by G. Bailey
“Go and sit,” he says softly and with a small smile on his face.
I sit on the bed and start eating my food again as Zack picks up the guitar and starts playing. The tune is slow, each note feeling like it’s drawing me into the song more. Zack hums along with the song, his eyes watching the strings as his fingers move effortlessly across the strings.
Zack plays like someone who was born to; every note is perfect and makes me want to cry with how deep the song is. I wonder if it hurts his hands to use them like that. From the scars, I believe they must have broken more than once and cut many, many times. My mark starts burning a little as I stare at his hands.
When Zack stops playing, his eyes meet mine, and my lips part open. I miss the sound of his song and the soft hum of his voice.
“What did you think?” he asks, his tone gruffer than I’m used to hearing from him.
“It was flawless,” I whisper, and I don’t just mean the song.
23
Hunter
I watch Cassandra from a distance, her hair whipping around her shoulders from the cold wind and her arms wrapped around her chest as she watches the sun set over the sea. The view is stunning, and I wish I meant the sun setting. The yellow and orange light shines over her face, highlighting her high cheek bones and the softness of her skin. Cassandra’s hazel eyes reflect the orange tones of the sun as it disappears, looking like it’s sinking into the ocean. I’ve seen dozens of beautiful women in my life, but none draw me to them like she does.
“Little bird,” I say, moving to stand close to her. I want to be close to her, a feeling I’m not used to having. I have a suspicion of why that is, but I’m not foolish enough to test it. I glance at her mark and force my eyes away. Going anywhere near that mark would be beyond foolish.
“Hunter,” she replies, her eyes looking up at me, and a little smile appearing.
“Dinner is ready,” I say, and she nods, pulling her eyes away from me and walking towards one of the doors of the deck. The men we have on board are scrubbing the deck and she moves effortlessly around them, each one of them looking at her. In fear or desire, I’m not sure. She seems to get both reactions from most people.
My mother was, and is, the same.
“You’re staying in my room tonight. Don’t touch anything,” I say to her when I pull the door shut and walk down the stairs. She’s waiting at the bottom and gives me a slightly evil grin,
“I will touch everything then,” she says, and I grab her arm, pulling her small body against mine.
“Are you teasing me, little bird?” I ask her.
“Always, pirate,” she says back, making my gaze draw to her sweet lips. Just as I’m about to kiss her, something hard hits me on the back of my head. I let go of Cassandra and turn to see Laura standing there.
“I told you once before that I’m taking the stick off you and throwing it in the sea if you hit me again, grandmother,” I say, and she smiles up at me with an innocent grin.
“I am the boss of this ship and I will hit you again, boy.” She holds the stick up in the air. I swear by the seas, I want to kill this old lady. If she wasn’t related to me, I swear to the Sea God I would have left her on an island somewhere.
“You are not the boss,” I grit out.
“I am,” she puts her hands on her hips, the stick hitting my leg as it’s at a weird angle. I move backwards and look up at the ceiling.
“I just can’t deal with this madness,” I say and storm out of the corridor, hearing Cassandra’s laugh behind me and hating that she makes me smile.
What is it with this girl?
A girl I can’t stop thinking about, and she is slowly driving me insane.
24
Zack
“Find anything useful?” I ask Chaz. I glance at the massive pile of new books he bought on Sevten a week ago. Every book is about changed ones, the ones who used to be worshipped. People don’t know what it used to be like for the changed ones, and the only reason we do, is because of the people in the mountains on Fiaten. They protect the changed ones. The only problem now, is that I don’t want to send Cassandra to Fiaten. I don’t want her to leave. I look down at my hands, remembering how she looked at me. It wasn’t with disgust like I expected. No, it was filled with lust. Possibly with love. Something I never thought I’d be lucky enough to have.
“Nothing about a female changed one,” Chaz says, sitting back in his chair and pushing the book shut.
