I am here, I sing to them. Now you can speak directly to my face. Tell me why you have abandoned your queen yet again.
A group of older sirens looks away. Their hair obscures their faces as they shift uneasily. They were there when their queen was ripped from them the first time. They are ashamed—so much so they can’t bear to look into my face.
The siren children are ethereal. Perfect pearls in this sea. They hang back behind their mothers—those that still have them. A girl with hair the color of sparkling sand huddles near a woman with night-black locks. The child, who can’t be more than five, sings of her mother’s death. She saw it with perfect clarity, the way the harpoon hit her mother, how her eyes rolled back, how she sank down to the ocean’s bottom.
We need to make them pay for what they’ve done, I say.
How? the siren clutching the orphan asks. The men cannot hear us. Their leader is immune.
How is that possible?
He has lain with a siren and lived. Now the magic of our song does not affect him.
All this time I thought I couldn’t control him because we shared blood, but it is because of his relationship with my mother, not me, that he is immune.
And even if he weren’t immune, she continues, it would do us little good. Our voices do not work when we’re completely out of the water as yours does.
They don’t need to. Do you not have arms and legs?
We are weak out of water. We will have no more strength than human women.
I smile at all of them. I’ve been training human women to fight for years. A woman is not helpless when she knows what to do. And even a man is helpless when outnumbered ten to one.
It’s not a question of if you’ll win, I continue. The only question is whether you will choose to fight. Will you fight for your queen? Will you fight for your waters and treasure? Will you fight for your little ones?
My song carries through the water, firm and unmistakable. A call to arms. A demand from their princess.
I am not your queen. You do not have to obey me as you do my mother. This is a choice you must make. A choice to avenge your lost ones, to save your queen, to protect your children. I am an outsider. The life I could have had with all of you was taken from me, but I am here now by choice. Will you not choose to rally with me now? I braved the ocean for you. Will you brave land for your queen?
All of their singing stops. The piercing chords of grief cease. The harsh thrums of anger relent.
In their place is conviction. A promise. As one they sing a song so powerful it brings tears to my eyes. It’s a battle cry made of pure, heavenly song. The ships above shift from the force of it.
I show them their advantages over men—what they can do to subdue them—
And then we ascend.
* * *
When my head breaks the water, I sing and pull the moisture into me, drying as I drag myself back up the side of the Dragon’s Skull. I peek my head over the lip of the ship. My crew has been tied to the mainmast, bunched together under layers of rope. Some five men stand facing them, making sure no one leaves.
A soaked Riden is tied up with the others. He had no choice but to return to the ship and be taken captive once more until I returned. Sorinda, I can see, has already managed to free her hands without attracting the attention of the guards. Mandsy is opposite her, head slumped against the mast, only knocked out, I’m sure. Radita wriggles her shoulders, and a pirate advances on her with his sword raised.
“Stop that,” he says, “or I’ll run you through.”
She gives him a look to say exactly where he can stick his sword.
He steps forward, catching a lock of her hair on his cutlass and holding it up to the light. “Captain says we can do what we want with you lot once we start sailing again, so long as you’re all still alive once we reach the keep. I’m going to start with you.” He puckers his lips at her and laughs, gliding his sword along her cheek now as though it’s a caress.
No one lays a finger on my girls.
He’s the first to go. With his back to me, he can’t see me come up behind him, can’t see me reach for his sword. With one hand at his wrist and the other just below his shoulder, I bring the whole arm down on my knee, ignoring the spasm of pain that erupts in my injured arm at the movement. The resulting crack is a fierce drum beat adding to the music of my sister sirens. I take his sword and rake it across his throat.
The struggle is enough to get the attention of the other guards. Before they can reach me, I toss the cutlass to Sorinda, who catches it easily and frees herself and the others.
One of my father’s men rushes below for help. I start on the rest. Riden offers up a smile before leaping onto the nearest guard and taking his sword from him. I kick another’s legs out from under him and stake him to the deck with his own cutlass through his chest.
By the time we’ve finished with the guards, my father has made an appearance once again, the massive forces of his men lined up behind him. His side is bandaged now; his hand holds his sword once more.
He doesn’t appear surprised, only more enraged.
“You don’t know when to quit, girl. You’re just as outnumbered as before. This fight will not have a different outcome.”
A scream rises in the air. First one, then another, and another. They’re distant, traveling to us from other ships in the fleet. My father looks around, but he can see nothing from where he stands. His men still cannot hear a thing. They haven’t a clue that anything is amiss.
Until the sirens pour onto the deck. Hundreds. As many as will fit.
Water falls off them in waves, dribbling down their long locks and smooth bodies, soaking the deck instantly. A line of sirens go down as my father’s spooked men fire off shots, but they are helpless against the superior numbers. The sirens trample them underfoot. They force them off the edges of the ship and into the water. They fight alongside my crew, sending souls to the stars right and left.
