Page 13 of Daughter of the Dark Sea

Kora had fallen many times before.

The fog rushed up to greet her—and a memory flashed from the darkest depths of her mind.

She’d once savoured the wind on her face. Had enjoyed it immensely as she’d gently plummeted through the lavender and blue skies. Laughter filled her ears, her body caressed and protected by the wind, as though it were alive with the warming presence from—

Her knees collided with Jack, his body collapsing to the deck as she landed on his back. Her right arm lifted to defend herself with her lethal dagger as her left hand whipped down to grip his neck like a vice, pinning him down.

“Can’t get away from me that easily,”

she purred. He wrestled against her.

“Silas—don’t do it!”

Jack heaved against her weight, and Kora tightened her claw-like grip. Her head whipped towards Silas, who stood holding Finlay by the neck with inhuman strength. His feet dangling as he desperately clawed at Silas’ hands wrapped around his throat.

And behind them, laid Blake’s . . . body—his body.

A gaping wound gushed through his torn jerkin on his side. Kora froze, unable to tear her eyes from Blake’s unbreathing, still body. His blood steadily flowed, stark against the onyx deck.

Finlay choked, spit flying from his mouth as his face turned crimson.

“Let go of the lad.”

Samuel emerged through the fog. Anger hardened his expression, deepening taut lines across his brow. He seemed unaware of Blake shrouded a few feet away—or did he refuse to acknowledge . . . Blake’s body?

Kora shook vehemently. This could not be happening.

She could not have lost control this quickly.

She could not lose Blake.

Samuel edged closer to Silas. Twice the width of the pirate, he towered over him, as he did with everyone.

“Aye, listen to me. Let go of the lad. You’ve put yourself in a sticky spot here.”

A growl vibrated from Silas, and he tightened his fist around Finlay, who violently kicked his legs, clutching for air—for life. Kora’s focus tunnelled on Blake, his chest unmoving, his face deathly pale.

“What are you doing?”

Jack wheezed beneath her pressing knees.

“This isn’t the plan!”

“Fuck the plan!”

Silas snapped.

“Captain!”

Samuel’s rough voice penetrated her shock and she vacantly blinked in response, reluctantly dragging her eyes away.

“I’ll say it one more time,”

he threatened Silas.

“Drop him, before it gets messy.”

Silas laughed, the sound grating against Kora’s ears.

Jack violently pushed up, heaving her off with an unnatural strength like his twin. She catapulted to the side, crashing on top of the brig hatch, pain reverberating through her bones. Jack scrambled for Blake’s sword, discarded by his motionless side, and Samuel leapt towards him, wrestling for the weapon.

“Save him!”

the voice invaded Kora’s mind with force, and she gasped at the vociferous sound and overwhelming urge swelling within her. For the first time, it was urgent, desperate, and loud. She unsheathed her second dagger.

“Save him, now!”

Jack wielded the empire-branded blade in his hands, cutting through the fog like liquid flame as the lantern’s golden illumination reflected off the lethal curve. Samuel grunted, rolling away from the blade, as Finlay thrashed in Silas’ chokehold, suffocation branding him purple.

Who am I supposed to save?

Her heart hammered as she rapidly glanced between her comrades, with Blake’s deafening, still presence between them. Roaring rushed in her ears, drowning out the sounds of the struggles.

Samuel dodged Jack with a roaring shout towards Kora, trying to bring her around, and Jack lunged forward, the sword slicing Samuel’s braided beard and chest. She aimed her daggers at Jack’s back, the fog and her overwhelming grief threatening to hinder her senses. She had to save Samuel before he was killed. That’s who the voice meant.

“Silas, stop this now! Enough!”

Jack pleaded as Samuel dodged another attack.

For a second, Finlay locked eyes with her, and the veins in his head throbbed as he mouthed two words from his swollen lips.

“I’m sorry.”

“Fine.”

Silas casually shrugged.

“Let’s stop.”

He squeezed—snapping Finlay’s neck, and the sound cracked through Kora’s skull.

Finlay’s dazzling dark eyes faded into a black lifeless void within a second. Silas opened his hand, dropping Finlay, his lips curled in disgust as if her friend were no more than a bilge rat. His limp body landed with a sickening crunch.

A heat consumed Kora so bright, and her veins felt like they were on fire. With a sob wreaking from her breaking chest, she launched her twin blades through the air. They sank into Silas’ back, impaling him through the heart and shoulders. She screamed her burning rage—her grief—as she ripped her blades from his back. She repeatedly stabbed him until Silas sagged to the floor, with her on top, tearing her despair into his flesh until the flames banked into cold hatred.

“NO!”

Jack whirled as his twin collapsed.

A painful roar tore from his throat as he clawed behind him, his back arching. Tears brimmed his eyes, and he kicked Samuel in the stomach, his abnormal strength winding Samuel as he flew into the thick of the fog. He stalked towards her, with Blake’s sword shaking in his grip.

