Page 46 of Of Song and Darkness

“Capitán! Off the starboard!”

I turned around, looking to the right of the ship as inky black tentacles latched onto the railing. Every muscle in my body tightened as my men picked up spears and others drew swords.

“Stand down,” I ordered, and they all looked at me, confusion written across their features. “This particular sea monster is an expected guest.”

I stepped closer, noticing how Cael’s dark brows drew together and his hand danced above the hilt of his sword.

The sea witch pulled her massive body over the railing, landing with a thud. She shook her pearly white hair like a wet dog, sending the deadly water flying in all directions. Dark Water splattered across my ship, eating holes in the places where it fell. My anger increased a notch at the way she disrespected my vessel. Finally, she looked up, her soulless black eyes meeting mine. She smiled at me insincerely, displaying her fangs.

Her gaze brushed over my men and then back to me. “It seems a certain siren is missing.”

“Leave us,” I boomed, leaving no room for argument. Questioning glares were thrown my way, but my men heeded my instructions and went below. Rat scurried down from his lookout tower and followed the rest of the crew below, closing the door behind him.

“Where is she?” the sea witch questioned, drawing closer to me.

I leaned against the railing, hoping my indifferent attitude would annoy her as much as her presence did me. It seemed to work. Her lips pulled tighter into a flat line, betraying her aggravation.

I turned, motioning to the water. “She jumped ship mere minutes before you arrived.”

The sea witch’s eyes followed mine and rounded in horror at my words. “You lie, she would have died. Unless…”

“Unless she had the locket of Poseidon around her neck,” I completed her sentence.

“You insolent fool!” she hissed, striking out at me with one of her ebony tentacles.

She was swift with her strike, but I was faster. I pulled my sword from its scabbard as I avoided her blow. The tip of her tentacle was inches from my face. With one quick swipe of my blade, I amputated it. She squealed in pain as the tentacle flopped against my deck like a decapitated snake. Her dark-blue blood showered my deck as she pulled the nub protectively to her body. I watched in mock amusement as the tentacle quickly grew back like nothing had ever happened.

Sink me.

She glared at me. “Your speed is impressive.” She seemed to be changing tactics, but I wasn’t sure why. “Tell me how a mere siren escaped the mighty Blackheart Kai’s grasp?”

And there it was. She was fishing for information, but she was going to come up empty-handed.

“Just a mild setback,” I assured her as I wiped her tainted blood off of my sword with a bandanna I had shoved in my pocket. I let the fabric fall to the deck with a sneer of disgust. No doubt the sea witch’s blood was deadlier than Dark Water itself.

Her tongue shot out of her mouth, licking the seam of her blood-red lips. “According to your reputation, I expected her head to be handed to me on a silver platter, and instead, you have had a mild setback.” The sea witch eased closer to me, her eyes scrutinizing me for any telltale sign of what actually happened.

I returned my sword to its sheath. “You will have the sea demon and locket in due time.” A spark of anger ignited in my chest when I spoke the nickname I had given Rhea. I hoped that the sea witch had not noticed the change in my tone, but by the look of victory that rendered her face, my normally schooled demeanor had faltered, and it just cost me dearly.

“I see,” she said in a voice that dripped with poison. “That little princess got to you.”

My whole body went rigid with anger, and the sea witch smiled in triumph, having put a dent in the otherwise flawless emotional armor I wore.

“No one got to me.” I plastered on a solemn expression in a desperate attempt to gain some of the ground I just lost. “But there is something that you can do to help us get to the siren before she reaches the Dark Hydra.”

One of the sea witch’s white brows shot up in question. “Me aiding you wasn’t part of the deal.” Her tentacles snaked closer to me, but I held my ground. “What exactly is it that you want?”

“We are at a standstill. You can clearly see Dark Water surrounds us and what it can do to my ship.” I motioned to the holes in the deck that Dark Water had eaten away. “I need another ship. Preferably one made out of the impenetrable bones of a leviathan.”

Now it was my turn to smile as her face fell.

“You think me stupid enough to give you the Wraith? It’s my only leverage to ensure you do my bidding.”

I walked up to her, towering over her massive form, and I swore I saw a faint spark of fear in her eyes. “Quite the opposite, but I seriously doubt you want to do your own dirty work.” I leaned over her. “And I doubt very seriously that you are willing to go anywhere near the Dark Hydra.”

Fear skipped across her facial features, and I knew she would not deny my request. She may be a witch, but not even she could control the Dark Hydra.

She struck out, latching onto one of my arms with her tentacle. The suckers underneath her tentacles bored into my skin, but I did not so much as flinch. “How do I know you will uphold our deal after I give you the ship?” She tightened her grip on my arm, and my fingers started to tingle from lack of blood flow.

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