“So, where should we start?” I asked once our plates were practically empty.
“I told everyone you wanted to go visit your pirate, so maybe we should start there,” Eleanor suggested.
“If I may, I don’t think now is the best time for you to leave, but you are the queen, so you may do as you wish,” Roderick said.
“I must agree with the Roderick,” Pricilla added. “While the barrier is keeping us safe, everyone is still adjusting to the loss of our king and the idea of you being their new queen.”
“I know the timing isn’t great, but I made a promise to Steel that I would return quickly,” I said. “I usually tend to keep my promises. I won’t be gone long. Just long enough to fill him in on what’s going on.”
“That sounds acceptable to me,” Peter said. “I don’t see the problem with it.”
“I know the rest of you don’t like the idea of me leaving, but I must insist on doing this. I don’t want him to worry and go on a rampage again.”
“Is this the same pirate who killed Eon?” Eleanor asked.
“No, Eon was alive when I found him. I sent him with—” I cut myself off. Serena. “Did he ever return?”
Pricilla shook her head. “No, and your dad was about to send a search party out for him before the mermaids attacked.”
“I think a mermaid killed him.”
Serena must’ve killed him. That was the only thing that made sense, and it was my fault because I sent him to her. I would never place my trust in someone so easily ever again. Serena burned that bridge and taught me an important lesson. At least she wasn’t a problem anymore thanks to the Kraken.
“I suspected that. Eon was a great man.” Eleanor lowered her head. “He will be missed along with the others we’ve lost.”
“What should we do while you’re gone?” Rodrick asked.
“I don’t plan on being gone for longer than a few hours, so just keep an eye on the barrier and handle any complaints until I return,” I answered. “Has anyone tried to use a tail now that we have the necklace back?”
A chorus of no’s sounded from around the table.
“We don’t want to leave the barrier,” Pricilla elaborated. “Not so soon after the attack at least.”
“Well, I’ll be the first to try. It should help me reach Steel quicker. I’ll leave immediately, so I can return before anyone notices my absence,” I said.
“They’re probably going to see you,” Eleanor said.
“Maybe, but either way it’s better to keep it on the down low.”
“Agreed,” Peter and Rodrick said at the same time.
I left them before they could talk me out of it and headed to the back of the castle. My heart clenched at the site of the enchanted garden. It was destroyed and I hadn’t been able to fix it when I put up the barrier.
“Your father couldn’t set that up by himself either from what I’d heard,” Thames said from behind me.
I turned to face him with a frown. “Yeah, but I was hoping I could keep it together in his memory.”
“You did incredible for your first time using that much magic. I think he would understand. Where are you heading to?”
“How do you know I’m going somewhere?” I quirked an eyebrow.
“I can see it in your eyes and I can’t believe you were leaving without telling your only friend goodbye.”
“I’m sorry, I was trying to sneak out. I’m going to see Steel just to give him an update on everything that’s happened and that it’s going to take me longer to return to him again.”
“I would say bring him here, but that’s not the best idea I’ve thrown out there.”
“No, it isn't unfortunately.”
“Be careful and keep an eye out for any mermaids. See you when you return.”
“I won’t be gone long. See you in a bit.”
Thames waved as I walked through the barrier behind the castle. It was like walking through a thin film of pressure that was released as soon as I crossed. I glanced back to see it still intact and my shoulders relaxed. With another wave to Thames, I focused on my legs. They grew hot and bubbles circled them. When they cleared, a blue tail had replaced my legs.
I tried to move my tail, but it was difficult at first. I couldn’t get it to obey my commands and could see Thames watching and laughing at my struggle. So, it was with red cheeks that I was finally able to swim away.
Swimming to the surface was much faster with the tail. I almost felt as fast as the Kraken. I could see a ship in the distance, but it didn’t look familiar, so I didn’t go near it. Steel could be anywhere on this vast ocean and I realized how much of a fool I was for thinking I could just pop my head up and see him.
The Kraken was my only option, but I hated to call on him so soon. No, I would search a little longer before I asked him for help. The only viable option right now was to check out that ship in the distance. I couldn’t remember what Steel’s new one looked like from this angle because I’d been so focused on Eon the last time I saw it.
Once I got close enough, I looked to see who was on watch. I didn’t recognize the man and had a feeling this wasn’t the ship I was looking for.
“Nets overboard,” someone shouted from the ship and a large net followed the command.
It was heading straight for me and I swam down trying to avoid it, but it wrapped itself around me as if it had a mind of its own. I found myself tangled in its grasp and was unable to rip it. I bit, I clawed, but nothing worked. As they started to pull me up, I bit my finger hard enough to draw blood and hoped the Kraken would smell it.
I was roughly tossed onto the ship and heard male laughter from all around me.
“Looks like we found ourselves a mermaid, boys,” one of the men said.
My gaze landed on him and I found a man with no teeth and a bald head staring back at me.
“What are we gonna do with her?” another asked.
“What would you guys like to do with her?” No-teeth pirate tried to grin, but it looked so creepy.
