Page 73 of The Noble's Merman

She put her hand on her hip, bubbles fluttering in front of her from the motion. “And I’m supposed to believe that a siren has a human for a beloved?”

“Why would I lie about this? Why would a siren trail a ship day after day and not simply use his Song the moment he saw the vessel? Surely if this ship is yours like you say, you must have been watching me already and witnessed that.”

“He is telling the truth,” Noon added below him, slowing her swimming to a stop. “Be it may that he is a siren, he would not endanger the man he loves the most, who is on board. His devotion to the human is strong, unlike anything I have personally witnessed before.”

Mo’s cheeks warmed.

The mermaid shook her head, letting out a sigh of bubbles in front of her face. “A whale never lies. All right. I believe you. I apologize for the ferocity I showed. I, especially, should know better—how could I forget the tale Grandmother told me of the siren and the human? Forgive me, I was merely acting protective.”

Mo smiled, realizing the tale she spoke of must’ve been the same one he knew: where a siren became a human themself. He got off Noon’s back, treading water next to her and facing the mermaid visitor. It still struck him so peculiarly how much she resembled Allen—same vibrant hair, same sea-green eyes, same pattern of freckles on her similar slim nose. She was physically a bit smaller than Mo, swimming in place kicking her deep purple tail, but he couldn’t shake the thought—were she and Allen related somehow? Mo felt a bit awkward to ask. “You’re forgiven. Let us meet properly then: My name is Mo.” He put a hand flat on his chest. “What is yours?”

“I am Wenta. Tell me, who is your beloved? I do have to admit, I have been away from the ship and only caught sight of you trailing not long ago, just before the sun rose.”

“My beloved is a man named Kent Wilson, though the humans will also call him Lord Fareham.”

“Lord? Oh, is he of human nobility?”

“Yes, that is why he has a second name. He’s not a pirate; he’s been taken as hostage along with one other man from their original ship.” A man who bares a striking resemblance to you, Mo thought, but did not say aloud. “The pirates are to deliver him back to England for a sum of money, and I’m trailing along to ensure Kent is safe. Wait—you’d mentioned it was your ship. Who do you know who’s aboard? Is one of the pirates your beloved?” Unless she somehow was aware of Allen…?

Wenta chuckled, bringing a hand near her mouth. “I wouldn’t call him my beloved, but yes, one of the pirates is my dearest friend. Perhaps if you’ve been following, you may have met him. His name is Seth Jefferson, though he just goes by Seth.”

So it wasn’t Allen she knew, but his curiosity was still piqued. “I don’t know of any of the pirates by name, aside from Captain Young. What does Seth look like?”

“Very tall for a human, very thin, appears about our age. Long, rich black hair. He says the most outlandish things too, he never stops to think before words spill from his mouth! Such a charming man; he doesn’t fit with the rest of them.”

A light flickered in Mo’s head. “I know him! He’s the only other pirate who’s spoken to me. What a coincidence. He’d told me Kent was staying with him in his room.”

“Really!” Wenta trilled. “Well, that sure is something.”

“Still though, you are friends with a pirate?” It was strange to think, when he’d heard the pirates’ cruel words said to Kent directly from their own lips, that a mer would befriend any sort of pirate. However— “You say he doesn’t fit in with them. Why is he aboard with such unfavorable people? You trust Seth—that he is honest in keeping my beloved safe?”

Wenta nodded. “He is a strange one. He became involved with the crew of the sloop John Beaut simply because he’s an adventure hunter; he’s a man whose prior life was dull and uneventful, and he was promised something greater.”

“I suppose living on a pirate ship would be very… eventful. That’s what it’s called—the sloop John Beaut?” He pointed to the ship above them, moving forward slowly. With his free hand, he gave a gentle pat to Noon, and their underwater group continued swimming along as well.

“Yes, that’s it,” said Wenta. “But even with Seth’s eye for adventure, he isn’t always aware of what he’s getting himself into—or exactly what sorts of people he’s aligning himself with. He does it for the thrill, he does it for the fun of it, but…”

Mo could feel the underlying hurt hidden in her voice. “…He’s too optimistic to always recognize the pain it causes others,” Mo concluded.

“Exactly,” she clicked. “But it’s where he is now, and the others still treat him well.”

The way she talked about him panged a dreadful feeling in his chest. Perhaps not every pirate was genuinely cruel, but some were honestly affable, and just happened upon a situation that labeled them as pirates. Allen was in a similar situation; Mo remembered how the redhead said he would join the pirate crew in order to go along with Kent’s plan. Yet that would mean—of all the pirate ships he’d sunk in the past, how many also had good and honest men on board? How many of them actually deserved to die?

And, despite being a loathsome human which no one had seemed to like, despite his death bringing Mo and Kent closer, did Harris truly deserve to die, either?

His thoughts plunged a dagger in his throat, and he mentally urged to pull it out. He couldn’t dwell on this any longer, and needed to move the subject. “Were you planning to swim above the surface and meet Seth again soon?”

“Yes, I would like to do as such.”

“I’m not sure if they’ll allow it at the moment,” said Mo. “I’m not allowed on board to meet with Kent, since he is their prisoner. I think they’re afraid I’ll cause havoc, which, I wouldn’t, unless they dared harm my beloved. So they might not let you on, for fear I’d join you.”

Wenta pouted, pulling a long lock of hair away from her face. “That’s possible. But I would still like to see him. Wait—have you even spoken to your beloved since he’d boarded the ship?”

Mo shook his head. “No, I’ve only spoken to Seth. They are keeping Kent belowdecks, and… oh, I just wish to see him. I miss him so dearly. I know we’ll see each other again once in England, but… you can imagine how worried I am that this will go smoothly. The lewd things the captain and crew said about him rise a fury in me that I can’t even describe.”

“I understand,” she chirped. “Say, perhaps I can help? I might be able to convince the pirates to let your beloved above deck, even to only see him for a moment.”

“Could you?” He could feel a smile start to stretch on his face at the prospect. “Please, oh please! I desire to see him so badly. I know he must wish the same.”

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