Page 16

Esmyra

E smyra glided through the currents, surrounded by the sea’s pulse.

While in the vast expanse of the underwater world, she knew it was her true home, but the loneliness was suffocating.

She occasionally wondered, if her kind never went extinct, if she would even desire to return to The Night Wraith .

Swimming up to the underside of her ship, she scaled the outer wall with her talons, using only her upper body strength to heave herself up to the rail, where she perched herself atop the wood, her hair covering her nearly bare breasts.

The deck appeared empty, the crew likely beneath the lower levels preparing for the day at sea after the night’s battle. She turned to the waves once more, dreading having to face her father’s fury for disobeying orders once again.

“Esmyra.”

“Kaelypso’s tits!” she shrieked as she turned toward where the voice came from.

Jak was glaring at her from only a few feet away, leaning back on the railing carelessly. His light brown hair reflected a golden warmth from the rising sun.

An irritated snarl worked its way across her lips. “Jak. Shouldn’t you be up in the crow’s nest keeping watch? Or has your laziness overtaken what remained of your usefulness?”

He let out a laugh. “You’re in such deep shit, Esmi.”

Water slid down her face from her soaked hair as her eyes flared. “You didn’t speak of the map yet, did you?”

He offered her his hand before she swung her tail over the railing as it separated into two sleek legs.

Jak didn’t hesitate when he took his jacket off and placed it over her shoulders, as he typically did. She slipped the velsinyte cuffs into the coat pocket a moment later.

“No.” He nervously scratched the back of his neck.

“But returning here without you set him in a fit of fury.” Jak rubbed at his temples with one hand as he wrapped his opposite arm around her shoulder.

“And then having to tell him we needed to rescue you…” He let out a low whistle. “Good luck. That’s all I have to say.”

She scoffed. “This is exactly why I told you not to do that!”

“Well, I may have let it slip that you lost access to your powers…”

Esmyra’s steps halted as her jaw popped open. Her eyes shot to her friend, and a light cast on his face as her eyes shifted. “You. What ?!”

Jak raised a brow. “Bloody hells. How else was I supposed to get them there?! They know you likely could’ve handled it on your own.”

“I can’t believe this,” she whispered as her eyes went vacant.

“You can’t expect me to lie to my captain regarding everything. I kept the map a secret. Was that not enough? His word is still above yours, Esmyra. However, he surprised me when he received the news of your capture. He seemed worried.”

She looked up at him through furrowed brows. “Ridiculous. Nothing can touch me.”

“Aye, well…”

Her jaw locked, eyes narrowing on him. “Well, what?”

He let out a breath. “Well, it’s a bit obvious now, at least to the two of us, that thinking you’re invincible is a dangerous illusion.”

She shoved out of his hold and jabbed her finger into his chest, her talon extending just enough to poke a hole in his shirt. “You were supposed to cover for me! Please tell me you didn’t speak of the cuffs. ”

Jak opened his mouth to protest when a booming voice echoed across the ship.

“ ESMYRA .”

Both of them jumped at the sound of the captain’s voice.

“Aye, but a bit hard to cover for someone who is unclear with instructions while also not the first in command,” Jak whispered in her ear. “He only knows you managed to get locked in a cell. He holds no knowledge of how. But you’re going to have to tell him something .”

She turned in the direction of the booming voice and found Cyrus standing in the doorway of his office beneath the quarterdeck.

“Father,” she greeted.

“In here. Now.” He didn’t even wait for a response before turning on his heel and stalking to his desk.

Esmyra’s eyes drifted up to Jak. “Any chance you’d like to join me?”

“It’s cute that you think I have a death wish.”

She snarled. “Ugh. Well, I don’t know why he’s reacting so ridiculously.”

“Cyrus thought there was a chance he would lose you.” Jak bent down and whispered into her ear, “The parchment is in the front inner pocket of the jacket, should you need it.”

