Page 9 of Of the Stars and Sea

The roof tile scrapes against my elbows as I lean closer to the edge and watch Blythe in a hooded cloak moving through the throng of people.

Wells had done his detective work the night prior, having stalked Blythe’s men to a tavern, where they got so deep in their cups, they boasted openly about their plans for today. They tried to be secretive about the when, where, and why of their plans, but Wells was able to piece it together, nonetheless.

That’s the thing about treating one’s crew like scum under one’s boot. The turnover of Blythe’s crewmen is next to none, and most of the men crewing with him have no wits and certainly no loyalty. Especially not when he threatens them all through the use of fear and punishments.

Treat your crew like family and they will become one.It was one of the many lessons my father passed onto me before he was killed.

A lesson that is proving faithful tonight.

Wells stands and gathers his sword from where it was laying by his side before he signals to the three of us that he is off to create a distraction.

“Amara.” I nod my head toward Wells. She knows damn well her duty is to follow and aide him, but the stubborn glint in her eyes tells me she wants nothing more than to abandon him at his post. Though, deeper, I know the act they play together is all for show.

Rising onto her knees, she groans. “This mission will be the death of me.”

I snort. “All the more treasure for us, then.”

“You wound me, Captain.”

She readjusts the pistol at her side as I smile up at her. The heavy raindrops make me squint my eyes and I wipe my hand across them to clear the water from my vision. It works for only a moment as I say, a little more seriously, “Be careful, Amara.”

More rain splatters against my eyes, but I see her nod once before she turns around and disappears off the other side of the roof, following in Wells’s footsteps.

“The entire city is going to lock down if Blythe fails his attempt at stealing the Serpent’s Key,” Raven whispers to me, despite the heavy rainfall. “The king will send out his entire army for the artifact once he realizes it’s stolen. Are you sure you want to get in the middle of that, Captain?”

The opalescent pearl clasped onto the thin braid in my hair falls forward. I absently reach for it, rolling the small treasure between my fingers like I’ve done most days since my father gave it to me. It’s a constant reminder of the life I once shared with him and my mother. A reminder of the love I saw between them before the monsters of this world ripped them apart.

The day of my father’s death was the first time I realized that no one was going to rescue me from that fateful day. No one was going to come along and take away the pain—not even my mother. I was in charge of my own destiny, just as I am right now.

Magick may not run through my veins, but there has always been the incessant pull ofsomething. Something guiding me . . . showing me the path that is meant for me to take. And the moment Red Beard revealed the Serpent’s Key as our new bounty, I felt that tug in my heart letting me know that this was, somehow, the way out.

But what if you’re wrong? What if all this is for naught and the shackles around your ankles only grow tighter?

Water falls from my hair is I shake the thoughts away before looking to Raven. Placing my hand over her forearm, I give it a pat. “Freedom is the one thing worth fighting for, Raven. This world grows smaller every day. More evil things sprout around us, desperate to take hold of all that is good. We have sailed under Red Beard’s demands for far too long.Heis only an example of the cruel and wicked things in this world. I do not want us to be around when fouler creatures sink their claws into this place.”

I look out over the sprawling city below us. It was once beautiful. The white stone of the buildings’ walls would shine from the mid-morning sun. Children would run in the streets with abandon and their parents would know they were safe. Every shop and tavern was thriving. I can still smell the scent of freshly baked bread and decadent sweets as my parents swung me between them on our nightly strolls. This city was my beloved home before we were forced to flee to Emerald Cove.

Now, green and black mold crawls its way up the dingy walls of every building. The only children in the streets are those begging for scraps of food. Most walk right past them, splashing muddy water into their faces from the puddles that seem to pollute the cobblestone streets every few steps. Or worse yet, the children are stolen and forced into some kind of horrific labor—just like Raven had been.

The only smell rising to meet my nose now comes from the overflowing sewer drains that the king no longer takes care of, despite the hefty taxes the people are forced to pay.

“Freedom,” Raven repeats, tasting the word in her mouth like it still feels foreign to her after all the years she’s been away from the brothel. “I think I’d like to fight for the chance of that,” she whispers to me. Her dark red lips split her face and the smile she beams at me is one I will remember for the rest of my days. The freckles she earned from all the time spent on my ship crinkle as her smile broadens further, and I know she’s found it: the feeling that always tingles up my spine when I think of days spent on the open water with no one to answer to. The sensation of being weightless as I take my midnight swims under the blanket of stars high above me. The wind that flows freely through my hair, and the feeling of my mother’s pearl lapping gently against my shoulder when the sails of theTrinitytake hold.

I can see it in Raven’s eyes. The wanting of something intangible, yet all-consuming.

Freedom.

And as I watch her rise from the edge of the roof and descend off the other side, I try not to let the fear deep in my core rattle what I know to be true. Should we fail tonight, it will be my fault. Red Beard will see to it that my crew and I will be punished most severely. That is, if the king doesn’t capture and kill us first.

We are close. So very close to getting the one thing we’ve always wanted.

So close, and yet, an entire kingdom lies between us and the one thing we’ve always chased after.

Warm water moves over my skin as I ease myself down from the seawall, trying hard not to make a sound. It’s a comforting sensation. One that I yearn for, one that tempts me to dive into the murky depths every night before sleep can take me.

A light mist coats my face from the humidity the rain brought in. I let go of the seawall, falling like a stone into the water. For a moment the salty sea burns my eyes, but with a few blinks, they adjust, and I look around to find the ocean is alive tonight. Below me, creatures and coral are illuminated, giving off a striking glow against the darkness.

Time ticks away. There is much to be done, but I dive downward anyway. Careful not to disturb the scene, I exhale so I can go deeper without moving my body too much. Squishy sand hits my feet as I land on the bottom. I sit cross-legged, taking in the beautiful ocean landscape before me. Tall stalks of seaweed flow back and forth, the emerald green shimmering against the moonlight that trickles in from the surface. A host of tiny crabs emerges from a beige coral head. Their claws are up high in defense against whatever predator lingers. One of them—the largest in the front—must have gotten into a tussle because its left claw is missing completely.

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