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Before I know what’s happening, she’s leaning in and kissing me lightly on the lips, the same way that we Syrens do with close kin.

“What was that for?” I ask when Nerissa pulls away, swimming backward.

She just does her usual devious smile. “You’ll find out.”

“I’ll find out?” I repeat with a scoff. I gesture to the war happening in our midst, just as one of the naval men fall screaming toward the ocean, lit on fire. “Perhaps now is a good time.”

“I will tell you one thing,” she says to me. “You can control the Kraken.”

Then she stares at me with gleaming eyes before her head disappears below the surface.

What on earth?

I duck my head under but Nerissa is swimming down, down and then she’s just a barracuda, darting away into the shadows.

I burst back up through the waves and look around. I can control the Kraken now? Why would I want to do that?

Then it dawns on me.

I nearly squeal with giddiness and then dive back beneath the water. I swim deeper, in the same direction as Nerissa went, until I’m far enough away from the noise of the battle, the cannon balls sinking through the deep like lead.

I open my mouth and start singing my Syren song.

I start calling for the Kraken.

CHAPTER42

Ramsay

There aretimes in a captain’s life when he knows he has to make an important decision for the safety of the crew, a decision that may be at odds with what the crew wants. Other times the captain will have to make a choice that essentially picks the crew over any treasure or bounty that may be promised to him.

I’ve had to make two such decisions in a very short amount of time.

The moment I climbed up theNightwindand stole back on board was one decision made. I had to leave Maren in the water to tend to the ship, to put the wind back in the sails. I knew she would be fine and safe in the ocean, that there was no fiercer creature than her in that wide endless sea. But I didn’t know how and when I could return to her. I knew I would—I promised her I would—but there are so many unknowns that it breaks my heart to even think about it.

Then when I got on deck, much to the delight of the crew who thought I had abandoned them forever, or worse, thought I was dead, I had to make another choice. Because though it was easy to put the wind back in the ship’s sails and retreat, that plan of action came to a halt when I realizedwhowas on that other ship.

Captain Ed Smith.

Though he was far away, I could still make out his hawkish face, that revolting sneer of remorseless evil, and the injustice of it all started to claw at me from the inside out.

Here he was, having come back to finish the job, and this time he brought the naval fleet with him. He knew we were cornered.

He also figured I was such a selfish prick as to pick my vengeance over the safety of my crew. He didn’t realize that being selfish isn’t in my nature, not when I truly know what’s at stake. I have made mistakes in the past, but I’ve learned from them. I was not going to stay and fight him no matter how hard he taunted me.

I was going to flee. Get the wind billowing and leave him and his fleet in my wake, sailing us to safety.

But while turning tail and getting the hell out of there was what I wanted, despite my need for justice, it turned out that my crew’s need for vengeance was greater than mine. Well, perhaps not greater, but it certainly had more weight considering I was now the only one who wanted to leave the scene.

Everyone else wanted to fight, all of them emboldened by the driven vengeance of Thane and their love for Sam and Henry. They wanted to stay. They wanted revenge. Justice. They wanted Ed Smith to die at their hands.

And so I had to make a choice. Either I ignore my crew’s wishes in order to keep them safe or I give them what they want while putting the lives of everyone on board at risk.

In the end, it’s a democracy on this ship and the people have spoken.

We were to stay where we were and fight.

To the death.