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Back The Darkest Shore Save as PDF
Chapters (76)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Also by Karen Brooks
  4. Title Page
  5. Dedication
  6. EXPLANATORY NOTE
  7. PART ONE
  8. One
  9. Two
  10. Three
  11. Four
  12. Five
  13. Six
  14. Seven
  15. Eight
  16. Nine
  17. Ten
  18. Eleven
  19. Twelve
  20. Thirteen
  21. Fourteen
  22. Fifteen
  23. Sixteen
  24. Seventeen
  25. Eighteen
  26. Nineteen
  27. Twenty
  28. Twenty-One
  29. Twenty-Two
  30. Twenty-Three
  31. Twenty-Four
  32. Twenty-Five
  33. Twenty-Six
  34. Twenty-Seven
  35. Twenty-Eight
  36. PART TWO
  37. Twenty-Nine
  38. Thirty
  39. Thirty-One
  40. Thirty-Two
  41. Thirty-Three
  42. Thirty-Four
  43. Thirty-Five
  44. PART THREE
  45. Thirty-Six
  46. Thirty-Seven
  47. Thirty-Eight
  48. Thirty-Nine
  49. Forty
  50. Forty-One
  51. Forty-Two
  52. Forty-Three
  53. Forty-Four
  54. Forty-Five
  55. Forty-Six
  56. Forty-Seven
  57. Forty-Eight
  58. Forty-Nine
  59. Fifty
  60. Fifty-One
  61. Fifty-Two
  62. PART FOUR
  63. Fifty-Three
  64. Fifty-Four
  65. Fifty-Five
  66. Fifty-Six
  67. Fifty-Seven
  68. Fifty-Eight
  69. Fifty-Nine
  70. Sixty
  71. Sixty-One
  72. Epilogue: Autumn 1706
  73. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  74. GLOSSARY
  75. LIST OF CHARACTERS
  76. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Captain Ross started as she entered the room, and she almost exclaimed in relief upon seeing him. The fear that had been growing in her steadily as one after the other of her friends were hauled into the bedroom and then hustled back out through the front door to God knew where, subsided. He became a sturdy rope that tied her to a solid point when all around her was shifting. She met his eyes and saw what she first thought was confusion before she understood, with a lurch of her heart, it was terror — for her.

After all, he’d seen what had gone before.

Seated beside the poor lad, who was as still as a corpse beneath the covers, was the reverend. With a smile that never left his lips, he performed a mime for her benefit. She bent and gently traced a vein that ran from the base of Peter’s wrist and along his now skinny forearm. It pulsed beneath her fingertips. Even through her hardened skin she could feel the power of his heartbeat, the vitality that to all appearances seemed to be draining from his body.

Somewhat reassured, she continued to stroke him. Dear God, he’d become gaunt. He made not a sound, not a murmur. The reverend grunted, the noise almost like words she couldn’t quite catch. Puzzled, she almost forgot the command to remain silent when Peter let out an almighty cry. ‘Take her away, take her away, it be the sea-witch, Sorcha McIntyre!’ Horrified, Sorcha snatched her fingers back as if they were burned, swinging towards the captain in dismay.

There was only one person who’d ever called her a sea-witch… Before she could accuse the reverend of putting words in the lad’s mouth, Peter started shouting.

‘She seeks to torment me further!’ He screamed again, his back arching so high, she thought he would snap in two. Her instinct was to render help. Constable Wood gripped her elbow and steered her away from the bed, but not before she’d seen the tears coursing from under the cloth and down Peter’s neck. Was it from the pain he professed she was causing? Why would he claim she was doing such a terrible thing? Why use the reverend’s name for her? She stared at her hands, turning them first one way then the other, shaking her head in disbelief, then raised her chin and looked at Patrick Cowper.

He stared at her, a glimmer of triumph in his eyes.

‘Edinburgh will learn all that has befallen here, as God is my witness,’ said Captain Ross as she was dragged away. He raised an arm, as if he would pull her back through sheer will power alone.