I’ve never known Kalligan to run from danger, but he races for higher ground at the sight of all those sirens on his ship. He climbs the rigging, leaving his men to fend for themselves. And I realize then just how much he must fear death. He’s been in a position of power and security for so long, I wonder if he’d forgotten what it was to be afraid. And now he has no need to worry about being seen as weak. None of his men will live to speak of it.
I leave him for now. My priority is my mother.
I cut a line through the masses, taking down the pirates in my path, assisting the sirens who need it. Eventually I make it to my father’s rooms.
She is right where I left her.
First I take out the gag.
She coughs twice and swallows deeply. “You’ve saved me again.”
“It’s my fault he found you again. I’m the one who tracked down the map pieces for him.” I use a borrowed cutlass to work at sawing through the thick ropes at her wrists.
“Is he dead?” she asks. It’s the fiercest tone I’ve heard her voice take.
“Not yet. He’s hiding from the fight.”
* * *
The battle is over only minutes after it began. The sirens made quick work of the pirates. They’ve already taken back to the water by the time I get my mother out in the open air. I’m surprised she doesn’t join them immediately. Instead, she stares purposefully at the mainmast, where Kalligan stands on the beam below the highest sail.
“You’ve lost,” I shout up to him.
“I haven’t lost until a sword plunges into my heart,” he calls back.
“Mandsy, find me a saw,” I say. “If our beloved king won’t come down of his own free will, we’ll have to hack down his throne.”
A loud clang sounds. It’s my father’s sword hitting the deck.
The purest sign of defeat.
He’s no fool. He knows he’s lost. He has no power over me. My crew and I are finally safe.
His feet follow, and everyone on the ship quiets, watching him. “Now what?”
he asks as he rises to his full height. “Am I to face a firing squad? Be imprisoned till the day I die? You don’t have—”
His words are stopped by a fiery-red blur crashing into him. They crack through the wooden railing and topple off the side of the ship, a tangle of limbs and hair and my father’s shouts.
As soon as they hit the water, I know I will not see my father alive again.
The water churns violently as Kalligan tries to claw his way to the surface. There’s a muffled, watery scream, a sound I’ve never heard him make before. My mother pulls him deeper. The water folds into place as their dark shadows fall away.
One,
two,
three bubbles.
And all is still.
The pirate king’s reign has come to an end.
* * *
The cheering is ear-shattering. It mixes with the songs of hundreds of sirens, shaking the ship from under the water. The girls rush one another, tangling themselves in ferocious hugs. We’re alive. We’re still alive and the king is dead.
For one, brief moment, I mourn the man I thought my father to be. I mourn the rare embraces, the words of comfort and encouragement. I mourn the man who taught me to fight. Who set an example of leadership. Who showed me the joys to be had in a life on the sea.
I mourn him, and then I remember the ultimate choice he made. He wanted control and power. Nothing more. He did not know how to love, only to use what he had to get what he wanted.
So I mourn the man I once believed my father to be.
And then I let him go.
I throw myself at Mandsy, hugging her with as much strength as I dare without crushing her or jostling my own injured arm too much. Soon Enwen joins us, looping his arms around both of us. A relieved laugh escapes me as I look around at all the happy faces. Even Sorinda doesn’t shrug away from the embraces that come her way. Until Kearan tries, that is.
As soon as Enwen and Mandsy leave me to celebrate with others, my eyes scan for the next closest person.
They land on Riden.
The look we share seems to crackle with its own energy. Suddenly he’s not standing over there. He’s here. Right in front of me. Until he’s so close that I can’t see him at all.
My eyes close as he presses his lips to mine. And though it is nowhere near our first kiss, it feels brand new. Neither of us is burdened down. Draxen is not here to keep us apart. My father cannot terrorize us. Even the threat of death doesn’t hang over our heads.
This kiss feels honest. It feels real.
And I don’t ever want it to feel differently.
Chapter 24
WON’T YOU STAY with me? my mother begs for the tenth time that hour. We’ve spent days together under the water, talking, singing. My aunt, Arianna-leren, stands next to her. Now that we’re not under a time constraint, my mother made the introductions. Arianna-leren is a beauty with gold locks that pool around her in waves even thicker than mine.
The sirens no longer treat me as an outcast now that the pirates have been defeated.
You know I can’t, I say. I’ve stayed too long as it is.
But Kalligan is dead. He is no longer a threat. I’ve added his gold to the hoard.
I look down at the sand.
The sirens have so few cares.
They do not need to eat. The ocean nourishes them. They do not need clothing or shelter. There is nothing that can harm them so long as they stay underwater. Time is not something they concern themselves with. Their lives last twice as long as a human’s. While my mother has said I will likely keep my youthful appearance my whole life, my life span is likely to be as long as a human’s, since I will spend most of my life living as one.
The sirens’ way of life is a beautiful, carefree existence, spent constantly in the presence of loved ones. Had I never lived as a human, I’m sure I would think it perfect.
I try to find the right words to make her understand. I have spent all seventeen years of my life above the ocean, save the few instances I’ve been forced into the water.
I’ve seen more than perfection.
I’ve loved and lost crew members, I continue. I’ve learned swordplay. I know the joy of climbing a mast and swinging on a rope. I’ve played the role of a teacher, a friend, a confidant.