“The king will be sending every guard to find her after the auctions. There is no way someone didn’t recognise Hunter,” I say, keeping my tone neutral, but Chaz still picks up on something in my tone as he looks over at me. It’s hard to keep how worried I am out of my tone. I would kill anyone who tried to take her from us, and the only one that would stand a chance is the king.
“She’s lovely. The books never say anything about the beauty of a changed one. The only other female changed one I’ve seen is very lovely, too,” he says, and I nod, looking away. We all know how that ended for everyone. Hunter and Ryland know best.
“She is beautiful,” I say.
“She understands so little of men and doesn’t realise how she is with us all. I don’t want to confuse her, but I have feelings for her. I won’t lie to you or anyone else about that,” Chaz says, and I nod. That’s true. She would have picked up on all our feelings for her by now if she knew what she was doing. It doesn’t surprise me that he has feelings for her, I know all the guys do. When we realised she was missing, we all went mad. I should have known one of the guests would mention the changed one on our ship. We paid them not to mention her, but that clearly didn’t work. I believe fear seems to dictate people’s minds when it comes to changed ones. They don’t listen to logic, because they fear the powers of the changed ones. People don’t understand how the powers work. Changed ones need their chosen before they can use their powers. Cassandra doesn’t have any chosen or we would have known. Chosen are always protective or in love with their changed one. I think back to when we had a changed man on board. I don’t know how he was hidden, but we found him running away on Foten. He had three women with him, all wearing his mark on their foreheads, and they all loved him dearly. He explained that when he marked them as his chosen, he then got a gift with the first. The second and third enhanced his powers.
“I want her to stay on the ship,” I tell Chaz, and he doesn’t seem shocked.
“Me as well, but we can’t all have her,” he says seriously, leaning back in his chair.
“Why not?” I ask, and Chaz laughs.
“We would end up killing each other,” he says. I think about seeing him with Cassandra, and my hands tighten. I don’t know how I would feel, but I couldn’t let her go now. Cassandra will always need the protection of all of us, unless we let her go. Fiaten would be the only place that could keep her safe, but I can’t do it. I can’t let her go, and I know I would follow her anywhere.
“I would never harm any of you. You saved my life more than once, but I feel something for her,” I tell him.
“Let’s just see if she wants to stay first. I don’t believe she will,” Chaz says and looks down at the floor.
“Then I’m going to give her a reason to stay,” I say. Knowing at this point, there isn’t any other option. This ship is my home, and I want it to be hers, too.
“So am I,” Chaz says, making me laugh before I walk out of his room.
So that makes two of us. Two out of six.
25
Jacob
“What are you doing, Cassy?” I whisper, and she jumps. I laugh quietly as she looks around at me and puts a finger to her lips. I nod and move next to her as she hides behind the barrels in the room. I came down to get some spare blankets we have down here and found her hiding. She points to the hole between the barrels, and I look through just as I hear voices.
“Ha, I win,” Roger says, sitting and playing chess with Livvy. I watch as Livvy blushes and tucks a bit of her hair behi
nd her ear.
“Can we play again? And maybe you could teach me that move?” Livvy asks.
“I’d love to show you, Olivia,” Roger says, and then he clears his throat. I lean back, and Cassy takes my hand, leading us up the stairs and into the corridor before she speaks.
“They are so sweet, don’t you think?” she says with a cheeky grin. Cassandra looks lovely today, more relaxed and happy than I’ve ever seen her. Truly stunning. Her hair is down, longer than it’s ever been, because she has taken all the braids out except the one with the brown feather. I glance at her tight clothes, long boots, and the shiny, green necklace that stands out on her chest.
“They have become close, but I guess that’s because they’re similar in age,” I say, and she nods.
“Do you know why Roger is a permanent member of this ship?” I ask her, and she shakes her head. I take her hand in mine and lead her down the ship, pushing the door to my bedroom open. I sit down on the bed, and she sits next to me. I like how relaxed she is around me now, around us all.
