The curse had come on so quickly that I would’ve missed it if I hadn’t been looking. His men cheered in response and didn’t seem to notice his demeanor change. Well, all but one. Gregor saw and raised his eyebrows at me.
Steel pulled me to my feet and wrapped an arm tightly around my waist. “If anyone was thinking about making a move, this is my girl and I’ll kill anyone who tries.”
A chorus of “yes, captain” sounded and I nearly choked on my spit at his declaration. The notion of us officially being a “thing” was new to me, but apparently it wasn’t to this version of Steel. This one was possessive and clingy. The complete opposite of the other who avoided kissing me.
To prove my point, Steel claimed my lips with his and smacked my bottom as we walked around the hole. I yelped and it drew a laugh from him. Yep, he was on a whole other level when the curse was active and I liked it, even though it made me blush. His Cheshire grin was back and it warmed my body.
“Will you keep your eyes forward before you fall into another hole?” I snapped.
Gregor laughed at that and Steel narrowed his eyes at him. Gregor stopped quickly and shifted his eyes to the front again. I moved so Steel was once again in the front instead of beside me.
Steel held the map up as he studied it. “There’s supposed to be a small waterfall coming up, but I don’t hear it.”
“I do,” I whispered as the water called to me.
I pushed Steel aside as I followed the pull of the running water. It was singing to me. Calling my name ever so sweetly like velvet. I came to a stop in front of a pool of water. It was small, but there was a waterfall that was probably around twenty feet high. I kneeled next to the pool and reached my fingers towards it.
The ripples in the water looked like magic and my submerged fingers zinged with energy. All I wanted to do was dive right in. It was a beautiful crystal blue and shells and rocks underneath the surface were completely visible. A few fish swam around my finger and it brought a smile to my face.
“What’s that?” Bastian shouted, breaking me from my trance.
I glanced in the direction he was looking and saw people running down with spears in their hands.
“They’re coming from behind us too,” a voice I didn’t recognize exclaimed.
“And to the other side,” Steel boomed.
“What do we do?” Gregor asked.
The men and women formed a half-circle around us. We were blocked with no way out unless we wanted to ram into their spears. They all wore white face paint and each had their own design. Their clothes were made of animal hide and left little to the imagination. There was a variation of dark and light skin among them, but they all held predatory expressions. The majority of them wore some shape of bone around their neck and some had it going through their ears and noses.
One guy pushed his way to the front and held an air of superiority. He wore a golden crown on his head with glittering jewels. It was so out of place compared to their attire and mannerism. The man’s eyes skimmed us and came to a halt on me. They widened and his mouth fell slightly ajar. He beckoned me forward with a wave of his had and inclined his head.
Steel moved in front of me in a defensive manner. “You can’t have her. Who are you?”
“This human capture you?” The native’s accent was thick, but he spoke slowly enough so I could understand.
“What? No. What are you going to do to us?” I grabbed onto Steel’s arm to peer around at the man as I spoke.
“I am Heiji. I have foreseen your arrival Daughter of Poseidon.” He bowed low.
“Daughter of Poseidon? Don’t you mean siren?”
He shook his head. “You are much more than that. The treasure you seek is under the waterfall. You must swim to get there.”
“How do you know we’re here for treasure?” Steel narrowed his eyebrows.
“And why are you telling us where it is without being prompted to?” I added.
“You are our princess, so it is yours to take.” The man bowed again. “Only you can retrieve it from its hidden cavern. It is too far for any mortal to make it without drowning. We will take these men as our prisoners while you go for your swim, my lady.”
Their princess? I was no princess, but I wasn’t going to tell them that. Their belief that I’m royalty might be the only thing that could save us.
“Princess? I don’t know what you’re spewing, but we aren’t here to be prisoners,” Steel growled. “We’re here for the treasure and will take it by force if we have to.”
The leader scoffed. “Humans are such vile creatures. This is my home. You cannot force anything here. We hold the advantage on this island.”
The guy waved his hand in the air and the others closed in on us. Their spears looked sharper the closer they came and I pushed myself to stand in front of Steel.
“These men are my allies. If you mistreat them, then you mistreat me.” I figured I might as well try to use this royalty status to our advantage. “You must swear to me that they will not be harmed if I go check out the treasure.”
“My lady, we eat humans. We have been cast aside by Zeus, but Poseidon feeds us as he feels obligated to.”
“How does he feed you and why would he feel obligated to?” I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear the answer or not.
“He makes certain that our maps find their way into sailors’ hands in hopes that it would eventually lead one of his heirs to us. We’ve been protecting his treasure for years waiting for his heir to come and claim it.”
“His heir?”
“Yes, an heir like you.”
“I’m a siren. I was created by Poseidon’s power, but not born from him.”
“You do not know who you are.”
“Enough of this nonsense. We want the treasure and we want it now,” Steel said aggressively.
“You are in no place to make demands, human,” the native hissed. “You are simply food and food doesn’t get a say.”
“You can’t eat these humans,” I snapped.
“We’ve been far too long without the taste of human flesh. Many of us are rotting in our skin. You can’t deny us these humans.”
