"For ghosts, we can engage one another in the same way we would engage others when we were still alive. We are on the same plane."
I bit my lip. "This is convenient. Here's the thing. The reason I got this ability from the Baron is that there's a ship of ghost pirates not far from the coast of Cuba right now."
"It would be an honor to ride again with you, Joni!" Cleo said.
"And I'd love to fight alongside my mom again," Enki added.
"She'll be so excited to know you're here," I said. "And Cleo, I think Tahlia will appreciate knowing you're here, too."
"She's done an incredible job in my place," Cleo said.
"Knowing you feel that way will mean the world to her."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I FOUND AGWE in the wyrm fiends running drills with Titus and one of the wyrmriders in training. For the wyrmriders to function, there had to be someone who could communicate with the wyrms. I could better than anyone. Not only could we speak to each other, but Nammu could actually read my mind. She didn't always hear everything I heard. I had to actually think about the things I heard. It had to be clearly writ into my memory. Still, while having one's mind read by anyone—especially a giant wyrm that could eat you—might be unsettling, for us it was an asset. We trusted each other more on account of it, and, on top of that, it was handy in battle.
Agwe could talk to the wyrms, too. No mind-reading. Tahlia, perhaps because when she shed her mer-pelt became an eel, could also speak with the wyrms well enough to get by.
I know most of the drills because Agwe and I came up with them. Titus had his hand in on it too, but he couldn't speak to the wyrms, so its execution was up to us. Tahlia was great on her wyrm, but she wasn't exactly a military mind. I wasn't either, for that matter, but as queen and the leader of the wyrmriders, I'd learned quick. Helps, I suppose, having Admiral Agwe as your hubby.
They were practicing a formation I called "Ring Around the Wyrmie." One wyrm would circle the enemy, whatever that enemy might be, and get the water spinning into something like a whirlpool. Technically, Agwe could cast whirlpools of his own and, though I'd only done it a few times, I'd managed to do it, too. But this formation had an advantage in that any wyrm could do it if they moved quickly enough. Spinning around an enemy like that was disorienting. Once the wyrm had the enemy caught in the whirlpool, another would dive through the middle, swallowing the enemy whole.
This time, Agwe was supervising while Titus and the trainee practiced it. They weren't totally in control since the wyrms were commanded by Agwe at the moment, but the riders needed to know how to react. If the enemy in the middle got a little rambunctious, the rider could strike it with his trident. In some cases, the wyrmrider might even be able to take out an enemy that way before the second wyrm ever got involved.
"I miss that one," Enki said.
"Never did it," Cleo said. "You wyrms weren't so organized when I was alive."
"You guys still running 'Knot for Me'?" Enki asked.
I snorted. "It's not so much a formation as it is a one-wyrm maneuver. But yes, we practice it."
"What's 'Knot for Me'?" Cleo asked.
Enki chuckled. "We basically tie ourselves in a knot around something, pull it tight until we constrict it dead. Usually, it either crushes or suffocates the enemy."
"It's pretty devastating," I said. "But it's generally not best if you have several smaller opponents."
"Tell me about it," Enki said. "Tying yourself in a knot is one thing. Untieing yourself isn't quite as smooth. If you have to take out multiple foes at once, you leave yourself vulnerable at the end of the maneuver."
"Sounds to me like it'd be better called 'Knot in Time,'" Cleo jested.
"It also leaves the wyrm open to being tickled," I said.
"Oh, don't remind me!" Enki said. "When you're tied up like that, your belly is exposed. It's the most ticklish part of a wyrm. And when we get tickled, our natural reaction is to stiffen up, elongate our bodies."
"Which means, if you're in a knot, you'd just pull it tighter?"
"Exactly what happens," I said, laughing. "How long did it take us to get you untangled that one time, Enki?"
"Lord," Enki said. "Must've been an hour. Every time they tried to help loosen me up, they'd touch me the wrong way, which would tickle, and we'd end up back at square one."
I giggled. "Or back in a square knot, as the case was that day."
"I had cramps in that spot where the knot was for a week!"
