“Please,” Raina said as her trap twirled lazily in midair, ten feet off the deck. “I’m telling the truth. I was a human until today. A witch.” She tried to explain what had happened, but suddenly, a grinding shudder went through the ship, and everything exploded into chaos. A string of curses echoed around the mist-shrouded deck, so foul Raina’s ears wanted to turn inside out. She heard shouting and yelling, but amid all of it, a phrase that even she knew.
Run aground.
She didn’t know whether to sob with relief or scream in terror. Heavy footsteps thundered back and forth below her. The fog was so thick she could barely make out the shapes of the men—more than just the four, there had to be a dozen of them. Not one of them paid a moment’s attention to the net swaying in the breeze overhead, or the mermaid trapped inside it.
“Let’s do an invisibility spell,” a Jamaican-accented voice said. “It’s dangerous to do in daytime, but if we keep the fog on the harbor, no one will be out. We’ll run to shore for help.”
“And if we run into a boat on the way to shore…” River said.
“We’re pirates,” another man said. “We’ll do what we do.”
twenty-nine
Sagely
“My brother is going to kill me,” Gale wailed as waves lapped at the shore, reaching for their metal canoe.
“I think he’ll kill me first,” Sagely said, frowning out into the blinding fog. She may not be able to find Viziri and the coven with her tiny bit of void magic, but she sure as hell could find Quill across a short stretch of ocean. His magic signaled her like a beacon, and if he needed her, nothing in the world could stop her from getting to him and Fox.
Nothing except the knowledge that she and Gale could both be hypnotized by the siren, who could then hold them hostage.
“Do you want to go back and at least tell the coven where we’re going?”
“Are you kidding?” Gale asked, buckling her ugly orange life vest. “This is the most fun I’ve had since…well, in a long time. Before you guys got here, things were so boring.” When Sagely studied Gale from the corner of her eye, she could tell the girl had no qualms about their mission. Her blue eyes gleamed, a delighted grin stretched across her face, and her cheeks were flushed with excitement.
But before they could so much as decide on who would paddle and who would steer, a net came flying out of the fog and crashed over them.
Oh, hell no!
What did someone think they were, lobster?
Sagely sent a warning to Quill through their bond at the same moment she turned her attention on the attackers. Gathering what little mastery of water she had, she sent a wave the way the net had come. It wasn’t a big wave, but it was going against the direction the natural waves went, and she heard a shout of surprise and a splash.
Gale’s abandoned canoe was caught by a wave and sucked out from shore, then thrown down again, rolling over Gale. She came up spluttering and spitting salt water and sand, her hair plastered to her face. “Use your magic,” she hissed at Sagely, gathering invisible threads of wind into her possession.
“I’m a little afraid to,” Sagely admitted. “What if I cause a tsunami?”
“We’re being kidnapped,” Gale reminded her. “I think it’s okay to fight back.”
“My men are out there,” Sagely said. “I can’t risk hurting them.”
Gale’s familiar let out a loud, quarrelsome squawk as a small boat slid up to shore. Three buff, bare-chested men jumped out and ran through the water towards them, while another, who was swimming beside the boat, pushed it into shore.
“I’ll get the two on the right,” Gale whispered. “You get the two on the left.”
Sagely shot her a look to see if she was kidding, or making one of her usual boy-crazy remarks, but Gale was looking up at the guys with big, innocent eyes.
“Please let us go,” she begged. “We were just walking on the beach. We don’t want any trouble.”
Sagely had to stop herself from laughing at Gale’s exaggerated act.
“Uh huh,” a blonde man said, taking Sagely’s arm and helping her up. “And you just happened to make a wave go backwards?”
“Whatever do you mean?” Gale cried dramatically. Sagely was pretty sure she heard a touch of a British accent creeping into Gale’s voice.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” said one of the others, a large black man with an accent of his own. “We just didn’t want you to attack us when you couldn’t see us.” He threw the net off them.
