Shipwreck Souls

by Kendra Moreno

  I slammed my head back into the wall and huffed my frustration. Several more heads snapped in my direction, and I realized how much I hated being the center of attention when I wasn't in control. It was an odd feeling, insecurity, not something I was used to. I began humming a lullaby I'd learned as a child. My eyes slipped shut as the music moved through me, seeking an exit. I focused on being calm, on feeling at peace, at ease, and let my song drift to the scared humans.

  When I opened my eyes again, Kamil was staring at me with a bewildered look on his face. "You can really do that," he whispered, and raised a hand to point at the crowd of captives.

  I looked toward the rows of men and women all staring at me. They looked relaxed, half asleep even. Children dozed on their mothers' laps, and men leaned against one another. I shrugged my shoulder up to my ear and smiled at the man I'd shared a bed with, if only for a moment.

  "It's a simple thing to give them some peace," I murmured.

  "You're kind, Gia." Kamil closed his eyes, leaning his head back gently against the wall. "Peace isn't something any of us have had since we left our home."

  "Not you, though," I pointed out. "You're always smiling."

  "That doesn't mean I've felt peace," he sighed. "Sometimes smiling is easier than crying. It's my shame. I was raised better than that. I know the power in emotion, the power of feeling love and pain and fear. I'm a coward," Kamil whispered harshly.

  "You are not!" I pointed to him and shook my head. "It takes bravery to find happiness in the middle of something like this."

  "You don't know what you're talking about." He closed his eyes once again and shook his head. "I can't imagine you fear much, Gia the siren."

  I bit my lip and thought about that. What did I fear? I had a healthy apprehension of angry humans. They could overpower me on land if I wasn't careful and didn't use my skills to my advantage—my current predicament was the perfect example of what could go wrong on land, actually.

  "I'm afraid of being trapped on land by humans," I offered. "There're stories that we're told as children, of siren daughters going on land or aboard ships to seduce men and never returning." My heartbeat sped up just thinking about never diving into the sea again, never again feeling the current glide through my fins.

  "How do you know they didn't find love and decide to stay?" Kamil's smile seemed weak compared to its normal luster.

  "Who would give up the sea for love?" I scoffed. "Even if they found love, a siren would take their lover with them to the deeps. We can't let go of something that's ours." I could feel my cheeks heat even as I spoke the words.

  "Is Kesia yours?"

  "Yes," I answered without hesitation, because I knew in my heart that she was.

  I was so worried for her. I needed to touch her, to be sure she was safe. I had never cared about anything other than my closest sisters before. Coi and Lorelai were the only true friends I'd ever had until I boarded this ship.

  Kamil's face fell for a moment, an emotion I couldn't quite read passing over his face before he spoke again. "We will get you to her, Gia, don't worry." His voice was tight, and I didn't understand why.

  "What are you ups—"

  The sounds of footsteps on the stairs tore me from the conversation. We would have to discuss it later. My eyes flew to the right, and I looked up the steps, trying to see who was coming toward us. A dark figure stepped into the lantern light, and I blew out a breath.

  "Kesia, love," I sighed.

  "Gia!" She ran to me and knelt on the dirty floor in front of me, so we were face to face. Her fingers flew over my hairline, inspecting my wounds. "Who did this to you?" Her voice was hard; this was a side to Kesia I hadn't experienced yet.

  "It doesn't matter. I need the keys. Can you get them?"

  Kesia's eyes went wide, and she looked between Kamil and me. "I don't know, I can try." She leaned her forehead against mine, our noses touching. "What are you going to do?"

  I tilted my head as far as my collar would allow and kissed Kesia softly on the lips. "Start a mutiny," I purred. "It sounds like fun, doesn't it?"

  "I'm all for a mutiny," Kamil added helpfully.

  "What will we do?” someone called out from the lines of sleepy faces.

  "Whatever we need to," Adjo boomed.

  When he spoke, everyone looked in his direction, even me. He commanded attention in a different way than his brother. Kamil absorbed the attention of everyone around him; I was drawn to his positivity. Adjo asked for attention and received it, because who would deny him? There was no ploy, no gimmick—as much as I loved Kamil's smile—Adjo simply believed he deserved the masses' respect and received it.

