“Thought you might want this.” He dropped my pink dress down and I’d never been so happy to see it.
“Thank you,” I called and dove under the ship to change.
It was a little difficult to switch clothes under the water, but I managed. I took Steel’s shirt back to the surface and discovered a rope was already waiting for me. Steel was hanging over the railing and lifted me over the edge. He caught me off guard by pulling me into a hug. Over his shoulder, I was able to see the beautiful sunset and it made the embrace so much more intimate.
“You look a million times better than you did when you first went into the water,” Steel said as he pulled away. “Did it heal you or something?”
“Yeah, I think it did. I’ve never been hurt badly so I haven’t had the need for something like that before. It was instinctual though. I knew the water would help, but I didn’t really foresee just how much it could do. I’m just as amazed by this as you.”
“So you really are feeling better then?”
I nodded.
“It would’ve been nicer to know that little tidbit about a week ago.”
I laughed. “Sorry, I honestly didn’t know that could happen.”
“She’s part witch, that’s why,” Stan’s voice yelled from behind Steel.
I startled at the sound and looked up to see him still tied to the mast. “I thought he was supposed to be released.”
“In all the havoc of trying to get everyone back on the ship before anything else could go wrong, we forgot about him.”
“Well, can we send him off on one of the smaller boats? It isn’t right to keep him there. He’s soiled himself and barely gets food and drink. He’s going to die there at the rate he’s going.”
“Would that be so bad?”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Even if I wanted to we can’t do that. One, it isn’t the pirate way. Two, we don’t have that many jolly boats as it is and if something were to happen, I wouldn’t want one to have been wasted on him. He tried to kill you, Sera. Remember that. They’re serving dinner in the dining hall. Feel like joining the crew to let them know you’re miraculously better? That’s where Bastian went when he recalled the white shirt on you.”
I smiled, but my mind was still on Stan as I said, “Yeah. Of course.”
Most of the crew members were already sitting when we arrived. They smiled as I walked passed them and said things like “good to see you better” and “you look great”. These were the strangest pirates ever. It was like they’d forgotten I was both a siren and a female. Now, I was a part of their crew and not just some stowaway.
As friendly as the guys were and as delicious as the food was, it still couldn’t deter my thoughts. Steel was overreacting about Stan. He hadn’t tried to kill me. He only wanted to return me to where I came from, which was understandable. It was normal for humans to fear my kind even though I wasn’t like the other sirens. The more I thought about it, the less I thought Stan deserved what was happening to him. Nobody deserved that.
As we ate, I blamed fatigue for my silence when I was really plotting how I was going to get Stan out of here. It would have to be late, late. When everyone was in their deep sleeps. Whoever was keeping watch would have to be distracted.
“You want to head on to bed?” Steel asked.
“What? No, I’m okay for now.” I noticed most of the men at the table were looking at me. “Did I miss something?”
“I was asking how did the water make you better, but you were in a different world,” Bastian said.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m not sure how. It just did.”
“Do ye think ye can heal others wit it?” Barty asked.
“Probably not, but to be honest, I’ve never thought to try.”
“Ye should try it on Gregor.”
“Gregor, what’s wrong with him?”
It was the first time I noticed that he wasn’t eating with us. I’d been so lost in my thoughts of freeing Stan that I hadn’t realized Gregor was absent.
“He got stabbed in the shoulder while he was fighting to get our crew safely back on the ship,” Steel said.
I gasped. “What? He seemed fine when he was carrying me to the water.”
“That’s because he’s an expert at hiding pain. He tore open his stitches while carrying you. Now, the healer wants him to stay in bed for the rest of the day.”
“I need to go see him. I can’t believe I didn’t notice he was wounded.”
I rushed from the dining room, but could’ve slapped myself for not knowing where Gregor’s room was.
“I’ll take you to him,” Steel said with a laugh.
“Thank you.”
Gregor’s room wasn’t far from Steel’s, but it was almost half the size. Gregor looked even more giant-like in this smaller space. He was sitting up in bed, staring at the wall.
“You look like you’re having fun,” I said teasingly.
He jumped. “You startled me. Didn’t hear you come in. I see you’re better.”
“And I see you’re worse.”
I motioned to his wound that was only visible because he was shirtless. He looked down at it, but waved it off like it was nothing.
“I’m fine.”
“Yeah, that’s why you’re stuck in bed,” Steel joined in on the conversation.
“I wonder if we should try the water thing. Maybe get a bucket from the sea and I’ll use it to try to make him better,” I said. “It’s better than doing nothing.”
“I’ll have someone fetch you one.” Steel gave a curt nod and left.
“So, the water really made you better?” Gregor asked.
I nodded.
“Do you think it can help me?”
I shrugged. “Not sure to be honest, but I didn’t even know it could help me. I’m amazed at how everyone’s accepted me.”
“You shouldn’t be. You have an effect on people. An aura that makes them want to like you.”
“Because of the siren in me.”
“No, because of the kindness in you. Pirate’s aren’t usually the recipients of kindness. All we get are dirty looks and bad words.”
