6 Mami Wata’s Revenge
Mami Wata's Revenge
A mermaid found a swimming lad,
Picked him for her own,
Pressed her body to his body,
Laughed; and plunging down
Forgot in cruel happiness
That even lovers drown.
― William Butler Yeats
While Silverfin had given up the sea, he soon discovered he hadn't completely lost it. The thrill of being on the deck of the Orca under full sail, with the wind in what remained of his hair and the salt spray from the waves on his cheeks was just as thrilling as racing a porpoise under the waves.
Taking on the Hecate, however, was a different story.
As soon as they caught up with the slower ship, and supposed ally, they’d inexplicably begun firing upon the Orca.
From what Silverfin gathered, mostly by eavesdropping, Captain Hawk and the Barnes woman had some big plan to turn Port Royal into an independent Pirate Republic.
It appeared that the sea kingdom and the land kingdom had very different flavors of rulers, and the denizens of Port Royal would have much preferred to rid themselves of theirs.
This was what, Silverfin gathered, Hawk needed the treasure for, and consequently why he needed the Hecate..
Silverfin wasn't interested in biped politics, but anything that threatened his ability to get close to his captain he viewed as a personal insult.
"Get below decks and try not to get yourself killed," Hawk hissed, just before they opened fire.
Silverfin quickly discovered that being in a battle was very different from just watching one.
Between the explosions and the cannonballs and the splinters flying everywhere and feeling completely helpless to assist with anything, Silverfin couldn't help but begin to question his usefulness at Hawk's side after all.
Under Hawk’s superior prowess as a Captain, the Hecate was quickly subdued, her mast blown to smithereens and holes blown in her hold.
Grappled by the Orca, all her firepower was useless.
Captain Tyson and the rest of his crew ran like cowards, barricading themselves below decks, where they’d surely have the advantage of close quarters.
As they prepared to board the Hecate, he tried to shadow Hawk as they set about trying to clear the ship of the men defending it, while also staying out of the way. If there was some way he could help or some aid he could give, he had no intention of letting it pass him by!
Fortunately, if there was one thing that Silverfin was adept at, it was watching ships.
A white slip of cloth hanging alongside a cable from a hole in the side of the ship certainly was not a normal occurrence.
Was it a flag of surrender? He crossed the gangplank to the Hecate, then slipped up behind Hawk and cleared his throat.
Hawk whirled, hand on the hilt of his sword, before relaxing once he'd recognized Silver. "Mr. Silver, unless you bear wonderful news that you have killed Captain Tyson - "
"I'm not certain about that yet, Captain, but I think that there's something you ought to see?"
For a moment Hawk just looked at him, eyes narrowing slightly, as if appraising his worth. Silverfin produced what he hoped was a confident smile, taking a step backwards.
"It could be useful?"
Scowling, Hawk followed. Silverfin beamed, leading him to the side of the ship and hanging over the edge to point down towards the cloth. "Now, if I'm not mistaken, that isn't something that should normally be there?"
"Prisoners. Allies." Hawk breathed the word like a prayer - or an answer to one.
“We'll overrun the Hecate now!” Then, he seized the front of Silverfin's jacket and pressed a hard kiss to his mouth.
Before Silverfin could react to his good fortune, though, the captain was gone, calling out commands to his crew.
Silverfin leaned back against the rail, dizzy as he touched his fingers to his mouth. What a reward! Grinning, he danced back over to the Orca, vowing to himself to be useful much more often.
The next hour passed like a dream. Silverfin tucked himself out of the way between some crates and rigging on the deck, watching as everything valuable was transferred from the Hecate to the Orca, including her munitions and the formerly-imprisoned pirates who had happily joined Hawk’s crew upon their rescue.
Finally, their prize was set aflame in the waters.
Another sacrifice to please the merfolk, Silverfin thought, satisfied. But before he could congratulate himself on surviving his first bit of pirating, shouts sounded in the darkness alarming them to a new sail on the horizon.
“What the hell is going on?” Hawk snapped as Hank hailed him from the deck of the Orca.
“It's a Spanish naval ship, Captain!”
Ruiz, huffing and puffing as afforded a man his age, clenched at the railing. “She's gaining fast,” he exhaled. “Your orders?”
