Daughter of the Pirate King

by Tricia Levenseller

  “Excellent. Then you already know how foolish you’re being for keeping me like this.”

  “Foolish? Not at all. Your father thinks that young Allemos captain has you, so he will not be coming after me. I have it on good authority that you have been depleted of the power the sea gives you, so you cannot save yourself. I would say it is you who are being foolish by not being afraid.”

  My stomach sinks through the ground as my mouth dries. “And whose authority would that be?”

  “Mine,” says a voice from behind me. Several men break through the trees. Riden is among them, but he is not the one who spoke. No, Riden has two pistols pointed at him. They’re forcing him to walk in my direction. Why isn’t he locked up like I am? Running low on enormous cages, are we?

  My mind empties as soon as I lay eyes on who spoke, the fourth man who enters the clearing.

  It’s Theris.

  He slouches against one of the trees and pulls out his coin, turning it over his fingers.

  I shake my head at him. “Betraying my father? That will be the last mistake you ever make. Do you know what happened to the last man who fed information to his enemies? My father tied him up by his ankles and sawed him down the middle.”

  Theris is unaffected by my words. “Fortunately for me, I’m not betraying him.”

  He doesn’t need for me to say so to know I’m confused.

  “I was never your father’s man,” he continues.

  It takes me longer than it should to interpret his words. But the symbol—he knew my father’s mark. He clearly identified himself as serving the Kalligan line.

  “My reach is deep.” Vordan explains this time, returning the glass-encased map to his pocket. “Kalligan is foolish. He thinks himself untouchable. He doesn’t realize that those closest to him are so ready to give him up. And, more importantly, give you up.”

  I turn on Theris. “You weren’t on the ship to help me.”

  “No,” he answers. “I was sent to watch you.”

  “Then who is my father’s man aboard the Night Farer?” I say more to myself.

  Theris answers. “That was poor Gastol. I’m afraid you slit his throat when Draxen took control over your ship.”

  What were the odds that one of the two men I killed was my father’s man? The guilt hits me, even though I know it’s not entirely my fault. My father should have had the foresight to tell me who his informant was aboard the Night Farer before I faked my capture. Then Gastol wouldn’t have died, and Theris wouldn’t have been able to fool me. Father doesn’t take these minor details into consideration. What does he care if one of his men dies by accident? There is always someone to take his place. But in this instance his folly might cost him Draxen’s map.

  And maybe me.

  Then again, maybe I should have realized that Father never would have asked his informant to help me. He knows I do not need to be looked after. I should have known Theris was faking from the beginning. Furious with myself, I return back to the conversation at hand.

  “Why did you have Theris watching me?” I ask Vordan. “What could you possibly want with me?”

  “You don’t realize your own value,” Vordan says. “Do you think Kalligan keeps you around because you’re his daughter? No, Alosa. It is because of the powers you possess. He uses you for his own gain. You are nothing more than a tool to him. I’ve heard all about Kalligan’s punishments, his training, his testing. I know all the horrible things he’s put you through. And I am here to liberate you.”

  For a moment I wonder how he could possibly know so much about me. Then I realize that if he has someone high up in my father’s ranks working for him, he would know … well, just about everything.

  I say, “Putting me in a cage was probably not the best way to show how much you want to liberate me.”

  “Apologies. This is merely a safety precaution for me and my men while I explain things.”

  “You’ve explained. Now let me out.”

  Vordan shakes his bald head. “I have not finished.”

  And I don’t want him to. I want out of this cage. Now. But I stay silent so I don’t risk angering him. I may not have my song to enchant him, but I can read him.

  As if I weren’t already uncomfortable being locked in a cage with no hope of escape—now I have to call upon the siren. Again. There is a nasty taste in the back of my throat. Goose bumps rise on my skin, and it has nothing to do with the cold.

  His color is red—the most complex of all. It can mean so very many things: love, lust, hatred, passion. Really any overwhelmingly strong emotion looks red to me. Using my best guess, I would say Vordan is feeling the bright red of passion, but passion for what?

