Desiree released Bluebell back into the sky with nothing tied to her, in case the bird was caught by anyone other than her sister. If she did intercept the bird, she would be able to assume that her note was received. She might also be able to get another message to them before they made it to Deadwood Island.
When Bluebell flew beyond her sight distance, Declan held onto Desiree’s hand and led her below decks and to the stairs that would lead them into the dark and dank bowels of the ship.
As they came closer to the stairs the smell took Desiree by surprise.
“Candela is down there?” she asked, feeling sorry for the woman as her stomach began to turn.
“Yes,” he said, turning to look her in the face. “Would you rather stay up here?”
“No,” she said firmly. She wanted to hear everything the woman had to say firsthand. She took shallow breaths as they continued forward.