Chapter 15
“ROPE!” I SHOUT UP from the water.
Sorinda peeks over the edge of the ship once before tossing me one. I haul myself up with her help.
The ships in the distance fire their cannons, now that Tylon’s ship has gone down. Holes ripple in the water near us, but we’ll soon be out of range.
We need to get our lead back.
It’s too much to hope my father went down with the ship. He would have been the first one off it.
I expel some of my song so I can absorb the water drenching my clothes. Once I am dry, I will no longer be able to restock without losing myself. I know this, somehow. I can feel the siren part of me just waiting to come back out.
I plant myself on the aftercastle with Kearan. He steers us while I keep my eyes on the fleet. I can’t see the faces of the men from this distance, but there is one figure—bigger than all the others—that stands out. The king. He will be furious. His men will be terrified of him.
They must already be exhausted from rowing all this way, because they are unable to keep pace with us.
I stay up top with Kearan for maybe an hour, just long enough to determine we are still gaining a lead and are long out of range. The fleet is still in sight. It will be a while before we no longer see them on the horizon. But it is safe enough to check on other things.
My first stop is the infirmary. I find Mandsy wrapping Niridia’s hand in gauze. My first mate is covered in a large blanket, water pooling below her on the floor.
“How bad is it?” I ask.
“The ball went clean through the middle of her hand. It’s hard to say how the bones will heal.”
“It’s my left hand,” Niridia mumbles. “I’ll still have a sword hand. Nothing to worry about.”
“I’ve tried to give her something for the pain, but she won’t take it.”
I raise a brow at Niridia.
“You need me sharp. Our enemies are far too close.”
I place a hand on her shoulder. “I need you well. We’re okay for now. Get healed up. You’re to take whatever Mandsy gives you. That’s an order.”
Niridia purses her lips, but she doesn’t refuse the bottle Mandsy passes her.
“Niridia is the last to be patched up,” Mandsy says. “I’ve taken care of the others. They’re already resting below. A few of the girls took balls to the legs and arms. Mostly nicks as they were veering around their hiding places to take shots.”
“I heard someone fall from the mast as I ordered the sails unfurled,” I say. “No concussions?”
Mandsy’s face turns grave. “No, a casualty, Captain.”
I swallow. “Who?”
“Haeli. She took a bullet to the back. I tried to stop the bleeding, but it was too late. I left her on the deck so we can put her to rest as soon as we have enough of a lead on the fleet.”
Haeli. One of my best riggers. I picked her up off Calpoon—one of the Seventeen Isles. She was in a traveling band of performers. Half the time she played the lute during performances, the other she was out in the audience, stealing from their pockets. I was one of her marks. After she robbed me, I offered her a job. Told her I paid better than thieving.
Now she’s lifeless out on my deck.
I force a deep breath through my nose. “Any other casualties?”
“No.”
“Good.”
I leave them. The weight of this journey presses down on my shoulders, physically exhausting me, despite the nourishment I’ve just received from the ocean. How many of us will be left once we reach the siren island? How many of my loved ones will I be forced to lose in order to make the rest safe?
I can’t stand the pressure of my own thoughts. I need to keep busy.
I seek out Radita belowdecks.
“She took a few hits, Captain,” she says once I ask after the status of the ship. “A cannon struck through the galley. It took out most of the water storage, and all the water barrels on the deck were riddled with holes during the battle. We’ve lost most of our drinkable water.”
“How much do we have left?”
“A single barrel.”
“Only one!”
She nods. “The one we’ve already opened and started drinking from.”
I cover my face with my hands. Our days are numbered. I’ll order Trianne to start rationing the water. Even then, I don’t see how we can make it to the siren island with what’s left. Then there’s the return journey.…
“Can you see to the ship’s repairs?” I ask.
“I already have some of the girls on it.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s my job, Captain, but you’re welcome.”
When I pass by the bunks, Roslyn is fretting over Wallov’s injuries.
“It’s a scratch, sweet,” he tells her.
“No, it was a shard of wood to your shoulder. Now lie back down.”
“I’m fine,” he says, emphasizing the last word.
“In that case, there’s no reason to halt my dagger lessons.”
I manage a grin as I close the hatch behind me, heading now for my rooms. But my amused expression disappears as soon as I get inside.
Somebody is already here, waiting for me.
“What are you doing? You’re not allowed in here unless I invite you in.”
“I have a bone to pick with my captain,” Riden says. His body is rigid with fury, and I wonder how he manages such an even tone. “I thought it best to do so in private so you don’t hold me over the edge of the ship for mutiny.”
“You’re not the only one with problems,” I snap. “My own father blew holes in my ship. A third of the crew is injured. One of our own is dead. So unless your issues are bigger than those, I suggest you leave because I don’t need more added on to my load.”
His calm tone vanishes. “It was very nearly more than one casualty! What the hell were you thinking yanking me into the ocean with you?”
“I was thinking I had girls in the water and I needed to save them! I didn’t exactly have time to ask for your permission before eels would be upon them.”
“And I was what? Bait? An expendable body while you were off saving your real crew members?”
“My real crew members? You can be so thick sometimes! I took a calculated risk. I had no choice but to involve you.”
His nostrils widen as he takes in another labored breath.
“I needed you,” I spit out. “Without you, I turn into a monster beneath the water. But you—you keep me human. You are what I needed to remember myself. I hate it, but I realized that something about you, only you, keeps me human when my siren nature tries to take over.”
That brings him up short. “Why?”
“Hell if I know. I wasn’t about to let four girls under my protection die as I paused to figure that out.”
He raises his gaze from mine, pondering something. “You weren’t yourself at first. You were dangerous. You were the siren, and then—I knew what to do somehow. I knew that if I didn’t struggle, if I just got close to you, you wouldn’t drown me.”