I couldn’t even think, and then everyone rushed in. Cerise said he’s fine, and then Chance showed up and kicked us out. Well, not Caine. Just you and me.”

“What did I do?” Janie blinked. 

“Nothing, you’re just… attracting trouble I guess,” Tonya shrugged. 

“Alright. I suppose I can go back to Fort Deliverance,” Janie rubbed her eyes, trying to think of what her next steps would be.

“I don’t have anywhere to go,” Tonya’s shoulders started shaking again. 

“I’ll take care of you, don’t worry,” Janie reassured her. “I’m sure Caine will help too.”

“I don’t know. I killed him, and cost him his home and his job. I don’t think he’s going to want to help me.” she wiped her eyes and tried to get a handle on herself. 

“Come here,” Janie said, patting the bed next to her. Tonya dropped the bag of clothes she’d been clutching and went to sit on the bed. Janie put her arms around the young witch. “You... blew me up too, remember?”

Tonya winced and nodded. “Yeah.”

“And it sounds like I lost my job and my room also,” Janie shrugged.

Tonya sighed. “I’m so sorry, Janie”

Janie smiled. “Do I seem like I’m mad at you?”

Tonya shook her head quietly and sniffed. “I don’t know why you’re not.”

“Because it isn’t your fault. You’re my friend. I’m going to help figure out what’s going on with you, and you’re going to help me deal with the price on my head. We’re a team now.”

Tonya’s smile and laughter were interrupted by sobs. They held onto each other for a few minutes, letting Tonya’s emotions run their course. Eventually she wiped her eyes. “I’m afraid I might have accidentally turned Caine into a zombie.”

Janie took a breath. She could tell Tonya was joking, but her blood ran cold anyway. She’d heard of witches being burned for admissions like that. “Tonya, don’t say that. Even if you believe it, don’t say it, ever. Alright?”

Tonya was clearly surprised by Janie’s reaction, but nodded. “I’m really scared, Janie. What are we going to do?”

“Well, it sounds like first we’re going to pack,” Janie said, slowly pulling herself out of bed with a yawn. “Give me a hand.”

___________________________

Jack tossed her hat into the corner and slowly unbuttoned her shirt. It had been hot enough that she wasn’t wearing an undershirt. Inch by inch, smooth, tanned skin faded to cream where the sun rarely kissed it. She watched Bella with heat in her eyes as she undid her last button and slowly spread her shirt until her nipples were barely covered. The swell of her pert breasts pushed against the fabric as she took a deep breath. Bella smiled appreciatively, letting her gaze travel down Jack’s body. Her trim stomach had lines and definition that Bella had always envied, but now they were even more pronounced. Jack’s body had lost much of the softness it once had. She was leaner all over. Still, Bella’s eyes were drawn to the curve of her impressively perky breasts. When unconfined by clothes, Jack’s breasts were surprisingly large for her frame, and yet didn’t sag or displace much at all. They were perhaps a bit smaller than they’d been years ago, but it was hard to tell due to how they fit on her body. Her nipples sat high and proud, with a slight upward tilt that put Bella in the mind of a snooty noble with her nose in the air. Once, it had been a thing Bella had enjoyed teasing Jack about. Now, seeing the indentation of Jack’s hardening nipples just barely hidden behind the fabric of her shirt and remembering that playful banter sent an unexpected lance of heartache through her.

It had been years since Bella had seen Jack like this, and the swell of old emotions took her by surprise. She pushed them aside in her mind, deciding to simply enjoy the moment. She took a moment to clear her head by kneeling in a corner and lighting a lantern. Its flickering glow cast Jack in sensuous shadows while she waited. Bella stood up. The tent was tall enough in the middle for both of them, but only if they were close. 

Bella reached out and ran her fingertips down Jack’s stomach, feeling the play of her lean muscles as she tensed. Jack had always been ticklish, but she didn’t pull away. She just arched one perfectly manicured eyebrow at Bella again. 

“This is… really difficult,” Bella admitted.

“I don’t expect you to-” Jack began.

“I know. You never would. That isn’t it. I want… more. So much more. It just isn’t right yet,” Bella said sadly.

Jack nodded. “There is so much we have not talked about.”

“Exactly,” Bella said. “I’m still very angry at you. When I think about everything, I feel… well, it isn’t good. I need to deal with that.”

“Sounds like I need to deal with that,” Jack corrected.

“Help would be nice,’ Bella said with a tight smile. “It might involve me yelling at you.”

“I’d expect nothing less. I deserve it, and more,” Jack said sadly.

“Why, Jack! Why?!” Bella burst out, unable to hold back the rising tide she’d been bottling up for weeks, and years. “Everything was going so well! I was happy! We were happy! You had me, and Will too! He and I were friends, and it looked like we might be becoming more, just like you said you hoped for! You just… fired a cannon through the whole thing!”

