10. Chapter Ten
Chapter Ten
A pparently, I changed into a simple gown I found in the chest and completely crashed out on the soft bed in the captain’s quarters. Otherwise, there’s no way of explaining the stern-faced captain staring down at me with his dark eyebrows pulled into a frown.
I half expect rough planks beneath my back, the stink of the hold, iron at my ankles. It takes effort to register the softness of the mattress, the unfamiliar weight of blankets, the quiet creak of the ship instead of the roar of the sea.
The last thing I remember is exhaustion so deep it felt like drowning. For a moment, I just lie there, trying to understand what I’m seeing. I rub my eyes, my vision still blurry from sleeping, and prop myself up on my elbows.
“Had a good nap in my bed, little fish?” He asks me in a mocking tone, raising a dark brow. A playful smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth. He’s clearly amused, and that alone bothers me.
He’s so close to me that I can feel the warmth coming off his body.
It's a little too intimate for my liking, him hovering over me like that, so I give his chest a slight push, forcing him to give me more space.
The skin underneath his damp shirt is hot against mine, the strong curve of his muscles resisting the pressure of my hand.
I linger a little too long, my eyes stuck on his chest and his tattoos there, before quickly pulling my hand back, annoyed with myself for briefly falling prey to thoughts of how muscular he is.
“I won’t apologize to you if that’s what you’re after.” I point my chin high. “I was locked in here, after all.”
“Mhm.” The corner of his lips lifts into an almost-smile as I get up to sit on the bed cross-legged.
His bed. What was I thinking? Allowing my guard down long enough to fall asleep on the captain’s bed was a big mistake.
Without wanting to, heat rushes into my cheeks.
I shouldn’t have lain down here, not with the lack of sleep I had in the last few days.
I was bound to crash. My head still feels heavy, my thoughts slow to catch up.
Sable straightens his posture and leans against one of the wooden bedposts with his arms crossed. He looks comfortable, a little pleased with himself, like this is all working out exactly how he wants it.
“You were right about the Intermaria. You tried to save the ship and the crew. That doesn’t go unnoticed.”
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Is he trying to thank me? Of all the things I was expecting him to say, that was not at the top of my list. I allow myself to indulge in a faint smile as I realize I have fulfilled my end of the bargain, and it is now Sable’s turn to fulfill his.
“Are you saying I get to sleep in a cabin tonight?”
He shrugs and nods toward me. “You’ve already slept in one. Mine, to be specific. I think the debt is paid.”
I quickly glance out of one of the foggy round windows across the room. It looks like the sun is about to set. Time has crept on despite my brief break from the world. “The night hasn’t even begun yet!”
A grin spreads across his face, dimples forming in his cheeks. “So you want to stay in my bed, little siren?"
A gasp escapes me, the heat creeping into my cheeks again.
He thinks just because this is his cabin, that he can waltz in here and flirt with me.
Well, he is sorely mistaken. After what he has done to me, hunting me across the ship just for the fun of it.
Locking me up in a damp and miserable cell, only to come back and torture me later.
Clenching my jaw, I gather my gown and get to my feet, my movements sharper than I intend.
“No, thank you. I’d sooner take the cell than share a bed with my captor.” I curl my hands into fists at my sides until nails dig into my palms, threatening blood.
He doesn’t even flinch. He just looks at me, all calm and unbothered, like my anger barely registers.
“That looked different to me moments ago. But of course, you can change your mind,” he pauses, something registering in his eyes. “I see you took one of my treasures too.”
His eyes are on my gown, so I quickly smooth the folds of it using my hands in a defensive manner, suddenly aware of how thin the fabric is.
“Nightglass told me to take it. Mine was wet.”
“Right. About that other dress of yours,” his lips press into a line.
“Who gave it to you?” Finally, he unfolds his arms and steps away from the bedpost. He walks toward the table with the pinned map on it and scans it, as if asking this question doesn’t sit right with him.
His fingers tap once against the wood before going still.
At least he seems less comfortable than usual.
I hesitate for a moment. I can’t blame any man of his crew, and it has become clear to me how much he hates dishonesty. I don’t want to provoke him again. My throat dries up. The truth it is then.
“The ghost,” I murmur and swallow hard.
His head snaps in my direction, his chest now rising and falling faster than before.
His jaw is set tight, a muscle ticking beneath his skin, his mouth drawn into a thin line as if he’s forcing something down.
I carefully watch his eyes, but they remain grey.
That doesn’t keep my muscles from tensing, though. I brace myself without knowing why.
“A ghost?”
“I was visited by someone. There was nothing human about him. He came to see me last night and told me to ask for a new dress. Then the emerald one appeared outside the door when I was visiting Harrow.”
Sable curses under his breath and keeps his voice low. Then, he takes a bottle of rum from the table and opens it. He tilts his head back and swallows down a good amount of it. I can’t blame him. It’s been a long day, and he almost lost his crew to the sea.
“Don’t talk to him again. If he insists, tell him to leave you alone. Send him away. Loud and clear. You hear me?” His voice is serious and steady as he steps closer toward me again, the bottle of rum still in his hand.
It’s right next to where his knife is sheathed on his breeches. My stomach tightens. I swallow hard and peel my eyes off it to look at him again.
Our eyes meet.
“You hear me?” He repeats, his voice low.
Swallowing, I nod my head in agreement, though my pulse is loud in my ears.
“No, I want to hear you say it, little fish.”