  Vordan is most eager to succeed, I decide. He wants something from me. If only I can be patient enough to hear what it is.

  “Continue, then,” I manage to say.

  “I’m here to offer you a place on my crew. I want to give you the freedom to do as you wish after you help me get to the Isla de Canta.”

  “I am the captain of my own ship and crew. I have the freedom to sail where I wish. Why would I find your offer even remotely tempting?” I do not ask in anger. My tone is only objective. I’m trying to reason with him. To remain calm.

  “Because ultimately you are under your father’s rule. When this is all over, Alosa, when you and your father have all three pieces of the map, when you’ve sailed to the Isla de Canta and claimed the wealth of ages—what then? I’ll tell you. Then your father will not only still have complete control over the seas of Maneria, he will also have all the wealth he needs to maintain that control. And you will always have to serve him. You will never be truly free of him.”

  “But I will be if I join you?” I ask skeptically.

  “Yes. Help me obtain what your father wants. Help me reach the Isla de Canta. Help me to usurp Kalligan’s rule, and I shall free you. When we are successful, you will be free to go as you please, do as you wish, have whatever you want. I shall not bother you or call on you again.”

  Vordan Serad is a fool. Does he think I could ever trust him to keep his word? Does he really think I would turn so easily on my father? Does he think it a burden for me to serve Kalligan? He’s my father. It is the love of family that drives my actions. I do not long for freedom, for I already have it. I have my own ship and crew that are mine to do with as I see fit. Now and again I assist my father when he needs me. He is, after all, the king. And I shall become queen when my father’s reign has ended. Vordan expects me to give that up for him? Not a chance.

  I dare not say any of this, though. I’m still sensing Vordan’s feelings and desires. He’s hopeful. Very hopeful for … something.

  Agreeing is the only way I’ll get out of this cage and have a chance of escape.

  “You’re right,” I say in an attempt to tell Vordan exactly what he wants to hear. “I have been too afraid to break free of my father. I long to be rid of him. I want nothing to do with the Isla de Canta or Kalligan, but if you swear to me that you will grant me my freedom in exchange for my services, I will help you obtain what you seek.”

  Vordan looks behind me. I turn. Theris shakes his head. “She’s lying.”

  “I am not,” I say through gritted teeth. I was so focused on Vordan, I didn’t bother feeling for what Theris wanted to hear. I didn’t realize it was he and not Vordan who I needed to convince.

  Theris smiles. “She’s using the same trick she used on Draxen. I witnessed exactly how Alosa can manipulate others by telling them what they want to hear.”

  “I may have used my abilities on Draxen, but that doesn’t mean I’m using them now,” I say, though I know it’s pointless. I know now what it was I needed to say, and it’s too late to change my response.

  “You didn’t put up enough of a fight, Alosa,” Theris says. “I watched you for a month on that ship. I listened to your conversations and … interactions.” At this he looks pointedly at Riden.

  Riden has not said anything yet.
He’s watching our captors closely, though, trying to understand the situation so we can get out of it. At Theris’s last words, he looks at me.

  Just how much did Theris see? I think with disgust.

  “I know exactly how stubborn you are,” Theris continues. “And I know how you feel about your father. You did not defend him as you usually do.”

  I want to kick him, but he’s too far away for me to reach, and I couldn’t fit my leg through the bars if I wanted to. An arm, yes, but not a leg.

  “Fine,” I say as I try to think of a new plan. “What now?”

  “In the likely event that you did not prove accommodating,” Vordan says, “we are prepared to use you in a different way.”

  I do not like the sound of this. I’ve put away the siren. I have no way to even prepare myself for what Vordan might be thinking now.

  “Bring the supplies,” he orders to the two men who still have pistols pointed at Riden. Instantly they turn around and leave the clearing.

  I can see Riden’s mind turning. Even though I can’t sense what he’s thinking, it’s not hard to guess. He’s trying to decide how to make the most out of not being so heavily guarded.

  But before he can take a step, Theris has his gun out and cocked back.