“I know,” Jack said, resigned. “I thought I was doing the right thing. I still do. My reasons haven’t changed. I just wish I’d… handled the aftermath differently. I was angry when you refused to trust me. My pride was hurt.”

“My life was hurt!” Bella snapped. “I’d never been happy before! I’d never been not scared before! Then you came along and made everything seem so… perfect, and then you took it all away without even an explanation! Why would I trust you after that?”

“Because before I left, I asked you to,” Jack said simply. “Seems silly now, but it mattered a great deal then.”

“Any kind of warning would have been nice,” Bella glared.

Jack nodded slowly. “It would have.”

“Are you ever going to explain it?” Bella demanded, on the verge of tears.

Jack sighed. “I told you, it was to save your life.”

“I saved my life!” Bella said fiercely. “I worked the ritual, and stopped the… whatever it was. The thing in my head.”

“It is called a tumor,” Jack said. “And no. You didn’t. You’d failed how many times? Four? Five? You really think the sixth one worked?”

“Yes!” Bella said. “Obviously, yes!”

“And it just so happens that you succeeded on the exact same day that I was doing something to save you?” Jack asked pointedly.

“I guess we will never know,” Bella said flatly.

“I know, Bella. That’s what I tried to tell you,” Jack sighed. “You refused to listen. You still do.”

“How do you know?” Bella demanded.

“I can’t tell you,” Jack shook her head. “It’s part of how I know. Please just let it lie.”

“I hate this so much. I keep getting drawn in closer, and thinking I’m feeling better, and then all this comes rising back up again. Your past actions are hard enough to deal with, and this secrecy doesn’t help. I can ignore it most of the time, we are going to have to deal with it completely before we can start to heal from all this,” Bella said sadly.

Jack took Bella’s hand in hers. “I’ll do what I can to help that happen. I might not be able to give you the answers you want, but I can apologize.”

“Such a rare thing from you,” Bella said with a forced smile.

“That should tell you how important this is to me,” Jack agreed. “I might learn slowly, but I do learn. You were right. I handled things poorly. I’d really like to make amends now.”

“Well, I guess all this has been a good start,” Bella said, squeezing Jack’s hand. “Even if it hurts, it’s still better than it was.”

Jack folded her arms around Bella. “That’s usually the way healing works.”

The dark-haired witch laid her cheek against Jack’s shoulder and tried to let go of the pain and frustration. It felt good to be held like this again, and Jack’s bare skin was smooth and warm. She felt a tear spill from her eye and roll down her cheek, and wiped her eyes. “I need to draw on you.”

“Feel free,” Jack said, letting her go and putting her hands on her hips. 

Bella’s churning feeling turned in an instant, the grief and frustration giving way to lust as she looked down Jack’s body again. She had a moment of hesitation, but she was never one to shy away from lust. She reached for Jack’s belt.

Jack leaned back a bit. “I thought we were waiting?”

“Oh, we are,” Bella said. “That doesn’t mean we can’t make the wait a bit enjoyable.”

Jack looked confused, but slowly smiled. “You are a confusing woman.”

“Good,” Bella said with a  small glare. “We can confuse each other then.” She tugged Jack’s belt free and unbuttoned her trousers, opening them wide to reveal the smooth lines of Jack’s lower stomach muscles, and the top of a light brown patch of hair. 

Jack simply stood there, not wanting to do the wrong thing and send Bella back into negativity again. Bella pulled out her grease pencil and started slowly drawing on Jack’s breastbone. “Perfect. Don’t move.”

Bella took her time, using her other hand to pull Jack’s skin taut, making sure to brush Jack’s nipples with her wrist, breathing out slowly to tickle her skin, occasionally casting her eyes up with small smiles, enjoying when she caught Jack looking down her blouse. When she was done she traced her fingertips down Jack’s stomach again, and knelt. She tugged Jack’s trousers a little lower and a little more open, showing off more of her mons and the light hair that covered it. She traced the grease pencil across Jack’s skin, just above the hairline. 

“I could position this better if you were hairless,’ Bella said with a small smirk.

Jack rolled her eyes. “Like you?”

“Exactly,” Bella nodded. “You said you were going to let me shave you sometime.”

“I don’t remember saying that,” Jack tilted her head.

“I do,” Bella said firmly as she drew. “I remember because I’d just showed you how much fun sex can be with a little magic. You said you wanted to try more. I said you’d needed bare skin down here.” She traced her finger through Jack’s hair. “You seemed excited at the time.”

“I had just orgasmed. I’m not sure I was thinking clearly,” Jack protested. “I admit, it does sound interesting though.”

“Something for later then,” Bella smiled. 

“You and your incentives,” Jack chuckled. 

“You’d prefer the stick to the carrot?” Bella asked.

“No,” Jack said firmly. “I am not that sort of woman.”

