“Did it work?”
Henry moaned a sigh. “No, it did not. I plunged further into a nightmare that night. When Gus came along, I thought he was her and began to fight back. I thank the heavens every day that it was he and not Lottie or young Charlie who’d stumbled upon me.”
“Don’t kid yourself, Lottie would have wiped the floor with your face.”
He laughed. “You’re probably right.”
I leaned into him, basking in the warmth his body offered. “And now?” I asked, terrified of the answer. “Is her presence still there? I still feel you tossing and turning at night.”
“No, she’s gone,” he admitted, and his face turned down with a heavy frown. “But something else still plagues me.”
I tipped his chin up so our faces were nearly touching and asked in a whisper, “What?”
“How to tell you what I did.” His bearded chin rubbed against my cheek. “How…how I betrayed you.”
Shocked, I ripped away from our intimate embrace to fully take in his expression. “What are you talking about?”
Henry’s eyes already pleaded with me to forgive him before he even muttered the words. “I’d been delusional. Starving. Beaten. I could barely tell whether it was night or day. I lost track of how long I’d been tied to that chair. My mind wandered to a far away place, one where you existed, and we were together.” His face was relaxed, eyes adrift in thought. “Even now, looking back, I think I was close to death. That I was seeing a glimpse of heaven.”
I felt frozen, stuck to the bed as I heard the memory spill from Henry’s mouth and my own images of horror flashed through my mind. Finding him strapped to that chair. His frail and broken body. The swollen eyes. The blood. So much blood. Henry shot up then, and leaned forward on his knees, raking trembling hands through his golden hair.
“I should have known. I should have realized.” His voice suddenly became strained with regret. “When the dream of you began to feel real; the warmth of your skin in my hands, the brush of your curls against my face… But it wasn’t real. It wasn’t you.”
Tears welled in my eyes. I didn’t want to admit it to myself. Every fiber of my being wanted to refuse the possibility of what he was telling me. But I’d be a fool.
Henry wiped at his eyes and his head turned back to me. “I let her put her hands on me, Dianna. To have her way with me. When I came to, it was too late. It was already done. I-I’ll never forgive myself.”
It was my turn to shoot up from the bed. I rested on my knees and took Henry’s beautiful face in my hands. “I forgive you,” I told him sternly. “You didn’t know. Your mind wasn’t right, Henry.” The things that woman has inflicted upon my beloved pirate king, the damage she’s done. It’s beyond repair. All he can do now is get through it and move on. Live with the scars.
His black eyes still pleaded with me. “I made myself sick with worry about telling you. Talked myself out of it a hundred times for fear you would leave me once you knew. But,” he inhaled deeply through his nose and pursed his lips, “you had a right to know. And I would understand if…”
He couldn’t bring himself to say the words and I didn’t want him to. There was no need. I lifted one leg and sidled myself in Henry’s lap where I wrapped my arms around his neck.
“I would never leave you, Henry. Haven’t I made that clear?” His mouth opened to protest, and I slid a finger over his lips. “If it’s my forgiveness you want, you have it. Even though there’s no need to ask. Maria took something from you, something that rightfully belongs to me.” My hips bucked, and I kissed his lips once.
I felt Henry’s fingers grip my thighs tightly. “Is that so?”
My breathing quickened, as did his, while my body rolled gently against him. “Yes. She stole your trust, took away your right to say no. Your body,” I paused to kiss his panting lips and unbutton his shirt, “belongs to me.”
I felt Henry growing beneath my legs and longed for him to be inside of me. Hastily, we clawed at one another’s garments until they were a pile on the floor and we were nothing but two naked bodies heaving desperate breaths of need and wanting.
He grabbed hold of my thick hair with one hand and tugged it gently, pulling me closer. Our faces touching. He kissed my mouth, hard and long, then wiped his warm lips across my cheek to whisper in my ear.
“Then take it back. Reclaim what is yours, Dianna.”