“I won’t talk to the ghost again.”
“Good.”
He turns on his heel and walks toward another chest in the room, then begins digging through it with determination. Wood creaks and fabric rustles as he moves.
“You can have all the dresses. I don’t need them.” He throws a dress behind him, then another one. The fabric lands in a soft heap at my feet.
“My sister never likes what I pick for her, and her corals tear the fabric apart anyway.”
A pile of gowns starts to build up quickly. White gowns, pink gowns, and a lot of green and blue. Colors I haven’t worn in a long time. Then he grabs the pile and staggers over to me. With one swift movement, he thrusts the pile of clothes into my chest,
“Take it.”
I hesitate, my brows knitting together. This has to be a trick.
Why else would he give me all of these clothes?
Perhaps to make sure I don’t dig through his stuff again.
But it could be what is becoming all the more apparent to me by the second.
He is actually serious, and he wants to stop that ghost from offering me a dress again.
Either way, it still catches me off guard.
He shoves the pile of dresses against me once more, urging me to take them. The weight of it surprises me. So much so that I have to lean back to avoid falling forward. I bet he stole them from fine ladies he met on his travels, maybe even princesses.
I am not sure what to say to him. I do not have much practice showing gratitude, considering the cards I’ve been dealt in life. “Thank… you?”
“Don’t thank me yet.” He says, then takes the emerald colored gown and throws it over the pile in my arms too. “If the crew decides to throw you overboard tomorrow, the dresses stay here.”
Of course, his kindness does not extend further than clearing out his inventory of dresses for me.
But now that we have left the Intermaria and my wounds are healed, I could actually jump overboard.
The thought sneaks in uninvited. Maybe the sea would actually mend my wrongness now that there are no further wounds to heal, giving me all I have waited for my whole life.
My thoughts start to spin, my pulse thumping in my ears.
I could leave this ship tomorrow, but I unfortunately have no idea how far away we are from Aurelith.
If there’s no other island nearby, I would be doomed.
“Understood. The dresses remain dry on deck, in the event that I don’t. So you give them to me because…?”
“That’s nothing you should rack your brain over. I have plenty, and I evidently have no need for them. Now,” he waves his hand again in dismissal. “You may go to your cell, little fish. The one up here, not in the hold.”
I am about to open my mouth to protest, but he quickly moves on.
“Match.” Sable barks, opening the cabin door. Match stumbles into the room, almost falling flat on his face.
“As you’ve been eavesdropping anyway, make yourself useful and lock the lass in her cell.”
“Yes, Captain. Sorry, Captain.” The young pirate straightens his posture and clears his throat, then looks at me and the pile of clothes in my arms.
Sable places a hand on my back and gently pushes me toward the door. The meaningless touch was a little too intimate, causing a cold shiver to erupt down my spine. I turn to glance over my shoulder once more, but he’s already back at the table, studying the map.
I awkwardly follow Match into my cell and throw my dresses on the cot in the small space.
“The tribunal is tomorrow when the sun is at its highest,” Match explains as he locks the door. I nod lazily.
“Sable told everyone you’re a siren. It’s not looking good for you. Most of the men want to sell you to the markets, or throw you overboard.”
Fucking wonderful. Of course, the hatred they feel toward our kind makes the decision easy for them. I can’t even blame them. If this were the other way around, the sirens in my swarm wouldn’t bother with a tribunal to decide a pirate’s fate.
“And what do you think?” I make my way over to him and grab the iron bars firmly with both hands, needing something solid to hold on to to cool my skin.
“I think you saved our asses from drowning.” He says with a shrug and a smile on his face.
“Fair enough,” I reply and sigh. At least I’ve got his and Lark’s vote. And Grim, if he considers it hard enough. Thinking about it makes my stomach twist with worry.
Match brings me some fish and water before leaving me alone in my cell. The few hours of sleep refueled my energy, but it’s not nearly enough. It’s not just my energy that is drained. It’s my magic too.
I used my siren hum twice already in the last few days.
It regenerates itself over time, but it takes a long, long time.
And it requires salt. Either that or drowning a man.
As neither swimming nor killing someone is an option right now, my magic will most likely remain low for a while yet.
It also means that I cannot use my hum again.
Not until I’ve taken a good, long swim in salty seawater.
Sighing, I let myself fall onto the cot.
Because of the dresses that are scattered across it, it is now surprisingly comfortable.
I lie on my back as I stare at the ceiling.
Thinking about the tribunal tomorrow makes my stomach knot.
I can’t help but run through the possible outcomes.
Being sold is the most likely. It’s the most profitable for them.
If necessary, I will plead on hands and knees not to sell me to the markets.
In my current state, I wouldn’t stand a chance against the dealers.
They’d pluck my scales and drain me dry of my blood, and I’d be just another siren corpse to dispose of.
Being thrown overboard would be faster, at least. If I were stronger, if my magic wasn’t drained, I might even welcome the change. But right now, it would be a gamble I likely wouldn‘t survive.
Heat rises within me, so I take a deep breath to calm myself. Well, not necessarily myself, but the siren within me that wants to riot. I’ve noticed that it becomes harder for me to control her temper, especially because being locked up feels so unnatural to me.
Frowning, I start counting the days of my captivity. It feels like it has been forever since…
Wait.
My heart skips, but not in a good way. It cannot be. I swallow hard and sit back up, panic rising within me.
I have no idea how I ended up on this ship.