The chaos unfolding here was proof enough that Shadow Island had truly sunk. And this was just those who managed to escape by boat—the rest could only feed the fish along with their island.
This wasn't the death of just one or two people—this was the disappearance of several million. Even though Charles never really thought of himself as belonging here, the thought of so many fellow humans dying still pressed heavily on his chest.
The arrival of Shadow Island refugees brought far more than just this. When the Narwhal finally docked, Charles noticed a distinct increase in the number of laborers in the port district, most of them Outer Islanders—refugees from Shadow Island.
Seeing the Narwhal pull in, all of them rushed over brimming with hope, but when they realized it wasn't a cargo ship, their faces fell and they walked off, disappointed.
But Charles had no time to watch this; he had his own matters to deal with. He gathered all those who'd escaped the island together.
