workers.
What will they do if they find me? Nora slowly backed into the corner.
Lifting their lanterns, the men stared in mute horror as the black rats swarmed over their shipmate. Pools of dark blood glistened around him.
One of the men snatched up a crate and hurled it at the rats. A few ran off. The rest kept feeding.
Nora’s stomach cramped when she caught sight of the spongy gray brain matter spilling from the man’s head.
“There is no saving him,” one of the sailors muttered.
Nicholas gave a little whimper.
Please do not cry now, Nora begged silently. Please. Not until they are gone—and we are safe again.
She jiggled Nicholas up and down. He liked that. It usually made him stop crying.
Nora shifted from one foot to the other as she tried to keep the baby quiet. One of her feet came down on a piece of wood.
It snapped with a crack .
“Look!” A man pointed at Nora. A shiver raced through her as all the men turned and stared at her.
“The rats left her alone,” another man whispered hoarsely.
“She must possess some dark magic,” someone called. The men murmured in agreement.
“No!” Nora cried. “I have no magic. You must believe me.”
One man edged nearer. He had straw-colored hair and freckles.
“I am Tim.” He puffed out his chest. “First mate.” He glanced at the bloody body on the floor. Still. So still. “This is not a safe place for a woman and a baby. Follow me.”
Some of the men muttered in protest. Tim pushed his way through the crowd. Nora was careful to stay close behind him.
They trudged up the stairs. The other men fell in behind them. Nora noticed that none of them came too close to her. They are afraid of me, she realized. Afraid, but angry, too.
“This way,” Tim urged. When Tim reached the endof the corridor, he pushed open the last door. “In here, missy.”
Nora stepped inside the small room. Beds were stacked one on top of another along two walls. Large wooden trunks lined another wall. Above the trunks, pegs in the wall held yellow rain slickers.
Tim opened a wooden trunk. He took out the clothes and tossed them into a corner. Then he took a blanket from the bed and dropped it into the trunk. “You can put the baby in here,” he said gruffly.
Nora placed Nicholas in the trunk. She wrapped the blanket around him. Grateful, she started to thank Tim. But his eyes were hard and cold.
“You are not to leave this room,” he commanded. “I will have to discuss your presence with the captain.”
“Shouldn’t I talk to the captain?” Nora asked.
Tim shook his head. “A woman on board a cargo ship is bad luck. He won’t like this. He won’t like it at all.”
He shut the door firmly behind him, and Nora heard a key turn in the lock.
Nora sank down on the floor beside the trunk. I am a prisoner again, she realized. She stroked Nicholas’s back gently. But at least there are no rats here. And we have light.
Now if they will just bring us some food.
The ship lurched. Waves crashed down on it.
She grabbed the edge of the trunk and held on tightly. She crooned to the baby as the ship pitched back and forth.
“It is a storm, Nicholas,” she said. “That is all. A storm. The men are used to storms at sea. They know what to do.”
Nora heard a man yelling orders. She thought he sounded scared.
She heard footsteps racing back and forth above her.
The ship pitched more violently. Nora braced herself against one wall, fighting to keep Nicholas’s trunk steady.
What is happening to us? Nora wondered. What is happening to us now?
“One minute the sea is calm—now this,” Nora heard a man yell. “It is not natural.”
“It is that woman!” another man yelled. “She has dark powers!”
The ship plunged. Nora was thrown against the door of her room. Nicholas’s trunk slammed into her.
Nicholas squealed in fright. Nora tried to comfort him. But her voice shook as she whispered to him, and her heart thudded against her ribs.
Nora heard
What will they do if they find me? Nora slowly backed into the corner.
Lifting their lanterns, the men stared in mute horror as the black rats swarmed over their shipmate. Pools of dark blood glistened around him.
One of the men snatched up a crate and hurled it at the rats. A few ran off. The rest kept feeding.
Nora’s stomach cramped when she caught sight of the spongy gray brain matter spilling from the man’s head.
“There is no saving him,” one of the sailors muttered.
Nicholas gave a little whimper.
Please do not cry now, Nora begged silently. Please. Not until they are gone—and we are safe again.
She jiggled Nicholas up and down. He liked that. It usually made him stop crying.
Nora shifted from one foot to the other as she tried to keep the baby quiet. One of her feet came down on a piece of wood.
It snapped with a crack .
“Look!” A man pointed at Nora. A shiver raced through her as all the men turned and stared at her.
“The rats left her alone,” another man whispered hoarsely.
“She must possess some dark magic,” someone called. The men murmured in agreement.
“No!” Nora cried. “I have no magic. You must believe me.”
One man edged nearer. He had straw-colored hair and freckles.
“I am Tim.” He puffed out his chest. “First mate.” He glanced at the bloody body on the floor. Still. So still. “This is not a safe place for a woman and a baby. Follow me.”
Some of the men muttered in protest. Tim pushed his way through the crowd. Nora was careful to stay close behind him.
They trudged up the stairs. The other men fell in behind them. Nora noticed that none of them came too close to her. They are afraid of me, she realized. Afraid, but angry, too.
“This way,” Tim urged. When Tim reached the endof the corridor, he pushed open the last door. “In here, missy.”
Nora stepped inside the small room. Beds were stacked one on top of another along two walls. Large wooden trunks lined another wall. Above the trunks, pegs in the wall held yellow rain slickers.
Tim opened a wooden trunk. He took out the clothes and tossed them into a corner. Then he took a blanket from the bed and dropped it into the trunk. “You can put the baby in here,” he said gruffly.
Nora placed Nicholas in the trunk. She wrapped the blanket around him. Grateful, she started to thank Tim. But his eyes were hard and cold.
“You are not to leave this room,” he commanded. “I will have to discuss your presence with the captain.”
“Shouldn’t I talk to the captain?” Nora asked.
Tim shook his head. “A woman on board a cargo ship is bad luck. He won’t like this. He won’t like it at all.”
He shut the door firmly behind him, and Nora heard a key turn in the lock.
Nora sank down on the floor beside the trunk. I am a prisoner again, she realized. She stroked Nicholas’s back gently. But at least there are no rats here. And we have light.
Now if they will just bring us some food.
The ship lurched. Waves crashed down on it.
She grabbed the edge of the trunk and held on tightly. She crooned to the baby as the ship pitched back and forth.
“It is a storm, Nicholas,” she said. “That is all. A storm. The men are used to storms at sea. They know what to do.”
Nora heard a man yelling orders. She thought he sounded scared.
She heard footsteps racing back and forth above her.
The ship pitched more violently. Nora braced herself against one wall, fighting to keep Nicholas’s trunk steady.
What is happening to us? Nora wondered. What is happening to us now?
“One minute the sea is calm—now this,” Nora heard a man yell. “It is not natural.”
“It is that woman!” another man yelled. “She has dark powers!”
The ship plunged. Nora was thrown against the door of her room. Nicholas’s trunk slammed into her.
Nicholas squealed in fright. Nora tried to comfort him. But her voice shook as she whispered to him, and her heart thudded against her ribs.
Nora heard
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