Chapter 37
Tink
The merfolk thought fish were perfect for feeding humans. The crew agreed. But no matter how her stomach gnawed at her in that damp cave, Tink couldn’t bring herself to eat them. Certainly not raw and wiggling the way the merfolk preferred.
The queen’s consort, Neres, brought her oysters. Somehow those were even worse. Slimy, goopy balls of...yuck. Though Smee loved them, slurping down one after another like they were the best thing ever.
Kelp wasn’t food, Adella had insisted when Tink asked for some, and the strands she brought did somehow look even more revolting than the fish. It didn’t matter anyway. How could she eat when James was a prisoner—or worse? She hung her head in her hands on the rocky shore.
They’d been there for hours. Probably over a day, Barley figured. They had no fire. The crew worried about suffocating themselves with the smoke. Smart, Tink figured. She wouldn’t have thought of that. Alone, she might have gotten herself killed after the merfolk’s daring rescue.
At least they had the glowing coral, and it was breathtaking. Several of the crew wagered it would be worth a fortune—if the glow held. Davies tried to break off a chunk, only to earn curses and a swipe of sharp claws from the merfolk. Defacing their cavern was not allowed.
Tink had tried to slip through a small crevice at the back, one that undoubtedly let in enough fresh air to keep them alive, but even her lithe form couldn’t squeeze through. What would it matter anyway? Inside or outside, they were stuck.
Most of the crew were feeling better physically, especially thanks to some impressive mermaid medicine. Even her wing hurt less, though it still had a bend to it that needed to be set. Mentally…they were all about as rough as her.
A brunet merman surfaced, one of several who’d joined the others over the hours. “They arrive.”
“Excellent!” Adella clapped her hands together, her claws clicking.
They’d still yet to say who or what they’d lured to their little cave.
Adella twirled around. “We’ll take you to them. Who’s first?” She blinked innocently.
Water. Oh no.
Tink’s lungs burned at the memory of them filling with seawater. Panic closed in around her like the wet darkness that had swallowed her. She stumbled back in a daze, even as those around her moved toward the merfolk appearing in the pool. Her heel caught a rock, sending her stumbling.
Strong arms caught her. For the briefest moment, she deluded herself into believing it was James. He was safe, there with her.
“Got ya.” Smee’s voice jolted her from the daydream.
A hiccup turned into a sob. Her vision blurred. All at once, the tears she’d held back broke free.
“Shh, now.” Smee pulled her closer, tucking her cheek against his chest as his big hands cradled her head. “We’ll get you home.”
Home? She missed her family terribly. That ache would never leave, but the thought of leaving them, leaving James?
Impossible. All they’d endured, and here Smee was coddling her like a child again.
She sniffed, looking up into his broad face.
He forced a smile, but it didn’t meet his eyes.
The lovable first mate held deep sorrow just behind his sea-blue eyes.
He’d known James all his life, yet he kept it together.
Tink pulled back and rubbed at her eyes. Smee let her go.
“I can’t go home. We have to get James back.”
“Aye. We will, or die trying.”
“Aye!” the crew echoed in agreement.
Tink whirled around to find them all staring at her, several knee-deep in water.
No one judged her tears. Instead, she got nods of encouragement, weak smiles: Sage and Barley, hand in hand; Anne, with her hands on her hips; Francis and his crooked, gapped grin.
And all the rest too. Even the merfolk looked mildly intrigued.
She straightened and turned back to Smee. “Or die trying.”
Knowing what would happen when the merfolk carried her through the water to shore did nothing to alleviate the terror involved.
It was thoughts of James, envisioning his roguish grin when they finally saved him, that kept her sane as she held her breath and felt the rush on the water tugging at her as Adella sped through the current.
The fear didn’t fully let up even once they broke the surface and the mermaid deposited her in the shallows.
Tink sputtered and gasped as she crawled ashore.
A wave crashed against her back, twisting her wings and knocking her face-first into the shallow surf.
Fucking elders! She clawed at the wet sand.
The sea tugged at her, trying to drag her back. Saltwater invaded her nose—again.
Suddenly, she was plucked from the sea.
“It’s a good thing you’re small,” Sage joked as she tossed her over one shoulder, knocking wind and water from her lungs. “I swear.” She sat her carefully on dry sand. “Once this is over, I’m teaching you to swim.”
“I’m never,” Tink sputtered, “going in the water again.”
Sage slapped her on the back, sending up another coughing fit. “We’ll see.”
“You all are a sorry lot.” Captain Cressida stood on the beach, hands on her hips, and half a dozen of her crewmates behind her.
Tink blinked, shielding her eyes from the too-bright sun. That’s who the merfolk got to help them?
Smee emerged from the surf, shaking water off him like a dog. “Cressida!” he called, his voice too jovial for the situation. He’d been the last to leave the cave. The captain, even temporary captain, couldn’t go before his crew.
