The House in the Cerulean Sea(58)

Linus was touched. “Thank you, Lucy—”

“If the cannibals start chasing after us, they’ll see you first. We’re little, and you’ve got all that meat on your bones, so it’ll give us time to get away. Your forthcoming sacrifice is appreciated.”

Linus sighed.

“What should we do?” Phee asked worriedly.

“I think we should go in after him,” Sal said.

They all looked at him.

He met Linus’s gaze for a moment before looking away. His mouth twisted down. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “He would come for us.”

Theodore chirped, pressing his snout against Sal’s ear.

“He’s right,” Lucy said. “Arthur would come after us. I’m making a decision. We shall go after Arthur, and Mr. Baker will go first.”

“You know, for a leader, you seem to delegate more than actually lead,” Linus said dryly.

Lucy shrugged. “I’m six years old. Well, this body is. Mostly, I’m ancient, but that’s neither here nor there.”

Linus felt the ground sway beneath his feet slightly, but he managed to stave it off. “If you insist.”

“I do,” Lucy said, sounding relieved. “So much insisting.”

Talia let go of his hand and waddled behind Linus, beginning to push on the backs of his legs. “Go. Go, go, go! Arthur could be getting eaten right this second, and you’re just standing here!”

Linus sighed again. “I’m going.”

It was ridiculous, of course. There were no cannibals on the island. It was just a story Lucy had made up. It wasn’t even a very good story.

But that didn’t stop Linus from sweating profusely as he walked across the beach toward the trees. They were of a different sort than in the forest they’d walked through. They appeared far older and denser. And even though there were no cannibals, Linus could see why they would choose this copse if they did exist. It looked like the perfect place to consume human flesh.

The bravery of the children was unmatched. They followed him, but at a good fifteen paces behind him, all huddled together, eyes wide.

Linus absolutely did not feel fond at the sight of them.

He turned back toward the trees. “Hello, Arthur!” he called out. “Are you in there?”

There was no response.

Linus frowned. Surely this was a game that Arthur was taking too seriously.

He called out again.

Nothing.

“Uh-oh,” he heard Lucy say behind him. “He’s probably been quartered already.”

“What’s that mean?” Chauncey asked. “He’s getting paid? I like quarters.”

“It means getting chopped up,” Talia said. “Into pieces.”

“Ooh,” Chauncey said. “I don’t like that at all.”

This was stupid. There were no cannibals. Linus stepped up to the trees, took a deep breath, and crossed into the forest.

It was … cooler inside the tree line. Cooler than it should have been in the shadows. The humidity seemed to have faded away, and Linus actually shivered. There was a thin path ahead, winding its way through the trees. It didn’t look as if anything had been hacked (either vines or Arthur). Linus took that as a good sign.

He walked farther, only pausing to look back over his shoulder once more. The children stood at the entrance to the copse, apparently having decided they could go no farther.

Phee gave him a thumbs-up.

Lucy said, “You’re not dead!” He sounded strangely disappointed.

“Leaders give positive reinforcement,” Talia told him.

“Oh. Good job not dying!”

“That was better,” Talia said.

Chauncey’s stalks lowered until his eyes were sitting on top of his body. “I don’t like this.”

“Come on,” Sal said as Theodore nibbled on his ear. “We all go together.” He took a step into the trees, and the children followed, huddled around him.

It caused Linus’s heart to ache sweetly.

He turned back around, schooling his face. What was wrong with him? This wasn’t supposed to be this way. He wasn’t supposed to—

The path was suddenly blocked by a large tree sprouting in front of him with a roar, dirt spraying up in a large plume.

Linus yelped as he stumbled back.

The children screamed.

A voice rang out, echoing around them as the tree groaned. “Who dares to step inside my woods?”

Linus recognized it as Zoe almost immediately. He sighed. He was going to have so many words with both her and Arthur later.

The children rushed ahead and stood around Linus, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“Who is it?” Lucy whispered furiously. “Is it the cannibals?”

“I don’t know,” Linus said. “Could be. And while I might be a complete meal, they could be full after consuming Arthur and are only interested in something a little more … snack-sized.”

Talia gasped. “But … but I’m snack-sized.”

“We all are,” Phee moaned.

“Oh no!” Chauncey said, trying to move between Linus’s legs with varying degrees of success.

Sal was looking at the trees around them, eyes narrowed. Theodore had shoved his head inside Sal’s shirt. “We need to be brave,” Sal said.