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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

“Nice dress.” Valencia’s eyes flicked over Celeste.

The siren flinched. Suddenly, the lacing felt too tight. She wished more than anything that she could take it all off.

The Pirate Queen smiled at her discomfort. She looked exactly as Celeste had imagined her. Elegant and predatory. She looked perhaps near her twenty-fourth cycle. Too young to be Raiden’s mother, as she’d once wondered. Plus, they looked nothing alike. Violence radiated from the woman, despite carrying no visible weapons. Perhaps Valencia was the weapon. Her eyes looked as if they could cut much deeper than steel.

Raiden angled his body to tuck Celeste behind him, pulling Valencia’s attention away from the siren girl. The fact Celeste had ever believed Raiden a human prince was laughable to her now. She should have known the moment she heard him speak of how he had “commandeered” a ship for their crew.

“Did you think you’d seen the last of me?” the Pirate Queen asked, smirking.

“Of course not,” Raiden said. “Vermin are terribly hard to get rid of, after all.”

Valencia’s smile disappeared. “Don’t push me, boy.” She glowered. “Or I might become better acquainted with your little clothing thief here.” Her kohl-lined eyes raked over Celeste’s body, as if looking for a weak point to sink her teeth into. “I bet she’d love to hear all I know about you .”

“I’d stop talking if you’d like to keep your tongue,” he replied.

Valencia laughed. “I would love to see you try, but I’m afraid I don’t have the time. Why don’t you give me my ship back, and I’ll promise to not send you to your father in pieces.”

A movement in the square snagged Celeste’s attention, and she looked up to see two humans staring at them. One was a tall and muscular woman with golden hair and skin, the other was slender and pale, with curling dark hair that fell around their angular shoulders. A glint of silver flashed in the slender human’s hand. Celeste glanced back to Raiden and saw that he, too, had noticed them.

“I’d say it was fun catching up, but I’d be lying,” Raiden said. “See you in hell, Valencia.”

And he bolted, dragging Celeste in his wake.

At first Celeste could not keep up as they tore out of the square. She’d never run before and did not know how it worked. She began by walking quickly, Raiden practically pulling her along. But soon her legs began to move differently. Knees bending more. Her steps lengthening. Shouts rang out as Raiden shouldered through the crowd. Only as they left the square did Celeste risk a look behind.

Valencia had not moved. The pirate stared after them, smiling, the two humans now joining her. She spoke to them, but her eyes didn’t leave Celeste’s until Raiden pulled her down a side street and out of sight. They continued running, putting more distance between them and the woman, until Raiden pulled Celeste into a secluded doorway, out of sight from the main street.

“I’m afraid we haven’t seen the last of her.”

Celeste pulled her hand free from his grip and fixed him with a glare. In the small doorway, there was less than a foot of space between them.

“I suppose I do owe you an explanation, seeing as she threatened you.” He let out a long sigh. “That was Valencia, my father’s rival.” His hand swept through his hair, and he leaned out of the doorway, scanning the street before retreating into the safety of the doorway. “All pirates who sail the ocean bend the knee to my father. It’s why they call him the king. All... except for her .” Celeste heard a bit of venom behind this last word.

“My father and she were close. She was once his quartermaster. He trusted her with his life. Until one day, without warning, she led a mutiny. It failed, and to punish her, my father marooned her on an island. He wanted to humiliate her, leave her to die. But she somehow escaped. She formed her own crew and has been gathering followers and working to dethrone him for the past five years. Thus far, she has remained unsuccessful. No one wishes to anger the Pirate King, and those who do—they don’t live long. But Valencia is just as cruel and just as dangerous. She—” He looked as if he wanted to say more, but stopped.

And so he stole her ship . No wonder the woman hated him so much. Perhaps Celeste should have been working with Valencia this whole time.

“The fact she hasn’t followed can’t be good. Come, we must find the crew.”

* * *

“Valencia is here?” Bastian practically yelled. “And you ran from her ?”

“I wouldn’t put it like that ,” Raiden grunted, patting the Admiral on the head. The dog’s body could not hold the joy it felt at seeing Raiden’s return, and it wiggled all over the place.

Torben burst into a fit of laughter. “You saw Valencia—and you ran away —like a child !” he spoke in between thundering cackles. Then he doubled over, tears springing to his eyes. Celeste wasn’t sure if his laughter was even genuine. He guffawed so loudly that people along the docks turned to stare. Even Nasir looked as though he were doing his best to keep a straight face while watching his partner howl. Raiden glared at Torben with a murderous glint in his eyes, and Bastian patted the captain’s shoulder.

“What did she want?” Kiyami asked over Torben’s roars.