She cocked her gaze to him. “That’s Captain Cressida. And from what I hear, you’re Captain Smee?”
That sobered him up. Everything about his face turned hard, his shoulders stiff as he stomped onto the shore. “Temporarily.”
“How do you know he’s alive?”
“They’d have dumped his body in the sea,” Smee said solemnly.
Cressida gave the slightest nod.
“The merfolk searched. They didn’t find him,” he added.
“Well…” Her gaze slid over Tink and the others gathered on the beach. “Best of luck trying to retrieve him once I drop you in port.”
In port? Drop them? Further from James. Conversation became an inaudible buzz in her ears.
How far away would Blackbeard be by the time they got to port?
Then they’d need a new ship and have to track the bastard down.
He could do terrible things to him by then.
He likely had already. If they got there too late…
“No!” Tink shoved to her feet, kicking up powdery sand.
Cressida raised her brows and glanced past Smee to Tink.
“You’re helping us get him back. Now. Right now!”
“Tink,” Sage grabbed for her, but she pulled away, stomping toward the pirate captain.
“Why would I do that, little pixie?” Cressida crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side. “Interesting that you hid your identity before.” She glanced to Smee, who shrugged in return.
Tink ignored the question in her statement and came to a halt next to Smee. “If you let Blackbeard get away, who do you think he’ll come after next? You attacked him too, remember? And we may not be there to help. We certainly won’t if anything happens to James, er, Captain Hook, because of you.”
Cressida’s gaze darkened in the shadow of the wide hat upon her head. “She speaks for you?” she asked Smee.
Smee draped an arm over Tink’s shoulder. “Aye. I support the words of my crew.”
His crew. Her heart swelled. Her chin jutted higher.
One of the women behind Cressida leaned forward and whispered something in her ear.
From the corner of her eye, Tink caught other members of their crew coming near.
It was becoming a standoff, Cressida’s crew versus them.
They had the numbers, but her crew was healthy, rested, and most importantly, armed.
All the Jolly Rogers crew’s weapons had been stripped from them aboard the Kraken.
“You have a point,” she said at length. “But the Siren can’t take the Kraken alone, and I assume you don’t have an extra ship floating anywhere around here.”
“No.” Smee rubbed the back of his neck. “But we—”
Tink sucked in a deep, fortifying breath. “Yes.”
All eyes turned to Tink. No turning back now. Cressida was right. One ship alone couldn’t beat the Kraken, even if they caught it unawares. But two…they might have a chance. She reached in her pocket and pulled forth the black pearl.
“No.” Smee wrapped her hand back around the treasure. “Captain wouldn’t want that.”
She’d underestimated him, thought him a bit slow. Maybe he was, sometimes, or just distracted. But he’d known exactly what she planned when he saw that pearl in her hand.
“He’d understand,” Tink said. “’Til death, right? Besides, a person can have more than one home.”
His chest swelled. For the briefest moment, she thought she saw a sheen of wetness in his eyes. “Aye.”
“Care to explain to the rest of us?” Cressida asked, her boot tapping in the sand.
Tink glanced at the captain. “Watch.”
Water lapped at her calves as she waded into the sea and, for once, didn’t fear it. It’d be giving her something today, not taking it away. Merfolk never lied, right? She held up the pearl, watching it glisten in the sun. Well, she’d put the claim of their treasure to the test.
Please, fix the Jolly Roger. Good as new. Let us save James.
At first, nothing happened. A hard ball of doubt started to form within her chest before the air around her pulsed, rippling out through the sea.
Tink gasped, nearly dropping the pearl. Exclamations rose behind her, but she dared not look away.
Merfolk who’d lingered just offshore sped off.
The pearl began to glow, shimmering gold and silver, brighter than any shiny new coin.
The ground rumbled. The sea bubbled like a pot of boiling water. Then, the water offshore swelled like a great wave that would wash them all away.
Curses and accusations filled the air, but she ignored them. Suddenly, a mast stabbed through the wave, accompanied by sails that puffed and billowed as if dry. Seconds later, the rest of a ship emerged, spit out by the sea. It blocked out the sun, bobbing on soft waves.
“The Jolly Roger!” Smee exclaimed, wading into the water beside her.
A pirate ship had never looked so beautiful. Had anything? Tears of joy slipped down her cheeks unchecked. James’s ship was reborn. They could save him.
“Damn,” Barley whistled.
“Look at that,” someone said. “No patch in the hull!”
“Like she’s good as new,” Smee whispered in awe. He turned back to the shore. “Well?” he asked Cressida. “Will she do?”
Tink looked back over her shoulder.
Cressida nodded, an easy smile on her face, accompanied by something perhaps like wonder. Her attention moved from the ship to Tink. “Aye. She’ll do.”