  “Don’t even think about it.”

  “Why is he even here?” I ask. “You have me. Why would you take a second prisoner? Now Draxen will be out looking for him.”

  “In time all will be revealed,” Vordan says.

  He’s enjoying himself too much, and he’s eager for what is to come. I guess it didn’t matter whether I agreed to join him or not.

  I wonder if I should change myself. Should I become Vordan’s perfect woman so he will wish to free me? It’s the only weapon I have left, but will it do any good? As I glance back over at Theris and his coin, I realize it won’t work. If I try something on Vordan, Theris will know, and he’ll put a stop to it.

  I’m helpless. No weapon. No power. At this point, I can only hope someone will venture too close to the cage or that Riden somehow frees himself and then me. Since Riden isn’t too pleased with me at the moment, I doubt he’d want to help even if he did free himself.

  When Riden’s guards return, they are not empty-handed. Each holds a bucket filled with water in one hand and something that looks a lot like a stick in the other. I can’t tell what they are at first.

  “Alosa,” Vordan says, “you are here so I can learn all the skills you possess. For if I can’t use you to help me reach the Isla de Canta, then I will use you to learn all about sirens so I can be adequately protected once I’m there.”

  An ice-cold dread freezes me.

  I’m to be his experiment.

  Chapter 17

  “WHAT?” I SAY BECAUSE I can’t think of anything else to say.

  “I can’t very well expect you to be honest about your abilities, so I’ll have to determine them for myself,” Vordan says. “Together, Alosa, we will identify all the powers sirens possess.”

  He doesn’t realize how terrifying I find the prospect. How could he know how much I loathe, and sometimes fear, using my abilities? I hate the way I feel inside and out. I hate the emotional toll they take on me. And then there’s the way I change when I have to replenish my abilities. Vordan will have me demonstrate everything over and over. The thought causes bile to rise in my throat. I swallow it back down.

  “I am only partially a siren,” I say in desperation. “What I can and can’t do will not apply to the creatures you will find at the Isla de Canta. I am of no use to you.”

  Vordan pulls at the hair on his chin. “That is not true. Even if you are not as powerful as a true siren, your abilities will give me the information I need to prepare for such a venture.”

  During our quick exchange, Vordan’s men have been moving. They place their buckets about five feet away from the cage, far out of my reach. They put what looks like a long, hollow, tubelike branch into each bucket.

  “To start,” Vordan says, “you will sing for me.”

  “Like hell I will.”

  Vordan smiles. “And that is why the young first mate is here. Theris, show Alosa what will happen each time she refuses me.”

  Theris pulls out his cutlass and rakes it across Riden’s upper arm, cutting through his shirt and sending blood streaming downward.

  Riden winces, but other than that he shows no sign of pain. Instead, he laughs, applying pressure to the fresh wound. “You’re all fools if you think the princess cares whether I live or die.”

  Theris snorts. “You’re wrong, Riden. Alosa lives by her own rules. She has a strong tendency toward vengeance. She can’t stand to see those who have wronged her walk away unscathed. Draxen kidnapped her, he beat her, he humiliated her, he tried to take her body. She loathes him. Yet he’s alive. Do you know why?”

  Riden looks at me. I quickly turn my gaze downward.

  “If she didn’t care about your pain, she would have killed him. Slowly and agonizingly. The fact that he lives proves there is at least one thing she cares about more than her own justice. You.”

  That’s not true. I … I owed Riden. He let me keep my dagger when he should have taken it from me. I settle my debts. He helped me stay safe, so I didn’t kill his brother. It was no more than that.

  I’m certain of it.…

  Wait—my dagger!

  From my seated position, I wrap my arms around my ankles, as though I’m trying to comfort myself. I pat my boot.

  Except for my foot, it is empty.

  “Looking for this?” asks Theris, pulling the weapon from his belt, where I hadn’t noticed it before.

  I try to appear as though this doesn’t trouble me at all. In reality, I’m outraged. Not only did Theris take away my only hope of escape, but I’m rather attached to that dagger.