"Sounds miserable," Cleo said.
I nodded. "Alright, I should shut up. Agwe's coming this way. If he sees me talking to myself, well, who knows what he'll think."
"Hello, wife," Agwe said.
I snorted. "Dude, we've been married more than a year now, and I've told you not to call me that."
"Right. But you're going to call me 'dude'?"
I chuckled. "Okay, fair. Whatever. So, how about that surprise?"
Agwe's eyes widened. "Yes?"
"First," I said. "We should bring Nammu over here."
"Why?" Agwe asked.
"Trust me on this."
I called out to Nammu. With our connection, she could hear me, on a psychic level, just as well from a hundred yards away as she could if I was riding her. She came swimming over as Titus and the trainee dismounted their respective wyrms and started reviewing their progress together.
Hello, La Sirene...
"Hi, Nammu," I said.
"Hi, mom!" Enki piped up. "I know she can't hear me, but can you tell her I'm here?"
"Hold your horses," I said.
"My what?" Agwe asked.
"Not you."
My sea horses, you mean?
"No, not talking to you either, Nammu."
"Then who are you talking to, Joni?"
I smiled. "So, as you both know, I was bitten. What you might not have realized, what I discovered when I went to the surface, is that I now have a connection to the Ghede, which allows me to see and communicate with dead people."
"That's curious," Agwe said, cocking his head. I wasn't going to tell him about my bargain with Samedi. He'd only worry. I'd live up to my end of it when I had to. For now, though, all that was important was what I could do and the mission we needed to begin.
"Nammu," I said. "Enki is here. Along with Cleo."
Nammu cocked her head. Are you sure?
"I see him right behind me," I said. "He wanted me to say 'hi' to you."
"And tell her I love her!"
"And to say that he loves you."
Can he hear me?
"Can you hear her, Enki?"
Enki shook his head. "He can't hear you, but I can relay anything you'd like to say to him."
Tell him I love him. I miss him. And I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect him.
"Tell her there's nothing she could have done," Enki said. "And tell her I'm happy."
"He wants you to know that he doesn't blame you, that you couldn't have prevented it even if you were there. And that he's happy. He chose not to return to the void so he could still be here, watching over you."
This is... a lot. Thank you, La Sirene. So much.
"It's my pleasure," I said.
"So what is the surprise, exactly?" Agwe asked.
"Enki and Cleo are going to join us. I know where the ghost ship is. And since they are on the same plane, the spiritual plane, they're going to help us take it out."
"How do you know where it is?" Agwe asked.
I bit my lip. "Long story. Suffice it to say, I'll be able to see the ghost ship when we get there. And we have to stop them soon. They are consuming human vessels, absorbing the life force of the people they kill and getting stronger by the day."
Agwe shook his head. "Joni, when you said an adventure, I wasn't expecting this."
"Well, my first plan was to try and summon the Kraken."
"What?" Agwe asked.
"I was told you knew how to do it. But that there was no way you'd agree to it."<
br />
"Of course I wouldn't," Agwe said. "The Kraken, like the ghost ship, feeds off of energy. It kills humans, yes. But if it got ahold of us, any Fomorian, it would take our magic, too. It would kill most Fomorians, but, in your case, you'd lose your abilities forever."
"All my abilities?" I asked.
"It would claim them for itself. Over the centuries, the Kraken has claimed many unique, magical skills. Many witches have foolishly summoned the beast only to have it turn on them the moment it appears. Thankfully, no one has called forth that horror for almost three centuries now."
"Welp," I said. "Good thing I didn't follow through with that one."
"Yeah, bad idea. It would have been a surprise. I can't say it would be a pleasant one. So far as I know, no one aside from me knows how to summon the creature. Since you are now my counterpart over the seas, I'd have taught you how, but there is no point in knowing. Nothing good can come of summoning that monster."
"Disaster averted," I said. "I'm hoping we can take out this ghost ship before it gains more power. I'm guessing that Nephtalie is waiting until she's certain that they have enough magic, enough stolen souls, that we couldn't stop her."
Agwe nodded. "This is likely the case. Should I ask Titus to join us?"