“We found Roger in the middle of the Lost Sea. His family had lived on a tiny island there for years, maybe as long back as when everything was destroyed,” I tell her. I remember the journey well, we were looking for something, but never found it. A crown said to have power enough to destroy the king. Instead, we only found shipwrecks and dangerous waters. We will have to go back, but we need to find out more information about the lost crown before we do that. The Lost Sea is full of mermaids; they have their own city under the water. They wouldn’t let us near the sunken ship we needed, the one said to have the crown.
“How did they survive?” she asks.
“They had coconut trees and built some kind of tunnel to get fresh water. Honestly, they were lucky until the mermaids found them,” I say.
“Mermaids?” she asks with wonder.
“I haven’t seen one, but Roger has. They killed all of his family and he escaped in a boat. When we found him, he was close to death,” I say, remembering the stick-thin shell of a boy we found.
“So, why does he stay on board?” she asks me.
“He says he wants to learn to fight like us and avenge his family by killing the mermaids that killed them. I don’t blame him, but he is foolish to think he has a chance against them. So, we keep him close and make sure he doesn’t do anything foolish on his own.” I tell her.
“What do you do for fun, Jacob?” she asks me, lying back on the bed. I watch her quietly before pulling the box out from under my bed. I lay it on the bed and open it as she sits up.
“What are those?” she asks, looking at the three long crystals in the box. They glow blue and sometimes move, but that’s only when we get close to the mermaids.
“They’re called mermaid hearts,” I tell her, and she looks at me strangely before looking back at the crystals. She goes to touch one, and I grab her hand.
“You can’t touch them. Not you,” I say, looking at her mark, and she nods.
“These can heal people and are said to be made by the Sea God for the mermaids. I don’t know if that’s true, but I had four of them, and when Roger was dying, I pressed it against his heart and he lived. The crystal disappeared the moment it touched him,” I tell her.
“That’s amazing,” she says, and I shut the box. I slide it under the bed and look at her.
“I collect rare things. I have others I could show you if you want?” I ask her. She nods and gives me a small smile. We spend the rest of the night looking at the things I’ve collected, and she doesn’t seem to get bored of me. When I fall asleep later that night, I know I found the rarest thing in the world when I jumped into that ocean after her.
26
Cassandra
“Does it move much?” Livvy asks as she sits next to me, looking down at the dragon egg in my arms. I lean back against the cold wood of the ship, feeling the cold wind whipping my hair to the side. The last two weeks on the ship have been normal, well, as normal as they can be. The pirates have been busy planning and running the ship. I’ve seen them the most when I’ve been sleeping in each of their beds. When I stayed in Ryland’s room, I looked for that book I read and couldn’t find it. I asked Ryland, and he wasn’t sure what book I was speaking of. I’ll have to find a moment alone with Laura to ask where it is. I have a feeling she has it. The old woman seems to disappear in the day when I go to look for her. The weather is a lot colder today, and the water is harsher and rocking the ship more. Every time I breathe, a cloud appears from the cold. Thankfully, it isn’t raining, but the dark skies suggest it’s not far away. I look to the left, where I can see the distant island of Foten. It’s nerve-racking being this close to the king. The man that’s hunting me. The pirates never speak of the king, and anytime I bring up the clear fact that he will be after us, they tell me not to worry. Livvy clears her throat, reminding me that I’ve not replied in a while.
“Sometimes, but come here and put your hand on the egg,” I say, and she does.
“Can you feel the heartbeat?” I ask, and she nods, a big smile spreading across her face. I run my hand over the top of the egg. The heartbeat is a new thing that’s happened in the last few days. I wonder how long we have left before the egg hatches.
“I’m going to stay out here a little longer. Would you take the egg inside?” I ask her. She smiles widely and picks the egg up off my lap. It’s getting heavier with each day, and I see her struggle to hold it. I laugh when she quickly walks off with it. I’m guessing it’s so she can put it down quickly. I stand up, smoothing down my dress and pulling Dante’s coat around me tighter. I walk over to the wheel, seeing that it’s locked in place by some rope. I haven’t seen it closely before, and I can see the silver handles now. They look like solid silver, and I wonder how expensive that was to have done.