“Honestly, I’m not either,” Bella admitted. “Hence the incentives.”

She finished the second sigil, and blew on it to make sure the greasepaint was dry. 

Jack’s skin prickled and she bit her lip. “Gods, I’m sopping. I’d forgotten how good you are at this.”

“At what?” Bella asked with feigned innocence. “I’m just an honest witch doing witchy things.”

“Of course,” Jack said, playing along. “This is all business.”

Bella stood up and gave Jack a quick kiss. “Well, not all.”

Jack smirked. “Good.”

“Have fun with your big green man,” Bella grinned. Then she slipped out of the tent leaving Jack feeling dazed by the sheer number of emotions and sensations Bella had dragged her through in such a short time.

___________________________

“I need you to use the Sight on me,” Caine said, chewing out the words like they tasted terrible in his mouth.

“You made me swear never to do that,” Prelate Alexandra was genuinely surprised, which was rare for her. 

“Yeah, well, consider this a one time thing, so get a good look,” Caine said bitterly.

“What am I looking for?” Alexandra asked, wondering where this was going.

“There’s a new Binding. Here,” Caine said, tapping his chest. “Bella was working a ritual, and something happened. Now I have a Binding that shouldn’t be there. I’m trying to figure out what it is.”

“Bella? You mean Belladonna Fortuna? Is she back?” Alexandra prided herself on keeping track of the comings and goings of magical practitioners in her territory. The idea that Belladonna might have successfully smuggled herself back to her island was troubling. 

“No, she made a viewing mirror before she left. I was helping her work a spell through it,” Caine explained.

“You?” Alexandra scoffed. “Didn’t you once tell me that you didn’t know the first thing about magical rituals, and you intend to keep it that way?”

“That ain’t changed. I was, uh, a font. She was drawing energy from me, through the mirror,” Caine explained, hoping Alexandra didn’t press further.

“I have asked you to allow the Church to use you as a font a dozen times. You’ve always said no,” Alexandra shook her head, surprised and amused. “She must be special.”

“She’s a good person,” Caine said flatly.

“And I am not? The Church is full of good people,” Alexandra asked pointedly.

“No, you aren’t. And no, it isn’t,” Caine said flatly.

“Of course, I forgot, none of us live up to the lofty moral standards of… who are you now? A drunken bouncer in a whore house?” Alexandra asked sweetly.

“Yup. Sure says something, don’t it,” Caine deadpanned.

Prelate Alexandra raised an eyebrow. “As curious as I am, I’m feeling somewhat disinclined to help.”

“I’ll consider us even,” Caine said.

Alexandra considered, then nodded. She looked down, and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again each of her pupils split and separated, creating two nearly touching circles in each eye. Her irises brightened to a glowing gold that wound around her twinned pupils in a sideways figure eight, the ancient symbol of the infinite.

The hidden world was revealed to her. She could see her own aura around her hands, displaying her magical strength, her emotional state, her general health, the weight of her moral conflicts, and the bands of oaths and enchantments traced along her skin. She was a Prelate. Few in the church were more heavily warded and oathbound than she was, but she knew her own enchantments paled beside Caines. She’d only used the second sight on him once before, and he’d been furious. She remembered it clearly, and it still made her angry. He’d moved like a snake, lunging after her in an eyeblink to pull her wimple over her face. He didn’t hurt her, he just… held it there, wadded in his fist at the back of her head, pulled tightly across her face so she couldn’t see. He’d made her swear by the Warden never to do it again. 

She was a powerful woman, used to being in control, and not without her own host of mystic defenses, but Caine had made her feel like a helpless child with nothing but a strip of cloth from her own head. She liked to tell herself he’d simply caught her by surprise. When she’d turned the second sight on him, he glowed so brightly, so intensely that she had flinched. He’d burned an afterimage into her eyes, like staring at the sun, so it looked like there had been two of him.

She remembered it well. That was why she was looking down now. She wanted to give her eyes time to adjust to the intense glare coming off him, and to make sure he wasn’t going to come after her again.

When she finally raised her gaze she had to lift her hand to shield her eyes. To her incredible surprise, a golden visage of Caine smiled and waved back at her. She blinked, squinting into the light, and opened her mouth to speak. The only thing she could think to say was “Um… hello?”

The golden visage of Caine laughed. She could not hear it, but she could see his mirth clearly. Caine, the first one, who still sat in front of her, now draped in swirling bindings, scowled. “Don’t encourage him,” he said flatly.

“Who… is he?” Alexandra asked.

“You don’t know? Shit, the Magistrate really has changed,” Caine muttered.

“What does that mean?” Alexandra asked pointedly. 

“No,” Caine said flatly. “I didn’t say I was going to answer questions. I just need you to look at this binding. Besides, if they aren’t telling Prelates their own history, I have a feeling me telling you would probably end up being bad for you.”