“She wants the Red Revenge back,” Raiden answered, his voice like ice.

“And what did you tell her?” Bastian said.

“I told her I’d see her in hell,” he replied.

Bastian sighed.

“So we don’t know where she is or what she’s planning,” Bastian said.

“Well... yes,” Raiden admitted. “But we did see two of her crew with her.”

“We should leave, then, right?” Kiyami looked between Bastian and Raiden. “We’ve gotten our most necessary supplies. If we leave now, we can put plenty of space between them and us.”

Raiden laughed, but there was no humor in it. “That’s what she wants. For us to set sail right now while her crew is ready to attack us as soon as we’re away from port. And I’m not about to let Valencia scare me off. We’ll just hide the Red Revenge for a couple of hours, enjoy the festival, and slip away in a different direction under cover of night.”

Torben, who had almost calmed down at this point, burst into a new peal of laughter.

A muscle in Raiden’s neck twitched, which made Celeste giggle.

“You two better watch it, or I’ll leave you here,” the captain growled, looking first at Torben and then Celeste. But there was no real threat in his eyes. If anything, he looked amused. It was a sharp contrast to Bastian, who did not.

“Captain, with all due respect... I think that is a very bad idea,” he said.

“Bad ideas tend to work out in my favor,” Raiden countered.

Bastian heaved a sigh. He could only question Raiden in front of the others so much. They may be like brothers, but Raiden was still the captain. And he wouldn’t back down, not now that his mind was set. Still, it struck Celeste as odd that Raiden didn’t agree to leave immediately when he was the one who had been worried about missing the eclipse.

“So we hide the ship and station a few extra crew as guards?” Kiyami suggested.

Bastian and Nasir looked as though they agreed, but no one offered to guard the ship. The entire crew wanted this chance to celebrate. Celeste didn’t blame them. Port Velluno’s energy was infectious. But after Raiden offered a bigger cut to those who stayed behind, it was not hard to find some willing volunteers. Together, the crew boarded the ship and moved it to a more secluded place away from the docks. And thankfully, there was no sign of Valencia.

* * *

By the time the crew returned to town, the sun had begun to set. The sky looked as though a street painter brushed it with broad strokes of burning reds, glowing yellows, and soft purples. As the sun slid lower and lower into the water, the city began to change. In the streets, lanterns were lit. Hundreds of them. They glowed a soft, beautiful yellow. And each home was lit from within as well. It was as though the town was only now waking up, its bright eyes blinking into the night. There was something magical about it.

The crew agreed to meet at the Red Revenge at midnight, then broke into small groups. Celeste remained with the officers as they wove through the town toward the main square. As they neared, she heard music playing. The tune began with a single instrument, playing a melody that leaped and danced like the ocean. A tinny noise sounded, like metal coins clattering against each other to the beat. Kiyami looped an arm through Celeste’s. The weight of it was comforting. Even with all these strangers surrounding her, she felt safe with her crew. The air was thick with so many bodies pressed in around them, and although the sun had gone down, the heat of the day remained. Shouts and songs poured from every open door and window as humans lifted overflowing cups in celebration.

Kiyami pointed out a man selling colored glass, each delicate piece curved into intricate designs. They were interrupted by a woman calling after them, promising to tell their fortunes. Kiyami scoffed at this, dragging Celeste away before she could discern what tools the woman used. The next stall held exquisite dresses of colorful silks. Celeste reached out and let the delicate fabric slide through her fingers like water, wondering what it would feel like to wear something so vibrant. The siren hadn’t noticed Raiden had disappeared until she felt a tap on her shoulder.

When she turned, she found him holding a circlet of thick, braided ribbons of cerulean blue woven with flowers of purple. He smiled, the corner of his lip near that mole of his curling up. Inside her chest, her heart faltered. He drew close, lifting the little circlet and placing it gently atop her head.

“I thought it’d look nice with your hair,” he said, grazing against the silver strands as he pulled his hand away. The statement was so matter-of-fact, as though it had been but a passing thought. And yet she felt her cheeks flush, nearly glowing. It was a treasure unlike any she had collected. The delicate weight of the simple human crown made her feel more like herself than any Starian tiara.

“Where’s mine ?” Kiyami smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Raiden snorted and pulled a second circlet of scarlet flowers from behind his back. “I knew you’d say something like that.”

“Aw, Captain! You shouldn’t have!” she said as she snatched the crown and placed it on her dark hair. Then she turned. “Cel! They’re starting the dance.”

It took a moment for Celeste to realize Kiyami was speaking to her. Cel . Nicknames weren’t common for sirens, and Celeste had never had someone shorten her name before. If anything, sirens would lengthen it and use her full title. Cel . She liked it immediately.

