Page 120 of Pirate Witch
Not because I’m scared for myself, but because I hate not being there to protect them if something goes wrong.
I can’t breathe beneath the waves. I have no way of knowing what’s going on down there. Infuriatingly, I can’t do what Kier does either, not without draining myself, and I’m trying to conserve my strength for when I need it.
TheParlanceglides through the water beside theDeadwood. Cirio is at the helm, but I can barely see him beyond the dozens of crewmen scurrying around. Somewhere on the pirate king’s ship, Reva and Elsie are supposed to be preparing to help our casualties. Princess Amelia volunteered to help, and Adella vowed to keep all three of them safe, which is the only reason I agreed to let the two other witches out of my sight. Beyond his ship is the Empress Athena’s vessel, theAtalanta, filled to the brim with siren warriors.
Sade’s ships and more pirate vessels are at our stern. Our numbers are higher than I thought, but still less than half that of the ships before us.
As we suspected, the Eagle has conscripted human merchant ships and outfitted them with guns. There are smaller boats too—probably fire ships, meant to cause chaos and confusion. Maybe it’s strange, but relief fills me at the sight of them.
We’ve prepared for all of this. Val and Cirio anticipated these strategies and we’re ready for them.
It’s the things we can’t see which scare me.
How many mages has Catherine managed to keep on her side? How many vampires? We know there’s going to be plenty of her own men there. Normally, mortals don’t stand a chance against immortals, but an army of just humans isn’t at as much of a disadvantage at sea. Here, the size and strength of a ship has more of an impact than the mortality of the sailors piloting it.
The metal bird lands on the deck with a thud that’s deafening. Val and Rysen stiffen, the reaction ingrained after years of receiving her orders this way. I’ve never seen a mage bird before, but the craftsmanship is intricate beyond anything I’ve seen. Clockwork wheels turn around glowing crystals in its eyes at different speeds. Every feather of the shimmering steel plumage reflects glimmers of glowing grey power, casting light like a thousand mirrors.
The beak opens, and the tense silence is broken by its awful, metallic imitation of the Eagle’s voice.
“You were ordered to bring me the Shadow’s head!” it screeches, making Titan growl. “Not—”
Val sighs, holding his hand up, with a purple glyph glowing in the centre.
The bird shuts up immediately, beak snapping closed as his violet power battles with the grey powering it until the other mage is completely forced out. When the bird twinkles with Val’s magic, he sends it vaulting into the sky above our ship with a flare of power.
My mage mate glances at me, then closes his eyes and starts to speak.
Only his voice doesn’t come from his mouth; it echoes from the bird above.
“Mages of the Eagle’s fleet, I am speaking directly to you. My name is Valorean Deadwood, formerly Valorean Castleman, son of Elaria Castleman, and true heir to the Castleman seat on the Council. My uncle Everett, and his heir, are both dead. I am assuming control of their seat. When this battle is over, any of you who have fought for the human queen will be hunted down and executed. There will be no trial. Leave now, and I will spare you.” He pauses and then smirks. “Oh, and, Catherine? We’re free, and you’re fucked.”
His hands lose their glow, and the mage bird falls from the sky, plunging into the sea with a barely audible splash.
The movement on the other side of the bay is immediate. I can almost hear mages panicking and Catherine screaming from here. Figures scramble across the decks on both sides. Glowing beams of power across the fleet light up the night for a second before disappearing.
Mages teleporting away? Or something more sinister?
“I thought you weren’t going to claim the Castleman seat?” I whisper to him.
Val’s expression turns guarded. “Thought it was the least I could do for Cooper, since he cared so much about it,” he admits. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to turn up to any of their shitty meetings. I’ll appoint some stuffy bureaucratic minion to run things.” He shrugs and rolls his eyes. “Maybe I’ll change my mind and just disappear again. Who cares? I’ll still hunt them to the ground if they try to hurt you, head of the Council or not.”
I’m too tense to smile back. Shouting from across the bay drags our attention back to the fire ships. Men scramble to light the fuses on board and then haul ass away from them, diving into the sea in some cases.
They don’t surface.
I grin.
The crews of the other ships don’t notice their missing comrades. What are a few men compared to the hundreds working in the rigging and on the deck?
That’s their mistake.
The fire ships keep everyone’s attention as shadows begin to rise from the water surrounding the enemy ships. Siren warrioresses scale the sides of the frontmost ships, using daggers to cling to their wooden hulls. I can’t spot Klaus among them, but I know he’s there. He wanted to fight with his sisters, and I agreed.
Val can command theDeadwoodsingle handedly. Keeping my siren on board would be a waste of a good warrior. With Cas and Nos already fighting beside their family, it would be unfair not to expect him to do the same.
The sirens reach their positions—just below the gun ports—and wait.
The humans mill around in confusion, probably wondering what we’re waiting for. They shout to each other as our fleet remains unmoved. Our ships silently face down the first wave of their attack.
