17. Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
“ L and ho!” Nightglass shouts from the Crows’ nest, and the pirates interrupt their tasks to rush to the rail. Boot steps scatter across the deck as the whole ship suddenly becomes alive again after days of sailing through the black waters that have felt endless.
I haven’t dared ask any of the crew members about their curse.
It feels too intimate for me to ask about such a sensitive thing as an outsider.
Still, the truth lingers all around us, like the grey mist that constantly blankets the dark water.
They must know that I know, and yet, no one has approached me. No one has addressed it.
And Sable? I have avoided him. His actions have unsettled something in me that I don’t know how to handle.
It would be easier if he were cruel. But he isn’t, not in the ways that matter, and that leaves me with thoughts that I would rather not follow to their end.
As long as I keep my distance, I don’t have to ask him about the curse.
I don’t have to watch his expression, don't have to hear him tell me that he doesn’t trust me again.
Most importantly, I don’t have to face the way my body reacts to him, or what that might mean.
Finally, curiosity gets the better of me, and I rush towards the bow of the ship, alongside some of the crew. The wind whips my hair away from my face as I lean over the railing to get a better look at the dark stone rising from the sea in the distance.
“We will reach it before the sun sets,” Grim appears beside me and lowers the spyglass from his eye, snapping it shut.
“Will I be allowed to leave the ship when we do?” I blurt out, unable to contain my excitement at the thought of feeling the sand beneath my feet again.
Grim laughs and shrugs his broad shoulders. “Captain has the final say, lass. Are you sure you want to leave the ship and set your scaled foot on an island filled with pirates?”
Of course, I’ve had this thought already.
“What, you think I’ll stay here on this ship like a coward?” I ask while glaring at him playfully.
“Aye. That you should do,” He replies with a smug grin on his face. “For my part, I’ll drink and find myself a wench to drown my sorrows in. There’ll be no time to protect you, Eryse.”
“She’ll stick with me.” A deep voice cuts in behind us, and I turn to find Sable standing behind us, one hand braced against the rail and his gaze fixed on the distant shape of land.
His dark, thick hair falls in loose waves, and it is the first time that I fully notice the black ink that swirls across his arms before disappearing behind his rolled-up sleeves.
I can say all I want about his personality, but by the seas, he is devastatingly handsome.
Grim studies him for a moment, then nods once. “Of course, she’s your responsibility, Captain.”
Sable slowly turns, shifting his weight on his feet, his gaze falling on mine.
I clench my jaw and swallow down the anger that starts to creep its way up my throat in the form of cursed words.
Not directed at him, but instead, at myself.
Not only is he a pirate, but he is also my captor.
We seem to have a mutual agreement to hate each other, which is understandable given the situation, but still, my body seems to betray me at the sight of him eyeing me up, his gaze tracing every inch of me as though it is new to him.
He clears his throat, bringing his eyes back to mine. Locking my attention on his.
“Why are you not working?” He shouts towards the crew still lingering near the rail, slightly cocking his head in their direction, refusing to break eye contact.
The crew obeys and jumps back into work.
Grim glances back and forth between us with a smirk on his face, then strides back towards the helm.
“I see you’re still here,” he says and crosses his arms over his broad chest, muscles flexing.
I cannot keep myself from taking a glimpse of his tattoos as his shirt falls slightly, exposing skin.
The arms of an octopus curl around words that I cannot read.
Next to it, there's a skull, sitting shoulder to shoulder with a heart, and a—
“Little fish, as much as I enjoy your eyes on me, I asked everyone to get back to work.” He steps closer, and I take a step back in response, pressing my back against the railing. My heart begins to beat so fast that I fear it might jump straight out of my chest.
A grin starts to spread on his face. He’s toying with me. Again.
I push my hands against his chest, and he steps back to give me space within an instant. I can’t ignore the heat of his skin against mine. The anger takes control again as I give him another shove for good measure, before crossing my arms over my chest.
“I have no work to do,” I declare, trying to sound nonchalant.
“Then go find yourself some,” his voice drops, suddenly drenched in seriousness again. “Everyone earns their keep on this ship. Looking pretty won't get the job done, although I must admit, it’s almost enough for me to let it slide. Almost.”
