Chapter 30

Virgil had been about to say he’d count the moments. The next day dragged on, as I could barely keep my eyes open.

I had to force myself to wear a happy mask, though. I was free in my mind, but that could end in a moment if Ozzie had a reason to suspect me. Not that I was about to let that creep within a kilometer of me with that mask on, but even if I flattened him with my magic, I’d have to deal with all the men in the village, Virgil’s master, the lesser demons, and maybe Virgil himself. I’d need a plan first.

That’s why I volunteered for composting duty. The people of Haven had repurposed some leaky garbage bins which we filled with everything we couldn’t find a use for, and once a week, one of the bins was deemed ‘ripe,’ and some poor woman had to grab a rake and spread it around the gardens. Nobody liked it, which told me that even the brainwashed Haveners weren’t completely insane. I wouldn’t be bothered, and it would give me some time to digest what Virgil had shown me the night before.

When I’d grabbed the duty during a morning confab, Puja shot me a suspicious look. Some of us without another job had come together to draw lots for the day’s duty. “Wait, you want compost duty? Did you hit your head?”

“I’m happy to do whatever I can to help you all out. You didn’t have to accept me, or help me out so much.” You didn’t have to, if it weren’t for Ozzie and the Master. “I want to pay you all back.”

“You either hit your head, or you’re dying,” said Puja.

“I think that’s really nice of you, Rose,” said Sunny placidly.

“That one’s a helper, she is,” said Ruth, her bones popping audibly as she stood up from a squat. That was another reason to help; the week before, the poor old woman had been out there spreading muck. “You should be happy, Puja. She’s going to get paired with your son.”

It took everything I had in me to not throw up at the thought. That’s right, Ozzie and the men are going to be home today, and Kumar is going to think I’m still… ugh.

“I don’t want him getting too spoiled,” replied Puja. “But, if you’re that nuts, go for it.”

“I will,” I said, tying a bandana around my face to block out the stench.

It didn’t help, but I got what I wanted. Everybody gave me a wide berth, which meant I had time to think.

First off, I felt giddy and horrified all at once. Captain Zhang was alive, which meant that O’Connor and Zack could still be out there! I hadn’t seen them, but it had also been the middle of the night. Still, Virgil must have been right; I couldn’t see Zhang breaking without Ozzie’s magic. They wouldn’t be helpful. It also meant I couldn’t just flee the island by myself, even if I had a way to get back to human territory.

Could I call for help? I knew that Ozzie had Yukiko’s finding device; that was what my subconscious had been screaming at me before Ozzie had blasted me into submission with a second dose. He had so much junk in his hut that he probably wouldn’t notice if it was gone, but it would take Yukiko time to figure out where the request for help was coming from, much less convince the League to send help.

A frown split my face, and not just from the odor. They probably haven’t even told anyone I’m missing yet. I wonder when they’ll admit they lost another Cooper out here?

Still, I didn’t dare call for help right away. If the Tractor Beam could grab a ship the size of the Sipadan, I’d only be luring more lambs to the slaughter. I needed to disable it somehow. If I did that, though, it would be obvious that something was up, and a desperate Ozzie or the Master had two whole villages worth of captives to hold hostage.

So, I was stuck for the time being. I sighed. “Darn it all.”

I heard a call in the distance. “They’re back!”

I muttered some stronger language under my breath. Can I just not go see Ozzie and the others? I had my answer; everybody else had dropped what they were doing to welcome back the menfolk. Not if I don’t want to stand out.

I jogged over to Sunny’s side, the raven-haired woman smiling pleasantly at the sight of the men hauling baskets of fish ashore. “There aren’t that many fish,” I said.

“I’m sure they tried very hard,” replied Sunny. “Everyone in Haven does.”

Yeah, tried hard for those demons on the other side of the island. Laughing in a way that I hoped didn’t sound forced, I replied, “Of course. The sea provides, after all.”