“Do you know what you’ve done!” he raged.

Kora released a deep, perishing breath, and she prepared to embrace death by Blake’s blade. She couldn’t fight Jack. Even she wasn’t skilled enough against a mighty cutlass sword wielded by his supernatural strength. The ocean stilled, the water so calm that her ship froze in time.

She would join Blake, Finlay, and her unknown family in the spirit realm—or would she end up in the Locker? Either way, she was ready. She was so tired of fighting.

A whisper of a shadow caressed her, cold breath tickling her neck. Thanos had come—

An arrow ricocheted through the air.

Its force parted the fog as it speared towards Jack. It struck his hand and he dropped the sword with a pained yelp. The sound of it clattering across the wood shook Kora awake, and she jumped to her feet in a flash.

Her life was spared.

Aryn sprinted through the fog, his longbow armed and raised between his skilled hands as he cautiously approached.

“Get on your knees, Flint.”

He aimed another arrow at Jack, and Samuel stormed over, yanking Jack’s arms behind him. He produced a thick pair of shackles to bound his wrists, with Aryn’s arrow still pierced through his bloody palm.

“This is all wrong,”

Jack mumbled through his tears, his brown eyes glued to Silas’ stiff body.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.”

He hung his head in defeat.

Anger consuming her, Kora whipped her palm against Jack’s cheek with such force it made Samuel wince.

“What wasn’t supposed to happen?”

she seethed, her palm smarting. She welcomed the pain.

Jack kept his head lowered, and Kora cried out in frustration, pouring her grief into harsh blows across his face, a red haze numbing her mind as Jack remained unresponsive.

“Look at my friend!”

she cried.

“Look at what you fucking did!”

It wasn’t Jack’s face, bloody and bruised, but Silas’ menacing smile as he snapped Finlay’s neck, staring back at her. Jack winced, as if he knew what she was thinking, what she was feeling.

Kora sobbed again, and she collapsed beside Finlay. Her hands hovered over his body, unsure of what to do, or say. His devoid, dark eyes endlessly stared at the night sky, and she bit her lip, holding in her tears as she lightly brushed her fingers over his lids, closing them shut. They were never to sparkle again.

Her promise to him was broken.

“Captain,”

Samuel’s melancholy tone washed over her.

“What’d you want us to do?”

She bristled. In times like this, she could lean on Blake’s strong character to see them through.

Blake.

“Who killed Blake?”

her tone was flat, distant, and cold. Her mask practically suctioned to her face like a kraken’s sucker. Jack audibly swallowed, fear leaking into his gaunt face, his cheeks red and already swelling from her punches.

“You . . . you don’t understand,”

he stammered.

“He was going to—”

Blake groaned.

Kora startled, sprinting over to him, her mind in chaos. His body was still motionless, blood pooling around him. Had she imagined the sound?

His fingers twitched and her heart lurched, tears pouring down her face as she reached for one of Blake’s cold, limp hands. Gods-damned the appearances they had to make. Samuel raised an eyebrow—his only indication of surprise.

“Blake?”

she whispered. He groaned again and hope bloomed in her chest.

“Aryn, see if you can find the healer!”

Aryn took off, but not before he ripped his arrow from Jack’s hand. The hope in her chest withered as the pool of blood beneath Blake spread, dripping through the wooden cracks.

“What happened to the crew?”

She clutched his hand tightly, not daring to move him in fear of him fully bleeding out.

“We’d settled in for the night,”

Samuel spoke hoarsely, and he coughed.

“Then this smoke appeared out of nowhere. It knocked us all out—most of us.”

Jack’s brown gaze hooked on Silas, not daring to look anywhere else other than his twin. A splattering of dark blood materialised on the back of Jack’s white shirt, but he didn’t react.

Aryn approached through the fading fog, holding up the swaying ship healer with his arm. The healer was aged, his skin weathered, with a skinny frame and long grey hair. Kora stepped back, allowing the healer room to observe Blake, and clasped her hands together to prevent them from shaking. As he inspected him with slender, aged hands, Blake groaned a third time, his eyes fluttering open.

“Any longer, he would’ve been dead,”

the healer announced. Kora’s throat clenched.

“But he’ll live, with my help.”

She sent a silent prayer to Thanos, the god of death.

The crew spilled out of their hazy quarters, rubbing their sore heads as they peered around with bleary eyes. Dark smoke emanated from their bodies, clutching at remnants of their consciousness. Once their eyes landed on Blake’s bleeding body, and the battered pirate, they began yelling, waking each other up.

Several sailors knelt beside him, producing a wooden stretcher with taut fabric between two beams. Kora looked away when Blake cried out in pain as they shifted him onto it and carried him to the medical bay.

“Get him out of my sight!”

Kora snarled at Jack, and Samuel and Aryn shouldered his limp, hopeless body between them as they dragged him back to Hell’s Pit alone.