Page 9 of Of Song and Darkness
She rose to leave, but I stopped her. “How will I find this princess?” I inquired, curiosity lining my tone.
“Don’t worry, Captain. When you see her, you will know. You have never seen anything that looks quite like her, and besides…” She stepped closer to me. “She is on her way to you as we speak.”
Asneer pulled at my lips as I watched the witch slink out of the tavern. Allowing her to leave this wretched place in one piece was a miracle in itself. Sea witches, with their eerie powers, made my skin crawl. The moment she revealed her ship encased in a bubble, I recognized her as the sinister creature who had plagued sailors and their vessels for longer than I'd walked this Earth. She was the stuff of legends and nightmares, a terror of the Seven Seas. I never anticipated she would seek me out, bearing a request.
I must have been the greatest fool ever to have entertained an offer from a sea witch. However, when she dangled the Wraith before my eyes, my mouth began to water, and all reason and caution sailed away with the wind.
The Wraith was a legend, a ship whispered about in hushed tones, long believed to be lost to the unforgiving sea. Yet, there she was, presented to me as if on a silver platter. So what if I started a war with the siren king for slaughtering his daughter? With the Wraith, he would have to catch me first. The prospect of possessing such an elusive ship had ignited a fire in my soul, one that no threat, no matter how ominous, could extinguish.
Cael came up beside me with a stern look on his face. “Do you truly intend on accepting this suicide mission?”
“I intend to get my hands on that ship,” I clarified. “Now, whether or not I do everything else she requested of me is yet to be seen.”
Cael sat down in the seat the witch had recently vacated and stared into my eyes. “Seems to me she’s got you over a barrel. That one is cunning. I don’t know how you intend on tricking her into giving you that ship without following through on her other demands.”
I usually would not allow any of my crew members to question my motives, but Cael had been my friend long before we knew how to sail, and I trusted his judgment, not that I intended to listen to it. He was also my first mate, which allowed him some leeway.
Cael's skepticism was evident as he leaned back in his seat. "Tangling with Medusa sounds like nothing but trouble," he remarked, shaking his head.
“We’ll cross that ocean when we get there.” I stood, and when I did, all my crew members’ eyes shot to me. No one grumbled or dared complain when I motioned for them to move out. It was a day ahead of schedule, but we had a new job to do, so I planned to set sail with the tide.
My boots thumped across the pier as I headed for the dinghy. Several of the small boats were piled high with my men, and in a matter of seconds, we paddled back toward the ship. I scaled the rope ladder and started yelling orders as soon as my feet hit the deck of my ship.
“Weigh anchor and prepare to sail,” I boomed across the deck.
“Heading, Cap’n?” Cael yelled from the helm.
My gaze swept across the vast expanse of the ocean, tracing the ship's graceful progress as it effortlessly cleaved through the rolling waves. “A hefty sum has been offered to kill a leviathan that has been lurking around the Bahamas. It was last sighted near the island of Andros.” I could see the greed and excitement in the crew’s eyes as I announced our next target. “And if we happen to run into a siren on the way, we will take her as well,” I said with a devious smirk.
“A siren this far north?” Flynt scoffed as he tightened the jigging.
“That’s what I’ve been told.” I looked toward Cael, who still wore a sober expression on his face. I had no intention of telling anyone else about my encounter with the sea witch and what she wanted us to do. Sometimes, the less my crew knew, the better.
My gaze danced across the surface of the water once again. The sea witch didn’t give much detail on the whereabouts of the siren princess, only that she was looking for me. I had to stay on my toes. I despised surprises, especially when they took the cunning form of a siren. With a mere song, she could lead my entire crew to a watery grave, a fate I was determined to avoid.
As the ship ventured deeper into the boundless expanse of the ocean, well on its course toward the Bahamas, I retreated belowdecks. The serenity of my cabin beckoned, a sanctuary from the unknown perils that lay ahead.
Leaning over my desk, I surveyed the chaotic mess of maps, compasses and calipers, musty books, and a tarnished spyglass. With a swift, impatient sweep of my hand, I cleared the clutter aside to reach for a map hidden in the depths of the mess. It was a tucked away, cherished secret.
Unfolding the yellowed, creased parchment, I gingerly spread it across the worn surface of the desk before taking my seat. This map was a coveted relic among sailors, a treasure hunted by those who shared my perilous profession—sea monster hunting. The map was a masterpiece, years in the making, adorned with cryptic lines and symbols and highlighted regions where sea creatures prowled. My gaze settled on the small islands of the Bahamas, Andros nestled among them. It was there we set our course, heading toward the depths of the deep blue waters just off the coast.
Leviathans were elusive sea monsters that had a fondness for lurking within the shadows of the Earth's undersea craters. If there was a leviathan haunting the waters around Andros, that was precisely where it would lie in wait, hidden within the heart of those dark, bottomless chasms.
I smiled to myself as I rolled up the map and tucked it away in a safe place. It had been a long time since I last encountered a leviathan. My blood sang with the possibility of battle and the kill.
“Storm a’brewing off the starboard!” Rat’s voice rang out over my jumbled thoughts.
I took the coins from my pocket, securing them in a hidden place, and then ventured back up to the deck.
As I stepped onto it, the salty sea wind rammed me hard. The ocean was an unpredictable and moody mistress. She would turn on you in seconds without a moment’s notice, and she had little regard for those who dared to cross her.
I looked in the direction that Rat indicated from high up in the crow’s nest. The dark sky hung low, and the crack of thunder was so loud it rattled my teeth. Sheets of rain scurried across the vast expanse of the ocean, a warning of the tempest that lay miles ahead, lurking in the dark, brooding depths.
Within minutes, the rain pelted my skin, drenching me to the bone. I shoved my unruly wet hair from my eyes and strode toward the helm, where the ship's wheel groaned under the strain of the squall.
"Batten down the hatches, boys! It looks like we’re in for a wild one!" I bellowed, my voice lost in the roar of the storm. The wind howled, and the rain stung like a swarm of angry bees as we charged headlong into the squall, a relentless force of nature that threatened to consume us.
Rhea