The Siren Princess

by Lichelle Slater

  I built up suspense with battle and ended with us raiding the merchant vessel for their goods, just in time before the ship reached the naval guard at Delphi’s harbors.

  At some point, Captain Barrie and James disappeared. I hadn’t noticed when, though I was offended they didn’t see my plunder.

  Captain Avery stood on the docks, overseeing the cargo as it was carefully stacked. He removed his hat and bowed to my mother the instant we came into view. “Captain Athena.”

  “Captain Avery. I heard you had quite the adventure getting this bounty.”

  “Indeed. We captured a lot of food, materials for trade, and some things I know you’d like to see.” He motioned for her to follow him up the gangplank to the main deck.

  Smee jumped to his feet, having been sitting atop the largest chest we’d pulled from the merchant ship. Behind him were stacks of crates. He ran his hand over his greasy hair and cleared his throat. “Captain.”

  My mother nodded in response. “Let’s see what you got.”

  He pulled the key from the rope around his neck. We’d replaced the broken lock with one of our own, just in case any of our crew decided to get sticky fingers. Since we didn’t typically count our earnings before getting back to port, some pirates could steal gold coins or gems without anyone knowing. Sometimes the laws of the land didn’t make it to the sea.

  Smee swiftly unlocked it and lifted the lid.

  I kept my attention focused on my mother.

  Her eyes lit up at the mound of gold piled inside. “There’s more than this?” She looked at me.

  “Yes. That crate behind has expensive fabric. Captain Avery also has two—”

  “Three,” he corrected and removed the pouches from an inner pocket of his jacket.

  “Three bags of gemstones.” I rested my hands on my hips, beaming.

  Athena ran her fingertips over the coins, then turned to investigate the gemstones. “You truly had an incredible raid. I am extremely impressed.” She faced me. “Take ten gold coins for yourself, Odette. You earned it.”

  A grin split my face, and I counted out ten gold coins in front of them. I slid the coins into my pocket and kept my hand wrapped around them. “Thank you, Athena.”

  She nodded. “You’ll get your cut too, Captain Avery. I trust you to count out everything so it is correctly distributed?” She arched her brow. There were taxes for being part of her fleet, for running the port, and basically for staying on her good side, but she was generally fair or pirates wouldn’t stay.

  Avery handed her his ledger. “Already added up, Captain. We had a long journey back.”

  I really wasn’t in the mood to watch my mother scan the pages, but if I were to be the captain of the newest ship in the fleet, I needed to show my mother I was no longer a child. So I stood there on the deck for thirty agonizingly boring minutes before my mother finally concluded her assessment.

  She slapped the ledger closed and she handed it back. “Very good. Bring my share to the house when you’re ready.”

  I trailed behind my mother as she headed back down the gangplank to the docks, then skipped up to her side. “Do you need anything else from me?”

  “I want you to go have some fun. You earned it.” Athena stopped and faced me. “I mean it, Odette. You made me very proud today. Everyone will look at you and see the pirate queen’s daughter. And soon you’ll be just as well-known as I am.” She smiled.

  “And tomorrow, when you announce the newest captain of your fleet, I’ll be at your side.” I grinned.

  “Then I’ll see you in the morning. Say hello to Sky for me.”

  I pursed my lips, resisting the smile tugging at the edge. I was only mildly embarrassed she knew where I was going.

  Mother winked before carrying on her way.

  I turned and headed for the Flounder Tavern.

  three

  The boisterous drinking song echoed down the street long before I pushed the Flounder’s door open. It was sticky hot and smelled of lamp oil, men, alcohol, and the best food in Port Mere. Sky stood on one of the tables, leading the drinking song and keeping beat by stomping his foot. He called out the first line and the crowd of men shouted back the next.

  Listen to this tale of woe.

  A tale of woe, aye yo-ho!

  A maiden fair whose hair does glow.

  Glows in the water, hey yo-ho!