  “Here’s how this is going to work,” Vordan says, pulling my attention away from Theris. “I will tell you what to do, and you will do it. If there is any hesitation or deviance from my words, Riden will sustain another injury. Attempt to use your abilities to escape, and we’ll kill him and bring you someone else to enchant. Is that understood?”

  I send Vordan a murderous glare. “When I get out of this cage, the first thing I’m going to do is kill you.”

  Without even waiting for a signal from Vordan, Theris stabs Riden in his forearm.

  My eyes widen as I hold in a gasp.

  “I said, ‘Is that understood?’”

  Though it’s against my nature—whether that be my human or siren one—I swallow my pride. “Yes.”

  “Good. Niffon, Cromis—the wax.”

  Vordan’s men hand him and Theris two wads of yellow-orange wax. Then they each pull out a pair for themselves. Each man inserts the substance into his ears.

  So clever, Vordan. You think yourself invincible. I will find a way out of this. I always do. It’s only a matter of time. But I wish the fear penetrating through every limb in my body had the same confidence.

  I’m not even attempting to hide the fury on my face when Vordan points to the buckets. His underlings each grab one of the thin branches and stick it into their bucket.

  “Hold out your hands, Alosa,” Vordan says a little too loudly.

  No. I won’t do it. I can’t. I won’t be subjected to this. Not again. My mind flashes back to being in my father’s dungeon.

  Manacles clamp around my wrists, chaining me to the wall. My ankles, likewise, are immobilized, clinking as chains prevent me from stepping more than a foot away from the stone wall.

  “Relax,” Father says before splashing a bucket of water into my face.

  I choke and sputter as the water drips around me.

  “Take it in, Alosa. Now, let’s see how we can make you even more powerful.…”

  I’m brought back to the present by a loud grunt. Riden has his right hand clutched around his arm. Blood squeezes its way out of a new cut, past his tense fingers.

  “Hold out your hands!” Vor
dan demands, this time shouting.

  Your memories are just memories, I tell myself. Father made you strong. He helped you learn everything you can do. If you survived the pirate king’s pressure and scrutiny, you can certainly take it from any other pathetic, mindless, slimy eel of a man.

  My self-encouragement passes through me in less than a second. So before Theris can damage Riden further, I do as Vordan says. I won’t look at Riden. What does my obedience mean for me? What does it mean to Riden?

  Niffon and Cromis kneel side by side in front of their buckets. Niffon plugs the end of his hollow branch, lifts it out of the bucket, and hoists it high into the air in front of me.

  Vordan has thought of everything, it seems.

  If only Niffon would lower the branch an extra foot, I could reach it. A simple underestimation on their part would be extremely helpful to me right now. But no. Theris has seen what I can do with limited resources. He won’t even allow me to get my hands on a stick.

  I’m caught with anticipation and dread as I wait for what will happen next. Niffon removes his thumb from his end of the branch. The ocean water caught inside now falls into my waiting hands.

  I let the water slip through my fingers and fall to the ground, but I hope it looks like I absorbed some of it. It’s my hope that I can fake my way through this. I can’t actually replenish my abilities. Not like this.

  But Vordan will have none of that. He shakes his head in displeasure. Theris drags his sword against Riden’s skin again. This time near his calf.

  “Do not let the water build up on the ground,” Vordan says. “Take it all in.”

  He’s worried I’ll preserve the water until there’s enough for me to do something truly dangerous with it. So long as Vordan and his cronies have wax in their ears, it doesn’t matter how much water I have at my disposal.

  But I don’t point this out. I haven’t any time to waste if I’m to avoid causing Riden any more pain. So when Niffon allows more water to drop, I catch it all and absorb it instantly. Nothing escapes me, and my hands dry immediately.

  The change is instant. The soothing water becomes part of me. It fills the emptiness that I’ve felt for the last couple of weeks, replenishing my song, strengthening my confidence, easing my fear. I want to feel that comfort everywhere at once. I want to jump into the ocean and swim for the deepest, blackest space so the comfort will never leave me.