Prologue

Prologue

The night sky exploded red, hurling ribbons of black smoke into the churning seas that battered the sides of the Queen Ann. Ally pulled her sisters closer where they huddled beneath the bunks that creaked and moaned with the swaying of the ship.

“Is father going to die?” Paige asked bleakly.

“Hush up!” Ally scorned.

“I want Mother!” Summer winced.

“Quiet now, SuzyBug. It will all be over soon enough.” Another explosion rattled the sides of the ship and sent a salty wave into the hold, ripping the smallest of the four Cauldron sisters from Ally’s arms. “Kendra!”

Kendra whaled, her tiny body washing the floor in a swirl of dampened grey linen and pinafores.

“Paige! Hold your sister.” Ally grabbed Paige’s trembling bear arms and wrapped them around Summer’s waist. “Don’t let go.”

Ally gripped the bunk rope tightly as she stepped gingerly out onto the slippery wet floor boards. “I’m coming, Poppet!”

Another wave swept into the bowls, knocking Ally off her feet. “Ugh!”

“Ally!” Summer screamed, struggling to loose herself from her sister’s tight grip.

“I’m alright. Stay put!” Crawling along the soaked planks, Ally made her way toward Kendra. The salt water was cold and stung her eyes. Kendra lay wrapped around a fish barrel, pale and wordless. ‘Please, God!’ she prayed, as she grabbed hold of Kendra’s wee ankle and pulled her limp body into her arms.

“Kendra. Kendra, wake up!” Ally slapped her small sunken cheeks as she shook her. “Kendra, please!”

Kendra began to cough and sputter, then gasp. “Mommy.”

“Oh, Kendra. God in heaven, thank goodness, you’re alive.” Ally pulled her baby sister close to her and rubbed her pale cold arms to bring circulation back into them. “I’ve got her! I’m coming back.”

Suddenly the ship heaved, the sides shuddering wildly before they split open, pouring the ocean into the hold and ripping the four girls from it, like four turned leaves on a howling fall wind.