Narrowing my eyes into slits, heat crawls up my neck and seeps into my cheeks.
“I was not aware I applied for employment,” I say boldly.
One corner of his mouth lifts. “You are right, you did not,” he agrees calmly. “You were sentenced to it.”
The islands ahead grow clearer by the moment, dark shapes rising from the sea. My chest tightens at the sight of land.
“So, you will allow me to leave the ship if I stick by you?” I ask, trying to sound indifferent but failing miserably.
“You may,” he says, turning his focus to the approaching island. “If you stick with me. You do not want to wander around on pirate grounds alone. You are my—”
“Responsibility? Why must everyone keep saying that? I am perfectly capable of looking after myself on my own. I’ve gotten this far, after all.” I blurt out before I lose the nerve.
He hesitates, and for a moment, I think he will dismiss me, as he has done before. Instead, he turns his gaze again and looks at me with an intensity that almost makes my knees buckle beneath me.
“When the tribunal voted,” he says, “they voted for the sea. I chose otherwise.”
“That much I remember.”
A flicker of amusement passes through his expression. He might not admit it, but he likes my loose tongue.
“The code allows the captain to overrule the verdict,” he continues. “But if he does, he must bear the consequence.”
I watch him carefully. “Consequence?”
“You are under my authority.” He says, his eyes slightly darkening. “If you draw attention to us on those lands, I will answer for it. If you run, I will be punished for that too. If you cause any harm to another pirate, I am as good as dead. My life, my position on this ship, now depends on you.”
My fingers curl slightly at my sides as I think his words over. He chose this. Not just pulling me from the water, going against his crew, but this– tying his life to mine. I am not used to that, to someone choosing me when it costs them something.
“You took a risk for me.”
"A calculated one. That is not the same as doing it blindly.”
His gaze holds mine, and I keep my chin held high.
“Do not mistake this for kindness, little fish. I overruled them because I believe you are more useful alive than dead. That is all. I already told you as much.”
I nod, though I am not certain I fully believe this to be the only reason now.
“And because,” I add quietly. “You very much dislike being told what to do.”
“Careful, siren,” he says, the corner of his mouth tilting into something that almost looks like a smile, but I can see the promise of danger flickering beneath it.
Silence stretches between us, and I become painfully aware of how close he stands, how easily he could close the distance if he wished.
“You will stay by my side on the islands,” he says, the sharp edge returning to his tone. “You will not speak a word to anyone unless I permit it. And you will not use that siren voice of yours. Not a screech, not a single hum. Not even a whisper of it should be heard.”
“You still trust me very little, it seems.”
He sighs, annoyed with my natural resistance against him. “I trust you exactly as much as I can afford.”
“Mh,” I roll my eyes, not moving my body an inch, not even when he takes another step closer.
“You will be good. Aye?” he asks quietly, his hot breath caressing my face.
I hesitate for a moment, then nod. “Aye.”
It is the least I can do seeing as he risked a great deal saving my life, and personally, I have no intention of giving a dockside full of pirates a reason to look at me twice.
Grim was right. By the time the sun begins its slow descent, the islands have risen fully from the sea.
They fade into view piece by piece as the Noctis cuts through the black water.
Dark cliffs break from the surface of the islands, jagged and uneven, their surfaces carved with sharp drops.
Wooden houses cling to those ledges, built into the rock wherever there is space to hold them.
They stack upward in uneven rows, one perched above the next, connected by narrow stairways, rope bridges, and plank walkways that stay between them.
Smoke curls into the sky as it fades from a light grey to a dark shade of indigo.
The closer we get, the louder the ship becomes, and the dimmer the Glim shines.
Sable barks commands to ready the ship to make port.
The crew moves with purpose, tightening ropes and shifting sails.
The Noctis slows down as we reach shallow waters, as if she knows this place as well as they do.
Figures gather along the docks, and more appear on the cliffs above.
Slowly but surely, the Noctis stops moving, and the gangplank slams down with a heavy thud. With that, the Glim disappears. The crew pours onto the land, and laughter erupts around us; names are called in greeting. Someone even starts singing a tune in an awful off-key note.