Chapter 34

  Nereida stood beside Epelda, holding her new daughter’s hand. In the darkness, the gathered crew shifted, murmuring and worried chatter spreading through them. They had not been allowed to light any mps or candles, and stood under the light of the barest sliver of a crescent moon.

  “We are setting off now,” the Grand Admiral said, projecting her voice well without raising it loud. The chatter ceased so that the only sound was the waves crashing against their docked boat. “Epelda and Nereida will be using their magic to steer us. Our own people are coming for us, because they fear sirens. I cannot let them take Nereida or her children because they fear her. She’s as human as any of us. She’s crew, they are crew, and we don’t hand over crew to outsiders!” This was met with appreciative murmurs. “If any one of you is not ready to run, to drop the crescent fg and sail under our own w, leave now. Seek Admiral Matthias, ask him for a job. I won’t begrudge you a chance at safety.” The murmuring picked up again, and a few younger ones, two men and two women who had not been crew long, offered their former Grand Admiral a salute and headed for the gangpnk. One stopped, and called out,

  “Permission to release the mooring lines?”

  “Granted!”

  Once the four were headed out, the gangpnk was withdrawn and the chaos began. They could not go to full sail and just run; things were too tightly packed in the dock. If they had been caught here, there would have been no chance to run. And Nereida would not have let Ael order a fight on her behalf. Not at the expense of the crew. Not at the expense of her children. But now, now they had a chance. Ael was at the helm. Once her sailors had done whatever they needed to do to shove off, Epelda helped her climb the riggings so that she could see enough. A few sails dropped, and Epelda began to hum, conjuring the lightest breeze in the right direction to get them away from the port. Nereida tried to match her daughter’s tone, urging waves to work with wind. Slowly the ship began gaining speed. This close to nd, they had to be careful of hidden sandbars. Visibility was low. The stars seemed to watch them coldly, judging them for defying fate.

  Once they cleared the dangerous area, The Grand Admiral began peeping her whistle, and sails began to drop. In the distance, Nereida spotted two ships flying the red moon fg. They seemed to be the same kind of ship that the Tooth was, though she wasn’t entirely sure. They certainly weren’t Sylph ships.

  “Two ships North by northeast!” Nereida heard the man in the crow’s nest call. The Grand Admiral began calling out orders to those around her, and then she looked up at the two Dragon blooded who were tied up high.

  “On the next whistle, give it everything you both have!”

  There was chaos on the deck as the crew tied some things down and loosened others. When a sharp whistle was blown, Nereida squeezed Epelda’s hand and they began to sing. While Epelda’s tune was wordless, it was one that Nereida knew from her days aboard the Sylph ship. She had practiced harmonizing then, and the song came back to her now, complete with words.

  The ocean’s song and the wind’s song became a blended harmony. The air around her buzzed with music, not just from Epelda but from the ocean spray as well. The power of it was dizzying, overwhelming. She could feel the ocean as clearly as if she were immersed in her. Everyone and everything around her belonged to the ocean, belonged to her. The stars shivered away from them, the moon called to them to wake.

  Every small hair on her body stood, and it was difficult to maintain control and concentration. The magic called to her, flowed through her, was her. It wanted to be her. She wrestled back control by squeezing Epelda’s hand again. Flow with the power, but do not surrender to it. Madness y down that path, she was sure of it.

  She was not sure how long they sang, together tied to the riggings. But when she heard Epelda’s voice crack, felt her grip sck, Nereida stopped singing. She felt as if she had been running for hours. Mucking out a horse’s stall would have been less exhausting. She only now felt how her skin chafed against the ropes, how cold she was, how damp. She began to shiver. Someone, she was not sure who, began to untie her. One of the rger men on the crew threw her over his shoulder and carried her down. He smelled of sweat and salt. A part of her wanted to call to the ocean to give him a quick dousing, but she knew that was not a thought worth following. Her exhausted mind was a silly pce. Even if more than half the crew desperately needed baths.

  She was pced in her bed in the cabin, Epelda next to her. Evander had carried the Sylph adolescent down. He had nice muscles, and wasn’t wearing a shirt for some reason. It was a cool night. He should wear clothes! She blinked at him a few times, trying to focus her thoughts on something more than his physical appearance. He looked exhausted as well.

  “Admiral’s going to be a bit, settin’ the course and such. Sleep, ma’am.”

  “Aye aye,” she replied mockingly. He ughed.

  “They ain’t my orders, they come from Admiral. Sleep.” He took a moment to lift the bnkets over them both. He patted Epelda’s head affectionately, then trotted out, stopping only to blow out the ntern and plunge them into darkness.

  “Water-Mama?” The sign was pressed into her back.

  “Yes, sweet girl?” She spoke, not quite sure on how to turn so that they could both converse in sign in the dark.

  “Are we safe now?” The fingers shook a bit. Now Nereida did roll over. She pulled the girl into a tight embrace.

  “We should be.” She held the girl until her exhausted trembling stopped, and she started to breathe slower and easier. Once the young girl was sleeping, she finally gave into her own exhaustion.

  Light had not yet returned to the sky when she awoke. Her muscles burned, as did the spots on her arms where the rope had been rubbing. Epelda had simir marks. Despite her sore body, Nereida began to sing a soft healing song, watching in satisfaction as the rope burns faded. Her singing woke Epelda, who stared at her with concern.