I fought against the net again while they just laughed at my struggle.
“Sera,” a weak voice called and it sounded so familiar that it made me pause.
I followed the sound to see Steel tied to the large mast. His face was broken and bruised and his feet and wrists were bound together.
“Steel,” I cried and forgot where I was for a moment. “What happened to you? Where is the crew?”
“Boys, it seems the mermaid knows the infamous Captain Bloody Steel,” a man with a large hat and crooked smile said as he stepped forward.
“You mean the former Captain Steel.” The men chuckled.
“Yes, right. I’ll have to remember that. The name’s Captain Quickfoot and I run this rig. How do you know this pirate, mermaid?”
“I’m not a mermaid,” I snapped with a snarl. Seeing Steel in trouble really brought the animal out in me. “I’m a siren.”
The men let out a chorus of laughter.
“If you ain’t a mermaid, why do you have a tail?” Captain Quickfoot asked and I noticed the sun reflecting off his silver teeth.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you, but know that you will regret crossing me and Captain Steel,” I seethed. “You might as well forfeit your lives now because they’re already mine.”
The men chortled again as if this was the funniest thing that’d ever happened to them, but their smiles were quickly wiped away when a deafening roar pierced through the water. Familiar tentacles sprang up and began attacking the ship.
“The Kraken,” the man with no teeth yelled at the top of his lungs.
“Man your battle stations,” Captain Quickfoot ordered as my presence was temporarily forgotten, but I knew it would be no use.
I’d seen the Kraken at work and knew that they were done for. A wicked smile made its way onto my face at the thought.
Chapter Fifteen
“Sera!” I felt more than heard the Kraken calling my name.
It reverbera
ted through my bones and I sensed him reaching towards me mentally as he tried to find where I was.
“I’m stuck in a net on the ship,” I sent my words to him mentally. “Steel is tied to the mast.”
“Say my name over and over again in your mind and direct it towards me to help me locate where you are.”
It sounded like a long-shot but I did as he said and recited his name again and again. It didn’t take long for his tentacle to discover my position on the floor of the deck. He swatted away the pirates that were swinging their swords at him and lifted me up to bring me into the water. When I was in his line of sight, he ripped the rope apart like it was nothing.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
“I’m fine, but Steel is still tied to the mast and I don’t know where his crew is. They might be locked up on the ship somewhere.”
“Shall I sink it?”
“Can you put a hole in the side of the ship and allow me to swim through it to see if I can find the others? That way it’ll sink slowly too instead of all at once.”
“A hole you shall have,” the Kraken said and thrust one of his tentacles through the underside of the ship.
“Thank you, can you work on taking the ship down from the top while trying to make sure Steel is unharmed?”
“I can try to do that.”
“Just please keep him safe for me.”
I pushed my way through the hole as it sucked in water. The water was slowly filling this level of the ship. I focused on my tail and watched as it turned back into a pair of legs. I was thankful there wasn’t anyone around, and I took off in a random direction. The boat rocked and swayed and made it difficult to remain steady on my feet.
It was dark, but my eyes had already adjusted and saw movement in a back corner. I approached it silently and found bars blocking my way from continuing forward.
“Who’s there?” I asked.
“Sera? That sounds like you, but I’m finding it very hard to believe that you’d be here,” came the voice of Gregor.
“It’s me,” I said. “These pirates captured me, but it didn’t last long thanks to the Kraken. I’m going to try to get you out of here. Any tips on how?”
“We’ve tried everything.” His voice was full of despair, but I wasn’t ready to give up just yet.
“Can you guys hold your breath for a good bit?”
“We’re pirates. Of course we can hold our breath.” I would recognize Bastian’s voice anywhere. He sounded defeated too.
“Okay, I have an idea, but it involves the Kraken. Do you guys trust me?”
“Of course we do,” several of the men replied.
“All right, come towards this bar and hold on tight. Wait for further instructions before moving.”
I followed the bar until I found the solid wall and placed my hand against it. “Can you hear me?” I sent towards where I hoped the Kraken would be.
“Yes, and your Steel is currently floating in a small boat and is unharmed,” he replied
“Excellent I can’t repay you enough for what you’ve done, but I need one more favor.”
“As long as I get to eat all of the pirates on this ship, your wish is my command.”
“They’re yours. Can you sense my location again and break through the wall of the ship?”
“Yes, just think my name again and it’ll help me find you.”
“Please be quick. The water in here is rising and I need to get the rest of the crew out before they drown.”
Not even ten seconds after I started saying his name, the Kraken’s tentacles broke through the wood of the ship to the right of my head. Water surged in and it was difficult to push myself out. The Kraken was waiting for me when I finally forced my way through the hole.
“You’ve done amazing so far. Thank you. Right now, I need you to burst through right here and let the men out, but you can’t eat these guys.”
The Kraken did as I asked and I pushed myself back into the ship. His aim was perfect and I was in the cell with the boys, but the water was surging in too quickly. There was no way I’d be able to get them out of that hole, so I needed a new plan. Especially since they were beginning to panic.
