“Aye,” he says, his voice quieter. “Because this is where they end, where they come to sink into the depths. Layer upon layer of bone on the ocean floor, that’s what lies beneath us.”
“And this crew?” I ask, though deep down, I already know the answer.
He hesitates.
“This crew,” he says carefully, “is no different. They were cursed the day they became pirates.”
I am at a loss for words. My breathing becomes heavier, and I grip the railing in front of me to not tremble and fall.
Can you help us?
Lark’s words echo in my memory and wrap themselves tight around my heart. This is what he asked me on my first day in captivity.
They haven’t broken their curse.
Their time is ticking, and if they fail to break it, this is what awaits them. This is their fate. The string of Lark’s words around my heart tightens and cuts deep when I imagine him climbing the railing and jumping overboard to drown like the others.
Tears blur my vision, but as I turn around, the ghost is gone.
The deck is empty. Only the dark water moves beside me, as if nothing has happened at all.
As if men did not just jump to their deaths in front of my eyes.
Chapter Seventeen
“Landho!”Nightglassshoutsfrom the Crows’ nest, and the pirates interrupt their tasks to rush to the rail. Boot steps scatter across the deck as the whole ship suddenly becomes alive again after days of sailing through the black waters that have felt endless.
I haven’t dared ask any of the crew members about their curse. It feels too intimate for me to ask about such a sensitive thing as an outsider. Still, the truth lingers all around us, like the grey mist that constantly blankets the dark water. They must knowthat I know, and yet, no one has approached me. No one has addressed it.
And Sable? I have avoided him. His actions have unsettled something in me that I don’t know how to handle. It would be easier if he were cruel. But he isn’t, not in the ways that matter, and that leaves me with thoughts that I would rather not follow to their end. As long as I keep my distance, I don’t have to ask him about the curse. I don’t have to watch his expression, don't have to hear him tell me that he doesn’t trust me again. Most importantly, I don’t have to face the way my body reacts to him, or what that might mean.
Finally, curiosity gets the better of me, and I rush towards the bow of the ship, alongside some of the crew. The wind whips my hair away from my face as I lean over the railing to get a better look at the dark stone rising from the sea in the distance.
“We will reach it before the sun sets,” Grim appears beside me and lowers the spyglass from his eye, snapping it shut.
“Will I be allowed to leave the ship when we do?” I blurt out, unable to contain my excitement at the thought of feeling the sand beneath my feet again.
Grim laughs and shrugs his broad shoulders. “Captain has the final say, lass. Are you sure you want to leave the ship and set your scaled foot on an island filled with pirates?”
Of course, I’ve had this thought already.
“What, you think I’ll stay here on this ship like a coward?” I ask while glaring at him playfully.
“Aye. That you should do,” He replies with a smug grin on his face. “For my part, I’ll drink and find myself a wench to drown my sorrows in. There’ll be no time to protect you, Eryse.”
“She’ll stick with me.” A deep voice cuts in behind us, and I turn to find Sable standing behind us, one hand braced against the rail and his gaze fixed on the distant shape of land. His dark, thick hair falls in loose waves, and it is the first time thatI fully notice the black ink that swirls across his arms before disappearing behind his rolled-up sleeves.
I can say all I want about his personality, but by the seas, he is devastatingly handsome.
Grim studies him for a moment, then nods once. “Of course, she’s your responsibility, Captain.”
Sable slowly turns, shifting his weight on his feet, his gaze falling on mine. I clench my jaw and swallow down the anger that starts to creep its way up my throat in the form of cursed words. Not directed at him, but instead, at myself. Not only is he a pirate, but he is also my captor. We seem to have a mutual agreement to hate each other, which is understandable given the situation, but still, my body seems to betray me at the sight of him eyeing me up, his gaze tracing every inch of me as though it is new to him. He clears his throat, bringing his eyes back to mine. Locking my attention on his.
“Why are you not working?” He shouts towards the crew still lingering near the rail, slightly cocking his head in their direction, refusing to break eye contact. The crew obeys and jumps back into work. Grim glances back and forth between us with a smirk on his face, then strides back towards the helm.
“I see you’re still here,” he says and crosses his arms over his broad chest, muscles flexing. I cannot keep myself from taking a glimpse of his tattoos as his shirt falls slightly, exposing skin. The arms of an octopus curl around words that I cannot read. Next to it, there's a skull, sitting shoulder to shoulder with a heart, and a—
“Little fish, as much as I enjoy your eyes on me, I asked everyone to get back to work.” He steps closer, and I take a step back in response, pressing my back against the railing. My heart begins to beat so fast that I fear it might jump straight out of my chest.