by S. M. Welles
I spun to face her again. “You wouldn’t!” Her air of superiority didn’t waver in the least. “How can you even think of doing such a thing? All the people who live here are innocent!”
“I would.”
Sea monsters began marching and slithering out of the surf and heading inland, ignoring me. They kicked up sand, shook off water and eyed the historic town with destruction on their minds. I didn’t recognize a few types of monsters but they had to be from one myth or legend or another. One of the things marching out of the water was… Tethys. He walked right by me, fixing me with a smug grin before continuing inland. I watched helplessly as they tore down the nearest castle-like homes and continued northward, dragging any and all unfortunate locals into the sea, Tethys working right alongside the monsters. My home was farther north, closer to the dock I moored at every visit, yet farther inland.
“Not all monsters are covered in scales. I’ve churned up the bottom of the sea for some of the nastiest. Don’t take too long to get home,” she said in a tone that didn’t care how long I took. “And if you go alone to defend your home, I can assure you a storm will claim your ship and your crew, hurricane season or not. Heed my advice and I just might show a little mercy and spare them.”
The kelpie stomped a hoof and a huge wave rose behind it and Amphitrite. I wanted to run but all I could do was stand there and watch with morbid fascination. The wave crested high overhead as the sunlight shined through it and more monsters kept marching ashore.
“Don’t forget to hurry.”
She and her mount melded with the wave as it crashed and sent me somersaulting backwards, until my back hit something hard and flat. Might’ve been the road. But when I realized I no longer heard water roiling around, I opened my eyes. I could see nothing but black. I felt around and found the edges of a cot. The smell of metal, sea water, and anti-septic fluids filled my nose. So I was awake. I patted down my torso and felt no pain or sutures. I was whole again. The relief was bittersweet. I also had an IV attached to my arm, but the needle was no longer under my skin. I peeled off the tape, then got up and blindly felt my way to one corner of the container, the far one opposite the door. That was where I had plates of food sent up to me. I could smell bread and melted cheese when I got close. I wasn’t hungry but I needed every ounce of strength I could gather, so I sat on the floor and wolfed down cold meat-lover’s pizza and guzzled the electrolyte mixture Mido had left me, then, with a flip of two levers, sent the empty plate down so they’d know I was awake and well enough to eat.
Amphitrite was right about Newport. I’d watched over my home for almost three hundred years, finding solace in the place every time I visited. Even though the locals hated me, Newport would always be home. I didn’t want anything to happen to it. It was the only un-erasable link to my pure human past. Now Amphitrite was threatening to destroy that as well? That was a real low blow.
I couldn’t help but fear this punishment really might break me. My hands were shaking already. I got up and felt my way to the door, then used my command over water form two giant hands and wave at whoever was piloting my ship.
Chapter 31
Newport
I spent the last three nights of lockdown building strength and worrying about Newport and my crew. I paced when I couldn’t help it. Otherwise, I forced myself to conserve energy. I was feeling weak from the extensive repairs my curse had mended. Rapid healing didn’t just magically happen—well it did, but not without payment of energy and materials. I’d lost a modest amount of muscle mass, enough to feel weak and fatigued. I was feeling decent physically by the last night, but still a bit weak, like my muscles had atrophied.
Mentally, I was a wreck. The army of monsters from my nightmare were ever present in my thoughts, along with Amphitrite’s warning not to dally. How would she factor in my lockdown? I feared her thoughts on that were, “Oh, well. You should’ve timed your escape better.” My imagination generated all sorts of crushing scenarios I struggled hard to block from my conscious thoughts. I didn’t want to envision my home being anything less than intact. Even though I didn’t spend much time there any given year, it was still home. Home.
The day after I repaired and regained consciousness, Cancer checked on me from outside the container. I informed him that he’d saved me from a temporary death. He was just as relieved as me, then warned me that Jacobi was still being an ass to Jessie. I asked him to leave me alone after that. Didn’t tell; asked. That’s how stressed I was. Rammus could deal with it. I didn’t want to hear about any crap while in lockdown.