His raspy words sent a shiver down my spine, and when he pulled away, I could see that’s what he wanted. What he needed. His dark eyes begged for it. Gently, I pushed at his chest, forcing him to lay back. My fingers expertly traced all the magnificent lines of his body. Every bump, scar, freckle. They were all beautiful because they were a part of Henry.
And all mine.
Chapter Fifteen
Istood and looked in the old mirror of my quarters as I adjusted my leather belt around my waist. My dagger sheathed at one side and my sword at the other. I bent to tuck the legs of my pants into the brown leather boots and then stood to slide on my long red jacket. I sucked in a deep and nervous breath. Today was the day. Finn had told me over breakfast that, according to the map, we should reach the Siren Isles any minute.
Henry entered and sauntered over to me. “My, what a sight.” He took my hand and placed a kiss on the back before taking a mocking bow. “My queen.”
I snatched it back and laughed. “Shut up.”
“Are you ready? We should all be on deck.”
Reaching into my deep pocket, I pulled out the siren’s heart and then re-tied the thick string that it hung from. I looped it over my head and let the giant emerald rest heavily on my chest. My red tricorn hat sat on the small table next to the mirror. I scooped it up and fit it on my head, taking one last stock of myself in the mirror before turning around. “Yes, let’s go.”
We made our way out to the deck where a fully armed Finn, Gus, and Lottie waited. It was the first time I’d seen Lottie in slacks, rather than the usual layered skirts she sported. Brown leather patchwork pants held tight to her legs and morphed into some sort of pliable chest plate that went over a flowy white blouse. Each thigh had thick black straps that held an assortment of knives. Her gorgeous long blonde hair pulled together at the nape of her neck and cascaded down her back like a horse’s tail. She looked like a serious badass.
“Lottie,” I said in amazement. “Where have you been hiding that outfit?”
She tried to hide her look of pride. “My father had it made for me years ago.” She tugged at its edges uncomfortably. “It didn’t always fit so tightly.”
Next to her, Gus stared appreciatively.
“Aye,” Finn butt in, “We should be there. But there be no islands in sight. How do ye find it?”
I did a full turn, scanning the sea around us. Nothing. Just wide, open waters. Benjamin had told me that the Isles were hidden by a veil much like the one that hid The Black Soul. “They’re masked by an invisible cloak.”
“How the bloody Christ are we supposed to see it then?” Finn complained.
“Just look for a shimmer,” I replied. “It’ll be faint but think of the way glass would look if it were like fabric.”
We spread out along the sides of the ship, our eyes searching hard. Henry stood just a few feet to the right and his presence comforted me. The sails had been lowered and The Queen sat idle in the water, waiting to be found. But nothing happened. Nothing appeared. Not even a glimmer in the distance.
I began to worry if too much time had passed since The Black Soul had been cursed. Maybe the Isles moved? Maybe they’d been destroyed? Or, perhaps, Finn read the map wrong. I panicked then at the thought of never being able to break the curse. I pictured Benjamin lost in time, tethered to that damn island, waiting for me and slowly losing faith as the years passed. I didn’t want to think such things, but my mind wandered there, and my heart ached. I sighed in defeat as I turned toward Henry and his eyes widened.
“Dianna,” he called and pointed at my chest, “
The gem is glowing.”
I peered down and found that he was right. The dark green jewel pulsed to the rhythm of a heartbeat and projected a bright neon glow. I cupped it in my palm and it felt warm. “We must be close!”
I whipped back around and cast my face to the horizon, more determined to catch that discreet shimmer. Sure enough, my eyes picked up the distorted gleam in the distance. As if the wind had caught an invisible cloak that hung from the sky and touched the water.
“There!” I called and pointed. “Head that way!”
Finn cupped one hand around his mouth. “Hoist the sails!”
John and Seamus appeared from a ladder hatch. The deckhands then scrambled for the ropes and pullies, hoisting the sails as Finn stood at the wheel and steered us head-on. The giant white sheets caught the ocean's breeze, pulling tight, and I felt the sudden tug that propelled my ship forward. I gripped the wooden edge of the railing, not taking my eyes off our destination. Afraid I’d lose track of it.
