Page 77 of Liar Witch

At least the mystery of why Nos was interested in her is solved. She has Seer’s eyes. White and unseeing.

What were the two Fate-touched immortals discussing? Do I even want to know?

Nilsa turns from the waving sirens just as the ropes anchoring the ship to the dock unravel themselves. For several minutes, I lose focus on what’s happening with the deck as I try my best to get out of the world’s most tightly packed marina without scraping any of the sirens’ ships. When I finally look back at the dock, the sirens who saw Niklaus off are still there, waving.

“They’re my sisters.” I jump a foot in the air, not having heard the man beside me until he spoke.

“Fuck,” I growl, frowning at how easily he’s gotten the drop on me. “Stop sneaking up on me on my own damn ship!”

Then I stop and just stare.

How often have I seen this man through the smoke of cannon fire? I can’t count how many times his ships have pursued theDeadwoodacross the sea as we made our morbid supply run for the Eagle.

“It’s strange, isn’t it?” he says. “Normally, we’re looking at each other down the barrel of a cannon.”

At least we’re not going to dance around the dozens of times we’ve come face to face before. The sirens have made every effort to stop us from reaching Fior, using the necessity of us passing through their waters as an excuse.

I don’t blame them.

There were days I even wished they’d succeed. At least if I was gone, the others would be incapable of fulfilling the Queen’s wishes. They’d be free.

In some ways, I hate Niklaus more for failing than I hate him for attacking us in the first place.

“I thought you’d be taller close up,” I mutter, pacing away from him.

His laugh makes me prickle, but I say nothing as I head to the wheel, my magic flitting through the sails, manoeuvring them against the wind at just the right angle to get us out of this place.

“You know the way past the rocks?” I ask, keeping my voice steady.

“Of course.”

“Good.” I’m ninety per cent certain I can remember our route in, but I won’t risk my ship if I don’t have to. My ass aches with the memory of how raw it was from sailing through that ravine.

The silence between us is thick, but he doesn’t leave. Eventually I can’t take it anymore. Between his silence and the oppressive feel of the shipwreck corridor that leads out to the sea, my nerves are frayed.

“It must be odd for you, being on a ship you’re not in charge of.”

“No more odd than being made for the land but stuck on a ship.”

Well played. “I might not have a tail, but the sea is my home as much as yours, siren.”

Niklaus just laughs.

“Glad I amuse you,” I mutter. “Why aren’t you down there, cooing over the witch with the rest of them?”

Only as my eyes glance over the deck, I realise she’s gone again.

His silence speaks volumes.

“You’re not nervous,” I scoff. “You’ve been with her for days.”

He hesitates, “I’ve not spoken to her yet.”

My jaw drops. “Fucking sirens.”

“Exactly.” He lets out a long, slow breath as we leave the shipwreck corridor and emerge over the rocky reef which surrounds it. “Now I am trying to figure out how to make up for all the trouble she had to go through to claim me.”

I have to cover my grin as a tiny, evil idea springs to mind. The witch has yet to pay for turning my hair pink… time to change that.