here afore she gets herself in trouble.”
“Aye, Captain.” Nevis took hold of her elbow to lead her away.
“But he knows more,” Maeve protested.
“Maybe.” Nevis shrugged. “Maybe not. Men who sail the sea always have stories they pass about. It doesn’t mean any of their tales are true.”
“Even a rumor or superstition could be based on fact,” Maeve insisted.
They walked along the docks till Nevis motioned to a nearby tavern. “I ate there last night. They have good fried fish. Let’s go inside.”
Maeve snorted. He was hungry again? Still, it wasn’t a bad idea. “While you eat, I’ll question the customers.”
Nevis groaned. “Don’t you realize some of them will be drunkards? They would tell you anything for a drink.”
“I’m not giving up,” Maeve argued. “Someone is going to know about another island.”
“Would ye be talking now about the Isle of Secrets?” an old man called to them from the bench in front of the tavern. He was barefoot and dressed in rags, cradling a bottle to his chest.
Maeve’s breath caught, and she rushed toward him. “Is that what the island is called?”
The old man’s eyes twinkled with humor. “Now how can I tell ye, lassie, when ’tis a secret?”
Nevis gave him a wry look. “Will it still be a secret if I buy you a drink?”
“Och, then I might find it in me heart to tell this pretty lass all about it,” the old man said with a grin that was missing a few teeth.
“Right.” Nevis trudged inside the tavern.
“My name is Maeve.” She took a seat on the bench next to the old man. “And you are?”
His grin faded as he nervously plucked at his torn breeches. “Me mates used to call me Lobby ’cause the sun could cook me as red as a lobster.”
Maeve winced. “That sounds painful.”
He looked up at her, his ruddy face etched with wrinkles and regret. “I appreciate the offer of a drink, lass, but I should not tell ye more. ’Tis an evil place. A place where boats and sailors disappear.”
“Why?” Maeve asked. “Are the currents treacherous?”
He shook his head.
“The reefs are dangerous?”
“Nay.” He lowered his voice. “She is dangerous.”
“She?”
He closed his eyes briefly with a pained look. “I was the only one to make it back home.” He lifted his bottle to take a sip, then realized it was empty and held it tightly against his chest as he rocked back and forth. “They all died. All me mates.” His eyes filled with tears. “I can’t go back to sea. She’s looking for me, I know it. She wants to kill me.”
“Who is she?”
Lobby looked to the right, then left, and lowered his voice to the barest of whispers. “The Sea Witch.”
“A witch?”
“Shh!” He hushed her and looked around once more. “She kills anyone who finds her island. Breaks yer ship in two and laughs while ye all drown.”
Nevis walked out the door, holding two pewter mugs of beer, and the old man grabbed one and guzzled it down.
“Well?” Nevis asked.
Maeve shrugged, uncertain how much she could believe of the man’s fanciful tale. “He says there’s an island that belongs to a sea witch.”
“Don’t say her name out loud!” Lobby nabbed Nevis’s second mug. “If she finds out I survived, she’ll come after me.”
“Right.” Nevis eyed the man dubiously. “And where exactly is this . . . unmentionable lady?”
“On the Isle of Secrets, of course.” Lobby took a long drink.
It sounded like a perfect place to hide the Embraced army, Maeve thought. “How do we get there?”
Lobby choked, then wiped his mouth with a grimy hand. “Ye cannot go there! She’ll kill you, for sure.”
“I’m just curious,” Maeve assured him. “Is it south from here?”
“Mostly south,” Lobby replied. “A little west. But don’t ye dare try it. Boats that go there ne’er come back.”
That was similar to what the fishing boat captain had said. Maeve was tempted to believe there could be a kernel of truth behind these tales. She stood and smiled at the old man. “Thank you for telling me.”
“Och, I shouldn’t have.” He set his mug on the bench with a regretful look. “Promise me, lass, that ye’ll not attempt to go there.”
That was a promise she couldn’t make. “Lobby, do you know where the Convent of the Two Moons is?” When he nodded, she continued, “If you go there, the nuns will give you a hot meal, a bath, and some clean clothes. If you’re willing to work, they can help you find employment.”
His face crumpled, and a tear