  “Two days of magic?”

  “It’s only a small magic. You will need strength.” She replied, sitting so she could better sign. The bnkets got in her way. “I don’t let my children be hurt.” The girl flushed at this, and looked away almost embarrassed.

  “What?” Nereida asked out loud.

  “Only ever had Admiral care. Maybe Evander and Dymion.” She shrugged a little, a lost expression on her face.

  “I wouldn’t have done it this way if I didn’t care. I’m good at bending rules. You’ve got to be, growing up water-touched in the house of fire.” She took a moment to brush the stray hair off Epelda’s face. “I imagine you know a bit of what it’s like, being the fish out of water.” The adolescent nodded, her face twisting like she’d tasted something sour. Nereida reached out and squeezed her shoulder.

  “I’m here for you,” she promised softly. She then gave her new daughter a mischievous grin. “And, whether you like it or not, I’m going to teach you how to dance at court. Ael’s potentially hopeless at subtlety, but I imagine you’ll be a quick study.”

  “Court? Me?”

  “Did Ael not expin?” When the Sylph shook her head, Nereida sighed. “You’re my oldest child now, and dragon-blooded. That makes you nobility… and my heir.” Epelda blinked at her furiously, as if warding off tears.

  “But I’m broken!” Nereida caught the girl’s hands, giving them a squeeze and stopping her from further upset words.

  “No more than I am, little one,” she whispered, letting the hands go.

  “No… I mean…” the girl faltered. “Can heirs be damaged?”

  “Damaged?” Nereida reached for the girl again, pulling her in tight for another embrace. “It doesn’t matter, all that matters is you are mine, ours. Anyone who says elsewise is welcome to go for a swim in the ocean.” She leaned in, touching her forehead to the taller, thinner girl’s forehead. “Is this… because you can’t talk?” A tearful nod. “Can I ask…” she waited for the barest nod before she continued on. “Were you always unable to talk or did someone… make you that way?” She hesitated, not wanting to put into words what she feared. Epelda lifted two fingers, and then burst into sobs. Nereida held the girl, unable to do more to take the girl’s pain. At least not today.

  By the time dawn had come, Epelda’s tears had dried. Nereida drowned her own anger at what had been done to the girl. The anger would not help, not now. Still, once she had the full story from Ael, she would make sure someone paid for hurting the sweet-tempered Sylph.

  The two of them headed onto the deck. It was dawn, and Ael had never come to bed. Nereida’s stomach churned with worry until she saw her intended napping against the wall. She considered leaning over and kissing her awake, but was not sure if that had any implications that she was not aware of or willing to deal with.

  “Ael?” She settled on her beloved’s name. That was safe enough territory. The woman was a wreck; her feather was askew in her hat, which had fallen over her eyes. Her formal Admiral jacket, normally crisp and well maintained, was wrinkled, stained with something oily and cast to the side. Her hands looked to be covered in rope burns.

  “Ner?”

  “It’s morning, love. You should sleep in bed.”

  “Can’t ’til we set a course.” She rubbed her eyes. Nereida had never seen the other woman so pale. She knelt beside her beloved, her Admiral, her betrothed, and offered her hand to help her up.

  “Can you even think straight enough to set a course?” Nereida asked softly.

  “No,” the Admiral grumbled. Nereida grinned. “Fine, I’ll sleep. Find me in an hour though.” She paused, seemed to read something in Nereida’s expression, and scowled before continuing. “Wake me in an hour.” Nereida chuckled softly, watching her beloved stomp into the cabin. Epelda was chuckling as well, her earlier pains forgotten for the moment. In the light of day, Epelda looked less small and helpless. She fshed a grin at Nereida.

  “See you at supper, Water-Mama.” She skipped off, heading down below deck, likely to get breakfast.

  Before she went to find her sons and brother, Nereida went to find Evander. He looked surprised to see her.

  “You were moon-struck st night,” he said as a way of greeting. He pulled on the edge of his tunic with a wry grin. “But my husband also likes my muscles.” She felt sudden heat in her cheeks and had to turn away from the chuckling first mate. She hadn’t realized she had said her thoughts out loud!

  “I’m sorry, that was inappropriate,” she muttered, trying to avoid looking at the man. Her cheeks burned.

  “After ya saved our bacon, how can I be mad?”

  “I didn’t,” she said, looking out over the water regretfully. “It’s my fault.”

  “Ma’am, respectfully, yer full of shite. Admiral told me everything st night. Kieran and Lucien have been butt-hurt since she got promoted over them, said she got special treatment ‘cause her blood was royal. They just found an excuse.” He smiled ruefully. “They’ve been lookin’ for an excuse and would have just chosen that she didn’t execute that whole ship, like having a soft heart’s a bloody crime!” Nereida grimaced.

  The crew, exhausted from their midnight flight into the darkness, were weirdly quiet.

  “Am I missing something?” she asked Evander, dropping her voice. “We got away, but everyone looks as if they have signed their own death warrants!” He looked down at her, a sad little expression.

  “We took down the fg, ma’am.” He motioned to the fg post, which was currently bare. She had not noticed the ck of fg where the Seliniakos red moon had once flown. She looked back at the first mate, trying and failing to glean why it was terrible. Seeing her expression, he shook his head.

  “Ma’am… we’re pirates now.”

  FionaRobinsong