Esmyra’s hand instinctively lifted to touch her chest where the pocket was sewn, and the map crinkled beneath the pressure of her touch. “You didn’t look?” Her eyes remained on her father’s office as she asked.

“It wasn’t my business. If you needed or wanted me to know, you would tell me. Though I hope it’s worth whatever you’re shoving your nose into.”

She let out a huff in response.

Tightening Jak’s coat around herself, she started toward her captain’s office. The sound of her friend’s footsteps echoed behind her as he made his way towards the crow’s nest atop the ship’s mainmast.

Esmyra slammed the cabin door behind her and stormed towards the middle of the room, her father’s furious stare boring into her once again. Crossing her arms, she let out a low growl as they stared each other down.

“Your continued defiance is becoming rather bothersome, Esmyra. There’s no other word for your behavior these past few days.” A grin formed on her father’s mouth as he leaned back in his chair. “Does the title of first mate no longer suit you?”

She averted her gaze to the floor, refusing to look him in the eye. “Aye, well, let’s not forget the true reason why I possess such a title in the first place.”

His eyes narrowed in on her. “Perhaps you’re right, and a shift is needed.”

Esmyra’s jaw locked at his words, knowing he would never demote her. It was all a power play, a show to her that he was always the one in charge, even if she held all his power in her talons.

“Now tell me. What is a suitable punishment for a daughter and first mate? What good are you if you’re out getting captured while disobeying orders?

” he asked as he scratched his beard in contemplation.

“You were to compel the prince at the cove, rummage through his mind, and be rid of him. And suddenly we have to come rescue you?” His breathing turned heavy as his voice rose. “What the fuck happened?!”

Punishment . How did you punish a being who already felt trapped and alone? She knew the only way to derail the situation—and demotion—was if she played the only card she had.

And she hated every gods-damn second of it.

Esmyra crossed her arms behind her back and stepped up to his desk as she said, “I think you’ll find that punishment won’t be necessary once you lay eyes on the reason for my defiance , as you love to call it.”

As he raised a brow, she reached into the coat’s pockets and threw the velsinyte cuffs and rolled-up map on the desk before him. The sound of the metal clinking echoed off the walls.

Cyrus shot her a warning look. “And what be this? Handcuffs and unreadable parchment? ”

“Oh, don’t get your beard in a knot.” She gestured to the parchment with her chin while a grin crept up her face. “See for yourself.”

With a grunt of aggravation and a bit of amusement, he unraveled the paper. He raised a brow and looked back up at her. “A map of the kingdoms.”

“Aye, the four kingdoms.”

“Why would this matter to me? I’ve told you many times that the Kingdom of Maerinys was lost just before you were born.”

Her eyes shifted as irritation surged. She huffed out through her nostrils and pointed to the circled cluster of rocks just a few miles east of where Maerinys sank.

“I believe King Rowe has uncovered a way to get to the sunken kingdom. While in Anchorage Cove, I decided there may be more secrets hidden on the Phoenix’s ship and compelled my way onto it when his mind held next to nothing,” she lied. “I found this in Draevyn's office before?—”

“And how exactly did you become the Phoenix’s prisoner aboard his ship?” He cut her off.

Her mouth popped open as her spine straightened. “Really? Out of everything you’ve heard from Jak and myself… that’s all you care about?”

“Of course it is!” he boomed as he stood from his seat, but she didn’t flinch.

“My greatest asset was captured by the enemy. My daughter , who can compel any living being to do as commanded with only a hum from her voice or a glance with her eyes! I had to come save you and lost several members of the crew doing so. I would like to know how that fucking happened, Esmyra.”

She refused to answer. All she could manage was to stare at him down the bridge of her nose, chest heaving.

Cyrus huffed out an aggravated breath as he rubbed his temples. His gaze then landed on the cuffs. “And why did you put these here?” He leaned back in his chair again as he lifted the heavy stone-like metal, examining them.

“They’re supposedly crafted from a substance called velsinyte.”

