Chapter 2 #2
Her gaze roams over my face, as if she’s trying to read how truthful my threat is. “They’re the first thing I’d lose, if I could. And it seems no matter my answers, you’ve already sealed my fate.”
It’s true. Information or not. I’m going to hand her into the law, at my earliest convenience. Yet, it doesn’t hurt to try and get something from the secrets she holds so closely to her chest.
“How do they choose which ships to ambush?”
Silence.
She’s stubborn, I’ll give her that. I share that same trait. My mother used to say it was a fine quality. My father would say it was a curse.
The corner of my mouth tugs up in an almost smile.
I move to the small wooden table located near the side of the ship.
A single cup, carved from whale bone, sits idly by a matching pitcher filled with the finest whiskey I carry on board.
I pour myself a serving before turning back to face the woman.
She glances down at the cup in my hand, her dry, cracked lips falling open ever so slightly.
I lift the golden liquid to my lips, hesitating before gulping it down.
It coats my throat with a sour tang. I wipe the back of my hand across my mouth before meeting her eye.
Desperation flickers across her features, then it’s gone.
Her cup still lays on the floor of the cell.
Perhaps the hope of receiving some sort of relief for the dryness clawing at her throat will encourage her to speak.
So I try again. “The ship . . . Do they have someone feeding them information? Do they have a stash of stolen goods?”
Still she doesn’t answer. Instead, she twists on her heel, facing the corner of the cell with her back turned towards me. I grip the cup a little too forcefully, at risk of breaking it. This woman is impossible and this approach is getting me nowhere.
Time to get dirty.
I stalk back to the wooden table, placing the cup down with a solid bang. The sound ricochets off the wooden hull. Then I spin to face her. There must be something I can say that will make her talk. I don’t want to resort to torture . . . Not yet anyway.
“We can play this game all night if you like—I have all the time in the world. But for you, I’d say you have a few days—if that—without more water before your body begins to shut down,” I purr.
Her back straightens ever so slightly, and the smirk on my face widens. That got her attention.
I pace back and forth again, running my fingers along the iron bars, taunting now. “How many people do you think they’ve killed, hmm?”
Her shoulders square.
I stop pacing, her reaction enough to know I’ve got her right where I want her. “More importantly, how many people have you killed?”
With the lightness of a water wraith, she whips her body around, slipping her arm through the bars.
I jerk out of the way just as her finger tips graze the fabric of my navy blue linen shirt.
The look seared into her eyes is one of pure hate, but it’s hard to say whether it’s hatred for me or for herself.
“Answer one question, and I will get you more water, considering you already spilt my generosity on the floor earlier,” I say, tucking my hands behind my back.
She folds her arms across her chest, glaring at me through gritted teeth. “Fine. One question.”
I stare into the brown eyes that have yet to leave mine, the fire in them burning as brightly as if she were a queen rather than a soaked rat. “What is your name?”
She hesitates. “Odelia,” her voice is barely a whisper, but she says it proudly.
“Now, was that so hard?”
Heavy footsteps sound above us, signalling someone coming down into the hold.
When I told the crew I was heading below to interrogate the prisoner, I made one thing crystal clear—no interruptions. So whoever’s stomping outside better have a damn good reason.
Black leather boots appear first, thudding softly on the wooden steps.
Then come the matching trousers, the dark shirt—clean, pressed, purposeful.
Elio ducks through the narrow scuttle, his shaved head catching the low lamplight as he enters.
“Rune.” His hazel eyes flicker briefly towards Odelia, adjusting to the dim glow cast by the swaying oil lamp above us. “You’re needed up on deck.”
There is still so much I need to find out, but being the captain of a ship comes with certain requirements—barking orders on deck was one of them. I nod in Elio’s direction. He takes the action as my reply before he heads back up the stairs.
I throw a glance over my shoulder towards the woman. “Don’t go escaping on me.”
Both her hands grip the iron bars, panic etched in her eyes. “You promised me water.”
A slow, deliberate smile forms across my face. “Yes . . . but I didn’t say when . . . Odelia.”
I don’t stick around to see her reaction. Instead, I duck my head and stoop through the narrow opening that leads up to the top deck. A stretch of darkness and an empty stomach might do her some good—give her time to sit with that damn stubbornness.
The full moon bathes the deck in a silver, watery light. A striking contrast to the dull yellow glow in the hold. Sea water sprays over on the starboard side of the ship. The salt in the air comforts my lungs as I drag in a deep breath.
Above me, the velvet night sky is a blanket of glittering pin pricks strewn across the vast expanse. My compass stays in my left trouser pocket, where it currently keeps Odelia’s necklace company, but so long as there are stars I’d never be lost.