“Let’s go watch.”

The two made their way to the outer circle, where people had gathered to watch the dance, Raiden following close behind. It was fascinating. The only time Celeste had seen a human dance was aboard the Red Revenge , when the pirates’ moves were bold and loud, with lots of stomping feet and clapping hands. But the festival dance was synchronized. Each human moving through the same steps at the same time. They looked like a school of fish, the many moving as one. As the music played, the humans clasped hands, drawing close together, then far apart. They spun and wove around each other, partners separating and reuniting. As Celeste watched, she began to see the variation. The little imperfections. Individualities. A step offbeat. A turn missed. Laughter.

Behind the dancers, the musicians played. Celeste rose up on her toes, straining to get a proper look at them. The music came from objects. One was curved with a long, narrow neck and a thick base with strings on top. The human playing it nodded to the rhythm, fingers flying over each string. One instrument sat beneath a player’s chin, played with a stick, while another was held in hand, a circlet of coins clinking together. The last instrument was perhaps the most curious of all. It stretched and squeezed between the player’s hands.

“You two look radiant!”

The voice was Torben’s, and Celeste turned to see the rest of the crew had joined them, carrying drinks. Kiyami and Torben fell into easy conversation, discussing various weapons they saw in town, while the others watched the dance. As Celeste drank her cup, she found her attention drawn to Nasir. His face went soft as he watched his husband, little crinkles at the corners of his eyes, as though Torben hung the stars in the heavens. It was the same look Celeste’s mother gave her father. The same look she saw in the faces of some of the dancing couples. And for a moment, Celeste let herself wonder if anyone would ever look at her that way. The thought came unbidden, unwanted into her mind. And she could not shake it. She had never considered it before. Somehow Celeste always imagined she’d remain alone. But now she wondered if that would be true. Surely, when she returned to Staria, they would not allow her to join the Chorus. What would become of her? Would she remain a royal figurehead? Or, like Sephone, would they marry her off to a foreign prince or princess?

“The next dance is starting!” Kiyami said, eyes shining as she grabbed Celeste. “Come on. If we’re bad, we’ll be bad together.” She pulled her onto the dance floor, squeezing between the other pairs. Neither of the girls knew what they were doing. They stared blatantly at the other couples, doing their best to mirror the movements. Step. Twirl. Step. Twirl. Celeste’s arm nearly smacked Kiyami in the face, and they giggled their way through the first refrain. Step forward, step back, spin around your partner, kick your right leg, then left, and clap your hands. The movement began to feel like sword practice, and yet there was a life to dancing that Celeste had never experienced. It was as though the music was a current, and her body had no choice but to be pulled along. The strings played in a tumbling trot, and by the third refrain, Celeste had memorized the dance.

It was as if she were in the water again, her body gliding and graceful. Celeste had been so focused on how wobbly her legs had been those first few days that she hadn’t really noticed how much that had changed until now. She could feel the eyes of the crowd watching her as she swept by them, weaving through the other dancers to find Kiyami again.

“I should have known you were a dancer,” Kiyami said as they linked arms. “You always have this unnerving elegance.”

Celeste laughed.

“My sister is a dancer,” Kiyami said, her gaze turning wistful. “I want to write to her before we leave tonight about how talented my friend is.”

Celeste’s ears snagged on the word as soon as it was uttered. Friend . How that word felt as sweet as a gift and as bitter as loss. Everything about Celeste was a lie. How could a friendship be built on such a rotting foundation? And even if Celeste did stay, the Chorus would begin looking for Raiden. Hunting him until this final loose end was eliminated. He would not be able to sail safely ever again. Nor would any crew with him.

“You might have to teach her a thing or two when you meet her,” Kiyami said as the music soared and ended in a triumphant final note. Cheers burst from the crowd. Celeste clapped her hands with them, turning her face away from Kiyami. And through the crowd, her eyes met Raiden’s. He stood beside Bastian, a cup of wine in his hand, and he was smiling. It wasn’t like the smiles he had given her before. Arrogant. Proud. Teasing. This smile was soft. Unassuming. As if it had happened without him noticing it. And she found herself smiling back.

Then he was moving toward her, parting the crowd before him with each long stride. The band strummed the first chords of the next song—something different, dreamy and slow. When Celeste turned, looking for her dance partner, she found Kiyami was no longer there. The girl was backing away with a knowing smile.

A hand looped its way around Celeste’s waist and pulled.

And suddenly she felt her body tip, falling into the arms of a stranger, who dragged her backward over the cobblestones before she could scream.