Something in the back of my mind felt some comfort at those familiar words. The traitorous part Ozzie stapled onto me is still there.

“Hey, Sunny. You’ve been here longer than me; why haven’t you been paired yet?” I recalled them calling her an old maid, which seemed uncalled for.

She shook her head. “There’s more women than men, these days. Nobody is free for me yet.”

“What about Kumar?” I asked. “He was free before I arrived, right?”

“I asked about it.” She sighed wistfully. “Ozzie said I was too old to have enough children with him. Ozzie is right, like always; Kumar is your age. You’ll have plenty of time to give him sons and daughters.”

I wanted to scream, but I kept it to myself. “You deserve better, Sunny. Better than Ozzie can give you.” I cursed myself; I’d spoken too freely.

“That’s very nice of you to say,” she said with a tinge of sadness in her voice. “Don’t worry about me, though.”

What a corrupt, sexist system Ozzie dreamed up. He was clearly some sort of devil-loving demonkin, lording over the people of Haven. The only saving grace was that he didn’t seem to be interested in making the unpaired women a harem or anything like that.

My musings were interrupted when Kumar spotted me and waved me over. Do I have to? I knew the answer, of course. We were due to be paired, my inner traitor reminded me. I didn’t know when; I think Ozzie took a sick joy in springing things on people.

“Welcome home… dear.”

Kumar didn’t seem to notice my hesitance, instead wrapping me in a fervent embrace. “Rose, it feels like it’s been forever!”

I found myself missing Virgil all of a sudden. “Oh, calm down, it’s only been three days,” I replied, patting his back. It seemed like the least I could do; believe me, I tried to think my way out of doing that much. I was supposed to be smitten with him, though, and I could either pretend, or Ozzie would try to make it so.

“You don’t know what it’s like out there,” he replied, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, making me glad for his mother’s old shawl. “Man against the seas, the sharks, even the elements themselves.”

“Against the sea? You should be careful with what you say; the sea provides, after all.” I couldn’t resist needling him a bit.

That got him sweating. “O-of course I’m not against the sea, Rose. I just mean that the sea helps those who help themselves, and you have to be careful out there.”

“I’ve wondered about that; when you’re out there, where do you sleep? In the boats?”

“Of course. Where else is there to sleep?”

In an old Chinese dormitory on the other side of the island, for one. “That makes sense. That does sound like hard work.”

“I’m glad to see you two are getting on so well,” said Ozzie, swaggering into view with an oar resting over his shoulder.

“Of course, Ozzie; you picked us out for each other,” I replied, forcing my face to stay neutral. As much as I wanted to launch him into the bay with a gust of wind, it wasn’t the time.

Yet.

“Yeah, you gave me the prettiest woman in the village,” said Kumar.

“You are my top fisherman; you deserve the best.”

“You flatter me,” I said.

“Maybe, but only because it’s true,” the cult leader replied. “Rose, do you know how long you’ve been here?”

“N-no, I can’t say I do. Every day is such a treat, I’ve lost count.” I hoped I hadn’t been too obsequious.

If Ozzie noticed my nerves, he didn’t give a sign. “It will have been a month in three days. I think you two will be ready for the pairing ceremony then.”

Kumar gave me an affectionate squeeze; it took all of my willpower not to panic. How Stormbringer hadn’t already flipped out and brought on a hurricane was beyond me. “A-are you sure, Ozzie? It does seem a bit sudden.”

“Of course I’m sure,” he said. “You’ll get over your jitters soon enough.” He shifted the oar into his right hand, pointing it towards one of the larger wooden huts. “And we’ll put you two into one of the couples’ houses. You’ll need some room for the little ones.”

I kept the deafening scream in my head. This isn’t medieval, it’s downright barbaric! “W-well,” I said, slipping out of Kumar’s side-hug, “now I know how much time I have to get ready.”

Three days to figure out a way to free everybody before Ozzie and Kumar backed me into a wall.

No pressure.