Chapter 6 #2
My one consolation for having to deal with him shadowing me during the day was at night.
I made it my mission to keep him awake by singing with the waves lapping against the hull in the darkness.
Like all Sirens, my voice was ethereal, enchanting, but as I hoped, it ensured Reiven wouldn’t sleep.
At first, he protested and threw his pillow at me like a child having a tantrum.
Burying his head in his blankets didn’t block out my song either, so eventually he gave up and stormed out every night.
The dark circles under his eyes grew more pronounced by the day, and if I could only score that minor victory against him, I would take it.
A few weeks into our journey there was nothing to see but the azure expanse of ocean surrounding our vessel, nearly blending with the cloudless sky.
I rested my elbows on the weathered railing and stared down into the water.
The glimmer of the sun reflected off the waves, as if precious gemstones sparkled just below the surface.
So close. And so far.
I reached for the ocean, letting the melodic shifting and crashing of the water against the Maiden lull me into a near hypnotic state. The waves rose and fell. Wind rushed into the sails above. I closed my eyes and sang along with the natural music the ocean created. No words, only vocalizations.
“That’s pretty,” Gatelo interrupted with a lopsided grin. He sat on the deck beside me, attempting to replace a worn plank before someone broke it completely.
I gave him a smile. “Thank you. I can’t resist the music of the water after such a long time away from it.”
“It’s not pretty. It’s annoying.” Reiven’s cutting tones made Gatelo and I grimace.
Previously leaning back against the railing opposite me, arms crossed, he now approached us like an apex predator eyeing his prey.
“That’s the same damn song you keep singing every night, isn’t it?
You’d think at some point you’d switch it up a little. ”
“It’s a Siren lullaby, meant to help you drift peacefully to sleep, Reiven,” I said pleasantly, hatred burning in my eyes.
In truth, by singing the same song each night, I became as repetitive as a leaky roof, persistent and, as it turned out, maddening.
It brought me all the more glee that he’d obviously picked up on my act of being his personal nuisance.
He turned his gaze from me to level a glare at Gatelo. “You.”
My “friend” the carpenter dropped his hammer and slowly stood. Not nearly as tall or imposing as Reiven, but I’d give him points for trying. “What?”
“Why does a bilge rat carpenter need a pistol and a saber?” Reiven nodded at the weapons hanging from Gatelo’s belt.
“None of your business.”
“With how much time you’ve been spending with her, I’m making it my business.
You always carry them, even though we’re just on a friendly cruise.
” The salty wind carried Captain Larsel’s booming orders and the thumping of the crew’s boots on the deck as Rei paused.
His gaze scraped down Gatelo with contempt. “Afraid of pirates, are you, boy?”
Gatelo clenched his teeth and fired back, “Pirates do roam these waters. I’m just prepared.”
“Prepared, my ass. If we get attacked, I’m going to be the one protecting us while you both cower below deck.”
Well, I definitely saw what he was doing now; getting a rise out of Gatelo and trying to scare him away from me.
Reiven drew his cutlass with a scrape of metal as it came out of the sheath. He pointed it evenly at Gatelo, who silently seethed beside me. “Let’s see it.”
“Boys, there’s no need to measure dicks—”
Gatelo had already whipped out his sword and matched Reiven’s stance with a glare that screamed his male pride had been insulted.
I inwardly groaned. Men had such fragile egos, and now I’d have to find some way to defuse this and keep Gatelo on my side. No way would I allow Reiven to take a perfect tool away from me.
I fake-gasped and giggled. “Oh wow, Gatelo, I’ve never seen a saber before. Can I hold it?”
“Absolutely not,” Reiven spat, which only encouraged Gatelo to hand it over to me with a smirk.
I let it droop in my hands, as if it weighed my weak, pathetic arms down, and fluttered my eyelashes at Gatelo. “It’s so heavy. You must be incredibly strong, but I guess that’s obvious just looking at you.”
He puffed up his chest. Lucky for me, he’s easy to flatter. Maybe I can convince him to let me keep this?
Reiven wasn’t letting this go so easily, though. “Well, how about a spar then, to see who’s the better swordsman?”
Before Gatelo could even open his mouth, I locked eyes with the black-haired young man who seemed to enjoy making me miserable. “I accept.”
“Not you. I’m challenging the bilge rat.”
“Yes, well, you see…” I used both of my hands and hauled the saber up to point it at him. “I’m the one holding the sword. You aren’t afraid I’d actually win, are you?”
Probably not one of my brightest ideas, getting myself into a sword fight with an ex-pirate turned bodyguard. But Gatelo would definitely lose if he accepted this challenge, and I had a feeling Reiven would make sure he stayed far away from me when he won.
“You can barely even lift that saber.” Reiven laughed, flourishing his cutlass with enough strength and skill to make a ball of nerves knot in my stomach.
I stalked over to the railing of the ship and climbed atop it, carefully placing one foot in front of the other to keep my balance on the narrow beam of wood.
Letting the saber rest in front of me, I motioned for him to join me.
“Since I have a bit of a disadvantage, let’s make it a little more challenging for you, too.
Whoever falls off onto the deck or into the water first loses.
A test of both balance and swordsmanship. ”
“Ah-ah. The ocean’s off limits, and that goes for your water magic too.”
I shot him a smirk. “Oh, I forgot…You’re scared of the ocean.”
“Not really. I’d just prefer not to horrify the crew with the sight of you waterlogged like a drowning victim. Don’t want a mutiny on our hands.”
I throttled the hilt of Gatelo’s saber. A pulse of energy rippled through my body, stemming from the collar around my neck.
It tugged on my mind, coaxing me closer to him, just like at the banquet.
For a moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of those chain links that connected me to the invisible shackle on his wrist, but it may have been the light off the waves. Unless…
I planted my feet to brace against another wave of an urge to be closer and spoke through gritted teeth. “Are you doing this on purpose?”
The pull dissipated as quickly as it had come alive.
“No idea what you're talking about.” Reiven hopped up onto the railing before me, smoothed back his windblown hair like a damn preening peacock, and rested his cutlass over his shoulder. “Let me guess: non-lethal strikes?”
I flashed him a hateful smile. “I think we can leave that part ambiguous.”
Maybe I’ll chop off one of your arms. That’s not lethal.
“You know something, Blue? I think watching your ass hit the deck hard will be a nice consolation for all that annoying singing you’ve been keeping me up with.
Go on, I’ll give you the first strike, if you can even swing your weapon.
” He had the balls to sheath his cutlass, crossing his arms as he watched my every move with amusement. Infuriating, mocking bastard—
No, I couldn’t let him shake me. I took a deep breath of salty air and looked away from him, towards the sea I loved so much.
The rhythmic motion of the waves whispered of sword fighting lessons in days long behind me, when my weapon of choice had been a pearl-handled rapier.
My mother and the rest of the elder Sirens instructed their young in the ways of battle, in case of another war.
I excelled in our training sessions, but that was in the water, against Sirensteel machines that didn’t fight with tricks and distractions like Humans did.
I calmed my breathing and locked eyes with him.
My ears picked up and fixated on one singular sound out of all the others.
Not the wind gusting into the sails. Not the deckhand dropping a crate onto the deck as they all halted their work to watch this display.
Not even the creaking of the wood beneath my feet as I shifted my weight.
I focused on a single wave, out of the millions of waves that gave the expanse of gorgeous blue those delicate, ever moving caps of white. The moment that wave hit the hull of the Maiden of Blue—I swung.