Page 44 of Voice of the Ocean

“At last some action!” said Torben, practically skipping down to the berth. “And here I thought this be the dullest crew I ever had the misfortune to be stuck with.” He slapped Oakes on the back at his own joke. Oakes laughed, if only to please his superior, as the two jogged lightly downstairs. As if they were chittering dolphins, ready to play.

Nasir, however, looked stricken. His usual calm exterior melting into a cool panic. “Boarding? I thought we were simply picking up treasure.”

“If this was a simple voyage, why would we need a surgeon?” Kiyami said.

All at once, the crew descended into chaos, each of them shouting above the other and arguing. Nasir insisted he remain with his husband, despite Bastian’s order that the surgeon stay behind to take care of the wounded. Others bickered over who should lead the charge. All the while, Torben’s voice below deck could be heard shouting excited orders at Oakes to “grab more weapons” and “get the gunpowder.”

Celeste stood in the center of it all, still as a stone against the tide. Whatever boarding meant, she didn’t think she’d like it.

“Enough,” Raiden said.

The crew quieted.

“My orders are not up for discussion.”

With this, the humans dispersed, going about their duties to prepare the ship without another word. Celeste, unsure of what her role was in this situation, remained beside Kiyami, watching as she turned the great wheel. If Celeste had learned one thing in the last several days, it was if she remained by Kiyami, the humans assumed she was doing her job, and no one would bother her. For the most part, Kiyami didn’t require much direction. The path was simple enough, which meant Celeste had plenty of time to relax and overthink harebrained plots for uncovering the prince’s secrets.

Now Celeste’s thoughts were busy trying to uncover what boarding meant.Why are they preparing the weapons? If it’s just a cargo ship, wouldn’t that mean it’s not a threat?The minutes passed quickly and slowly at once. Each moment felt eternal, with the tension thick in the air, and yet the cargo ship grew rapidly closer. Although they were working, the crew continued to bicker as the hot afternoon sun beat down from above.

“We’re gaining!” Raiden said, a feral excitement burning in his eyes.

“Do you have a weapon, girl?” came Torben’s gravelly voice as he approached her.

Celeste shook her head.

“I thought not,” Torben puffed out his chest. “I did you the favor of grabbing a few necessities.” He handed over a thick leather belt, on which dangled several holsters. Celeste accepted and secured it around her waist using Torben’s own belt as an example. “Here’s your sword”—she sheathed it—“your pistol”—she tucked it into the front of her belt, as Torben had—“and a dagger.” It was small and simple, with a pretty wooden handle and a sharp blade.

After nearly a week of seeing such weapons on the others, Celeste finally held them herself. Excitement filled her, mixed with a thick sense of foreboding. Sparring was her favorite part of training, but it was just that, training. Sparring was poised, calm, a game of wits. The real thing was brutal, like being caught in an undertow and fighting for breath. And in the end, you were left with wounds you didn’t know how to heal.

“Make sure to hide the dagger,” Torben instructed. “Somewhere that won’t hurt you, and you can reach, but also where someone else won’t find it. You never know when you might be captured and will need to cut someone’s eye from their skull!” He looked particularly gleeful as he said this last part, as if recalling a fond memory.

Celeste’s skin turned a shade green at the thought. She hadn’t actually killed anyone before, and she had hoped that her first and only kill outside of the Chorus would be Raiden.

TheRed Revengeclosed in on the cargo ship, only a few lengths away.

“Man your stations!” came a shout.

“You do... know how to use these weapons, right?” Torben asked, peering at Celeste’s face. Celeste pushed her fears away and put on a confident smile.

“That a girl.” Torben patted her shoulder. “Don’t want you dying and all, since we don’t have another navigator. Good luck!” And with that he strode away, barreling through the crowd forming near the starboard railing.

“Don’t shoot until I give the orders, Torben!” Raiden shouted after him, but Celeste was certain he wasn’t listening.

As the ships approached, Kiyami turned the great wheel in time to pull up against the cargo ship. TheRed Revengetowered over its very sails, throwing a dark shadow upon the frantic crew as they shouted and passed around weapons. Torben and the others began to cheer, pounding their feet against the deck. The sounds rose into a terrible crescendo. As their captain approached, they parted and faced him, growing silent.

“Board the ship,” said Raiden.

A guttural roar exploded in response. The metal sound of drawn swords rang. Then a large plank fell between the railings of the two ships. The crew of theRed Revengesurged toward it. But as they climbed on, a large man from the opposite crew put his hands on either side of the plank, pushing. The board was slipping sideways an inch, then another, when out of nowhere a great axe flew across the gap and sank with a wet thud into the man’s face. He fell, dead before he hit the ground.

With a whoop of triumph, Torben sprinted over the plank. Nasir’s intimidating frame closely followed his husband. Apparently, Bastian had lost that argument.

Celeste sprinted to the side of the ship where Raiden stood to get a better look, tucking her dagger safely into the folds of her skirt. But as she did, a bullet flew past her ear.

“Get down!” Raiden ordered, and for once she couldn’t argue.

As Torben reached the end of the plank, he was met with three men, their swords drawn. Although they outnumbered him, the men hesitated, clearly nervous to engage him after seeing what he had done to the first man. Without hesitation, Torben jumped over them, rolled across the floor, and pulled his axe from the man’s face. As they stared at Torben’s dripping axe, Nasir picked one of them up from behind and flung him into the other two, knocking them all into a heap and clearing a path.

One by one the crew stormed across the plank, jumping into the fight. The color drained from Celeste’s face as she watched. The humans werekillingeach other. But she didn’t understand why.

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