Page 74 of Voice of the Ocean

“He’ll kill us all if we don’t succeed,” he admitted, his eyes far away. “My father never gives second chances. The only reason he allowed me this one was because of how dangerous it was. How likely it would end in disaster. Maybe he figured if I died in the pursuit, he wouldn’t have to do the job himself.”

Her stomach turned like churning water. What kind of monster would do that to his own son? To these people? In her anger, she felt tears prick her eyes. Then she took her hand from his and faced the map beneath them. With one long finger, she charted a new course. Starting from where their ship was, then west and south to the Lunastri Current. Raiden raised a brow.

“I thought it wise to avoid that area,” he said, his voice a low murmur that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She’d never felt such a sensation before. Glorious and unnerving. But she returned her focus to the map, noting the symbols that marked the other ocean currents. Her hands trembled a little as she picked up the quill. And with a steadying breath, she drew the symbol for a current on the parchment below her.

“Acurrent,” he breathed. There was a note of hope in his voice that wasn’t there before. Her heart squeezed in her chest. He did not question her or ask her how she knew of it when these mapmakers had not. Raiden simply smiled. “My God, you’re brilliant.”

And Celeste glowed like a moonbeam.

* * *

“We’ll be on the current in two days,” Raiden told the others at breakfast.

“We’re—using acurrent?” Kiyami said, a tremor of fear in her voice. “There isn’t any current large enough this far south.”

“There is,” he replied simply.

Nasir and Bastian exchanged a look.

“Isn’t that rather dangerous, Captain?” Bastian hedged. “We don’t know anything about this current. It could lead us miles off course. Or topple our ship from its strength alone.”

“It was our navigator’s call, and I trust her judgment.” Raiden fixed his friend with a look. “It’s the only way to arrive by the eclipse. If we arrive late, we won’t get paid.”

Kiyami’s worried gaze slid over to Celeste, but she said nothing.I’ll get you home to your family, Celeste thought, wishing her friend could somehow read her mind.This will be your last voyage, just like you planned.

And that was that.

Throughout the day, Celeste monitored their progress, and in the afternoon, she had sword training with Kiyami and her now permanent sparring partner, Raiden.

“I love that little crease in your forehead when you focus,” the captain said as she thrust toward him. The comment made her steps falter, and he leaped away easily, laughing.

And I love when you hold still, Celeste thought with a huff, getting her feet back under her. But the pirate was too practiced, easily evading her every strike. He backed her into the mast without her realizing, pinning her between his sword and the wood.

“You know, I’ve pictured us here before,” he growled, so low that only she could hear. His warm brown eyes fell to her lips. “But it wasn’t with an audience.”

Celeste’s heart skipped a beat. That gaze was like a powerful undertow, pulling her beneath the waves. She didn’t want to fight it. And yet, just as he leaned forward, Celeste took her free hand and punched him in the side. With a gasp, Raiden dropped his weapon.

“Excellent job, Celeste!” Kiyami laughed. “Way to see an opening.”

* * *

After dinner, her writing and reading lesson with Nasir felt long. When Celeste’s attention began to wander, Nasir mercifully told her she had done enough. The two walked up to the decks, where the rest of the crew were drinking and passing the time. Now that their stores were replenished, the crew enjoyed fresh meals and plenty of wine. Raiden even surprised Celeste with a stash of the honeyed wine she had loved so much from the festival, a gesture that left her smiling like a fool for hours. The crew sat together under the stars, singing songs when the wine caught up to them. Nasir, it turned out, had a beautiful voice.

“Remember when we had to pretend to be bards to avoid walking the plank on that ship we stowed away on?” Bastian asked. The night had grown so late that even the quartermaster managed to unwind.

Raiden threw his head back and laughed. “Remember? How could I forget! We had a famous song! ‘The Admiral’s Tail’!”

“I believe you mean infamous,” Bastian corrected, grinning.

“Baz can sing?” Kiyami asked, a look of confusion on her face.

“No.” Raiden chuckled. “He was the reason we still ended up on that plank.”

The crew burst into laughter, insisting Bastian sing a few bars. But Raiden was quick to recount another misadventure, saving his friend the embarrassment.

There was a special sort of magic about the long summer days on the ship. The calm before the storm. No one spoke of the current or the time slipping away toward the solstice. But it was always there. Like their own shadows, their futures silently followed them around, always at their heels.

At one point, Torben convinced Bastian and Raiden to join a game of cards. It was a different game than the one Celeste had played with Raiden. After a few rounds, Celeste joined them and won a fair bit of money off Torben, enough that the Yenrian had been bitter all the next day, grumbling about Raiden helping her cheat, which he most certainly hadn’t. It wasn’t until the following evening, when Torben won the pants off Raiden, that his mood improved.

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