  To your heart, she’ll strike a blow.

  The blow will kill you, aye yo-ho!

  She’ll come take your blackened soul.

  Take it to the depths below!

  Yo-ho! Yo-ho!

  Take it to the depths below!

  Although I stood out of the way of the rowdy clientele, their faces flushed from drink and food clinging to their beards, I couldn’t resist joining in the chorus at the end of the shanty.

  The pirates roared with laughter as Sky jumped down. Men patted him on the back as he passed. One man pushed a mug into Sky’s hand. Sky turned and slammed that mug against the other the man was holding, then took a long swig.

  “Sky!” I called, trying to pick my way to his side. “Sky!” Either he couldn’t hear me or he wasn’t acknowledging me. I played a little dirty and shouted, “Scuttle!” knowing he hated it.

  The men nearest me halted their conversations, and Sky’s bright-blue eyes scanned the crowd until they settled on me.

  The anger dissipated, and he grinned. “Odette! I told ye not to call me that.”

  Sky, or Scuttle as I liked to call him, was dashingly handsome, with fair, sun-bleached hair so blond it was nearly white. He had a scar on the left side of his face from his nose across his cheek to his jaw.

  He got the scar when he was a cabin boy aboard my mother’s vessel, The Pirate Queen. We’d been boarded by a crew of the Royal Navy, and one of the men had come at me. Sky had stepped between us, and the man didn’t hesitate to strike Sky with his sword. I thought Sky had been killed that day.

  I vowed that day that I would never hesitate to act ever again.

  Reaching Sky, he pulled me into a bear hug with one arm, holding on to his mug with the other so it wouldn’t spill. “You’re not supposed to call me Scuttle,” he repeated with a playful scowl.

  “I can’t help it. It’s not my fault you earned yourself an unfortunate nickname.”

  He pouted. “It’s hardly my fault we scuttled at the port of . . . wherever. The goblin ship took us by surprise, during a storm.”

  “But ya still did it. You were the man behind the helm. Therefore . . . your fault.” I poked him on the nose.

  He rolled his eyes and pressed his forehead to mine. “It’s a good thing I missed you or I wouldn’t let you get away with that.”

  “Well, I’m positively famished,” I said in my haughtiest voice.

  “We need to rectify that, your most belovedness,” he replied and tipped his drink to his lips, keeping the pinky up.

  I laughed and pushed my way through the crowd to a back table, dragging him with me. “What did you do while I was out at sea?”

  “Waited like a puppy dog, loyal as ever.”

  “And how do I know you weren’t making your way around the women of Mere?” I blinked innocently.

  He gestured with wide arms. “There aren’t any women here!”

  I pointed with both arms to the group of harlots hanging on the necks of men just inside the door.

  Sky sighed. “They hardly count.”

  “Still women. Not to mention the blacksmith’s daughter, the seamstress and her daughters, or your own sisters.”

  “Eew.” He reached across the table and grabbed my chin. “I haven’t been messing around. Promise.” He crushed my lips in a drunken, desperate kiss.

  Sky and I had known each other our entire lives, as well as James and almost every other pirate. Sky was a good y
ear older than me. He was always my right-hand whenever we had to practice our sword fighting, and he’d always taken time to explain ship things to me when I was younger. The last few months had drawn us rather close.

  The prickly hairs of his two days’ worth of stubble scraped against my skin, and I had to pull back to rub under my nose. “That’s got to be shaved,” I protested.

  He grinned. “I’m rather proud of it.” He smoothed his hand over his scruff. “If I’m going to be a captain, I should look like one, yes?”

  “If you’re going to be captain, you need more than a beard.” I looked him up and down. “Besides, who says you’re going to be a captain?”

  Sky tilted his head. “What else could I possibly need to be a captain?”

  I pursed my lips. “A new tattoo? I got some new boots with skulls on the side, and after my incredible success on my voyage, I would like to get another tattoo next to my Jolly Roger. I’m thinking a ship or siren.” I patted my left arm.

