part0008

Bryce came in, followed by two other Shadows. All of them looked worried. All of them had fear in their eyes, which caused Drew to still. If they were afraid of something, that indicated something was wrong.

“What?” Drew demanded. “What is it?”

Bryce scanned the cabin, pausing his panning gaze only long enough to nod respectfully to Emma. He paused once more when his gaze settled on Kelia, who was still tossing and turning in her unconscious state.

“Sirens,” he said finally, returning his attention to Drew. Bryce’s palor revealed his fear rather than his status as a Shadow. “We can smell them. A swarm of them. Heading for this ship.” He cleared his throat. “The one she attacked—”

“Fed on ,” Drew corrected immediately. “She did not attack her. That was the Queen. Kelia fed on her, and is already more than paying the consequence, I would add.”

“Well, regardless,” Bryce said, “They are coming for her.”

“And you know this how?”

Bryce nodded at her lethargic form. “Because it’s her name that’s being whispered in the wind outside,” he said. “Orders, sir?”

“At the ready,” Drew said. “Do not let them seduce you with their song. If we fight, we fight.”

“If there is bloodshed…?”

Understanding enveloped Drew. Bryce was not afraid of the battle, but rather, he feared the results from that battle. With Siren blood all over his ship, his crew would be tempted to taste the remains, and if they did that, they would all be at risk.

Bryce’s question, asked not so directly, was what they should do in the case that more Shadows succumbed to that temptation. Because there was a good chance at least some would.

More than that, what little ingredients Emma had left in order to get the poison out of a victim’s body had just been given to Kelia, and they were still a day, perhaps two with this wind, away from the Island of the Damned.

“Do what is best for the ship,” Drew said, his voice low and firm. “How much time do you think we have?”

Bryce swallowed. “I would say an hour, two at the most.”

“That gives you time to relay my orders and prepare.” Drew jutted his chin to the door. “Go on then.”

Bryce did not seem all that sure of himself as he left, squaring his shoulders as he went. Drew couldn’t blame him, especially after what happened with Kelia.

When the door clicked shut, he turned to Emma. “We are not through with our discussion,” he said. “For now, you should get Wendy and Daniella in your room. Barricade it, if you can.”

“We can help,” Emma said.

“Too risky.” Drew sighed through his nose. “If Sirens are coming with vengeance, I would not be surprised if the majority of the crew falls. I need to know you are safe. I need to know all three of you are safe.”

“What about you?” Emma pushed, taking a step forward.

“I will do what needs to be done,” Drew said, “whether it is to my crew or to a Siren.”

“She will remain here.” Drew all but dashed across his room and ripped open the door. He needed to get on deck. Now. “Go. We don’t have much time.”

If the Sirens were coming to attack the ship, he had no time to waste. Especially since they were no doubt coming after Kelia. She was the one who ultimately drained the Siren to nothing, ripped her to shreds, and got drunk on the chemicals laced in the Siren’s insides. And that had been Drew’s fault. Now, he would protect her at all costs.

As he stepped outside, the wind smacked him in the face and he braced himself against the harsh weather. The ship was sluggish. It did not appear as if it was making any sort of progress as it trudged across the nearly black ocean. The salt made his eyes water as drips from the surface of the sea sliced his skin. The water level decreased to a supernatural degree. The Sirens appeared to be coming from the east.

What should he do next? The wind muffled the shouts of his crew. Metal clanged metal; the sharpening of a cutlasses, perhaps. Weapons were not always necessary for a Shadow, but Drew made his crew carry one just in case. Control was essential to surviving. Just because they were monsters did not mean they needed to act as such…and this was a good example as to why.

He reached down and felt the hilt of his blade within his fingers. He had never been threatened by a Siren before. Now, he wondered if it was perhaps because the Queen wanted no one to touch him, not even if he deserved it. And since the Queen created these sea witches, they obeyed her just as Shadows would.

