“It seems to me your mothers like to trifle with the lives of others, simply for the pleasure of doing so,” he said. “Asking me to get them a cake, knowing full well where I would have to procure it, and knowing the terror it would cause—it’s mean-spirited.” This made the ladies laugh, and to James it seemed they hadn’t laughed so much in quite a while.

Primrose was laughing so hard she was wiping tears from her cheeks. “Mean-spirited, that’s sweet.”

Even Hazel, the most stoic of the three, was overcome by fits of laughter. “Yes, James, you’re right. They are mean-spirited, but that is the least of their crimes.”

“Well, whatever their reason for bringing me here, I am honored and privileged to have met you fine ladies.”

“Honestly, we doubted you would ever come, it’s been so many years since Blackbeard visited the Dead Woods, long before you were born. But the Odd Sisters always insisted you would come to us once Blackbeard finally gifted you the Jolly Roger,” said Circe.

“That’s impossible. Blackbeard couldn’t have been more than twenty years older than me,” said James.

“My mothers cursed Blackbeard with the inability to rest neither in life nor with the release of death. It was his punishment for taking their treasures.”

James was horrified. “What do you mean?”

“He lived an extraordinarily long life, James. One in which he wasn’t permitted to sleep, and no matter how mortally wounded he was, he could not die. I hope now he is finally at rest,” said Circe.

“Oh, I hope so, too,” said Primrose. “He seemed to be longing for release whenever we looked in on him. I do hope he is finally at peace.” James wondered how it was Primrose was able to look in on him. “One of the treasures Blackbeard took from the Odd Sisters was one of their many magic mirrors; those in possession of the mirrors can see and communicate with each other if they wish. That is also how the Odd Sisters communicate with us.”

James was feeling the loss of Blackbeard even more profoundly in that moment than the day he had left him in the Floating Boneyard. Though now he had a better understanding of why he was ready to take his leave of the world. He had no idea Blackbeard had been under so much torment. Though James had never encountered it firsthand, he understood now why Blackbeard was known for his bad temper and cutthroat ways. He must have suffered incomprehensible anguish. It’s no wonder he was so eager for James to tell the Odd Sisters he had finally given the Jolly Roger to someone who had saved his life, why he was so eager to break this curse that had been tormenting him for so long.