What a rotten bit of luck! Silverfin could practically hear Hawk’s teeth grind themselves down, as he huddled in his hiding place, unable to take his eyes off the captain.
“We can outrun her. Get us underway!” Hawk shouted. The winds ruffled the captain’s hair and billowed his coat behind him like the wings of a giant stingray. Had the Red Pirate King ever looked so magnificent, so handsome as in this moment of triumph?
But instead of triumph, Hawk's next cry was one of dismay. "What the hell is that?"
Silverfin jumped from his hiding place to investigate Hawk's new cry, darting to the rear of the ship.
A large chunk of wood dragged in the water from the side of the ship, tangled in their ropes, flashing black and white in the darkness.
One of the pieces of the destroyed ship was following them, like the vengeful ghost of the Hecate herself.
"That'll slow us down two knots or more, Captain!" Ruiz called out. "She'll catch us in no time!"
Cut it free, then. Silverfin touched the knife at his belt to double-check its presence, then started to unwind a coil of rope from its pegs against the rail without hesitation.
He was quick, he could be over the side in a moment, and even with these biped legs he'd be better in the water than any of the pirates could ever dream of being.
He could help; he could be useful again.
Maybe he could even earn another kiss in reward.
He could see Hawk already climbing over the side, as Hank scaled down to the piece of debris.
Both pirates frantically set to work sawing through the ropes, but Silverfin could tell it was no use; the pinch point was in the water.
He grit his jaw, tying the end of the rope around his waist firmly.
He could help. He swung his leg over the rail just as a boom of thunder sounded in the distance.
No, not thunder.
Cannons. The Spanish were firing.
"Oh shit!" A voice yelled out, just as chaos erupted around them.
Cannonballs punched holes in the side of the Orca, splinters of wood flying through the air as men dove for cover.
Silverfin made a split second - and possibly unwise - decision and let go of the rail, falling from the side of the ship and into the sea below, the dark water closing over his head.
He was at the ropes in an instant, sawing through the knots that dragged the Hecate’s debris in their wake. He was pulled in one direction by the rope tethering him to the Orca as the remnant drifted away, caught in a different current.
"Man overboard!" he heard Hawk call from above as he surfaced. A rush of pleasure suffused Silverfin's heart. Had Hawk been watching him? But before he had the chance to give in to his romantic ruminations, another head surfaced not far from him, a flash of white shirt in the water.
Around his waist, the rope that attached him to the Orca jerked taut.
Silverfin had no time to congratulate himself for his clever forethought, however, as the ship under full sail started to drag him along after it.
Hank had also been shaken free, but Silverfin managed to lunge through the water and grab hold of Hank as they passed each other, clutching tightly at his torso as the pull of the ship submerged them in its wake.
In his arms, Hank struggled, trying to free himself, and reminding Silverfin of the biped's lack of gills.
He kicked towards the surface, trying to push him upwards.
"Grab hold of the rope!" he yelled, despite not knowing if the other man would hear him through the rush of the water.
A powerful yank pulled him upwards, and as they surfaced again, he caught sight of men at the stern, hauling back on his rope.
Soon they'd be back on board. All he had to do was hold on.
He kicked against the water, heaving a sigh of relief as Hank managed to pull himself further forward along the rope, arm muscles bulging even more than usual. They were almost to the back of the ship, almost to safety.
Suddenly, in the wake behind them, Silverfin caught sight of something glistening in a flash of sun. Something far more dangerous than Spanish cannons: an all-too familiar triangular dorsal fin.
Shit. Motherfucking Sharks.
The only thing in the ocean that ate more sealife than merfolk. And ate far more than sealife.
"Pull faster!" Silverfin hollered. He floundered in the water for the length of rope, trying to pull himself forward, kicking against the waves.
If he were free he could dive away, swim to the bottom and hide in the rocks for safety.
If he were still a Mer it would be no challenge.
But tied to the boat like this he might as well be wearing a glittering sign that said "Shark Appetizer. "
“Up, up!” he pushed Hank upwards, into the air, and to safety as he scampered up the rope, feet quickly moving along the hull.
“Come on, Finn!” Hank’s hand extended down towards him.
Silverfin. Mami Wata sends her regards. And a reminder that cheaters never prosper.
"What?!"
The deal was for all your hair in exchange for two legs.