“Are you surprised about that? You guys steal and kill for a living.”
“But we’ve usually suffered beforehand. It’s why we turn to piracy in the first place.”
“I don’t understand.”
Gregor sighed. “Most of the people on this ship were thrown out by their parents, sold to slavery, or their parents were killed at a young age. A hard life is all most of them know. Piracy is a way of having control over what happens to you. Here, they can be themselves and take what they feel life owes them.”
I chewed on my lip as I mulled that over. It was a terrible thing that they didn’t have parents. Mine helped shape me, but I also didn’t know a life without them. Would I have tuned out differently? More bitter? It was scary, but probably very likely. Either that or I would’ve been dead a long time ago.
“I’m afraid to stay on this ship,” I admitted out loud. The thought had come out of nowhere and rushed off my tongue before I could prevent it.
“Why’s that? Nobody’s going to hurt you.”
“I’m afraid the other sirens will find me and make you guys pay for hiding me.”
“You think they’re searching ships for you now?” Gregor’s words were full of sarcasm.
“No, but what if they do? What if they try to take over this ship just because they wanted to and happen to find me?”
“Then, we would be left dead whether you were on this ship or not. They wouldn’t let us live because you weren’t on the ship. They would take what they wanted—like we do.”
That made sense. Gregor was wiser than he let on and I was thankful to know him. Steel walked in with a bucket full of water. It sloshed over the sides and soaked Gregor’s floor.
“Wanted to make certain you had enough,” Steel said.
I took the bucket from him and placed it on the floor besides Gr
egor’s bed.
“I’m not sure if this is going to work or if it’s going to hurt,” I said.
Gregor gave me a nod to continue. I scooped water in the palms of my hands and dropped it over Gregor’s wound. He didn’t flinch from the coolness and not even when I placed my hand over his wound. I called the siren that was within me to the surface. The power stirred and awoke inside of me as it made my skin prickle. It was like lighting a candle and the flame burst into life.
After a few minutes passed, I pulled my hand away from Gregor and wasn’t surprised to see that nothing had happened. The wound was still fresh.
“I’m sorry,” I said as disappointment burned in my chest. I was really hoping I could help him after all he’d done for me. “I guess even though I was created by Poseidon, I’m still not a goddess.”
Gregor grinned. “It’s all good. Thank you for trying at least. It’s the thought that counts.”
“I don’t think that applies to this situation.” I shot him a smile.
“Meh, maybe not. It would’ve been pretty cool if it had worked though.”
“Yeah, it would’ve been a great asset, but at least you’re both still alive,” Steel said. “I’m going to bed, which is something you should do too, Gregor.”
“I’ve been resting all day. I’m not that tired,” Gregor groaned.
“To be honest, I have too. I’ll keep him company a little longer if that’s okay,” I offered.
“All right, but if you were wondering, our bed has been cleaned of the blood. It’s ready for you when you are. I’ll stay to the side so you don’t wake me. You’ll be able to find it okay?” Steel asked.
“Yeah, it’s only a couple of doors down from here.”
He nodded at Gregor and then kissed me on the cheek before he left. My hand flew up to where Steel’s warm lips had made contact. My ears burned when I saw Gregor looking at me with a knowing grin.
“When did that happen?” he asked.
“When did what happen?”
“You and Steel.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“We aren’t anything that I know of. We are getting to know each other.”
“Mm-hm… sure you are.”
9
After dealing with Gregor’s teasing and switching the topic to anything else—including his smaller room, I figured it was time to let him get some rest. However, after saying goodnight, I walked passed Steel’s door and kept going. The deck was silent as it had been the last time I came out here this late. I was quickly coming to terms that this was my favorite time to be out on the deck. It was quiet and still which was what I was used to from living on a remote island. This was more of a norm to me and it eased any tension. But I wasn’t able to relax right now because thoughts of Stan were plaguing my mind.
Bastian was on lookout and he would be easy to distract when the time came to it. For now, I needed to prepare an escape for Stan. I found the smallest jolly boat—as Steel had called it—that was the farthest away from Bastian and out of his sight. Next, I gathered some produce and meat into a basket and placed it into the boat. While getting the food, I also found a knife that would make cutting Stan loose a lot easier. I also discovered a blanket that would keep him warm on the chilly nights. Once I was satisfied with Stan’s supplies for the escape, it was time to free him.
Stan was sleeping when I approached him. He smelled vile with the mixture of poop, urine, and foul body odor. My stomach twisted with nausea, but I made sure to only breathe through my mouth so I wouldn’t smell it as strongly. He smelled almost as bad as the head.
My hands were shaking at the thought of freeing him and getting caught, but this was something I had to do. As much as I didn’t want to touch him, I knew I had to wake him up as quietly as possible. I put one finger to my lips and used the other hand to shake his shoulder. He jumped but I moved my finger on my lips so he would remain quiet. Thankfully, he understood what I was implying and only glared at me.
“I’m going to get you out of here but you have to do as I say and do it quietly,” I whispered as lowly as I could.
He snorted.
“I may not be the person you were expecting to help you, but I’m all you’ve got. Take it or leave it.”