The man’s mouth opened impossibly wide to reveal multiple sets of sharp teeth. The spears started to close in on us and I tried to call out to the weather to create a storm. Nothing happened and I didn’t even feel the presence of it.
When the crew around me realized they were going to have to fight their way out, they unsheathed their swords. As they fought off the incoming spears, I attempted to sing to the people, but it had no affect on them. That shouldn’t be such a surprise considering they were monsters instead of beings.
An idea struck me as I ran to the back of the group. The oncoming attacks of the spears paused and I held my hands outstretched in front of them.
“I call upon the power of Poseidon to strike down any opponent in front of me or curse them until their death,” I shouted as loudly as I could.
Power thrummed beneath my skin and I was shocked to actually get a response. The creatures were gaping at me. The animalistic glares that had previously been on their faces were replaced with uncertainty and fear.
“My people and I will take our leave. Anyone who stands in our way or attempts to stop us will pay the price with their own heads.”
I kept my hands out wide and the monsters moved out of the way as I walked. Steel was close behind me as he and his crew followed my lead. The fiends cocked their heads but made no more attempts to attack. Their weapons were held at the ready, but I didn’t back down.
Once we cleared the outer row of them, I stopped to face them until the last pirate was out of harm’s way. The leader now stood before me with his needle-like teeth still bared. He looked uncertain, but the resolve hardened his face.
“You are no friend to us, Daughter of Poseidon.” He spat in our direction. “You will pay for betraying our trust.”
“Run,” I hollered as I turned to escape with my men.
> The demons were on our heels and it only made us pick up our speed. The boats were finally in sight. Steel and I were behind everyone else and as the men dove onto the boats, I sent a wave to push them off the shore and closer to The Sea Nymph’s Revenge.
“Hold your breath,” I told Steel as we plunged into the water.
I kicked my legs swiftly as the siren took over. I took us back up to the surface to see we were almost to The Sea Nymph’s Revenge. The jolly boats were a foot behind us and Gregor hauled Steel into his.
I lingered in the ocean to glance back at the island. The monsters were at the edge of the water and were thrusting their spears into the air. They must not be able to swim or knew it would be impossible to beat me once I was in my element. Either way, I was glad they didn’t pursue.
12
“You ready to come back aboard yet?” Steel called down to me after all of the guys were back on the vessel.
The water felt terrific and I wasn't ready to leave it just yet. But I didn't want them waiting on me, so instead I shouted back, “Yeah.”
Steel threw a rope over and I grasped it. As he pulled me up, I looked back towards the island one last time. The creatures were still raising their spears up and down and I grimaced. I pictured their sharp teeth and shivered.
“You cold?” Steel asked and enveloped me in his arms. He must've seen the chill go through me.
“No, I'm just still freaked out by those things.”
“What do you think he meant by Poseidon’s heir?” Bastian was watching me expectantly.
“I have no clue. Maybe because we're considered to be the children of Poseidon? Either way, I hope we never run into them again.”
“Why? They thought you were royalty.” Gregor inclined his head mockingly.
I shook my head at him. “Just because they think something doesn't mean it’s true. They were cannibals and probably worshiped creatures of the sea.”
“Don' ye wanna know what they ‘ad in that cave?” Barty asked.
“Yeah, but there's no way I'm going back to find out.” I shivered again at the thought.
“I wouldn't let you go back anyway. I think we need some rum after that narrow escape. Especially since we came back empty handed.” Steel sighed.
“What ‘appened, captain?” one of the crewmen I didn't know asked.
“We'll tell you over some rum,” Steel said. “You're not going to believe it sober.”
Everybody gathered around in the dining room. Steel recounted the events to the men who hadn’t accompanied us. Rum was poured and the terror still hadn’t left some of the guys’ eyes. I couldn’t blame them because my head was still reeling from it all.
“Did you notice your fingers were glowing?” Steel asked and it took a second before I realized the question had been directed at me.
“They were glowing?” I looked at my fingers that were perfectly normal at the moment. “What color?”
“They shined blue,” Bastian said. “How could you miss it?”
“I was too busy worrying about escaping with our lives.”
Bastian nodded. “That makes good sense.”
“Maybe you’re more powerful than you think,” Steel added.
“I don’t think that’s possible,” I said.
Steel’s expression was calculating and his eyes roamed down towards my fingers. I fought the urge to clench them into fists and waited until his eyes moved back towards me. When they did, I noticed that they’d returned to their normal grey.
“How many teeth did you say they had?” someone asked.
And that was how we spent the remainder of the night. The men wanted a full profile on those monsters and I needed assistance from a cup of liquid courage—that was what the men called it—so I could continue listening to them discussing those monsters.
The alcohol burned as it slid down my throat, but it was easy to bear after all I’d been through. I took a few more sips and as Gregor described those demons in detail, I realized I didn’t care at the moment. Rum was making my mind, fingers, and toes numb. I wasn’t certain if I necessarily enjoyed the feeling, but I didn’t hate it either.
