"Raise the black, let no man prey.
Blood for blood, we sail the grey.
What was lost, shall rise once more.
Black Leviathan, from the ocean's core."
I awoke to that thunderous chant pounding against my eardrums, echoing like stormwaves crashing through my skull.
Still the captain's quarters, still that cavern of gold and jewels, still the remnants of last night's conversation drifting in the salty air.
I must've fallen asleep while listening to Xander drone on about his tragic life story. No doubt he'd done it on purpose.
No doubt he'd done it on purpose, stalling for time so he wouldn't have to uphold his end of the bargain and spill anything real about Xavier or Verelen.
And just as I feared, I was now clad in nothing but a chemise, lying atop a lounge chair across the room. The pocket watch once tucked under my skirt had magically flown into Xander's possession.
That damned pirate.
