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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“We need to make port,” Bastian said at breakfast, his voice lacking its usual warmth. “Our water supply was damaged in the firefight, among other things, and I doubt we’ll make it to our destination and back without replenishing our supplies.”

“No,” Raiden said, surprising them as he entered the room. It was the first meal he’d joined since his injury.

The table went quiet as he took his usual seat beside Bastian.

“It’s not a suggestion, Captain,” Bastian said, his tone even.

“And I said no ,” Raiden repeated, lifting his eyes to his friend as he heaped food on his plate.

Either Bastian did not know enough about Lunapesce to know that he was dooming them to failure, or he didn’t care. If they stopped, they would not make it in time for the eclipse. This journey would be in vain.

Of course, this crew would never make it to Lunapesce anyway. Not after Celeste killed their captain and left them all without a navigator. She’d burn the map too, of course. Bastian and Kiyami knew the sea but not well enough to manage such uncharted waters. With Raiden gone, they wouldn’t risk the journey. A knot formed in her stomach. What would happen to them after she left them stranded without a captain? Without their bounty, the money they needed to survive? She thought of Kiyami. Of the family who relied on her. Celeste curled her hands into fists. These pirates didn’t deserve the sacred treasure of her people.

Anyway, they were not yet so far from land that they couldn’t make it back without a captain or navigator. She could not delay. The closer they sailed to Lunapesce, the more likely the crew would be stranded in Staria’s waters. As much as she didn’t want any more humans wandering into her kingdom’s territory, she also wished to avoid as much bloodshed as possible.

Tense glances were exchanged around the table. Nasir’s lips pressed into a line.

“Let me be clear: We will not survive without stopping,” Bastian said.

Raiden set his fork down to rub his temple with his hand. “Fine,” he relented, then turned his dark gaze on Celeste. “Come. We should look over the maps to choose a port.”

Port. They were going to go to another human town. Celeste kept her face neutral, but inside fear bloomed. Not only did this complicate her plan but she’d rather drown than step on land again. The memory of her bodice being cut apart unfolded in her mind’s eye. Perhaps she could ask to remain on the ship.

“After you,” Raiden said, opening the door wide.

She avoided his eye, walking ahead. This human was too observant, and she couldn’t lose what little trust she had gained with him. Not now that the end was finally within reach. And so she tried not to think about what she had heard in that very hall the night before. She tried not to wonder why Raiden and Bastian, who were like brothers, now acted like strangers. Night after night, she watched them drink together, swapping stories of their countless foolish adventures growing up aboard the Pirate King’s ship. The two had even stayed with Bastian’s family when they were at Port Romsey. And although Celeste was thankful Raiden hadn’t told Bastian the truth of who she was—about the siren attack on the ship—it didn’t make any sense that he wouldn’t. There had to be something else she didn’t know. Some reason why he would hide the truth from the person he loved most.

Not that she had any legs to stand on in that regard.

They entered the navigation room, the Admiral trotting along in their wake. She bent down and stroked his head, as she had seen Raiden do. The dog leaned into her hand, wiggling around as if trying to help her reach the best spot.

“The Admiral has a soft spot for beautiful women.”

Celeste stilled. Women . It was such a human word. Images of all the women she had seen in paintings on so many broken ships flew through her mind. Their soft faces and round, reddened cheeks. Curling hair and small, rounded ears. He knew what she was, and yet he called her a woman . Was he mocking her? Trying to convince her that she was one of them? Or perhaps... it was what it seemed. A compliment. A far more dangerous thing.

In a few long strides, he moved to the desk beside the window, pulling a map from one of its drawers. He used only his right hand, his injured arm tucked into his side.

“Let’s see,” he said, dropping the map onto the table. His fingers fumbled, unable to open the curled map one-handed. Celeste reached out, smoothing the paper and placing the weights at each corner as she saw him do countless times. He didn’t say a word, only watched as she placed the little wooden ship where she knew them to be on the map.

“My first thought was Port Velluno.”

At the name, Celeste’s eyes flew to his, and she saw his mouth quirk up at her reaction. That night she had left him along the cliffside beach felt so long ago. Of course they would stop there. It was the closest human port to the siren waters. Regaining her composure, Celeste turned back to the map, leaning into her hands on the table. As she peered down, she noticed with pleasure that she recognized a few of the letters now. They were jumbled into unrecognizable combinations, but even so. Her fingers brushed against the swooping letters along the southern tip of Ethoria, where she knew Velluno was. It wasn’t far. They could be there by tomorrow morning. Perhaps she could borrow the map for this evening’s lesson with Nasir. Probably her last lesson , she reminded herself.

“How many days will we lose?”

Celeste pulled a piece of empty parchment that sat atop his desk toward her and picked up his quill. Raiden’s eyebrows raised in surprise as he watched the little siren slowly form the number three in her shaky hand.

“You know how to write now?” he asked, a warm smile cracking through his frustration.

Celeste beamed and wrote an N , but she couldn’t remember the rest. Still, he understood.

“ Nasir is teaching you? He hardly talks with anyone.”

A bubbling laugh ripped through her, and her eyebrows knit together. Nasir had never given her that impression. If he had meant to avoid her, he would have been wise to have never offered her that cookie on their first day.

“I’m glad to see you’re getting along with the crew. You fit right in.”

By his tone, she discerned that this came as a surprise to him, but not an unwelcome one. It came as a surprise to her too. She hadn’t thought of it. Hadn’t allowed herself to notice how comfortable she felt around the others lately. In fact, she’d begun to like her life on the ship. Even without a voice, she felt listened to. Valued. But the realization was a horrible one, given what she had to do.

