The Ship of Lost Souls 1 by Rachelle Delaney Page B

easy. Some people say it’s a river of gold, some say a cave full of diamonds. The King’s Men are sure there’re jewels around here somewhere waiting to be dug up. In fact, I’ve even heard stories of rubies falling from the sky!” She shrugged. “But then, some say it doesn’t exist at all, that the story’s complete bilge.”
    The Lost Souls had grown weary after scouring a few coves and coming away with nothing more than bug bites and burrs in their socks. The treasure could be on any number of islands, hidden in dense forests or buried under black sand. Their interest in finding it withered when they realized how many years it would take them to search every island. Why, they’d be ancient by that time—twenty, at least. And then there was the nature of the islands themselves: the stealthy, green-eyed panthers; the venomous snakes that slithered without a sound; the paths said to rearrange themselves overnight. Just thinking of the challenges involved in finding the treasure gave Scarlet a headache.
    â€œExcept . . .” She lowered her voice. “Except, somewhere inside me, I know it exists. And I think I know what it is.”
    Jem looked like he was swallowing a secret. “My uncle knows . . . I mean,
knew,
too. He knew the islands like a native Islander.”
    Scarlet grinned. “He did, did he? Well, that’s important. These islands are confusing places, Fitz. And dangerous if you’re not familiar with them.”
    â€œMy uncle knew what he was doing.” Jem sounded a little indignant. “He even gave me a map.”
    As soon as the words escaped his mouth, Jem winced, looking like he desperately wanted to stuff them back in.
    â€œThat’s right! The map Lucas found on you. Well, sink me! It’s a map to the treasure?” Scarlet’s brain suddenly buzzed with hope. Of all the treasure hunters she’d met, she’d never known one with an actual map.
    Then something occurred to her. “Wait a minute. Captain What’s-his-face must have ordered his crew to kidnap you and your uncle because he knew you had inside information. So why would he kill the only person who could show him the way to the treasure? That doesn’t make sense.”
    Jem shrugged and looked away, balling his hands into fists in his lap. His knuckles went white, and Scarlet could tell he was trying not to cry. Scurvy! She’d have to remember to be a bit more sensitive to her newest crew member. Jem wasn’t as accustomed to being a Lost Soul as the rest of them.
    She cleared her throat. “All right, never mind that. How did your uncle
get
the treasure map? You’re sure you can trust it?”
    Jem turned to her quickly. “Oh, it’s the real thing, all right. Like I said, Uncle Finn spent years on these islands. He’d just discovered a certain area where he knew, he just
knew
, there was treasure. Then the Island Fever hit. He decided he’d head to the South Pacific for a while in case he wasn’t immune, and he drew himself a map so he wouldn’t forget how to get back there. It took him longer than he expected to return, but . . .” Jem’s voice trailed off, and again he looked heartsick. He settled his chin back on his fist and stared out at the sea.
    Scarlet simply
had
to see this map. If it was indeed genuine and accurate, the Lost Souls might make hunting for treasure their mission again—this time with a real hope of finding it! But then, if Jem’s uncle had risked death to keep it from the pirates, why would Jem share the map with her? And how could she keep him on board if he knew the way to the treasure and refused to tell?
    They sat in the darkness for a minute or two, looking anywhere but at each other. Nearby, Smitty launched into a new tune, and Ronagh began to dance a reel in the lantern’s trembling light. The
stamp-patter
of her boots on the deck only