  "We'll fight!" he yelled.

  Cheers erupted from the slaves. They were high on the song I'd sung them and intoxicated by the hope Adjo offered. His eyes locked with mine and I nodded to him out of respect.

  "We'll do what the siren says," he called out above the murmurs sweeping through the crowded hold. "If she is able to get the key, we will do whatever is necessary to take this ship."

  "We don't know how to sail!" This voice was female, and Kesia's eyes grew fiery before she whipped around to address the woman speaking.

  "I've been aboard this ship most of my life," she hissed. "If the idiots above deck can do it, so can you. It's not hard, you can learn."

  "And anything is better than this!" Kamil cried out.

  Battle cries sounded around us. A strange mashup of noises—whoops, yells, and high-pitched shrieks ripped through the hold. I reached my hand out for Kesia, my eyes drifting to Kamil.

  "Love, they hurt him badly," I whispered.

  "I'm fine," Kamil snapped.

  "You are not fine, and if you speak to my heart that way again, I'll carve yours from your chest," Kesia growled from beside me.

  My eyebrows shot up, and I looked between the two of them. Kamil looked genuinely shocked; Kesia's eyes were narrowed with contempt.

  "Love," I purred, slipping my hand over the back of her neck. "It's fine, he's injured. I think it's a normal human response to pain, isn't it?" My fingers massaged the tense muscles at the base of her scalp, and she finally dropped the posturing.

  "I'm sorry, sister," Kamil whispered. He looked . . . contrite.

  "Forgiven," Kesia gritted out.

  "Sister?" I asked, tugging her bandana softly so she’d face me.

  "When two people share a husband or wife, and they aren't with each other, they become the closest kind of family. Siblings of choice," Kesia answered for him.

  My eyes widened as I looked between my two humans. Kesia was mine, for sure. I cared about Kamil, but we hadn't even gotten to finish our little tryst in the captain's quarters before we were interrupted. My thighs clenched together instinctively against the memory of his hips rolling between my thighs, his back flexing beneath my fingertips . . .

  Kamil coughed, and I looked away, a smile curving my lips as I focused on the present. A loud bang sounded from the top of the steps, and my eyes went wide as I glanced at Kesia.

  "Love, move away," I whispered.

  "I won't let them hurt you!" she whisper-screamed.

  "I'm fine, now move," I ordered. I wouldn't let her get hurt for me.

  Two sets of feet thundered down the steps. Winston and the man who'd tackled Kamil—Nox was his name, I think—came to a stop before the three of us.

  "Now, what's all this racket?" Winston questioned loud enough to be heard over the murmur of the crowd. He looked to Kamil and me, then finally to Kesia. "What are you doin' down here right now? It's not time to feed the savages yet. Back up on deck with ya," he growled.

  Kesia bowed her head, her eyes meeting mine as she made a gesture of respect.

  "Get somewhere safe," I mouthed.

  She nodded imperceptibly and scurried up the steps away from the cargo hold.

  "And how are you enjoying your stay in our fine facilities, miss?" Winston spat. He crouched down in front of me, just out of reach. "Don't be riling
these folks up, or I'll have to gag you."

  My lips curled into a cruel smile as I looked him over. His tan—it probably used to be white—shirt hung loosely from his shoulders. His too thin face was all angles and patchy bits of beard. I licked my lips and held my hand out to him.

  "Give me the keys, Winston," I purred.

  "Don't talk to him, witch!"

  My eyes snapped to Nox, my lips parting as a low melody flew past my lips. I was beyond tired of being called a witch. Apparently, humans were obsessed with witches. I'd never met one, but I may have to put it on my to-do list. If they were so formidable that humans acted this way, they must be something to see, indeed.

  Nox fought the song at first. The veins in his neck popped out as he struggled, but eventually, he gave in to the spell. I turned my attention to Winston where he was still crouched in front of me. His eyes glazed over as he dug in his pockets. The familiar jingle of keys sounded a moment before he pulled them free.