“I’m proud of you,” he said. “Learning the sword and now writing as well.”

No ... Why today of all days did this infuriating man choose to be nice to her? She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had been proud of her. This was a distraction. It did not matter how he felt.

“So, seems we have no choice.” He ran a hand through his hair. “We’re going to have to take this detour. Do you think we might be able to make up the time?” He spoke as if his words before hadn’t mattered. As if this were just another conversation between them.

Celeste’s hand shook as she wrote the word Yes on the page. But it was not due to her lack of skill. The lie hurt. How she wished it could all be over. That she could be home, and all this would be but a distant memory.

“What’s wrong?” His fingers met her chin, raising his knuckle beneath it until she met his eye. It was like looking into the sun. His gaze burned. And she could not hide from the light.

“We’ll figure something out,” he assured her.

And Celeste nodded.

If she didn’t kill him tonight, she would have to wait days for another opportunity on the ship. She couldn’t very well manage it in a human town. Even if she was able to get him alone, she’d be stuck on land. And who knew what the guards were like in this port. And each passing day made what she had to do that much harder. Her mother’s tearstained face swam in her vision, and she turned to leave, jaw clenched, before he could read her face.

* * *

Celeste waited for the dead of the night, emerging from her quarters dressed in black, dagger pressed to her side. The siren princess carried nothing else, for she had nothing worth keeping. She hadn’t slept. Couldn’t sleep. Not with Port Velluno drawing closer with each passing moment. The longer she sat in the darkness, the surer she became. It ended tonight. What else could she do? Stay with the humans? Live the rest of her life in silent servitude to the son of her enemy? She couldn’t let them reach Lunapesce to ransack a sacred island like they had that cargo ship.

The ship swayed beneath her feet as she scanned the darkened hallway, listening for any sign of life. When none came, she crept toward the captain’s quarters on silent feet. One step. Then another. Her hand closed around the golden doorknob. She did not hesitate. The door slid open, creaking on its hinges. She tensed, searching the room for a sign of the Admiral, but found none. The dog wasn’t in the room. Her shoulders dropped a fraction, and she slipped inside, leaving the door ajar for her escape. Pulse pounding, she unsheathed her dagger and approached the bed.

It lay empty.

She cursed, spinning around the room to see if she had missed him in some darkened corner. When she found he wasn’t there, her shoulders slumped. Sliding the dagger back into its place along her hip, Celeste crept from the room, closing the door gently behind her. Raiden was on strict orders from Nasir to rest. He should have been there. But she refused to give up that easily. It needed to be over. Had to be over.

She swept down the hall, opening the door out onto the deck to go in search of the Pirate Prince. It didn’t take long. She found him on the ship’s bow, drinking from a bottle of wine and staring blankly out into the dark night. He was alone, but the night crew still walked the ship’s deck. She considered stabbing him through the back in his ribs and jumping off ship before anyone was alarmed, but all the sailors had guns on their hips. One mistake, and she could be killed. No, it would be much better to wait for Raiden to be asleep in his room. Alone. And though she’d be loath to admit it, Celeste felt relief to avoid the task once more.

As she approached, Raiden turned his head toward her and smiled, lowering his half-empty bottle of wine. “Can’t sleep either?”

She nodded, joining him along the banister. He held the bottle to her, but she declined with a wave of her hand. Raiden nodded and took another long drink. In the moonlight, he looked every inch the tragic prince. His shoulders slumped, and his hair was mussed, likely from his nervous habit of running his hands through it. All the usual confidence he wore like armor was discarded. She hated that she wondered why.

“Would you like to play a game?” he asked.

Celeste tilted her head to the side, questioning.

“War and Bones? Have you played before?”

She shook her head, unable to contain a smirk. Of course humans had a game called “war.” When her eyes fell back onto him, her breath caught. The soft light of the lamps shadowed the contours of his face, emphasizing the cut of his cheekbones and his jaw. Raiden wore an unreadable expression as he looked down at her. He was unavoidably beautiful. Dangerously so.

“It’s a simple enough game. Best hand wins. I normally play with a wager, but since you’re new, I’ll spare you the humiliation for the time being,” he said with a grin.

She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Oh, feeling confident, hero?” He lifted an eyebrow. “Why don’t I teach you, and we’ll make a wager.”

Appeased, the two sat down on the deck as he shuffled the cards. Celeste was rather good at games from playing with her sisters when they were children and confined to the palace, although they played with shells or other tokens. Still, despite Raiden’s warnings, she liked her chances. He carefully explained the rules as he shuffled, but most of the words fell through her as she focused on his hands. They flexed and moved with the cards, shifting them deftly, splitting them, then sliding them back together again. Finished, he placed ten cards down, alternating between them so that each had five.

Raiden took another sip of wine.

“Any questions?” he asked, his eyes boring into hers.

She shook her head, but it was a lie. Celeste always had questions. Just none about the game. She recalled he said something about matching the colors. A groan escaped her lips as she looked at the cards. They were either red or black, but there were also little symbols and numbers on them. Some even had pictures. At least she knew some of the numbers now. But what was she supposed to do?

Celeste’s brow furrowed as she rearranged her cards, placing ones with similarities together and discarding ones she couldn’t match. Once both were finished, Raiden dealt new cards to replace the old ones. These, too, were organized based on her invented system.

“Still wish to continue?” he asked with a smirk. “You don’t look confident in your hand.”

Celeste stuck out her chin and nodded.

“Fine, show me your cards,” he said.

Running her left hand down her skirt, she placed the cards from her right hand upon the table. Raiden appraised them and let out a low whistle.

“And you said you never played.” He chuckled. “Now let’s make things interesting.”