  Sky frowned. “Truly? You just get into port and the first thing you want to do is get a tattoo?” He let out a disappointed snort and got up to get me some food.

  “I didn’t say it was the first thing I wanted to do!” I hollered after him.

  Sky returned moments later and set a plate of food and mug of ale in front of me. “Here you are, your majesty.”

  “Did you eat yet? Or did all of that alcohol just fill your belly?” I picked up the fork and knife.

  “I’m not a cold fish.” He pursed his lips when he realized it didn’t come out right. He took another gulp from his mug. “I’m not new to drinking. A mug is hardly enough to cause anything.”

  “Uh-huh,” I deliberately looked him over, long enough for him to get the hint he was, in fact, a little tipsy.

  I told him all about my voyage—including the embellishments. He told me how he took a short voyage to pick up the sails for the new ship.

  We finished eating and walked out of the tavern. The night was humid, and the light from the lamps left a hazy glow on the streets.

  “Who do you think will be assigned captain of the new ship?” I asked as casually as possible.

  Sky gave me a confused look. “Your mom already chose.”

  “Yeah, but she doesn’t make the official announcement until tomorrow.” I stopped walking. “Do you know?”

  He opened his mouth, but there was a pause before words came out. “I think you and I should go to my place.” He slid his arms around me, a teasing smile on his face.

  “Sky,” I let my voice trail off. We’d never done anything other than kiss, and I knew where his drunk mind wanted to go.

  “You don’t like that idea. How about the beach?” he asked.

  “I could go for a walk,” I said, trying to tell him we weren’t going to do that act.

  Sky’s blue eyes glinted in the lamplight. He took my hand and ambled through the still noisy town, past the docks, and down the path that ran along the west side of the bay, under the cliffs, and out to the caves that were dangerous in high tides. We walked through the caves to the small, private beach beyond.

  I didn’t know how many pirates knew about it, but no had ever been there when Sky and I had gone. I’d considered telling my mother about the vulnerable location, but any invader would be a fool to try and infiltrate our hideout through that direction. They would have to disembark their ships, carry their artillery through the caves, and hope they had enough men to fight us on our terms in our port.

  We’d barely set foot on that hidden beach when Sky turned, grabbed my face, and kissed me passionately. When he pressed his lips to mine, I saw James and instantly got a splitting headache and had to pull away.

  “You okay?” Sky asked as he pulled away.

  I rubbed my temple. “Just a headache. I thought I remembered kissing James.”

  “Hook?” he blanched.

  “Did I ever kiss him? Before Castle Bay?” I asked.

  Sky blinked. “I . . . don’t know. Look, it’s not my place to be nosy.”

  “Since when?” I frowned.

  “Want to sleep under the stars?” Sky’s dashing smile melted away my anger.

  I was grateful for Sky not pressuring me. He obviously saw my headache, or maybe it was the discussion of James that turned him off. He sat on the sun-warmed sand and patted the spot at his side.

  I took the position at his side and leaned my head on his shoulder. “Thank you, Sky. You’re a good friend.”

  “Yeah, I know.” He chuckled.

  I smiled and closed my eyes, letting the lapping of the waves wrap around me like a blanket. When Sky began to hum, that was it.

  I hadn’t expected to fall asleep.

  I was rather surprised when Sky shook me awake the next morning at the kraken of dawn. I thought maybe he wanted to beat the incoming tide so we could get through the caves dry, but we were a good two hours early.

  “Why are you in such a rush?” I asked, stumbling through the sand. I dusted it from my hair and clothes as I chased after him.

  He was tying his faded red scarf around his neck. “I just want to get there early for when Athena makes the big announcement.”

  I narrowed my eyes in a glare. Catching up with him, I grabbed his arm and yanked him around. “You know something!”

  Sky pulled away from my grasp. “I have a hunch I might be part of the new crew. That’s all.”

