Page 5 of The Dark Sea Calls

Knifey took charge and tied the rope ladder around my waist, whistling to the men on board to pull me up. I didn’t protest; I didn’t have the energy to.

I had to find a weapon. A knife, something small that I could conceal under Rainn’s blanket that I wore as a cloak. Then, I would take my chance once I was well enough to escape. I would need a knife if one of the males tried something.

I’d been too trusting once, but never again.

I knew all too well what males liked to do to bound women.

When my feet hit the deck, I sagged to the wooden floor. My hair dripped as it formed a puddle around me.

One of the males, holding some sort of staff with a fabric end, cursed and waved his hands at me wildly. “I just mopped, for feck’s sake!”

I ignored him, blinking up to the bustle on deck. Knifey and Toothless soon followed, flagging down a young male Fae, with his pointed ears poking out from under his hat.

“Tell the captain we need to see him,” Knifey ordered.

“Alright, sir.” The child dipped his head, glancing at me before he rushed off.

Toothless adjusted his lapels and flattened his hair against his head.

Knifey gave him a look. “You think the captain cares about how you look?”

“I think the captain is going to take one look at this gilded water woman and see endless coin. Hopefully, when he gets that coin, he remembers who brought him the water wench.”

I bit my tongue. I could run, but there were several males between me and the edge of the ship. The drop from the boat to the water didn’t frighten me, though if I landed wrong, I might break a bone or even hit my head hard enough to lose consciousness.

I needed to be strong enough to swim deep and far away from the ship. Once I got out of their reach, I had an entire ocean to hide in.

“Food,” I croaked. “I’m hungry.”

Both males ignored me.

The child came back, dipping his head in greeting. “The captain will see you now.”

“Took him long enough,” Toothless grunted.

Knifey rolled his eyes. “Tell that to his face. I dare you.”

They led me through the ship, and none of the men on deck noticed me. Right under the sails, protruding like the fins of a fish made of silk, sat a door with a stained-glass window—a mermaid with a red tail made of glass.

Cormac’s face swam into my vision, summoned by my mind. I pushed the Mer-King from my thoughts before the apparition could flash his signature smug smirk.

Knifey and Toothless didn’t bother knocking as they strode into the captain’s quarters. Toothless jabbed his elbow into my side to encourage me to move faster, but reluctance wasn’t the only reason for my sluggishness.

The back of a tall chair, worn leather cracked in several places, greeted us. Facing away from the door, looking out at the endless blue extending to the horizon beyond the windows.

“What did you find on shore interesting enough to warrant such a meeting?” the captain asked, his voice bone dry but amused.

Toothless cleared his throat, his earlier confidence gone as he fiddled with his hands. “We found a girl on the beach,” he muttered. “She’s a—”

“A girl?” The captain gave a cruel laugh. “Whores are no more than a stone's throw from any port on the other side of the Dark Sea. We came to Siren Cove for a reason, and I sent you both onto the beachfor a reason.”

Knifey stepped forward. “Sir, we found no signs of Sirens on the rocks. We did find another type of gilded Fae.”

The leather chair spun so quickly it was a miracle it didn’t fall off its spindle. The captain was Fae, with the same pointed ears we all shared, but that was where the differences stopped.

Every line in his face was pale against his deeply tanned skin, and the captain’s hair was nothing but peach fuzz on an almost bald head.

His watery eyes narrowed as he took in my appearance. “She ain’t no gilded Fae.” The captain’s nostrils flared before he waved his hand to dismiss us.

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