Her captain choked on air, letting out a few coughs as his strained gaze found hers once more. “You’re sure that’s what these are? How in all gods did you get in possession of these?!”

Esmyra placed her hands in the pockets of the coat. “Stumbled upon them on the king’s ship.”

He stood from his desk then. “Esmyra, this isn’t a game. If these are what you speak of, they are very…dangerous. Especially for you.” His eyes went wide, face growing more pale by the second as he seemed to put it all together.

“I had never heard of such a thing until?—”

“Until what?” he cut her off.

She swallowed, a tightness forming in her throat. “Until they were placed upon my wrists.”

“Kaelypso’s depths, Esmyra!” he roared.

Her hands flew out at her sides as she screamed back, “Draevyn caught me sneaking into his office, and when I couldn’t think of a clever enough excuse as to why, he clasped those cuffs on my wrists and threw me in the cell beneath the ship.”

“So, he knows who and what you are, then,” he guessed.

“He didn’t have the slightest clue. I had to hide the fact that they nearly brought me to my knees.”

“For the love of all gods.” Cyrus bowed his head—whether it was in disappointment, shame, or worry, she wasn’t entirely sure.

Esmyra cleared her throat, and after a few silent moments passed, she asked, “What is velsinyte, and why did it affect me the way it did?”

A huff of air left his nostrils as he pursed his lips. “You’re a creature of magic we don’t understand. Velsinyte, to most, is a substance of mortal legends. There were rumors that a weapon was forged by the gods themselves, and it had the ability to deplete magical beings of their power.”

Her head rapidly shook back and forth as she tried to take in his words. “I’m not a typical shifter. I’ve spent centuries in the realm’s libraries when we make port. Every text I’ve found has made that clear.”

“Yes, well…magic of sorts runs through your veins, so it appears th e substance works on you all the same. Magic is magic. It calls to its kin.”

She involuntarily rubbed her wrists as the words flowed from him, feeling the phantom touch of the cuffs lingering on her skin.

“Why was the prince in possession of these then? Why carry them on his ship? Does he not fear mutiny among his crew? His ship was full of nothing but mortals,” Esmyra wondered aloud.

“Perhaps he was hiding them from his own kin, fearing that they may use them on him one day. Or his enemies.”

Her eyes flared. “Rumors claim that Draevyn and Atlas together are a force. Flame and shadow make for quite the opponent. I would bet coin on the enemy.”

“Aye, well, we may never know now that his body lay at the bottom of the sea,” he said as he took the cuffs and shoved them into the drawer of his desk.

Her eyes widened as she held her tongue. She would let him believe that…for now, at least.

Esmyra tapped the circle on the map. “We’ll sail here and search for the lost kingdom and its gold. The humans are fooling themselves. They cannot possibly get down there without gills. We’ll take the treasure for ourselves before they even come close to it.”

She smirked as her gills fluttered out in a display from the sides of her neck.

“We will do no such thing. Do you wish to risk the wrath of the gods?”

Esmyra’s brows furrowed. “You’re afraid… Genuinely afraid, aren’t you? Tell me, father, is it of the southern waters or the gods?”

Cyrus's nostrils flared, the veins in his neck straining as he stood before her. “I don’t want you near there. Now go find some clothes and get some rest.”

Her mouth popped open at his sudden dismissal. “So you’re abandoning what the king is searching for just because it lay within the southern waters? It’s a dead, sunken kingdom, Father.”

His jaw ticked. “Get to your post, Esmyra. ”

“But—”

“That’s an order,” he barked.

Her lip curled back. However, she knew fighting him further on this would do no good, at least not in that moment.

Esmyra turned on her heel and stalked out of his office, slamming the door before crossing the deck. She then perched herself atop the bow of the ship, where the sea breeze whipped her hair around her face.

If her father refused to search for Maerinys, that only meant that she would once again need to keep secrets from her captain and crew, and search for it on her own.

As the sun completely set on the horizon, she prayed to the lost sea goddesses that it would be worth it.