  “You’re not the captain?”

  He tilted his head and ran his fingers through his hair, sending particles of sand everywhere. “Do you really think your mother would choose me to captain her new rig? Me? Scuttle?”

  “Well, if you aren’t the captain, who is?”

  “You’ll just have to wait and see.” I hated how easily his perfect smile slid onto his handsome face.

  As we walked through the caves, I spotted a rock with a big lip on it. Normally, I didn’t care about the oysters that clung under those rock lips, but one big white oyster caught my eye. I carefully stepped on the slimy rocks and crouched to pry the oyster from its grip on the stone.

  “Odette, we don’t have time to hunt for pearls,” Sky said, his tone annoyed.

  “I know. I’m just taking this one.” I pried it off rather easily, careful of the sharp edges, and hurried as fast as I could back to Sky. “I’ve never seen a white one.” I held it up for him.

  “Huh.” He shook his head. “Come on. I want to bathe before the announcement.”

  “Well, it must be a very special announcement for you.”

  “You should probably take a bath too.” He looked over his shoulder at me, the curl of his grin taking the edge off his snarky response.

  “Are you implying something?”

  “Oh, I’m not implying anything. I’m being blunt. You stink.”

  “Oy!”

  He laughed and easily dodged a punch I aimed at his shoulder. “I’ll see you back down here in an hour.” He leaned down, pecked me on the cheek, then carried on to his house.

  He lived with his parents and younger brother at the top of the cliff to the west. Funnily enough, they were farmers. Sky’s dad had never been much of a sailor, nor his mother, but for some reason, they settled right in with the pirates and didn’t mind one bit that Sky loved to sail.

  I made it to the top of the ridge where Athena’s house sat.

  Seeing the sea at sunrise was stunning enough, but to see the sun stretching its rays through the clouds of night . . . it was nearly indescribable. The sea reflected the purples and oranges cast by the sun. The cliffs kept the bay in darkness for now, but the light climbed over the top and warmed my face. There was peace. There was calmness.

  If I was ever stranded on land, I hoped I could grow old and die in Port Mere.

  A deep ache settled into my chest, and I found myself blinking at the water. Lik
e the siren’s song, the ocean called to me. I rubbed at my headache before walking through the front door. I set the oyster on the table and headed into my bedroom for a much-needed bath.

  four

  I walked out of my room, fully clothed in my brand-new black leather boots with the brass skulls. I wore my brown pants, sleeveless white shirt, and black vest with bronze buttons to match my boots. My wild red hair took an extra-long time to get right that day. I settled on braiding the sides of my hair back in two braids on each side and puffed the top before I pulled it all back in a ponytail.

  When I exited my room, I found my mother leaning against the table, the oyster shell open on the surface behind her.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked.

  She straightened immediately, as though I’d startled her, even though I hadn’t exactly been quiet. “Not at all. I hope you don’t mind I took the liberty of opening your shell. A white oyster is rather rare.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t care. Was it empty?”

  “No. But I had hoped the summer stone had been reclaimed by the sea and that it would have found its way . . .” Her voice trailed, eyes taking on a distant look. Then she seemed to suddenly remember my presence, put a smile on, and held out her hand.

  In her palm sat the most stunning black pearl I’d ever seen. It had a translucent purple sheen and was about the size of my pinky nail. It was positively perfect.

  “It’s beautiful. Why does it upset you?” I asked, lifting it into the sunlight.

  “Because the summer stone holds magic. It is said whoever possesses this stone, possesses the power of the sea.” Athena wiped her hands on her pants. “Take that down to Timbony, the jeweler. Do with it as you please, then meet me down at the docks for the announcement of our newest captain. “Don’t take too long,” she warned, but her smile was bright.

  I dumped the oyster shell in a crate for garbage and ran from the house as fast as possible. I thought about having the pearl embedded in the hilt of my sword, put on an earring, or ring, but none of those felt right.