Page 40 of Voice of the Ocean

“Well, I’m sure he’d forgive his own blood.” Something in the second man’s face gave him pause. “Wouldn’t he?”

“The king loves his son, but he is not a forgiving man. And with what happened to theSun, not a man alive save Raiden and Bastian? Sounds like a curse to me. The way I see it, we’re fools to join this crew. If I had any other choice,Iwouldn’t be here.”

TheSun?Had that been the name of the prince’s ship? It certainly sounded right. But the wordcursesent a chill down her spine. Perhaps theywerecursed. She certainly felt so lately.

The first man swallowed. “So this mysterious treasure we’re hunting. It’s for the king?”

That might explain why Raiden would risk this journey a second time. Each bit of information created more questions.Why did Raiden never mention his father if they were doing this for him? Why risk more lives when Raiden knew better? Why did the king want this treasure? What was it?

With a grave shake of his head, the second man answered the first. “Whatever the king has asked, we will succeed, or we will die.”

CHAPTERSEVENTEEN

Celeste had never seen anything more beautiful than the sunset. As she gazed upon the burning red sun lowering upon the horizon, she knew it was a memory she would never forget. They sailed beside it, as if the two were companions, and belowdecks the crew became restless with energy. Night was falling fast. The sun dipped below the horizon, the sky turning the deep purple of a bruise as the first stars began to appear above them. The sea was calm, with just a gentle breeze pushing the ship along its way. She couldn’t have pictured a more perfect night.

It had been a long day full of navigation and awkward conversations. Most of the crew had never worked together before, so it wasn’t a surprise. The first dinner with the officers had been a little quiet, although delicious. There was creamy soup; fresh, crunchy vegetables; some sort of roasted meat; and berries for dessert. Celeste listened carefully as everyone spoke about the food so she could learn their names. Food was turning out to be her favorite part of being human. Desserts were a particular favorite.

“Can’t eat like this most nights, but I thought we should celebrate,” Nasir said.

Apparently, food was hard to keep fresh on a ship, so Nasir used the fresh food first and later would move into the preserved foods: hard biscuits and cheeses, cured meats, pickled vegetables, and dried fruits. After the meal, they joined the rest of the crew on the decks. Bastian complained a little, insisting it had been a long day, but he couldn’t say no when Raiden reminded him it was tradition to christen the first night, and it would be bad luck to break tradition. Evidently, humans were very anxious to avoid “bad luck.”

“A toast!” called Raiden, emerging with a couple of crew members carrying wooden barrels. Bastian followed along with several others, cups haphazardly stacked in their arms.

The cups were quickly passed around among the crew, with Raiden following behind, filling each glass with dark red liquid.Wine, she heard him call it. Celeste wondered if this was one of those drinks that made humans stupid. What did it taste like? If it did make a human stupid, what didthatfeel like?

“Is ourheropartaking in the libations this evening?” Raiden asked.

It was convenient that Raiden spoke to her in a way in which she could answer easily, but Celeste grew tired of head shakes. So she pointed to herself, shook her head, and pointed to the wine.

“You no wine?”

Celeste waved her hand back over her shoulder.

“Before?” Raiden said.

Celeste nodded.

“You haven’t had wine before?”

She smiled unintentionally when he correctly guessed.

Raiden returned the smile, a celebration of this small victory shared between them. “Allow me to introduce you.” He filled her cup generously. “Don’t drink too fast,” he said, meeting her eye. “Take it slowly and see how you feel.”

Celeste scoffed. She was a warrior, after all. She could handle abeverage. If she chose to.

“Or, by all means, drink yourself into oblivion,” he said cooly. “I’d love to watch you make a fool of yourself.”

Celeste reached for the cup, but he pulled it from her grasp so that instead she grabbed his hand. She tensed, memories flooding her mind. Her body being dragged through the streets. Her clothes cut from her body. She had experienced an accidental touch before, but something about this was different.

In the ocean, water surrounded you, touching you always. But on land, the air felt like an absence. Every touch was uninhibited. There was nothing between you. When Raiden’s hand met hers, it felt as though he was lightning, and she was water. His shock of energy went right through her. Celeste tore her hand away, squeezing her eyes shut. When she opened them, Raiden held the cup out, handle facing her. She gave him an awkward nod in thanks and then took it without having to touch him again. A flush creeped up her neck. He looked at her, his expression impassive. Perhaps he hadn’t noticed her reaction after all.

But she did notice his left hand clench ever so slightly as he walked away.

A cold wind blew across her face, and she turned her face down toward her cup, watching the deep red liquid slide back and forth with the rocking of the ship. It looked too much like blood. Her stomach churned.

“I’d like to raise a glass to our first voyage together aboard theRed Revenge.” As Raiden spoke, the rest of the crew fell silent. He lifted his glass into the air, and the others followed suit. Celeste lifted her own glass, mirroring their actions. “You’re not the crew I would have chosen”—Torben growled angrily at this—“but you’re the best crew for the job!” he finished with a knifelike grin.

“You mean the job where we could get killed if we don’t succeed?” a man said.

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