Henry came and stood behind, stretching his arms out and around me. His face nestled over my shoulder as he leaned forward and watched attentively with me. As the nose of my ship approached the invisible cloak, my heart beat like a heavy drum in my chest, falling in sync with the rhythm of the siren’s heart.
“Here we go,” I called to my crew and firmed a grip around my sword’s hilt. “Get ready!”
The Queen’s bow pierced the veil and we all watched in shocked awe as our ship seemed to slowly disappear into thin air. Finally, the enchanted cloak consumed the vessel right up to where the four of us stood and I held my breath as we passed through.
My eyes struggled to adjust, for I had never witnessed anything like what suddenly appeared before me. We entered an unknown land, created by magic and played home to ancient mythical creatures. Sounds of awe resounded across the deck as we stared in amazement. Giant stone walls, covered in cascading water, towered hundreds of feet over our heads and glistened like black jewels. Our ship coasted slowly through the wide cavern. Its heaving sounds echoing off the rocks around us. The cavity was long; maybe a few hundred feet, but I could see the bright lights and makings of some sort of grotto at the end.
I peered down at the water below. No longer darkened with the depths of the sea, but now bright and alive with vivid, swirling colors of aquamarine. Like a fancy pool with underwater lighting. I gasped when something moving under it surface caught my eye. Something… alive. I leaned forward and strained to focus. The long, curvy figure of a mermaid shimmered and took a solid form.
“Christ,” Henry whispered, his eyes glued to the creature. “I never thought I’d see one in my lifetime. I wasn’t sure they even existed.”
I said nothing in response. I recognized the flowy green tail, like that of a beta fish, trailing behind the creature as it kicked. The magical being turned over, exposing its belly and toothy grin. I knew for certain then, that I hadn’t imagined being saved by the same creature when I went overboard. Its hair, like long and thick strands of kelp, swirled in the water as the glorious thing darted away.
“We’re definitely in the right place,” I said.
We coasted along, slowly, in the eerie and echoed silence of the long cavern. But something felt… off. It was too quiet. The blood in my veins ran cold as a slow shiver slid up my spine. I felt on edge, expecting something to happen when a voice whispered in my ear. Or was it my mind?
Get ready, Dianna, baby.
Suddenly, The Queen jolted to the side and we all went tumbling to the floor. I hopped to my feet as fast as I could and gripped the hilt of my sword, chest heaving with anxious breaths as I searched for the source of the collision.
But there was nothing.
My ears filled with the cold silence once again, but I never let go of my sword. Something about the words that had whispered in my mind… like my mother’s.
“What the Christ was that?” Finn growled.
Henry ran to the side and leaned over, searching below. “I’m not sure, but I believe there’s something under the ship.”
“The mermaids?” I suggested.
Before he could respond, a massive black tentacle rose from the water and reached over the side, dropping down on us like a giant tree falling in the forest. “Move!” I cried to my crew and then hurled myself out of the way. The slick, black arm hit the deck with a loud crash and I felt the floorboards bend under the weight. Helpless, I stared at the otherworldly thing that lay across my ship. Like looking at a beached whale only this wasn’t the body of a creature.
It was just an arm.
Again, the ship jolted to the side, crashing against the jagged stone walls that lined the cavern. My body slid across the wet deck and collided with Henry who then held me tight.
“That is most definitely not a mermaid,” he said. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. But the ship–”
Another long, dark tentacle rose from the other side and came crashing down much like the first. Smashing a stack of wooden crates to nothing more than a pile of kindling. My mind raced for a solution. For a way to save our vessel from being crushed by the beast. Without a second thought, I jumped to my feet and drew my sword, raising it high above my head before bringing it down in one swift movement.
The blade pierced the thick skin of the beast and I heard a shrill roar erupt from the depths below. Both tentacles began to retract, nearly taking me with the one I had stabbed. I pressed both feet against the skin as it dragged me across the floor and hauled my blade from where it had lodged in its flesh. I breathed a sigh of quick relief when it slid out just before the arm slung over the railing and back to the sea.