“Hey boys.” They all turned to look at me with frantic eyes when I spoke. I could tell they couldn’t actually see me clearly in the dark. “I need you all to move to the right of the cell and hold on tightly to the bars.” I watched as they all did as I asked.
I sent my thoughts to the Kraken, “All right, can you push through the same hole and knock out the bars of the cell for me?”
“Yes, that is simple enough,” came his reply.
His ginormous tentacle broke through the ship, knocking down the metal bars as if they were made of paper. The guys let out yells as the water carried them to the other side of the ship.
“Okay guys, we’re going to have to swim for that hallway over there,” I said as I pointed in the correct direction.
“What hallway? It’s pitch black.” Gregor‘s voice sounded high-pitched with terror.
I bit my lip and tried to think of how I could get them to move when I remembered that I was the siren. Why did I keep forgetting that? I could make them do whatever I wanted. This would work because I would be doing it to help them.
I started humming softly and then moved onto a more melodic tune as I beckoned them to follow me. The boat jerked sideways and knocked us off our feet, but I stood back up and continued singing. The men followed me as I walked. The sound of my voice was their anchor. I had no idea where I was going but knew I had to keep pressing forward to protect the crew from drowning.
I felt thankful that we hadn’t run into anyone, and I was pretty certain it was all thanks to the Kraken. I hoped he would have a belly full after this one. He definitely deserved it in my book. These were the type of pirates that the stories were about. They liked to capture sirens and mermaids. I wondered what they were going to do to me if the Kraken hadn’t shown up. A shiver ran down my spine at the possibilities.
When we finally reached the top deck, I could see the ship actively sinking and all of the other pirates were either fighting the Kraken or evacuating on the jolly boats. At first, I feared for Steel, but the Kraken said he was in a safe place, so I would worry about him later.
For now, I had to focus on getting the others off this ship safely. Using my power, I commanded the men to pick the nearest target. With my voice urging them on, they were stronger than usual and managed to take the enemies’ weapons. I made them get on the jolly boat and it wasn’t until they were out of range of the sinking ship that I stopped singing.
The men blinked as they were released from my spell and looked around with dazed expressions. I knew they could take it from there, so I left to help the Kraken with my voice. Any man who was still swinging at the Kraken was forced to walk off the side of the ship and straight into the Kraken’s mouth. I kept singing this time until there weren’t any pirates from Captain Quickfoot’s ship left alive—not even the ones who thought they’d escaped on a jolly boat.
When I’d finally stopped singing, my skin still thrummed from the power I’d just released. It sent waves of ecstasy through me and I reveled in it. I finally understood why the other sirens liked to kill humans. I probably wouldn’t do it again if I didn’t have to, but man did it feel amazing.
As I came down from my high, I remembered to look for Steel. I stood atop the ship as it continued sinking and looked around, but only saw Gregor and the others.
“Do you guys see Steel?” I yelled to the crew.
“No,” they shouted back after glancing around.
I looked to the Kraken. “Where’s Steel? I thought you said he got out.”
“Last I saw, he did. He was in a smaller boat by himself,” the Kraken replied.
I glanced around again, but all the other jolly boats were empty besides the one Gregor and the men were on.
“He can’t have just disappeared,” I said to the Kraken.
“
I will go under and see if I can find him, but I don’t sense him anywhere nearby.”
I remained on the ship even after it was completely submerged. My head was reeling at where Steel could’ve disappeared to. How could he be there one minute but not the next? I didn’t see any bodies floating in the water either. The Kraken had already gobbled all of them up.
When the Kraken returned, I asked, “Did you eat him?”
“No, I’m positive I did not,” he answered and sounded a little offended.
“This doesn’t make any sense. I’m going to go talk to the others. Do you know which direction Tortuga is so I can point them there?”
The Kraken pointed a tentacle and I committed it to memory. “Thank you for your help, and please take some much needed time off. If you happen to see or hear anything about Steel, don’t hesitate to let me know. I won’t stop looking until he’s found.”
The Kraken left after saying something about a full belly and a nap, and I swam towards the crew. When I got close enough, I pulled myself up on the side of their boat and hung with my feet still in the water.
“We don’t know where Steel is,” I said anxiously. My stomach felt sick at the thought of something happening to him.
“What do you mean you don’t know where Steel is?” Bastian asked.
“I mean, he was on the water in a boat one minute, and now, he isn’t there. I looked in the ocean and the Kraken’s going to keep his eyes open. I just have no idea where he could’ve gone.”
“Did one of your siren friends take him?” Gregor asked with narrowed eyes.
“I’m the only siren that came here,” I replied.
“Can you go check with them and make sure of that?” Bastian asked.
“I can go check and see if anyone saw anything. What happened? How were you guys captured in the first place?”
“It was a bad decision for all of us.” Gregor looked away from me with downcast eyes. “Steel suggested a pilly and everyone jumped at the chance for one. We thought we could take their gold, but they sank our ship and locked us up. Steel got the worst of it and kept us protected from their wrath.”
“This is all that’s left of the crew?”
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