“Oh, thank you so much for rescuing us,” Gale said. With that, she thrust her knee into his groin hard enough to send him toppling into the sand in agony. Her seagull gave a victorious squawk.
Sagely got to work on the blonde who was attacking her. She went in for a one-two punch, meaning to knock the breath out of him and then, while he was reeling in pain, break his nose. But things didn’t go according to plan.
The man easily blocked her first blow, then grabbed her wrist before it reached his face and twisted it, spinning her around like they were about to do the two-step. Except she ended up in a headlock instead of a romantic embrace.
She dug her heels in, trying to find purchase so she could flip him over her back and toss him into the sand. But he felt like he weighed a thousand pounds, and his chest was like a slab of granite against her back. She could feel the heat of his bare skin through her wet t-shirt, could feel the rapid beating of his heart as he wrestled with her.
“You’re a wily one,” he grunted when she reached back to pinch the sensitive skin on his inner thigh. But she couldn’t pinch up any of the thick, wet denim clinging to his thick thighs, and she ended up scratching ineffectually at him instead.
She glanced over at Gale, hoping she’d had more luck. She was sitting on the overturned canoe, her feet planted wide while a pirate with an actual eyepatch bound her hands behind her back. She looked like a beaten and bedraggled puppy as she blew wet hair out of her face.
A minute later, the remaining pirate, who had brought the boat up to shore, had helped the blonde tie Sagely’s hands and sit her on the canoe with her back to Gale.
“Now what, Captain?” he asked one of the others, shaking his long hair back over his broad shoulders.
“We leave them here and find the coven. I’m not keen on killing a couple helpless girls.”
“Helpless girls?” Sagely burst out indignantly. But Gale’s fingers found hers, and her nails dug into Sagely’s wrist. Sagely winced, but she couldn’t help defending them. “We’re very capable women, I’ll have you know.”
The four pirates threw back their heads and laughed like this was the funniest thing they’d ever heard.
“I always did favor a feisty redhead,” the blonde man said, running a hand over his beard. His blue eyes twinkled, and for a second, she thought she recognized him.
But that was ridiculous. She’d obviously never met a pirate.
The four men went down to do something to the boat, leaving Sagely and Gale where they apparently meant to leave them all day. Which was fine with Sagely. They could have done a lot worse.
“Should I use my magic?” Sagely asked.
“Can you conjure a knife and cut us free?”
“I’m not that good with earth magic yet,” Sagely said. “But I could probably make a rock.”
“I could blow the pirates into the ocean,” Gale said. “But they’ll just swim out.”
“Are these the same pirates who visited before? Maybe you should tell them you’re from the coven.”
“They’re different ones,” Gale said. “I would have remembered these guys. They’re so fine.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, they tied us up. What happens when the tide comes in?”
“The tide is in, silly.”
Just then, the sound of a motor cut through the rush and suck of the waves, and a familiar boat shot off the crest of a wave and sailed through the air, skidding to a stop in the sand. Guthrie, Fox, and Shanee
sha leapt at the pirates while Quill sprinted up to the canoe.
“Are you okay?” he asked, kneeling at Sagely’s feet. “Are you hurt?”
“Only my pride.”
“Why didn’t you use your magic?”
“I…I was afraid it would do something crazy,” she admitted.
Quill knelt up and took her face in his hands. “Your magic is a sacred gift,” he said. “Use it.” His lips skimmed over hers, tender and comforting.
Gale cleared her throat. “If you wouldn’t mind just untying me before you make out, I’d appreciate it. Not that I mind you two going at it, but this may be my only chance at escape, in case the pirates win.”
“The pirates won’t win,” Quill said, pulling at the knot binding their hands.
“Got a knife?” Gale squeaked.
When Sagely looked up, she saw why her friend sounded scared. Two of the pirates approached, their muscles standing out in their bare chests and shoulders. The blonde had a knife in his hand. But Quill was a peace-loving pacifist who liked to swing on grapevines and whoop like Tarzan. Not a guy who carried a big scary knife in his belt.