Again, the air fell silent and all that could be heard was the ragged breathing of five bodies and the creaks of our ship echoing off the stone. We stood frozen, waiting, hoping that it was over. But we weren’t that lucky. The Queen rocked beneath my feet, threatening to topple over as a tangle of tar-like arms shot up from the water and pounded down on us. Quickly, I counted eight. Eight long, thick and slimy tentacles and knew then what was attacking the ship.
A giant octopus. A real-life kraken.
“It must be guarding the realm!” I called to everyone. “We have to get past it!”
I held up my sword and my friends followed suit. Lottie slipped two large daggers from the garter around her leg and held one firmly in each hand. Finn, Gus, and Henry withdrew their long blades and we then spread out.
The mythical beast swatted at the new crow’s nest above and it came crashing down. I dodged the flying debris and swung my sword at one of the arms, slicing even further than before. A chunk of its flesh fell off and blood oozed from the wound. Another harsh cry wailed, and it slammed the ship against the rocks again.
“At this rate, there won’t be a ship left to save!” Lottie yelled as the knives in her hands swirled in circles before she brought them down together in one, hard gust. They stuck into the meat of the creature with a sickening sound.
“We have to move faster!” I told them and then pointed to the end of the cavern where it opened like a mouth to some sort of brightly lit grotto. “We just have to get to the end!”
Together we formed a circle, back to back to one another but weapons facing the flailing arms of the octopus. It was a task to maintain my footing with the constant heaving of the ship, but I managed. We each tackled as much as we could, slicing and hacking away at the persistent creature. My arms grew tired, the muscles burning and protesting to stop. But I dared not.
With a twirl, I spun into the tip of one arm and chopped it clean off. Lottie hacked away with her knives and expertly avoided each whipping tentacle that came her way. Henry never strayed too far from my side, catching me before I toppled over, hauling me back to my feet while his other arm sliced at the black flesh.
“You should go inside!” he yelled at me. “This is too dangerous for the baby!”
My aching arms swung the sword overhead and made massive slits in two tentacl
es, one after the other. “No! I’m fine,” I called back to him. The salt water splashing about had now drenched the open deck and created a slick and dangerous surface. “You guys need me!”
He ducked to avoid a blow and grabbed the end of a rope, hauling it back to where I stood. Hastily, he wrapped it around my torso, above my belly, and tied it tight before looping the other end around the mizzenmast. His desperate eyes looked into mine and he kissed me quick and hard. “I’m not losing you again.”
I squeezed his hand and kissed him back, then took stock of how many arms were left attacking us and counted four. The rest must have been too injured to continue. The cavern’s mouth was so close. Just another few yards. The water below began to push harder, picking up speed and we bound for the opening.
“We can do this!” I called to my friends.
Just then, The Queen shifted to one side as something else, something bigger, demanded to share the limited space we occupied. My mouth gaped as I stood there, tethered to a mast, drenched in sweat and blood and seawater, as the body of the octopus rose up from the depths and let out a pained wail.
“Shit…” I whispered to myself. It was so much bigger than I had imagined. Its gigantic frame cast the ship in a dense shadow and it pressed hard against it. I let out a yelp and hopped out of the way as the floorboards began to bend and crack beneath my feet.
The kraken was trying to crush us.
Panic coursed through my veins and suddenly, the sword felt like a toothpick in my hand for all the good it could do. Then something occurred to me and I lit up with excitement as I turned to Finn. He looked back at me with a hopeless expression.
“Finn!” I yelled. “The cannons!”
His solemn face morphed into an eager grin and his long legs bound for a ladder hatch where I watched him dive down and disappear.
“Stand back!” I told everyone. Henry held me in both arms. “Brace yourselves!”
Within a minute, the ship kicked back with the hefty explosion of a cannon from down below. The octopus shrieked, and blood splattered up over the railing. Another cannon fired. More blood flew up like gruesome red fireworks filling the sky and rained down on us. The taste of salt and iron filled my senses. The remaining tentacles retracted, like beaten flesh being dragged across a bloody floor, and the monster’s head ducked down out of sight.
The Blackened Soul Page 15