I listened to Gregor and my thoughts trailed back to the island. It was insane to think Poseidon didn’t mind creatures like that in the world. They knew me as a siren though so maybe there was more to them than meets the eye. But I certainly wasn’t going to find that out either because I wouldn’t return to that island even if my life depended on it.
“Sera, ye wanna dance?” Barty asked a few drinks later.
“Dance?” I giggled. “There’s no music.”
“So?”
My laughter turned into a drunk snort. “I don’t know how to dance.”
“I’ll be the one to teach you, not Barty.” Steel wrapped his arm around me and hoisted me onto my feet.
They were unsteady and each step was harder than the previous. The room was booming with drunken laughter as Steel and I attempted to dance. I wasn’t a good dancer sober, so while drunk, I looked like a hot mess.
After landing on my face twice, I figured it was time to throw in the towel. Especially since I received a nice scratch on my chin the second time. My legs wobbled as I attempted to return to my seat and Steel and I toppled to the floor once again.
“I think it’s time to head back to the room and sleep this off. I’m only becoming a hazard to myself and to others.” Plus, I was back to snorting again which was very unbecoming.
“Only if I can come with you,” Steel said as he gripped my waist.
“Where else would you go?”
The heat in his eyes set my skin on fire and I jumped when Gregor’s hand came in front of me.
“You look like you need a hand,” he slurred and pulled me back to my feet.
I leaned on Gregor for support and Steel shot up. He replaced Gregor as my leaning pole and guided me to the room. Steel’s lips kissed the bare skin of my shoulder and I opened the door. We made for the bed, but drowsiness started to numb any remaining senses I had.
“Steel, I don’t feel so good,” I groaned and buried my head into the pillow.
“Do you need to puke?” Steel asked as he rubbed my back.
That was the last thing I remembered before passing out completely.
Because we didn't acquire the treasure, there was talk of pillaging another ship amongst the crew again. A few days had passed since the horrifying trip to the island but I continued to have nightmares that involved being pierced by their spears. I'd woken up in a cold sweat the last two nights and Steel was starting to suffer from the lack of sleep. He’d been grumpy at breakfast this morning and everybody steered clear of him until Gregor made Steel go take a nap.
Steel and I hadn’t tried to revisit our drunken night again. We needed a do over where we were both in our right mind. Without Steel’s curse and without the fog of rum.
With Steel sleeping, Gregor was at the wheel and I was with him at the moment. He was discussing with Bastian possible paths that we could take that were most likely to cross paths with a merchant ship. I was pretending not to hear them because I didn't want any part of their decision.
It was a beautiful sunny day and it lifted my spirit slightly. Black circles were beginning to form under my eyes and I didn’t know why I was so affected by those cannibals. There was no way I would see them again, so they should be out of my mind by now. Instead, a little tug kept pulling it to the front of my brain.
Visions of their teeth lingered in the dark wherever I went, but the sun eliminated that for the time being. I wanted to talk to Steel about my nightmares, but didn’t want to bother him with them.
With Bastian and Gregor still plotting ways to retrieve more gold, I moved to the edge of the ship. The water was calm today and it contradicted the storm that was raging in my mind. My thoughts momentarily went back to the sirens who were supposed to be my family. Did they know about those demons? Did the sirens help lure men for the cannibals to eat? They weren’t humans
though so why did they even refer to themselves as cannibals?
Bubbles rose to the surface of the water and they were followed by a fish poking its head up. It swam in a circle twice before diving back down. I had the urge to follow it and swim freely. The call of the ocean was getting harder and harder to fight since my swimming time had been decreased. The siren in me craved it and I was foolishly starting to think that I wasn’t being hunted anymore. That the other sirens had forgotten about me. There had been no signs of them anywhere and I prayed it would remain that way.
“Look to the water,” Barty exclaimed from the crow’s nest.
My eyes were already trained on it, but I didn’t know what he was referring to. I began looking around, fearful that my thoughts jinxed me and brought the sirens here. Then, I saw them and my hands flew to my mouth.
Bodies of men were floating on the surface and they appeared to be fresh from what I could see. They didn’t stink from death yet, but fragments of wood floated around them. My first thought was that there had been a battle and these men lost—until I got a glimpse at one’s face. He was smiling and appeared to have been happy when he died. Only one creature I knew of did that. Sirens. These men were victims of a siren attack and it was too close for comfort. I stared at the bodies, unable to look away.
An arm grabbed my shoulder and I was pressed into Steel’s chest. The smell of him eased the tension from my shoulders, but something wet ran down my face. My body shook and for the first time, I realized I was sobbing.
“It’s okay,” Steel said soothingly. “I’m here. Gregor sent for me.”
No words came to me as I continued to cry into his shoulder. He picked me up bridal style and I was thankful he was taking me away. Why were there so many bad things in the world? Why did they bring so much death? The creatures from that island, sirens, even humans.
“I’m sorry I asked you to do something like that,” Steel whispered into my hair as he embraced me. “I would never want you to tarnish your beautiful soul with something so horrifying. No amount of gold is worth that.”
“What about your soul?” I hiccuped.
Sirens and Scales Page 113