Elio leans over the edge of the ship, his forearms resting on the dark spruce. I join him, both of us staring out into the inky darkness. The only sound is the waves slapping against the bow of The Gilded Hart as she plows through the water.
“You said you needed me?”
Elio shoves his hand into his trouser pocket, pulling out a small green cylindrical bottle. He hands it to me but doesn’t meet my gaze. I can tell he’s pissed. He’d rather I’d left Odelia to her watery grave.
Perhaps I should have.
The cork lid makes a popping sound as I wedge it loose from the narrow neck. Tipping the bottle upright, I catch the hand rolled paper that falls free. It’s sealed with a pearlescent wax in the symbol of a trident and a six spoked crown. My father’s sigil.
With a soft sigh, I snap the seal, and unfurl the paper. It’s from Selene—my sister. Father’s pride and joy. The next ruler of Nareth. My eyes scan her perfect handwriting. I swear everything she does is always just so.
“Is it from Selene?” Elio murmurs, his voice low.
I nod. “She is just doing the elderly sister thing, checking in on our whereabouts. Says father is keen for me to visit soon.”
The sea breeze tugs at the edges of the delicate paper in my hand, threatening to carry it away.
I roll it up with care and slide it back into the glass bottle.
I’d been eighteen when I left home. Ten years later and I’m still not ready to return.
Someone has to clean the filth off these seas .
. . and I won’t turn back until I find some clue of what happened to her.
Besides, I have a score to settle, with a certain captain. I won’t let him slither away this time.
Boots scuff behind me and I twist around to find Killian. I’d sent him out earlier to learn the outcome of the Headtaker's ship. I need to know if there is any point in going after them again in the future, or if the Vipers wiped them out completely.
Killian’s short, curly black hair still glistens with droplets of water, clinging to the inky strands. Pale blue eyes take in the surroundings. His pointy, webbed ears poke through, confirming to anyone who might see, that he is indeed a siren. He nods in greeting. “Captain.”
“Killian. What did you find?”
He shakes his head, a slight smirk playing on his lips. “It’s good—for us. As for the Headtaker's, their ship is wrecked. Destroyed. I’m surprised it’s still afloat.”
My mouth forms a thin line. “And the Vipers?”
He shrugs. “I stayed long enough to see them celebrate their win. Most of them seemed to sport a few injuries but the casualties were far less than those of the Headtakers.”
Beside me, Elio huffs. “Fucking pirates.”
I’ve been idle too long, so I pace with a slow gait, as I ponder my next move.
Killian waits, patient as always. So close .
. . I’d been so close to the Vipers. I could have attacked from the other side.
But the opportunity surprised us. I need to know more—how they fight, what their numbers are, what weapons they’ve got on board.
“Kil, rest a moment and then take Eithne and follow the Vipers. I expect reports for every movement. Use the inktopus system to send word.” Eithne hated trailing our ship anyways.
Kelpies much preferred the thrill of the hunt, and I happened to know Killian liked the little inktopus that ferried messages between us.
He nods, twists on his heel and heads towards the galley.
Most likely to fill his stomach with Bear’s cooking before ranging underwater narrows his options down to, well, food of the raw variety.
Who could blame him? I wish I’d done the same thing.
Instead, I’d skipped dinner to interrogate my prisoner and what did it get me? Nothing . . . nothing but her name.
Odelia. Who are you?
Watching her fall from the Sea Bane had me hoping she was an innocent caught in the crossfire, trying to escape. She’s certainly not what I would have expected. Even now, her voice is caught in my head.
“You don’t volunteer to sail with the Vipers. You survive them.”
I shake my head and turn my attention back to the ocean.
Sometimes I wonder if the sea will always call me back or if one day it’ll let me go entirely.
The thought should be terrifying. Instead, it settles in my chest like an inevitability.
So long as I can breathe air, I’ll hunt the hunters.
Clean the Adamaris Sea one pockmarked pirate ship at a time.
Elio is still leaning against the ship's edge. His silence speaks louder than any words. I need to think. I need to escape the skin I’m trapped in.
But I have matters to attend to first. He watches me as I pull the letter from my sister back out of the bottle.
Flipping it over, I stride to my quarters in search of an ink pen.
Once retrieved, I scribble down a quick response and head back out to the deck.
Elio offers his hand. “Would you like me to take that for you?”
I shake my head. “Thanks, but no. I need to stretch.”
He nods as I shove the note back into the bottle.
With a glance in his direction, I leap overboard and let the shift take me as I hit the water.