"Tell him I'd like for Tahlia to join us," Cleo said.
"Cleo would like Tahlia to join us on this mission," I said. "She feels it would be best."
"Very well," Agwe said. "I'll prepare the wyrms. You go and get Tahlia. Meet us back here in an hour."
"So, a good surprise?" I asked.
Agwe kissed me on the cheek. "Couldn't be better, my love."
"Thank you!" I said. "I like that a lot better than 'wife,' by the way."
"I'll try to remember that, wife."
I snorted and backhanded Agwe on the shoulder.
"I'm just joking, my love."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
TAHLIA WAS PSYCHED that Cleo was with us. Enki, too, of course. But when she heard that Cleo was proud of her, that Cleo thought she'd done an even better job as Fomoria's priest than she thought she would have done given our circumstances, she beamed with pride.
"That really made my day," Tahlia said. "She can hear me, right?"
"She can," I said.
"Cleo, I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to move on. But I'm delighted you're here."
"Me too," Cleo said.
"She feels the same," I said, relaying Cleo's sentiment to Tahlia.
We headed out to the wyrm fields. Agwe and Titus had Nammu, Ruach, and Tohu armored up. Titus gave Tahila a deep kiss on the mouth as Tahlia mounted Tohu.
"See," I said, looking at Agwe. "That's what I'm talking about!"
Agwe chuckled. "Taking notes, my love."
"Titus," I said. "Keep the rest of the legion on high alert. Push comes to shove, use the younglings. Cuba is outside the range of our beacons, so the map won't pick us up. But if we get into trouble, make sure Evan and Finn are watching for us on the map. If one of us is returning alone, we're likely coming for help. If all three of us are returning, all should be well. If only one returns, don't wait for an explanation. Tell Evan to blow the conch to mobilize the forces. There might not be much time to spare."
"Aye aye, my queen," Titus said. "They'll be ready along with the rest of the merlegion in case they're needed to defend the kingdom."
I nodded. "Thank you, Titus. Obviously, you won't be able to launch the other wyrmriders without one of us three here to ride with them."
"Of course," Titus said. "But they'll be ready to launch the second one of you returns."
Based on what Baron Samedi showed me, though I couldn't be entirely sure, I discerned that the ship must've been on the northern coast of Cuba. There was a flag off the coast, of course, that gave it away. And the position of the sun in the sky suggested the Northern coast. So, I told Nammu to take us there. Of course, Cuba has an extensive coastline. There was no telling how far we'd have to go to find them.
Nammu exhaled a giant wyrm hole, and we shot through it—Nammu and me first, followed by Tohu and Tahlia with Ruach and Agwe bringing up the rear. Enki and Cleo also appeared beside us—I presumed that they passed through the wyrm hole, too. Though, as spirits, I wasn't totally sure.
"Cleo, you guys go through the wyrm hole, too?" I asked.
Cleo nodded. "We may be ghosts, but we must follow the same rules of travel as the rest of you. We cannot simply appear where we want."
"Good to know," I said, mildly relieved. Not because it bothered me how Enki and Cleo might move around the sea but because if ghosts couldn't just disappear and reappear wherever they wanted, it meant that the ghost ship couldn't disappear the moment it spotted us and, figuring that we were away from Fomoria, reappear and start assaulting the city.
Further south, the waters were a bit warmer than those around Fomoria. They were also clearer which meant I could see a lot further. Even so, there was no sign of the ghost ship.
"It can't be far from here," I said. "I think I might have a better view from the skies."
Shall we fly together? Nammu asked.
"I'll fly alone," I said. "I'm a lot smaller in dragon form. Less likely to be seen."
"Don't board the ship this time," Agwe said.
I scratched my head. The last time we encountered the ghost ship, I landed on it. When I did, the whole thing appeared to come to life. Then, the ship's captain, whom they referred to as Anne Bonny, tried to siphon my magic out of me. I barely got out of there unscathed. It was a close call. Too close. And now, with not only Nephtalie aboard with all her power and also the power of the other souls they'd claimed, there'd be no telling what I'd encounter if I tried to enter their ghastly world a second time. "No worries," I said. "This time, it will only be reconnaissance."
