Mira #3
The captain turns to Kai, fury radiating off him like steam from boiling water.
In the dim glow of the lantern, his grotesque features come into full view, gleaming, monstrous, unmistakably inhuman.
“The deal holds, for as long as your heart does. And if it stops…” His grin widens.
“She’ll pay what’s owed in your place,” he says, motioning his clawed hand toward me.
“But just remember, you can’t breathe underwater.
That’s where you fall short, Pirate Lord.
” He raises his hand, signaling his crew.
One by one, the kappas begin to slink toward the ship’s edge, their movements slow and deliberate, preparing to vanish into the churning black sea.
“Varn,” Kai calls. “Tell me where it is.” The captain pauses. Turns. Their eyes lock, and a chill knifes down my spine. The look Varn gives Kai is void of anything human. No warmth, no malice. Just an empty, unholy calm. Like death dressed in seaweed and salt.
“Siren’s Cove,” he says.
The name hangs there, suspended in the storm’s silence.
Then Varn adds, almost softly, “I wish you luck, boy.
No one goes in and comes out alive, and that's if they find it.” He laughs cruelly as he steps backward onto the rail, a black eye still fixed on Kai.
“For both our sakes,” he says, “I hope you do.” And with that, he drops into the sea and disappears.
Then I think, How many souls have lost their lives due to debts with him, and how many others have gone on this same godsforsaken mission?
My heart drops. Sirens Cove? Home of the sirens my mother is the queen of?
What the hell did she and my father know?
What else were they hiding from me? Or was she hiding it from him too?
The thoughts hit like a tidal wave, dragging me deeper.
What kind of life did they lead? What kind of legacy am I about to inherit?
The storm begins to clear, the fog pulling back like breath. One by one, the creatures vanish over the side of the ship, sinking into the night. The waves still. The sea returns to silence. And the only thing left is the moonlight, soft and pale, washing the ship in silver.
The crew begins to emerge from their quarters, white as ghosts and wide-eyed. I push through them, scanning faces until I find him. “Smith,” I say, breathless. “You alright?”
As much as they piss me off, they’re mine.
My crew. My family. I can’t lose them. Smith grabs both of my arms, his grip strong.
His eyes roam over me, searching for wounds.
“Aye,” he breathes. “Only if you are, Mira.” He squeezes my arms tighter, his voice quiet, reverent. “You’re the only one who can save us.”
What the hell happened down there? Smith barks orders, telling the crew to light the lanterns and return to their stations.
The night crew moves quickly, stepping into their usual rhythm, while the day crew disappears back into their quarters, shaken, silent, pale as bone.
Most of them look like they’ve seen the Kraken and lived to tell the tale.
“What the fuck happened to them?” Kai asks, coming up behind me.
“I don’t know,” I said quietly. “Smith didn’t say. Just that I’m the only one who can save them all.” His words sit heavy on my chest, powerful, but pressing. I want to unlock whatever I am, not just for me… but for Kai. For them. For the ocean.
“You have the power to save the entire sea,” Kai murmurs.
“You are her soul. It’s just about getting you there, so you can become all that you are.
” I glance down at my fingers, picking at the skin around my nails.
My thoughts began to spiral, faster than I can catch them.
Kai must feel the shift in me. He reaches out, kisses my forehead. His lips are warm, grounding.
“You’re safe,” he whispers. “Nothing will happen to you, treasure.” The warmth of his words spreads through my chest, soft and bright.
I know he feels it too. And suddenly, it clicks—the deal with the kappas.
He didn’t offer me to them, they're manipulative. I’ve been too angry to see it, and now guilt crawls up my spine.
“I promise we’ll get you there,” I say.
“Mira, don’t. This isn’t my journey anymore—it’s yours.”
I look up at him, anger flashing in my eyes. “All of this,” I say, motioning to the crew, the ship, to me, “wouldn’t be here without you. I need you here. More than I care to admit, because you know you can be an ass. But I can’t watch you die.”
Tears burn at the corners of my eyes. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.
Kai pulls me in tight, his heartbeat steady against mine. “I’ll be okay,” he says softly. “We’ll make it. You’ll get there—that’s what matters.” He pauses, a faint smirk ghosting his lips. “The sea’s not taking me yet.”
For someone staring down death he sounds almost at peace, and that’s what terrifies me.
I trust him with everything. My body. My heart. My soul. I kiss him, melting into the comfort of his arms. His warmth feels so good against my skin after the freezing droplets of rain. His tattooed hands pulled me close, his touch steadying the storm inside me.
I look up at him, heart pounding with purpose. “Now,” I say, my voice steady, “we search for the belly of the beast.” I turn toward the horizon, the moonlight casting a silver path across the waves.
“To Sirens Cove.”