White Fangs by Tim Lebbon, Christopher Golden Read Free Book Online

smokestacks that jutted skyward from its upper deck. With the white railings that ran along its three levels and the white wheelhouse sitting atop the pile, it looked more like a royal wedding cake than a ship. On the prow, bright blue paint spelled out the vessel's name — Fort McGurry — which Jack vaguely recalled as a trading post rather than a military fort.
    When Jack and Sabine reached the boat, black smoke had already begun to plume from its stacks. Several dozen passengers were boarding, some of them already milling on deck while others moved up the gangplank. Crewmen oversaw the loading of supplies and cargo from wagons, while an officer stood at the bottom of the plank with a passenger manifest, making certain no one boarded who had not paid for the privilege. Louis waited for Jack and Sabine beside the officer, but the other wolves had already begun to board.
    "You look better, cherie," Louis said, studying Sabine.
    She only smiled as they told the officer their names, and waited patiently while he checked the manifest before waving them aboard.
    "No second thoughts?" Louis asked as they walked up the gangplank, a glint of gold showing in his smile.
    "None," Sabine said firmly. "It's time for me to solve my own mystery."
    Louis arched an eyebrow and glanced at Jack. "A challenge we all face, eh?" Then he turned back to Sabine. "But don't forget what Jack's been telling me and the others: who you were doesn't matter nearly as much as who you're going to be."
    Jack smiled and clapped Louis's shoulder. "Exactly."
    He was happy that Louis and the others were exploring the possibility that they did not have to remain monsters. If people were truly forged only by their pasts, Jack would have had no chance at a life worth living. He'd been abandoned as an infant by his biological father and his unstable, distant mother had called him her "badge of shame." He'd been taught brutality in back alley brawls and by the foremen at the canning factory where he'd worked as a child, and seen it in a thousand ways as he tramped around America. His time in jail as a vagrant had showed him depths of human depravity and led him to aspire for the heights. The life he wanted for himself, he would have to build from nothing. He wanted to define himself, not allow his past to do it for him, and this was the lesson he was trying to impart to Louis and the others. And yet because they all knew their pasts, he understood Sabine's desire to uncover her own history. Mysteries such as hers needed illuminating if they were to be understood.
    "And the devil appears," Louis said, his smile vanishing. His nostrils flared in distaste and his lips were set in a grim line. Though he still wore his human face, Jack could see the beast beneath.
    "Ghost?" Jack said, not bothering to turn around.
    "None other," Louis confirmed.
    "Ignore him," Sabine said.
    But as they reached the steamship's deck, Jack could not help turning to look back at the dock, where Ghost stood exchanging an amiable word with the officer checking the manifest. The temptation to hurry back down and tell the officer that he was about to allow a pirate captain on board was strong, but he'd been turning the situation over in the back of his mind. Ghost had said he had nowhere else to go, and that was probably true. Jack knew he would get on board one way or another.
    As long as the pirate kept his distance, Jack was determined not to interfere with him.
    "Jack?" Sabine said, touching his arm.
    "We should all ignore him." He took her hand. "Come on. Let's stow our gear and then come back on deck. The last time I rode this river, I was just trying to stay alive. This time, I want to appreciate the beauty of the land."
     
     
    Jack and Sabine spent most of the river voyage on deck, descending to their tiny cabin to sleep and visiting the small dining room for barely passable meals. Venison and potatoes were mixed in a stew for dinner to make them stretch further, and there were ham and