As another splash of water hit him, sobering him from his thoughts, he stepped forward to the helm of ship. Above the crow’s nest, the clouds had gotten thick and dark. Rain could spill at any moment, and yet, not one drop had fallen from the sky. It appeared as though the ocean was doing that job.

Once at the helm, Drew released the hilt of his cutlass to grab the wheel of the ship. He knew better than to attempt to control it; his touch would do nothing against the coming storm. But it helped center his thoughts and himself. Kelia was still unconscious in the room. He had Shadows in the crow’s nest. Others were on either side of the ship, all poised and ready to do whatever necessary.

“Orders, captain?” asked Lloyd, a Shadow stationed at portside.

If not for his supernatural Shadow hearing, he wouldn’t have even heard the request. But before he could respond, a slick black tentacle whipped out of the water and slammed against the Wraith.

The old wood groaned in protest as it gave out underneath the weight. As the wood splintered audibly, Drew clenched his jaw. He should not have been surprised that the Sirens would employ grandiose water magic in order to get their revenge.

But a goddamn Kraken ?

“Emma?” Drew shouted, his voice nearly muffled against the wind.

“I’m working on it,” she shouted back.

Bless her, she’d ignored his demands to lock herself and the other witches away. In that moment, he was too thankful to be prideful.

Soon after, Wendy and Daniella emerged from belowdeck. Daniella was pushed down by the wind while Wendy managed to hold her own. Drew watched his sister look around, her hair screaming behind her, tangled in the wind. She squinted her eyes against the inclement weather and wobbled in her efforts to keep her footing, but she held to, almost stubbornly so.

Wendy raised her arms into the sky, palms open. She circled them around so they were horizontal. It looked strange, but it seemed as though she was holding something out, something that surrounded the ship.

All at once, the wind stopped.

Or rather, the wind was no longer affecting the ship.

His eyes fixed on Wendy, took in the tight line of her lips, the deep furrow in her brow. She was holding it at bay with her shields, and it was taking a lot out of her. How much time did they have?

“Get her up to the nest!” Drew shouted to his crew, nodding in the direction of his sister. If the Sirens were coming, he needed her to do what was necessary without leaving herself at risk.

One of the Shadows grabbed Wendy and headed up the tall mast of the ship with her tossed over his shoulder like a ragdoll. Despite this, her arms were still out, holding up the shield.

It only did them so good, though. A tight, thin cyclone of water shot straight up into the sky. Drew didn’t like to admit when something took him by surprise, but this cyclone was an exception.

His mouth slackened, and he watched in utter terror as the cyclone grew bigger. Another tentacle shot up on the other side of the ship and nearly smashed the hull. Instead, the tentacle slapped the water, causing it to splash all over the deck as if his ship was in the middle of a terrible thunderstorm.

The sea level rose. The grand ship tilted…tilted…tilted…

The ship was about to roll to its side. He braced himself, his heart dropping to his stomach as the ship continued its treacherous path.

More than anything, he wanted to go to Kelia, but if he let go now, he would just slide and then fall into the sea. From where he gripped the wheel, he could see some of his crew had already met that fate.

He squeezed his eyes shut.

The roll never came. The boat rocked back down, hitting hard against the water and creating a harsh splash.

That was too close. But what was Drew to do from here?

The bodies that had fallen into the water bobbed up and down. He could not tell if they were moving or if the ocean threw them around like they were nothing more than ragdolls.

Wind. A cyclone. A goddamn Kraken. And the Sirens.

He could not allow himself to forget about the Sirens.

“Orders, Captain?” a crewman asked.

Drew didn’t know what to say. How did one take down the Kraken? Perhaps Wendy could have done it, but she was too busy keeping the wind from working with the tumultuous sea.

Emma was the most powerful witch he knew, but she was an earth witch. From the little he knew about earth witches, they simply didn’t have much power that could fight back against water. At best, they canceled each other out. But maybe that would be enough.