When I wasn’t stressing over the perilous state of my home, I was brooding about my crew. Sam had family in Newport. They were going to die if we didn’t get there fast enough. If they died, then Sam would lose the most important people in his life, and it’d be all because of me. I couldn’t let that happen. I’d do everything in my power to prevent that from happening, including to tapping into the power I hated using. The sacrifice of my humanity was nothing compared to the loss of family. I didn’t want to have to face Sam after him losing those he loved most because of me.
Thinking about Sam and his family got me thinking about my life and all the people that had come and gone through it. So many people would’ve been better off if they’d never met me. Working in the shipping industry attracted its own hazards, but my curse? All my attempts to pretend to live a normal life as a normal person had resulted in the death of thirty people. People like Jersey and Mike, who died to other hazards, weren’t among those thirty. I’d cremated so many people in my two hundred and seventy seven years, and I hadn’t forgotten a single name or nickname, where they died, or when.
I carried the guilt of their deaths every day. Some days the guilt overwhelmed me. Other days it was no more than a poisonous whisper. I’d tried so hard to keep every last one of them alive. I could’ve tried harder if I’d been more willing to use the power of my demon form, but no. The selfish need to preserve my humanity had cost thirty lives. More, really, since I could’ve saved Jersey and Mike if I’d used my demon powers. God, I could’ve saved so many more lives that way.
I would not make that same mistake in Newport. The thought made me squirm, but the fear of more loss overrode my own wants for once.
The morning Rammus finally let me out, I was waiting by the door, wearing just my pants and sandals, and a towel slung over a shoulder. I wasn’t planning on staying small enough to wear clothes for long. There was no time to waste.
Rammus smirked. “Eager for a shower, Captain?”
“No time.” I stepped out into the pale light. “Call—” The entire crew was gathered near the railing, all wearing relieved smiles. I was flattered but… “Why is everyone here?”
“How are you feeling, Captain?” Cancer asked.
Horrible. “Pressed for time. All of you…” I couldn’t bring myself to say it, to explain that they all had to come with me into almost certain death, because Amphitrite would assure their deaths if they didn’t.
“We’re headed for Newport. We skipped the San Juan shipment, as ordered. Now what’s going on?”
I turned around and tried to contain my panic. We were wasting precious seconds, but it was better now than later, while we weren’t surrounded by monsters. “I was born and raised in Newport, Rhode Island. It’s the only thing I have left from before I was cursed. It’s my home, and Amphitrite is threatening to wipe it off the map.” I pulled the towel off my shoulder. “As to why now, it’s my punishment for what went down in the cave.”
“So she’s destroying your home for breaking her heart?” Ted said. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It doesn’t have to.” She’d made twisted sense in the nightmare, but there was no way I was going to reveal that this personal attack was meant to break me. I clutched the towel in both fists so they wouldn’t see my hands shaking. My thoughts were racing because of the lengths she’d go to spread her misery to me. “She’s the sea. We’re at the mercy of her
whims.”
“This is nuts,” Scully said unhappily.
“Captain,” Jacobi said, “you’ve had nothing but problems ever since you took her on board.”
“I didn’t take Jessie. She found her own way here.”
“Still, you kept her. You should’ve dumped her in Port Chesapeake.”
Jessie was giving the back of Jacobi’s head a look of death. Mido held her tight, his posture taut with contained rage. I was feeling just as pissed off for having someone else think they better knew how to handle curse-related people and problems than I did. That was like me telling Mido how to cook, or Cancer how to administer healthcare. The rest of the crew looked disgusted with the crap coming out of Jacobi’s mouth. “You’re very wrong. Now shut up about things you don’t understand.” I tried to start for the bow.
“No. I think you need to listen to me for once.” He unfolded his arms.
“Oh really?”
“I believe one of those two has you under her spell and is toying with you nonstop. None of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t kept her,” he said, pointing over his shoulder with a thumb. “She’s been nothing but trouble since the day she stepped foot on your ship. You need to listen to me and throw her overboard right now, and be done with her. You’re not yourself anymore.”
