Page 76 of Voice of the Ocean

Raiden’s head of thick dark hair looked uncommonly disheveled, some of it sticking up at odd angles in the back. He gazed at Celeste, his eyes dipping down to her dress and lack of corset, before blinking and looking away. She flushed, realizing her mistake and pulling a long coat from the closet behind her.

“I wanted to meet with you before we entered the current,” he said.

Celeste nodded, part of her still wrapped in the soft, hazy embrace of sleep as she followed him down the hall into his quarters. Upon entering, she plopped with a thud into his chair behind the desk. Raiden’s lips pulled at the corner in a half smile. She supposed it was rather insubordinate of her to sit in the captain’s chair. But he said nothing and pulled up the smaller chair to sit beside her.

Once more the two pored over the map. Celeste corrected him when he mistakenly marked the current’s mouth too far south. If they stayed on course, they would enter siren waters in a couple of hours. A knot formed in her stomach at the thought. But the journey should only take them three days, with them arriving on the day of the eclipse.

“The current bends here and here?” Raiden clarified, reaching across her to point along the line she had drawn. “We’ll hit the first near the end of today and one midday on the second?”

Celeste shook her head. Without thinking, she placed her hand atop his and moved it gently so it was closer to the end of the current. But she dropped it when his eyes met hers.

“Ah, so it bends right as we’re exiting the current?”

She nodded.

“That’s not great.”

It wasn’t. Any bend in a current was difficult for a ship of this size to manage. It was why most ships avoided currents so close to the ocean’s surface. If theRevengewas not pointed in the right direction as the current bent, the ship would capsize. But a bend at the end of a current meant the water would be turning, so the ship would have to turn with it as it was trying to navigate moving between a current and open water. One wrong turn and the ship would go down, the crew with it. But they had no other options.

“You think we can do this?” he asked.

Celeste turned her head to look him in the eye. It wasn’t like him to seek validation from anyone. If anything, Raiden thought a bittoo muchof himself. But she took his hand in hers and squeezed, this time not pulling away.

Yes. I think we can.

His worried gaze softened.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

Any sane crew would stop and wait it out. As the hours wore on, the rain and winds worsened. It was clear none of the crew liked the idea of pushing forward into a current in this weather, but they had no choice. If they stopped now, all would be for nothing. So they soldiered on through the battering wind and rain, doing their best to keep the masts from being blown over and using a push broom to sweep the water from the decks.

Every minute or so, Celeste found herself scanning the rough seas. She couldn’t help herself, even though siren territory was still hours away. They needed to be moving as quickly as possible. If they ran into the Chorus... there was no hope of her protecting all of them. She had barely managed to rescue Bastian, Raiden, and the Admiral last time. But the storm made spotting anything impossible. Rain dripped down from her hair into her eyes, blurring her vision. She wiped them furiously, scanning the same place again.Scouts don’t swim this close to the current, she reminded herself. The risk of being dragged into the rushing water and displaced far away from Staria was too great. And a long journey alone for a siren could often be a death sentence, with so many ocean predators. Although the Song would help fend off the occasional shark or jellyfish, a siren’s voice tired after strenuous use. Not to mention any loss of focus would result in the Song being undone.

The ship swayed dangerously in the wind as Kiyami fought to keep them on course. Celeste began to pace beside her.

As if hearing her thoughts, Raiden appeared to check on her, his brow creased with worry. She pulled a face, sticking her tongue out at him just to see him smile. A rough wind sent the ship toppling sideways, knocking them to the floor. Beneath, Celeste heard shouts from Torben and his men. They shifted cannons to try to help balance the weight of theRed Revenge. Eventually, the ship straightened. The crew regained their footing. But it was a harsh reminder that there was only so much they could do. The Goddess of the Sea decided their fates.

“We’re entering the current!” cried Kiyami at the helm, waving her hands in the air to get Bastian’s attention. The winds were too loud for them to hear each other. Bastian waved back, signifying he had understood her, and began running between crew members, spreading the word. Raiden drew closer to Celeste beside the wheel, his rain-slick hand finding hers. She sent up a prayer, asking for protection.

The ship groaned as it lurched forward, picking up speed. While they entered the current straight on, the rough winds blowing against the starboard side made the entrance clumsy. The ship tilted to the left as it surged them forward at twice the speed they had been moving seconds before.

“Hang on!” Kiyami cried, pulling at the wheel with all her strength. The ship adjusted, only to fall in the opposite direction. A flash of light flared in the distance, illuminating the dark clouds.

“Kiyami!” cried Raiden.

“I’ve got this,” Kiyami grunted, gripping the wheel with white knuckles.

As the great ship dipped further, Celeste’s feet slipped beneath her. She lurched, grasping desperately to catch ahold of something to steady her. A strong arm looped around her waist. Raiden pulled her into his chest, his grip tight.

“Hang on,” he said in her ear.

Nodding, she laced her arms around his torso, pressing close to his warmth. Her thick jacket sagged with water, the white dress beneath now clinging to her shivering body.

With a grunt of effort, Kiyami turned the wheel further left and held it in place. Another flash of lightning cracked through the clouds above.

Then, mercifully, the bow began to turn left.

The ship righted. Barrels settled back onto the deck. Celeste’s grip on Raiden loosened.

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