The sirens don’t know the true value of these things, because they don’t know anything other than peace among themselves. The only conflicts to be had are when they’re luring men to their deaths.
I cannot live my life without the human experiences I cherish so much, I explain. I promise to visit often, but I need to lead a different life from yours.
Asta-reven will rule the charm when you are gone, sister, my aunt says. You needn’t fear for our sake.
It is not for your sake that I am worried! Mother says. I’ve finally met my daughter. My only daughter. I don’t want her out of my sight again.
I’m warmed by her words, but it doesn’t change my mind. I say my good-byes before returning to my ship.
The bodies of the fallen have already been laid to rest in the sea. The Ava-lee was cleaned of blood and other refuse. We lit lanterns for the fallen, and the sirens gifted us with as much treasure as the Ava-lee can hold.
It is our gift to you, my mother said, for saving us all.
We set out on this voyage with thirty-four. Now there are twenty-two. It is plenty to sail us home and plenty to shred my heart. I will miss them terribly. Athella’s clever lockpicking fingers, Deros’s strength, Deshel’s and Lotiya’s laughter.
“Good visit?” Niridia asks at my return. Radita and Mandsy worked together to fashion a wooden crutch for her. She uses it to walk around the ship, despite Mandsy’s efforts to keep her in bed. Roslyn, too, is on the mend. She’s bedridden, but conscious now, her father never leaving her side.
“Yes. I could get used to having a mother fuss over me, but now I will miss her whenever I am away. It comes with both joy and pain.”
“Perhaps she will come visit us.”
I let out a guffaw. “You want to let the sirens roam the waters near wherever we establish our stronghold? I’d never rally more men to my cause.”
“But it would keep the land king from ever looking for us,” she points out.
“Very true. Perhaps I’ll give it more thought. How are things looking here?”
“The ship is ready. What heading should I give Kearan?”
We can go anywhere. Do anything. My father no longer controls us.
“To the keep,” I decide. “Let’s see what’s left of it after the land king swept through. We get rid of those who won’t be loyal. We sail to the port cities and clean out the pirate quarters. We build. And we make it better than it ever was before. It’s time to set up the reign of the pirate queen.”
Niridia smiles her approval. “Kearan! Stop ogling Sorinda and get this ship pointed due northeast!”
I stand at the edge of the ship, peering around the aftercastle to get another look at the Isla de Canta before we go. Part of me will always miss it, I think. This place where my family resides. But I will be back when we can spare the time. When I’ve built up what I first started to destroy for my father.
“Having second thoughts?” Riden leans on his forearms at the railing, letting his skin touch mine.
“No. I am exactly where I want to be. I only wish I could have all the years back I missed with my mother.”
“You could have them now,” he says gently. “You could live your life among the sirens and leave this all behind you.”
I smile and turn to him. “You and my mother are both missing one important thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I love being a pirate, and there’s nothing I want to be more.”
He relaxes considerably. “Thank the stars. I was trying so hard to be supportive and forget what I want most.”
“And what’s that?”
Those beautiful brown eyes glint. “You.”
“Have you decided you want to
be a permanent member of the crew, then?” I tease.
“Aye, Captain.” He lifts the tricorne off my head and runs his fingers through my hair. “I’ll sail with you anywhere. I don’t care where we go or what we do as long as I’m with you.”
“Could be dangerous.”
“You’ll protect me.”
He leans in and kisses me. So slowly it’s maddening.
When he pulls back, I say, “I run a tight ship, sailor. I expect the rules to be followed.”
“What rules would those be?”
“All men are required to keep a couple days’ worth of stubble on their chins. Makes them look more fearsome. Better pirates, you see.”
He grins so widely, I can feel my heart melt. “I had no idea you liked it so much.” He brings his lips to my ear. “You needn’t make a rule and trouble the other men. I’ll do it if you ask nicely.”
His lips trail down my neck and I shiver. “Anything else?” he asks.
“I need to see you in my quarters for the rest.”
“Aye-aye.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have heard other authors say that writing a second book in a series is so much harder than the first.
They were right.
I had fun with DotSQ, but it was a struggle, and I have so many people to thank for their help.
I have to mention my incredibly talented editor, Holly West, first. Holly, I can’t tell you how much it meant to me for you to give so much care and attention to this book. It is 1,000% stronger for all of your insightful comments and brilliant suggestions. A thousand thank-yous for all the hard work you put into this manuscript.
Rachel, thank you for being so wonderful through another book. I love having you by my side during this process. You make it so fun with all your pirate gifs and pep talks. Thank you for championing this series. Here’s to hoping we do many more together.
I’m so grateful to the entire team at Feiwel and Friends for all the various things they do for me and my books. Brittany, thank you for answering all my questions and helping get me and my book into new places. I couldn’t have asked for a better publicist. Lauren, thanks for all the promotions you put together! I’ve had such fun with those. Thank you, Liz, for pimping out my covers! Thank you to Beka and Kaitlin for your copyediting expertise.
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