Oh, he’d picked a bad day to piss me off. I called water to me with a thought but kept it hidden below the railing. I took a step forward and spoke in a dangerously low voice. “Jacobi, tell me what to do with Jessie again and I’ll throw you overboard myself.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
I dropped my towel and, in one swift motion, socked him in the gut with a fist of water, sending him sprawling, and pinning his wrists to the deck with rings of water. I kept pressure on his wrists like a waterfall pounding on rock, and held a globe of water in front of my fist. I poised it over him like I was priming to punch him as I straddle his sides. He stared up at me, eyes wide, as he gasped for breath.
The rest of the crew backed away. I took a deep breath. “I wouldn’t be on this ship right now if it wasn’t for her! Don’t you see? Because of her avatar status, she was able to come rescue me! She just saved me from a very long imprisonment where you would’ve all died of old age before she let me out! She braved sea monsters, the wrath of a goddess, and put her own life on the line for me! She didn’t have to but she did, and you’re still demonizing her? She even told me the naiads tried to get her to take you with her, but she refused, even after being advised otherwise. You have no idea how much gall that took. You owe her your life!” I paused to see if he was paying attention. He stared up with wide-eyed surprise. “She is our ally and an asset to the crew. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Captain.” He swallowed. “I was worried because you’re not acting like yourself.”
Of course I wasn’t. I was stressed out of mind. My home, my last link to my curse-free humanity, was in danger, along with the entire crew, all because of me.
Scully said, “Cut him some slack, Jacobi. He’s been through hell.”
Rammus said, “I wouldn’t be myself either if my home, wife, and kids were in danger.”
“Mine are,” Sam said unhappily, fidgeting with his belt. “Captain, I’m as anxious as you to get home.”
Still glaring, I said, “Then let’s get going. And you,” I said to Jacobi, “will stop testing my patience with your vendetta against Jessie. Do I make myself very clear?”
Jacobi looked at me with a healthy dose of fear and remorse in his eyes. “Yes, Captain. I’m sorry.”
The apology was unexpected. I lowered my fist and water sphere, then stepped back and jerked him to his feet with the water around his wrists, just to give him another moment of feeling powerless. He let out a startled gasp, then stood there like an animal in shock while holding his arms up in surrender. I released his wrists and sent the water back into the sea.
The rest of my crew looked like they wanted to cheer for what I’d done but were afraid I’d snap at them for it. I didn’t want any praise for laying Jacobi flat. It was bullying to an extreme. Still, he probably needed to be put in his place, but what really bothered me was the fact that I’d snapped like that. It was a positive indicator that I was cracking, breaking under the pressure, just as Amphitrite wanted.
Jacobi lowered his arms, studied me a moment, then looked at Jessie. He went over and stood before her. “I still remember the night when those things came. All I heard was them wanting to take me. I thought you were in league with them, but you didn’t turn me into a prisoner and you brought Captain back all by yourself. I still don’t what to think about all that and I still don’t trust you, but… it’s…”
“I understand,” Jessie said. “I forgive you.”
“Thanks.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Please help Captain. I hate seeing him like this.”
“I’m trying.”
I picked up my towel, balled it up, and tossed it to Rammus. “Don’t worry about manning the wheel. Just stick her in neutral and drop anchor when I tell you to. I’ll take care of the rest. Everyone else go to your bunks and sit tight. And Rammus, go join them once you’ve released the anchor.” I looked at Jessie and bit back my comment about my impending telepathic communication with her. I didn’t feel comfortable letting the rest of the crew know we could do that while I was transformed. I didn’t care if she told Mido. She probably had while I was in lockdown. I needed the shred of humanity in their eyes.
“What’re you doing, Captain?” Rammus said.
“Going water demon and taking you all for a ride, so don’t leave your bunks until I’m up to full speed. Now where are we exactly?”
“Oh. Uh, the Caribbean. Somewhere between Venezuela and Puerto Rico.”
