hadn’t taken his eyes off her all day. It was much easier to notice now that Marcella wasn’t throwing herself on him nonstop. Apparently, she had chosen someone else to torment, for her own mysterious Marcella reasons.
“Hey, Jean,” Carolina said, avoiding Grandmama’s eyes. The curly-headed pirate had come back from a bush stuffing something in his mouth. “What did you find to eat?”
“I dunno,” he said, holding out a handful of purple berries. “But they’re delici— urk !” He grabbed his throat, choking.
“Jean!” Carolina cried. She thumped him on the back. “Jean, are you okay?”
“Jean!” Marcella shrieked, grabbing him around the waist. His choking noises got worse.
Sarah dropped out of Jocard’s arms and came running back to them. “What is it?” she asked. “What did he eat?”
Carolina showed her the berries, and Sarah frowned worriedly.
“Oh, no!” Marcella wailed. “He’s going to die! I’m going to be left all alone with horrible pirates in a horrible, smelly jungle!”
“He’s not going to die,” Sarah snapped. “But these berries do have…unusual side effects.”
Jean suddenly lunged upright and froze, his hands outstretched in front of him. Carolina gasped as she saw his face. His eyes were rolled back in his head so only the whites were showing. All the color had drained from his cheeks, making his freckles stand out like dark spots of blood on snow.
“The Day of the Shadow is coming,” he murmured in a spooky voice that sounded nothing like his normal, cheerful one.
A shiver ran down Jack’s spine. “Come again?” he said, hoping he’d heard wrong.
“The Day of the Shadow…it draws closer and closer…” Jean said softly. “The Day of the Shadow will be here soon.”
“What is he talking about?” Marcella asked, her eyes wide and frightened. “Jean, stop it! Stop teasing! Act normal!”
“He can’t help it,” Sarah said. “These berries give people visions of the future.” She crushed them in her fist and dropped them on the ground. “He was foolish to eat them. Leave him here or carry him with us—he’ll be like this for hours.”
She spun and strode ahead through the trees. Carolina noticed that her ankle seemed to be just fine. “And hurry!” Sarah called over her shoulder. “We must be ready to attack King Samuel’s fort at dawn, when the decoy ship is launched!”
“Hustle bustle, hurry flurry,” Jack muttered.
“Your cousin will be all right,” Jocard said kindly, patting Marcella’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Marcella.”
“Like you know anything!” Marcella retorted, but he was already turning away to catch up with Sarah.
“Visions of the future?” Jack echoed. “Well, that doesn’t sound so bad. Hey, Jean lad, tell me—how soon will I make my first million doubloons? Or, I know—have my pretty lass friends back in Tortuga forgotten about me yet? Or how about this—where can I find the best rum, eh?”
“He’s not a crystal ball,” Marcella snapped as Diego and Alex awkwardly draped Jean’s arms over their shoulders and dragged him forward.
“Betrayal,” Jean whispered, turning his unseeing eyes toward Jack. “Betrayal awaits you.…”
“Uh-oh,” Jack said, looking alarmed. “Not good.”
“I see an island,” Jean went on. “You’re alone on an island with buried rum, lots of rum.…”
Jack’s face lit up. “Much better!” he declared. “Not bad at all! Er—how much rum, exactly?”
“The Day of the Shadow is coming,” Jean said again, and his head lolled to the side. Diego staggered as Jean’s weight sagged against his shoulder.
“He’s talking about the Shadow Lord,” Carolina said to Jack. “He must be! The Day of the Shadow—do you know what that means?”
“Trifles,” Jack said, waving her off. “Probably nothing to worry about. Mad ravings. Every day has shadows in it, doesn’t it? Bit of mumbo-jumbo, wobbly-babbly, that’s all.”
“Visions of the future,
“Hey, Jean,” Carolina said, avoiding Grandmama’s eyes. The curly-headed pirate had come back from a bush stuffing something in his mouth. “What did you find to eat?”
“I dunno,” he said, holding out a handful of purple berries. “But they’re delici— urk !” He grabbed his throat, choking.
“Jean!” Carolina cried. She thumped him on the back. “Jean, are you okay?”
“Jean!” Marcella shrieked, grabbing him around the waist. His choking noises got worse.
Sarah dropped out of Jocard’s arms and came running back to them. “What is it?” she asked. “What did he eat?”
Carolina showed her the berries, and Sarah frowned worriedly.
“Oh, no!” Marcella wailed. “He’s going to die! I’m going to be left all alone with horrible pirates in a horrible, smelly jungle!”
“He’s not going to die,” Sarah snapped. “But these berries do have…unusual side effects.”
Jean suddenly lunged upright and froze, his hands outstretched in front of him. Carolina gasped as she saw his face. His eyes were rolled back in his head so only the whites were showing. All the color had drained from his cheeks, making his freckles stand out like dark spots of blood on snow.
“The Day of the Shadow is coming,” he murmured in a spooky voice that sounded nothing like his normal, cheerful one.
A shiver ran down Jack’s spine. “Come again?” he said, hoping he’d heard wrong.
“The Day of the Shadow…it draws closer and closer…” Jean said softly. “The Day of the Shadow will be here soon.”
“What is he talking about?” Marcella asked, her eyes wide and frightened. “Jean, stop it! Stop teasing! Act normal!”
“He can’t help it,” Sarah said. “These berries give people visions of the future.” She crushed them in her fist and dropped them on the ground. “He was foolish to eat them. Leave him here or carry him with us—he’ll be like this for hours.”
She spun and strode ahead through the trees. Carolina noticed that her ankle seemed to be just fine. “And hurry!” Sarah called over her shoulder. “We must be ready to attack King Samuel’s fort at dawn, when the decoy ship is launched!”
“Hustle bustle, hurry flurry,” Jack muttered.
“Your cousin will be all right,” Jocard said kindly, patting Marcella’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Marcella.”
“Like you know anything!” Marcella retorted, but he was already turning away to catch up with Sarah.
“Visions of the future?” Jack echoed. “Well, that doesn’t sound so bad. Hey, Jean lad, tell me—how soon will I make my first million doubloons? Or, I know—have my pretty lass friends back in Tortuga forgotten about me yet? Or how about this—where can I find the best rum, eh?”
“He’s not a crystal ball,” Marcella snapped as Diego and Alex awkwardly draped Jean’s arms over their shoulders and dragged him forward.
“Betrayal,” Jean whispered, turning his unseeing eyes toward Jack. “Betrayal awaits you.…”
“Uh-oh,” Jack said, looking alarmed. “Not good.”
“I see an island,” Jean went on. “You’re alone on an island with buried rum, lots of rum.…”
Jack’s face lit up. “Much better!” he declared. “Not bad at all! Er—how much rum, exactly?”
“The Day of the Shadow is coming,” Jean said again, and his head lolled to the side. Diego staggered as Jean’s weight sagged against his shoulder.
“He’s talking about the Shadow Lord,” Carolina said to Jack. “He must be! The Day of the Shadow—do you know what that means?”
“Trifles,” Jack said, waving her off. “Probably nothing to worry about. Mad ravings. Every day has shadows in it, doesn’t it? Bit of mumbo-jumbo, wobbly-babbly, that’s all.”
“Visions of the future,
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