He wasn’t sure what Emma could do, given the fact she had no ingredients to concoct one of her brews, or that she was on a ship, not on land. But they had to try something .

He looked around but didn’t see the earth witch anywhere. Perhaps she’d gone to check on Kelia, or do something else, but the fact was, he needed her back here. Now .

“Get Emma,” Drew said. His voice was not as sure as he should be, but in his century of being alive, he had never seen anything like this before. He did not even know what was appropriate to say, what would inspire and what would cause doubt. “And don’t die.”

His hand dropped to the hilt of his blade once again, and his fingers squeezed. The cool metal felt reassuring in his hands. Strange, he had more strength in his fingertips and teeth, which could rip flesh off bone, and yet he seemed more comfortable knowing he had a weapon he could hold rather than the weapon he was.

The first Siren made her presence known before anyone could see her. Her bell-like, high-pitched battle cry pierced the sky, hushing even the wind momentarily. Drew was paralyzed; not in fear, but in awe. Though his mind wanted nothing more than to move his feet, to draw his sword, he was unable to move. He cursed himself; he cursed the Sirens for their ability to render man, and monster alike, completely powerless with just their voice.

Drew’s nose twitched, and he nearly sneezed as the raging wind brought the scent of smoke. He turned his head to see where the smoke was coming from and was surprised to see Daniella trying to rub her hands together to create a flame in order to break Shadows free from their stupor.

One Shadow at a time, she created a small ball of flames and then attempted to place it on the Shadow’s chest. Sometimes it worked; the trance the Shadow was under broken. Wendy’s shield against the elements allowed Daniella to free at least some of Shadows from the spell they were under.

In that moment, Drew realized just how fierce his sister was. But although she might be able to keep the Sirens out, she could not drown out the penetrating songs of the Sirens… Not unless she could create a similar windstorm against them.

Emma, on the other hand, was just touching the deck of the ship, follow close behind with the Shadow he had sent to collect her. Good . Perhaps he should have asked her to help from the beginning, rather than trying to keep the witches locked away. Their magic might be the Shadows’ only hope.

Every few steps, Emma reached down and touched the deck using the palm of her hands again. Her eyes were closed, and her lips murmured something. If he had to guess, it must have been some sort of incantation.

The first Siren breached Wendy’s barrier as if she was jumping into glass. Drew’s mouth fell open as the wind—now free once more—smacked his face, tousled his hair, and continued to berate him.

Daniella’s flames were instantly snuffed, but she continued to go to each Shadow and try. Unfortunately, Drew was still rooted to his place from the mesmerizing spell of the Siren and could do little to help.

The beautiful monster crashed onto his ship but somehow rose with grace. Sirens could only be completely out of water for a few minutes at most, but that seemed to be all the time she needed. She crept up behind Lloyd and ripped into his neck like he was the carcass of a whale.

Drew ground his teeth, eyes narrowing. Lloyd didn’t have the chance to scream before he burst into ash, the wind carrying what was left of him away in one sudden, dispersing gust.

A tentacle shot up to the sky once more and came crashing toward the ship. This time, it managed to hit the crow’s nest, bringing the mast straight down for the water.

“Wendy!” Drew shouted.

Emma stopped what she was doing and raced across the deck. As she threw out her arms, a powerful force of green light shot out from her fingertips. Instead of falling into the water, Wendy and Sam were delicately placed back onto the ship.

What was happening? His ship, his precious ship, was being destroyed in front of his very eyes.

The siren resubmerged herself in the water. The high-pitched battle cries of three more sirens pierced the air. Drew growled, though was still unable to move.

The same Siren who had destroyed Lloyd reappeared again, this time in front of him. She was beautiful and as haunting as her melody. But when she looked into his eyes, Drew saw nothing.

It was as though he was staring death straight in the face.

“I will enjoy the taste of your ash,” the Siren purred as she scoured him with her gaze.

He curled his lips up into an easy grin, purposefully trying to avoid responding to her death threat.