He grunted. “Fine, what’s the plan?”
Thankfully, he was smart enough to whisper too.
“I’m going to untie you and distract Bastian while you get on the jolly boat that has the food I’ve gathered for you.”
“What makes you think I won’t hurt you instead?”
“Look, I know that you’re bigger than me, but in your starved state, I have a feeling you aren’t as strong as you once were. So let’s make this easy on the both of us and cooperate please. This is your life that’s at stake, not mine.”
“Fine.” It looked like it all but killed him to agree with me.
I took out the knife and cut loose the ropes that were around his midsection, on his hands, and around his ankles. He rubbed at the raw skin on his wrists and grimaced. The ropes had left red, angry marks and looked painful. Hopefully, it wouldn’t hinder his escape because time wasn’t on our side.
“Don’t get up until I get Bastian’s attention. The jolly boat I stocked is towards the back and out of sight,” I said.
He nodded but didn’t reply. It wasn’t like I was expecting a thank you, but he could’ve at least looked happy now that he was about to be free. Instead, he looked as mean and entitled as ever.
As I neared the crow’s nest, I had no idea how I was going to distract Bastian, so I would have to improvise. I cleared my throat as I worked through ideas in my head.
“Hey, Bastian.” I waved at him and he glanced over the edge to look down at me. “Good to see you back at work. Doing good I assume?”
Man, I sounded like an idiot trying to make small talk, but thankfully he bought it.
“Yeah, I’ve been doing great. I’m glad to see your shining face again though. We all thought we were going to lose you.”
“Why don’t you come down here so we can talk? We need to catch up since it’s been so long and we can keep watch from here.”
“No can do. Captain would throw me overboard again if he ever found out.”
Well, crap. What to do now? I glanced around and saw the rope ladder leading up to him. The lightbulb went off in my brain and I acted before I had time to think it all the way through.
“Guess I’ll have to come up to you then.”
“What?” His voice went up a couple octaves.
I grabbed ahold of the rope and began climbing up it. It was rough on my hands and the higher I got, the more nervous I became. I was barely halfway to Bastian when I froze. Why? Because I’d made the mistake of looking down. The ground was a good ways away and my heart plummeted.
“What’s wrong?” Bastian asked.
I couldn’t even look up at him. My eyes were glued forward as I clung to the rope. “I’m stuck.”
“What do you mean you’re stuck?”
“I mean, I don’t think I can climb any higher.”
“Why not? You don’t look like you’re tangled in the ropes from here.”
“That’s because I’m not. I can’t make my feet move.”
“Come on. You’ve got it. You were doing fine before. What happened?”
“I looked down.”
“Oh man. Y-you’re okay. Don’t be afraid. You’re n-not going to fall. Oh man, please don’t fall.”
I didn’t think I was supposed to hear the last part because it was said quietly, but I did. It made me hold on tighter.
“Nope, I won’t fall because I’m not going anywhere.”
“Sera, you can’t stay there all night. Your arms will tire eventually.”
I didn’t say anything, but knew I wasn’t moving. At least I was doing my job at distracting him. Unfortunately, it was taking the danger away from Stan and putting it on me.
“I’ll signal for help. Hang tight.”
Before
I could ask what he meant, Bastian rang a loud bell and it made me jump. My hand slipped and I started falling. This was it. I was going to die. My hands frantically tried to grab the rope again and I’d fallen a third of the way down before I was able to latch on again.
I thought I was scared before, but now I was petrified. Tears pooled into my eyes and blurred my vision. My whole body was shaking as I held onto the rope this time. Bastian was saying something, but I couldn’t hear him beyond my fear and the pounding heartbeat in my ears.
Warm, strong arms came around my waist and I opened my eyes to see Steel. He pulled me towards his chest.
“Wrap your arms and legs around me so it’s easier for me to climb down,” he said.
I did as he requested and hoped I wasn’t holding on too tightly. I could’ve kissed the deck once my feet hit it, but would’ve had to let go of Steel to do that. A few people had come out to see what was going on, but didn’t linger once they saw I was okay and with Steel.
“Either you have a death wish or you’re a magnet for trouble. I’m not certain which one it is, but I think you need to take some time off from your reckless streak,” Steel said.
His eyes were heavy from lack of sleep, but he was still smiling at me.
“Let’s just go to bed. Please,” I replied.
“Sounds good to me. You okay up there Bastian?”
Bastian called back a breathy yes and Steel and I made our way back to his room.
“Well, I learned one thing about you,” Steel said with a smirk.
“What’s that?” I quirked an eyebrow and still felt my heart thundering.
“That you’re terrified of heights.”
“A new discovery for both me and you unfortunately. I’ve never been high up before, but definitely never will be again.”
“Good to know.”
Steel’s bed smelled fresh and I cuddled into him, trying to steal his warmth. He hugged me close to him and we fell asleep like that.
With all of the excitement, I’d forgotten about Stan until Barty came bursting into the room, and woke us up.
“Cap’n, ye got to come quick,” he said.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Steel asked as he jumped up.
Sirens and Scales Page 110
