The chaos unfolding was proof enough that Shadow Island had truly sunk. And this was just the count of those who managed to escape by boat—the rest could only feed the fish along with their island.
This wasn't the death of one or two people; it was the disappearance of millions. Although Charles had never truly considered himself one of these people, the thought of so many of his kind dying weighed heavily on him.
The effects of the refugees' arrival didn't stop there. When the Narwhal finally docked, Charles noticed a distinct increase in laborers in the port district. Most of them were Outer Islanders—refugees from Shadow Island.
Seeing the Narwhal pull in, they all swarmed over, brimming with hope. When they realized it wasn't a cargo ship, their faces fell, and they shuffled away in disappointment.
But Charles couldn't dwell on it; he had his own matters to attend to. He gathered everyone who had escaped the island with him.