  "Unchain me," I purred, leaning forward until my chains tugged me to a stop.

  "Yes, beauty," he mumbled. Winston's clammy hands wrapped around my wrists as he unlocked my shackles. I rubbed the rounded bone at the corner of my wrist while he tinkered with the collar on my neck. He swept my hair up on top of my head and unlocked the collar. The clink of the metal coming free might’ve been the most satisfying sound I'd ever heard.

  I stood and stretched before I pointed to Kamil. "Him next."

  I strode toward Nox and circled him, my index finger trailing over his chest and back as I moved around him in a clockwise pattern. His eyes followed me as far as they could, and I sang my song, encouraging Winston's cooperation and Nox's calm. I came to a slow stop in front of him at the same moment the bang of metal hitting the floor rang through the room.

  "What now, beauty?" A hand slid across my shoulders, and I shivered as I raised my hand and pointed to the groups of captives.

  "Release them. Now," I snapped.

  "Winst—"

  "Shhh, now," I purred to Nox.

  Kamil stepped to my side and wrapped me in a hug. "Mutiny?"

  "Oh yes."

  My eyes widened when Kamil reached into Nox's belt and removed his saber and pistol. I licked my lips and turned around to face my lover. I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his, our tongues dancing for a brief moment before the ring of metal interrupted us.

  I spun in his arms, my back pressed to his chest. In front of us, men and women were standing, rubbing their necks and wrists where the metal had rubbed their skin raw. Dozens of faces already stared at us, waiting for something. Adjo rose to his feet when Winston was through unshackling him. He towered over the thin man and gripped his forearm like a vice.

  "St-stop," Winston pleaded, his eyes searching frantically for something.

  When Adjo looked over at me, I nodded.

  He ripped the keys from Winston's hand and pushed him into the crowd of people. An ear-piercing cry for help was soon muffled by the number of bodies covering his own. Adjo grabbed a child as he ran by and offered him the keys. "Unchain our people." He clasped the young boy's shoulder and squeezed before he turned away from the throng of people surrounding Winston.

  "What now?" Adjo asked as he stepped toward me.

  "Now, we feed the sea." I smiled up at the man, shivering as Kamil's hands trailed over my sides and hips. Then I snarled, "And I need to check on my love. I don't trust those savages with her."

  Kamil chuckled behind me, and Adjo nodded, a small smile playing at his lips.

  "What should we do with this one, heart?" Kamil murmured.

  My heart warmed at the endearment. I was very fond of my humans, though they were extremely different. I hummed to myself as I tapped my lip and smiled at Nox.

  "Bring him on deck, but please get one of the others to help you manage him, I don't want you making your wounds worse."

  Kamil moved around me, placing himself between Nox and me. His face was hard, his arms clasped over his chest. "I'm a warrior, Gia. I don’t need help to—"

  "Brother," Adjo hissed. "She's right. We don't need to lose you. We already lost Zuri."

  "And I wish to avenge her just as you do!" Kamil snapped.

  My heart thundered in my chest as I watched the two of them butt heads. I hadn't meant to insult him. I knew he’d fight to the last for his people, just as any of the men here would, but I didn't want him hurt beyond repair. The rattle in his chest worried me.

  "I know you're brave," I whispered as I placed a hand on his face, tracing his strong jawline. "But you mean something to me. Please stay back? If something were to happen to you . . ." My throat closed around the words, and I shook my head. "You and Kesia are twin moons for me, Kamil. The light that drives my sea, do you understand?"

  His face softened the tiniest bit, and he nodded, leaning his cheek against my palm. His eyes locked on mine, a silent question there I wasn't prepared to answer yet. I knew he wanted to know what would happen between us when this was over. He and Kesia would have to decide for themselves.

  "Miss," an unfamiliar voice called out. I glanced around Kamil to see a young man gripping Nox's arms from behind. "Are you ready?"

  I nodded and moved toward the stairs with Kamil at my back, precisely where he belonged. Nox was coming to his senses as we made our way up the dark staircase toward the deck. Outside, the waves thundered against the ship, rocking it and mirroring the discontent in my chest. I would feel better once I had both of my loves by my side.

