Page 50 of A Curse of Salt

The crew stood on high alert as Bane’s ships neared. I couldn’t help glancing over my shoulder at Golde every few seconds, unnerved at having her keen blade beyond my line of sight. She’d saved my life once, almost defended me in front of Mersey’s crew, yet I still wasn’t sure where we stood. Wasn’t convinced she wouldn’t turn that sabre on me, given half a chance.

‘Don’t worry ’bout her, lass,’ Aron said. ‘Someone stands behind ye, it means they’ve got yer back.’

I nodded, not quite believing him – but it was a comfort to know I had at least one ally on that deck. I dug my nails into my palms to keep my focus on what lay ahead. The rose-hilted dagger Aron had given me pressed uncomfortably against the base of my ribs, but the cold metal was oddly reassuring. I’d taken to keeping it on me everywhere I went since the day he’d given it to me, but today I was overly conscious of its steely presence. I sent a silent prayer to the sea that I wouldn’t have to use it.

I watched the nearer of the two ships as the crew onboard furled her emerald sails. Above them flapped a pennant I’d seen only once before: a fury-eyed mermaid clutching a blade not unlike my own.

This was it. The man who’d marked me as his prey, the one who lusted for something in my blood the way the crew lusted for his. He’d come this far. What did he have to lose?

‘They’re boarding,’ Aron remarked, as the vessel glided slowly alongside the Blood Rose’s port, the second ship close behind.

Golde’s eyes narrowed. ‘Let ’em.’

Like the pack of beasts they were, the pirates of the Blood Rose tipped their heads back and howled to the swarm of dark clouds above. Chills ripped down my arms. I imagined how it must sound to Bane’s crew, hearing the promise of destruction roll across the waves towards them; a cry sharpened by freedom and salt. Still, they approached.

The Blood Rose’s crew waited with impatient hands, blades gleaming like fangs bared in anticipation of flesh. Soon enough, irons flew over the side of the deck. They let them come, hunger mounting tangibly in the air. Like drool, it trickled through me; a cold, lifeless dread.

Bane’s crew boarded, but they didn’t draw their weapons – not yet, as if they knew exactly what fate it would afford them. My mind swam as the two sides of the ship came to a standstill. Bane’s crew was an odd mix of pirates and peasants, some poised like they lived for battle; others – the leaner, hungriest-looking ones – like they weren’t ready to die for it. For me.

Like the first crack of thunder before a storm, a single set of footsteps echoed over the planks, each a bright flash of something impending. Nausea swirled in my stomach as the newcomers parted for their captain. Then there he stood, at the bottom of the stairs.

Bane.

A thicket of light brown hair framed his features, and from beneath the collar of his calico shirt crept the furrowed red of old burn marks. War was etched into the harsh lines of his sun-beaten face, but when he smiled, it transformed.

He dragged a hand through his shaggy hair and grinned. ‘Long time no see.’

An ominous silence settled over the ship before Sebastien lifted his head and spoke. ‘Quite an audience to bring to your own death,’ he remarked.

Bane showed no hint of fear, but the long, scarred fingers of his right hand never strayed from the hilt of his cutlass. His nails were painted black with kohl, bitten to stubs.

‘Not really how I see things going today, love,’ he quipped. ‘Bit old to be taking on the likes of us, aren’t you?’

Behind me, Golde let out a hiss. ‘I’m gonna feed that bastard his own tongue,’ she muttered to Aron.

I could sense Sebastien’s irritation, too. I knew that if Bane had come alone, he’d be bleeding out on the planks already. But with the second ship anchored close by, the Blood Rose’s crew were outnumbered almost two to one. A battle would mean heavy losses on both sides.

Bane’s gaze slid over to me. ‘Let her come forward.’

Dread climbed the back of my throat as I took a hesitant step; then, when Sebastien made no move to stop me, another. I hovered for a moment at the top of the stairs, caught between the Heartless King and this vengeful traitor, unsure which side of the battlefield was mine.

Bane’s eyes raked down my face. His gaze was startlingly green, sharp as talon-tips as it pried into my skin.

I shifted on my feet, stirred by a sudden urge to flee. I had expected to fear him as much as I did his designs on my future, yet . . . what scared me most was how human he seemed. Not like the Heartless King – not a fabled shadow, or a beast.

Bane’s expression was unflinching, but it wasn’t unkind. Perhaps that was what unsettled me most.

If I truly wanted to escape the Blood Rose, this was my chance. I could take the risk, pray that whatever Bane was planning involved keeping me alive, perhaps even setting me free someday. But it was a steep risk – a terrifying one.

The skies darkened with an impending storm. My skin prickled as the waters grew ominously still. Bane’s burning gaze was still fixed on my face.

Behind me, Sebastien’s sword grated in its scabbard. ‘If you think she’s yours to take, come and get her.’

Bane advanced towards the stairs, his footsteps sharp as my rabid heartbeat.

‘Don’t come any closer,’ I choked out, fear constricting my voice. Who I feared for most, I wasn’t sure. But another step and I knew that the volatile peace would snap, that no one would be safe. Not Aron, who’d fought for me. Not Mors, who’d known my parents in a way I never had. Not Una, who’d shown me nothing but warmth. Golde, perhaps, I could live without.

I could feel the King watching me, waiting to see what I’d do. He wasn’t going to stop me. Not yet. Perhaps he was curious which ship I thought had a better chance of taking me towards a future worth living.

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