I nodded as I filed the geographical information and calculated my route. My crew hesitated, then started filing below deck. Of course their minds were a bit boggled. After all these years, this was the first time they’d heard me declare I was about to transform on purpose, and this would only be the second time for me, the first having been after Rhode had instructed me to. All the other times I’d been forced to, or had dipped too far into demon strength when commanding water.
I headed to the bow while Rammus headed for the wheelhouse, then I kicked off my sandals next to the Harpy and unbuttoned my pants. Rammus was watching from inside the wheelhouse. I held up a finger, signaling him to wait a moment, then climbed onto the bow and looked at the rolling water. It was clear and beautiful, yet too deep to see to the bottom. I had an intimidating fifteen-foot dive. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure everyone but Rammus had gone below deck, then made myself dive in before I could talk myself into climbing back down. Sure, I could transform on the deck but I really didn’t want an audience while doing that. Something about people watching me transform made me feel extra freakish.
I plunged below the surface then arced back up and took off my pants and boxers. I’d ripped out of enough clothes this year and didn’t need to ruin more. Both articles hooked on one finger, I concentrated on triggering the transformation. The sensation was like reaching inside myself for a trapped scream. I felt my skin tingle and body ache, reflexively fought away the sensations, then forced myself to let go and have the transformation do its thing. It felt like stretching out the stiffness after a good night’s rest. My body swelled and expanded into a ketos in seconds, and I heaved a satisfied sigh when done. I still loved and hated how powerful this form felt.
I shifted to my serpentine aquatic form, then popped my draconic head over the bow and flicked my clothes onto the deck. Looking at Rammus, I drew a horizontal circle in the air with a clawed finger. “Go ahead and release it!” I cupped the anchor in both hands, then started swimming ahead of the bow as the chain rattled with a drumroll of heavy thunks as it spilled out. The anchor itself weighed five hundred pounds, but my rode was four-to-one, and each chain link weighed fifty pounds. I was going to be carrying around a good few tons of dead weig
ht, in addition to hauling a three hundred foot steam frigate over three thousand nautical miles. I was going to have to time this in a way where I wouldn’t be exhausted when we arrived.
Once the entire rode was free, I telepathically told Jessie to tell me when everyone was settled down. And while I was waiting for that, I gently pulled the Pertinacious into motion with my command over water and began swimming. A minute later, I got the all-clear. I built up speed and strength until we were gliding along the surface on a mound of water, just like a hurricane lifts the sea with it.
* * *
It took two days and two marathon runs from me to make Newport appear on the horizon. Rammus had piloted the ship while I passed out in my bunk between marathons. Mido fed me calorie-packed meals after each swim, and the crew left me alone. They looked lost and worried but I didn’t care. All that mattered was reaching Newport, which we did two mornings later.
Once I reached the eastern tip of Long Island during my second marathon, I helped weigh anchor, then climbed aboard and reverted back to human, Rammus taking over in the wheel-house for the rest of the trip. I rinsed off in the showers, got dressed, and wolfed down probably two days’ worth of calories in one sitting. Eggs, cheese, bacon, buttermilk biscuits with lots of butter, some cantaloupe, electrolyte water, and enough coffee to get my hands shaking. Jessie, Mido, and the others gave me worried looks but otherwise kept their mouths shut as I envisioned Newport getting pulverized over and over. O’Toole hid away in the cargo hold the whole trip, even at night. Sam tried to coax him out but ended up bringing him food, which O’Toole pecked at, and Sam just left him be. We had enough reasons to be stressed out. Still the Irishman’s behavior worried me. When he was fine, all of us were fine. When he fretted, we fretted, going on alert like he was a pet dog growling at an unseen threat in the dark.
Tin of coffee in hand, I headed to the bow. Fog hung low overhead. Below it visibility ranged far, Connecticut and Rhode Island lining the horizon. Sam was on the bow, his gaze fixed on land. I walked up beside him and took a noisy sip of coffee. “You have my permission to run to your family and protect them.” He looked at me, his face drawn with fatigue. He probably hadn’t slept much in two days, if at all. “Fight hard. Fight fiercely. Don’t give what rises out of the ocean the satisfaction of making a meal out of you and your family.”