  All of this could have been avoided if you'd just sunk the ship and moved on, a familiar voice whispered in the back of my mind. I couldn't be sure if it was my father or my own subconscious taunting me.

  Chapter Seven

  Muffled cries bled into the hall that split the crew’s quarters. I ignored the cries for help and knocked on the door I knew would lead to Kesia.

  "Go away!" she yelled out in the sailors' tongue. "I'm armed!"

  "Love, it's Gia." I pressed my forehead to the door, waiting for a response. The wooden door rattled beneath my skin as she lifted the oversized lock. I stepped back and waited for the door to open.

  "Gia!" she cried, throwing her arms around my neck.

  She kissed my lips in a rush before glancing both ways down the hall. The former captives were dragging men out of their rooms and detaining them in the hall. A few bodies were already piled at the bottom of the steps.

  "I needed to make sure you were okay," I whispered into her hair before I pressed a gentle kiss to her head. I glanced over my shoulder at a scuffle near the galley. "I need to go. They need me. Please, lock the door again, and I'll be back for you, okay?"

  "You're not coming back for me." Kesia shook her head and leaned out of my embrace.

  "What? Of course, I am. You're mine." My voice hardened on the last word.

  "I am," she whispered, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "But you can't come back for me because you're not leaving me in the first place, heart. I'm coming with you."

  My eyes widened, and I searched the hall for Kamil. He was standing in front of a group of sailors, glaring at them with a saber held out to their chests. I glanced back to Kesia, and my eyebrows drew down.

  "I have to keep both of you safe," I muttered.

  "We’ll be fine," Kesia whispered before moving into the hall.

  She held out her hand to one of the former captives for a weapon, and he obliged, offering her a knife he'd just stripped from a sailor.

  I raised an eyebrow in shock before I moved to the group of sailors fighting back at the end of the hall. I sang a low melody, focusing on calming them.

  "Someone grab the slut and shut her up!" a man with a raspy voice growled into the crowd of men surrounding them.

  "Oh?" I ceased singing. Rage poured through me as I stomped toward the man. I grabbed him by his throat, letting my magic calm him as I hissed, "I'm getting rather tired of being called a slut."

  This particular set of humans, the
sailors, the paler ones, they’d disgusted me from the moment I came aboard this cursed vessel. They treated their own like waste. They harmed women, human women who couldn't defend themselves properly. The idiots had hurt my loves! How many of them had forced themselves on Kesia? Which ones had beaten Kamil? I pulled on his flesh and backed toward the stairs before pivoting and pushing him in front of me.

  "Gia," a familiar voice called. I ignored it. There was nothing but rage.

  I pushed the man up the steps, willing him to follow my lead. His eyes drooped, obscuring his pale blue irises. I licked my lips as the rain pelted my face. We were on deck now. Good. I ignored the calls of the men around me, and from what I could tell, there were several. I stormed toward the starboard side of the ship, pushing the filthy man with every step.

  "You think I'm a slut?" I purred when we reached the rail. His back pressed into the wood and my fingers dipped into his belt; the man groaned, no doubt hoping for a satisfactory end. I pulled a small knife from his belt and pressed it to his throat—I'd noticed there seemed to be a huge discrepancy in how the sailors were armed, some carried pistols, others only sabers and knives—stopping when the first drop of blood began to drop.

  "No, you're—"

  "What are you doing?" Johns asked in a wary voice behind me.

  I glanced over my shoulder at him with a cruel smile and nodded to the men making their way up the stairs. Groups of sailors with knives and sabers pressed to their necks walked carefully in front of the men who'd been kept below. I scanned the group for Kamil and Kesia. Kamil held Nox hostage, with Kesia stashed behind him. I sucked in a breath and turned my attention back to my own hostage.

  "What I want, Johns. As always." The scene around me took on a brighter hue. In the middle of the mid-morning storm that battered the ship, everything seemed to slow, to lighten. It was as if the sea knew she was about to have her fill. "What's your name, sailor?"

  "Peter," he whispered, stepping into my hand.