“Do you want to steer?” Ryland asks as he comes up the steps, his eyes watching my hand on the wheel. I don’t know why, but I almost feel guilty for touching it.
“Yes,” I say, knowing that it would be a strange but brilliant thing to do. Ryland comes over and unhooks the rope holding the wheel in place. He waves a hand towards the wheel in front of him, and I walk over. I place my hands over two handles, and Ryland moves behind me, his hands covering mine, and his large body pressing mine against the wheel. The wheel is lighter in pressure than I would have expected it to be. The cold wind whips my hair into my face, and I try to blow it out of the way.
“Just gently move the wheel, we still need to stay straight,” he says, his words making my cheeks feel warm as he steps closer to me. Ryland’s whole body is pressed against mine, feeling so warm, and I rest my head back without thinking about it.
“Sure,” I say and tilt the wheel until Ryland stops me. The ship moves slightly to the left, and I move it back again.
“Those clouds don’t look nice,” I comment, pointing to the left. The ship isn’t aimed in that direction, but they look black.
“That’s the Storm Sea. No ship survives the journey other than the guards’, and we don’t go that way. We go around the top of the island of Fiaten and dock on the other side, in the Cold Sea,” he tells me. I guess that makes sense. I don’t know much about the Storm Sea, but my books suggested it’s impossible to cross. The Storm Sea is in the middle of Foten and Fiaten. In one of my books, there’s a drawing of the king’s castle. It’s on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Storm Sea, and the sea was drawn with whirlwinds and massive tornados. I wonder if his castle is actually like that. I hope I never find out. It’s the last place I would ever want to be.
“Isn’t the Cold Sea full of icebergs?” I ask after a while. Ryland’s hand lets go of the wheel and slides down my side. He leaves his warm hand on my waist.
“Yes, but they are easier to avoid than a tornado and whirlpools,” he says, a smile in his words that I don’t need to look at him to see. I look back at the dark skies, lightning flashing through them. The sea is so dark, too, like it’s angry with the world.
“The guards’ ship! Get the cannons ready!” Ryland shouts down the ship, and his voice echoes as fear fills me. I look down just in time to see Hunter nod at us before shouting his own demands. I look back to see the other ship is sharply turning towards us; the dark green sails can now be seen. The ship is all black, with large, silver cannons on its sides. At the front is a silver dragon statue that almost looks like it’s cutting through the water. Its massive mouth is wide open.
“Go and hide, Cassandra. It’s you they want, and we are not letting them take you,” he says, and my eyes narrow on his.
“Where?” I ask him, just as he straightens the ship out and rain starts pouring from the skies. The speed of our ship is not good compared to the speed of the guards’ ship, which is catching up. I stand watching him, my clothes being soaked by the heavy rain, but nothing matters other than the way he looks at me.
“My room. Now, go!” he commands me, and I force myself to turn and walk away from him. I gasp when he grabs my arm before I can leave. Ryland gently pulls me to him and kisses me.
A deep, demanding kiss that shocks me as much as it sends warmth throughout my body. The kiss is brief, but powerful, making me want to never stop kissing him. Ryland lets me go and his hand goes behind my head, pulling our foreheads together.
“Cassandra,” he says as our foreheads meet, and a bright green light appears before my eyes. I feel a warmth from my mark that fills me slowly, and I can hear nothing. I can only see the bright green light until it disappears, and everything comes back in a rush: the loud sound of the ship cutting through the sea, the sails being pushed by the wind, and the cold rain as it pours down on us. When I can open my eyes, Ryland is still close to me, and he pulls away slightly with a parted mouth. Ryland stands staring at me, his eyes wide in wonder, and then I see it.