"Didn't you say that he first time?" Agwe asked, incredulity manifesting through his crooked expression.
"But this time, I mean it!"
Tahlia and Agwe both shook their heads. It was like they didn't believe me! Come on. When have I ever been impulsive like that? Okay, don't answer that question. I was serious, though, when I promised I wouldn't try that again. I might be a little reckless at times, but I wasn't stupid. Landing on that ship alone would be a death wish—and more than that, I'd probably end up giving Nephtalie and the ghost pirates a ton of power in the process.
"Take my armor," I told Tahlia. "I'll need it when I get back."
"I'll look forward to the view on your return," Agwe piped up.
I winked at him as Nammu took me to the surface, and blasting out of the water, I shifted into mini dragon form and spread my wings.
It struck me that, while the sun was still up, spotting a translucent ghost ship even with my abilities might be difficult. More than once, a reflection off the water caught my eye only to prove to be nothing more than that upon closer investigation. Then, I spotted a green haze on the horizon. It looked too large, whatever was causing it, to be the ghost ship. Still, I decided to fly a little closer. Since I was flying around at random, anyway, even if it was nothing at all, it wasn't like I'd lose any time. I might even happen to spot the ghost ship somewhere else in the process of investigating it.
As I got closer, though, I recognized right away that I'd struck gold—but more than that, I'd come upon a whole deposit of ghoulish shit at the same time. The pirate ship was there, its large sail giving it away, but it wasn't alone. The other vessels it had claimed, including the fishing boat I'd seen the ghost ship claim in the vision the Baron had given me, were all assembled around it. It wasn't just a fleet of ghost ships. It was a whole armada.
I counted more than fifty boats, some of them larger than the others before I gave up counting. And, I'd probably accounted for barely more than a third of them. That meant upwards of a hundred and thirty ships or more ships, all captained by ghosts, had joined Nephtalie. Taking out one ghost ship, I figured, might be an adventure. A challenging one, no doubt. But the odds of victory would have been s
quarely in our favor.
This ghastly armada was something else entirely. Whatever Nephtalie was planning, it was huge. She wasn't just going to assault Fomoria with this fleet. She was preparing for an all-out war.
I thought I saw something move beneath the water. What in the world? A whale, perhaps? If so, it was a giant whale. Had Nephtalie also absorbed aquatic life into her fleet? I supposed I shouldn't have been surprised—she'd used zombified sharks before, after all.
I didn't dare fly any closer. Turning back, I dove into the water, resumed mermaid form, and Nammu shot up to my position as I grabbed onto her reins.
Tahlia handed me my armor, passing it from her wyrm to me on mine, as we got closer. I quickly slid into it and retook my place on Nammu's saddle.
"What did you see?" Tahlia asked.
"I saw my wife's boobies," Agwe said.
Tahlia giggled. "I wasn't talking to you. Obviously."
"I know," Agwe said, smirking. "What did you see, Joni?"
I shook my head. "We can't take them. There were more than a hundred ships. Not just the one. I think I might have seen some whales, or sharks, or something moving beneath the surface too."
Agwe shook his head. "Like the Spanish Armada."
"But all ghosts, and I doubt the Spanish Armada had sea creatures fighting alongside them. Every one of those ships and boats, ranging from small two-person row boats to large passenger ships, was a dark shade of translucent green, like the pirate ship. And it wasn't the only pirate ship, either. There's no telling how many souls, how many ghosts, might also be aboard them."
"We can't allow Nephtalie to expand her armada further," Agwe said. "Like it or not, ready or not, we have to ready the rest of the wyrmriders. We need to take the fight to them before it's too late."
"Even with them," I said. "That's like fifteen wyrms and wyrmriders against them all."
"We'd be outnumbered," Tahlia said. "But the wyrms are stronger than any one boat."
"But these aren't regular ships or boats. If this fleet can absorb human ships and gather them into their armada, they might be able to take us, and the wyrms, with them, too."
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