“Oh, don’t you dare pretend you’re interested in keeping me safe,” Alexandra’s glowing, doubled eyes narrowed. 

“You might be surprised,” Caine said flatly. “I didn’t know you didn’t know about this. Wouldn’t have asked if I did. I know you won’t listen, but don’t go digging, alright? If they’re covering this up, they’re even more scared than I thought.”

The golden visage of Caine spoke. Alexandra couldn’t hear it, but she was a very adept lip reader. 

“If she is going to seek the knowledge, shouldn’t it come from us instead of the church records? They may have changed the histories,” the golden Caine said silently. 

The chained Caine scowled and shook his head, but didn’t answer out loud.

“Thank you,” Alexandra nodded to the Golden visage of Caine. “Your counterpart seems quite reasonable. I didn’t expect that from someone who looks like you.”

“Fuck,” Caine muttered. “You can hear him? No, nevermind. I’m leaving. The whole thing is off.”

“Please don’t,” Alexandra said quietly. She had always prided herself on her instincts. Something important was in front of her. “I’ll keep the debt.”

Caine stopped, half-standing from his chair, and eyed her. “Keep talking.”

“I’ll look at your binding. In return, you finally tell me what… you are. I’ll still owe you,” Alexandra said carefully. 

“She will find out one way or another,” Caine’s golden counterpart said silently. 

“I fucking know!” Caine exploded, throwing up his hands and glaring at his invisible golden twin. “She’s a fucking bloodhound with access to the whole damn Archive. She’s a damn Prelate, she can find out whatever she wants! You’re not seeing the problem, neither of you are!” 

“Explain it to me like I’m you,” Alexandra said flatly. 

The golden Caine laughed. The other one rolled his eyes. “I thought you knew. I figured that was why you were so damn interested in keeping tabs on me. Even if you didn’t know years ago, you’ve had plenty of time to dig. If you don’t know, that means they buried this deep. Their own history, erased, kept from even their own higher ranks. That’s Black Order stuff. You start looking, they’ll find out. They’ll find you, then they’ll find me. That’s trouble I do not need.” Caine said bitterly. 

“You are worried about the Black Order?” Prelate Alexandra scoffed. 

“Damn straight,” Caine said. “And if you had any sense at all, you would be too.”

Alexandra sighed. “If you want to believe in boogeymen, that is your business. Personally, I feel there’s enough to be afraid of without making things up.”

“Can we just drop it?” Caine asked. “You agree to let all this go and we stick to the original deal?”

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Alexandra shrugged wistfully. “Your glowing friend is correct. I am going to find out what all this is.”

“Fine,” Caine said. “You never fucking listen anyway. Might as well give you what you want just to save my skin.”

“Oh good,” Alexandra smiled.

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?” Caine pursed his lips angrily. “I tell you I’m scared for the both of us, you use it as leverage.”

“I’m not above letting your silly fears give me an advantage,” Alexandra smiled. 

“I know,” Caine sighed, defeated. “Fine. We do this right though. You swear you won’t dig into this, and that you’ll keep my secret. I’m talking a full-on Binding Oath.”

“Before you tell me? That doesn't seem like a fair deal at all,” Alexandra shook her head. “What if you tell me something that would force me to break another Oath to keep secret?”

“Please,” Caine’s glowing twin mouthed. 

Alexandra was suddenly less certain. There was something about the Golden Caine that was as disarming as the Bound Caine was defensive.

“Given how secret this is from the Church side, I doubt there’s any Oath you’ve already taken that has anything to do with it,” Caine said. “Your call though.”

Alexandra nodded. “Alright.”

She pulled a small golden pin from the base of the holy symbol she wore around her neck. It was a sign of her devotion, and of her office, and was built for exactly this purpose. The pin was short, and sharp. She pressed it against her finger hard enough to draw blood, then took Caine’s hand and pierced his finger as well. She wiped off the pin, replaced it into her pendant, and pressed her bloody finger to Caine’s.

“Bound by Blood and Holy Oath, I swear to keep the secrets you are about to reveal, until such time as you release me,” A small surge of power released a tiny glow and the two small wounds became tiny scars ringed with gold. In Alexandra’s mystic sight, she watched as another small, simple Binding appeared on each of them, one more small string of runes that ran along their skin, looping the ends of each of their fingers. On Alexandra it was one of a small handful that she wore like jewelry. On Caine, it was almost unnoticeable in the many other swirling strands of gold.

Caine sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. “Alright. Where to even begin?”

The other Caine rolled his golden eyes and looked pointedly at Alexandra. He spoke, but she could not hear. She blinked, certain she’d misunderstood. 

“I’m sorry,” Alexandra stuttered. “Did you just say... you’re...” she couldn’t even make her mouth say the word. 

Both Caines nodded.