“Get the gun,” Sagely hissed. “It’s in the back of my jeans.”
“I don’t need a weapon,” Quill said, gathering his magic. He fired a ball of crackling blue light at them, but instead of hitting them, it veered off and sizzled across the sand. Quill leapt to his feet.
“Just a minute,” Guthrie said, stepping in front of the pirates. “These men need our help. No one has to get hurt.”
“They tied up my girl,” Quill growled. Maude hissed fiercely on his shoulder.
“All a misunderstanding,” the blonde man said, approaching with his knife held out. It was a long, wicked blade, nearly a foot long, that gleamed when he moved it.
Quill stepped to block his path. “You’re not getting near her with that. I don’t trust you near her.”
“Then it appears we’re at an impasse,” the man said. “Because I don’t trust you near my knife.”
They stood toe to toe, staring each other down. Suddenly, Quill stepped back. “You’re Raina’s brother?”
The blonde man took a step back, too. “How do you know Raina?”
“Raina was looking for her brother, River. You look just like her. And you have the same…” He broke off and shook his head. “But you’re not a warlock.”
“Nope,” said the guy—River, apparently. “Just an ordinary pirate.”
“I guess you two know each other,” the black man said, holding out his hand. “I’m Damerae. I’m a mage.” He nodded back at the other two, who were showing Shaneesha and Fox their boat. “So are my brothers. You’ve met?”
“Oh, hell no,” Sagely said. “I’m sitting here being held hostage, and you’re playing ‘do you know so-and-so’?”
“Allow me,” River said, stepping past Quill. With a twinkle in his eye, he bowed with a dramatic flourish. “Always happy to come to the rescue of a damsel in distress.”
“I don’t think it counts as coming to my rescue when you’re the one who tied me up,” she said sourly.
“Depends on how much you enjoy getting tied up.”
“Depends on if I’m given a choice,” she shot back. “And I’m not a damsel in distress.”
“I am,” Gale said, twisting around. “I’m actually claustrophobic, so if you don’t untie me in, like, seven seconds, I’m going to freak out, and I’ll probably blow your ship over when I do.”
“Actually, it would be great if you could just blow it a little bit, to get it—.”
“Untie me!”
“Yes, ma’am.” He leaned between Sagely and Gale, and with one flick of his wrist, sliced through the entire width of the thick rope. But she could tell how much strength it took—his bicep flexed for just a second, the muscle bulging like Popeye the Sailor Man’s.
Quill pulled Sagely into his arms and brushed her hair back. “Promise you’re all right?” he murmured, his eyes searching hers. “They didn’t hurt you before we got here? Because if they did…”
“I’m fine,” she said, giving him a quick kiss before pulling away.
“Phew,” Gale said, hopping up and rubbing her wrists together in front of her. “Close one.”
“We weren’t going to hurt you,” River said.
“No, I meant close one for your ship,” Gale said with a grin.
“Did you get the stone?” Sagely asked.
“No,” Quill said. “We saw the siren on the rock, but when we got there, it was gone. And then I heard your distress signal and came right back. Guthrie wasn’t very happy about that. But turns out Fox is a pretty good ally. The threat of deadly venom can do wonders.”
Sagely glanced over at Fox. At just that moment, he swung around, as if he’d heard her. Their eyes met, and the familiar thrill of longing traveled through her. But it was more than that now. Slowly, it was turning into something besides instinctual, raw lust.
“Thank you,” she mouthed.
He smiled and turned back to the two pirates and Shaneesha.
“Where could the siren be keeping her?” Sagely asked, turning back, her face warm.
“The siren’s not keeping anyone,” Damerae said. “We caught her.”
“You caught a siren?” Gale asked, her eyes wide. She rubbed her hands together gleefully, any hard feelings about being tied up apparently forgotten. “What’s she like? How’d you get her?”
“In a net,” River said. “She’s on our ship right now. Unfortunately, while we were busy with her, we ran aground. We need a little boost out of here.”
“Why do you want a siren?” Sagely asked.
“So she’ll stop trying to wreck our ship and steal or magic,” Damerae said, as if it were obvious.
“Why’s she stealing your magic, anyway? Can she actually use it?”
“Oh, they use it, all right,” River said. “That’s what keeps their singing going. They’re like magic vampires.”
“They use it for that,” Damerae said. “And the rest, they give to the Dark Lord.”
“I’m sorry, the who?” Sagely asked, shaking her head.
“You know, the dark warlock who sucks up the magic,” Damerae said.
Sagely’s blood ran cold as she lifted her eyes to meet Quill’s. “Viziri,” she whispered.
thirty
Sagely
“So tell us about the sirens collecting magic for Viziri,” Sagely said, cutting into a tuna steak, hot off the grill. A curl of steam rose from it as she flaked apart the moist fish.
After Damerae had revealed the reason the sirens wanted their magic, Sagely had insisted they stay and talk. The promise of dinner had lured the pirates to the camp, along with some coaxing and eye-batting from Gale. That, and the fact that they were literally unable to leave even if they’d wanted to.
Gale was now hanging on every word from Ife, one of the pirate brothers, as he told them what he knew about the sirens.
“I don’t know how long it’s been going on,” he said in his rhythmic accent. “For years, I know that much.”
“But why wouldn’t he just get it himself?”
“He’s too busy killing faeries,” Fox said darkly.
“Exactly,” Ife said, gesturing with his fork. “There’s only one of him, and thousands of magical beings in the world. You can go fishing in a boat all alone, or you can go with a crew. You catch more fish with a crew.”
“Especially if they give you the entire haul,” Quill said. “But what are they getting out of it?”
“We don’t know,” the fourth pirate, Fayard, said. “They might do it for payment, or out of loyalty, fear, duty…” He broke off with a shrug and picked up his ear of corn and began slathering it with butter.
“Maybe he grants them safe passage on the sea,” Ife said. “We’ve been lucky to stay out of his way, but he controls a lot of the trade on the seas. He’s a very powerful magician.”
“We know,” Sagely said, scooting clo
ser to Quill when River, Guthrie and Damerae joined them. They smelled pleasantly of smoke from standing over the grill.
“Know what?” River asked. “How dashing and handsome I am?”
“As if,” she said. “Not quite. We know how powerful Viziri is.”
Quill put a protective arm around her, and Fox looked up from his plate, as if waiting to jump to her aid if she needed it.
“Sagely especially knows,” Quill said quietly. “She fought him recently.”
The table fell silent. “You fought Viziri?” Gale whispered, her eyes bulging so big they were in danger of popping out of her head.
“With a lot of help,” Sagely said, uncomfortable with all the staring. “I told you he took my magic. And Quill got the worst of it, not me.” Every single person at her table had their eyes fixed on her. Even Guthrie’s owl had stopped picking at his pile of fish bones to cock his head at her.
“Well, I think I’ll let the boys relive the glory of their battle,” Shaneesha said, standing and patting her belly. “I’m going to go walk along the beach, now that the siren’s been captured. Anyone want to join?” She looked pointedly at Sagely, who jumped at the chance.
“Thanks,” Sagely said as they hurried from the camp along the footpath they were wearing towards the beach. The mist had gone, though the invisibility spell remained on the ship. The sunset was reflecting across the sky, lighting up the clouds above the ocean.
“You looked like you needed a break from all that nonsense,” Shaneesha said.
“You’re a good friend.”
“You’re not so bad yourself,” Shaneesha said. “Sorry about all the drama back home. I’m glad to get a break from that. I can’t stand all that high school drama.”
“Aren’t you best friends with the queen of all of it?”
Shaneesha laughed. “Raina can be intense,” she agreed. “But she’s my best friend.”
“She’s lucky,” Sagely said honestly. But she didn’t feel jealous anymore. Shaneesha was her friend now, too, and so was Gale, and Fox, and maybe even Raina, if they ever got her back.
Sister of the Sea Page 15