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CHAPTER THIRTY

“Hello, Wayfinder,” Raiden said, his voice a caress. He didn’t so much as look up as Celeste entered the navigation room. He stood at the back of the room. Head bent over a map as a solitary candle burned low on the desk beside him. “A little late. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

It was late. As usual, Celeste hadn’t been able to sleep. All but the night crew had gone to bed, and she sat awake, staring out at sea for hours as her mind grappled with what to do next. Until at last her legs brought her here. To him. For she couldn’t leave him alone in here to wallow any longer. She knew he didn’t have a plan for getting them to Lunapesce in time.

But she did.

Still, she hesitated. Can you trust him?

Nothing was stopping her from leaving him now. She had all she needed. She could return to Staria and be welcomed back. All she had to do was put her dagger in his heart and finish the job. Yet she knew she couldn’t—wouldn’t do it. Not now that he’d thrown everything away to save her.

And even if she did end his life herself, his ship was sailing straight toward Staria. She couldn’t leave the crew to that fate. How she wished she knew more words to write on the parchment. Turn around , she’d write. You’ll doom them all to your former crew’s fate . He had said in the hallway to Bastian that what had happened before wouldn’t happen again, but he didn’t know what she knew. He obviously didn’t know that the run-in with sirens was not an accident. It would happen again unless she stopped it. All these people on the ship—Bastian, Torben, Kiyami, and Nasir—would surely perish if she didn’t find a way to help them cross the siren waters safely. Something had to be done.

But can you betray your people again? That was the real question.

Although she trusted the captain not to hurt her, he was still his father’s son. The King of Pirates had murdered her grandmother. The siren she was named after. But I want to trust him.

Raiden looked up after her long moment of silence, so she shrugged and pointed to her mouth.

“Ah, words evading you?” he asked, reading her perfectly as usual.

But this time it grated on her. She felt heavy, as if a weight dropped into her stomach. If she trusted the humans and something happened to the sirens, she could never forgive herself. She could practically hear her sister Sephone’s voice in her head. The voice of reason. This is a bad idea, little star. Just make up a lie and send them off in another direction.

“My father sent us on this trip... I’m sure you’ve already gathered that much.” He sighed. The way he said the word father was curious. It didn’t sound resentful. More weighty . As if the word itself were the tip of an iceberg, and the mass of it could not be seen. “He told me I had to bring him the treasure on that island. But after stopping for supplies and having to lead Valencia astray”—he ran his hand through his hair—“we’re not going to make it in time.”

She, too, yearned to know what lay upon that sacred island. What secrets she could uncover. Even if she did as her mother wanted and killed Raiden, it wouldn’t change anything. The Pirate King knew of the siren’s existence and where Lunapesce was. She wasn’t fool enough to believe that his son’s death would stop him. The king would continue to send humans until he got what he wanted. But if she led their crew there—a crew who proved to her just how much they cared—perhaps she could protect the most sacred of the treasures from the king. Perhaps everyone could get what they wanted, and no one had to die. Maybe there was a way she didn’t have to pick a side. It was probably naive to think so. But if she could have everything she wanted, wouldn’t it be foolish not to try? Could she live with herself if she didn’t?

Approaching the desk, Celeste let her eyes roam over his face, taking in his creased brow and downcast eyes.

“Perhaps it’s time to admit I’ve failed again.” His voice was like the sound of a door being closed in the dead of night, low and quiet. The echoes of the crew he lost filled the room, suffocating them. She could see his desire to make his father proud plain on his face. It was the same feeling she had when she promised her mother to return to Staria.

Celeste stepped around the desk, coming to a stop at his side. Their bodies were so close she was certain he could hear her heart beating. She wanted to reach out a hand, to place it atop his and squeeze in some semblance of comfort. Anything to reassure him. To bring them closer. But the moment felt too delicate. And she was too afraid to ruin it. Raiden’s shoulders slumped. “He’s”—his voice wavered—“he’s all I have left.”

A crack emerged in his dark armor, giving her a glimpse of the man beneath. She’d glimpsed behind the confident and cool exterior he often wore, but this was different. As she looked at him, Celeste felt a piece of her own armor fall away. Their eyes met, and it was as if she could finally read him as easily as he did her. They weren’t so different. Not really. He may be human and she a siren, but they both just wanted to belong. She understood how it felt to not fit into the role you were given. Her hand found his upon the map. Then his fingers entwined with hers, squeezing them as though she were a lifeline.

And her heart broke. Because she knew she could take this pain away.

If she were only brave enough to trust him.

To reveal the pattern of the currents would be to hand the humans a powerful weapon against the sirens. No human had encountered it and lived. And even among sirens, only Chorus members knew it. If she told this man about the way through the siren waters... what would he do with that information? Would he use it against them? And it would be dangerous. Not only would they still be crossing through Staria but the ships were not built to withstand such currents.

But if she planned it right, by the time the Chorus discovered their ship, they’d already be gone.

Raiden drew closer, her shoulder pressing into his arm. The smell of him—salt and rum and leather—surrounded her. In all her wildest dreams, she wouldn’t have pictured this. How beautiful he was. Not just his dashing good looks, which were obvious to anyone. But him . His sense of humor, his loyalty, the way he took the time to really see her, like no one ever had. He was violent, arrogant, infuriating, and guarded. But tonight the things that separated them felt less important than the things that made them the same.

“He’ll kill us all if we don’t succeed,” he admitted, his eyes far away. “My father never gives second chances. The only reason he allowed me this one was because of how dangerous it was. How likely it would end in disaster. Maybe he figured if I died in the pursuit, he wouldn’t have to do the job himself.”

Her stomach turned like churning water. What kind of monster would do that to his own son? To these people? In her anger, she felt tears prick her eyes. Then she took her hand from his and faced the map beneath them. With one long finger, she charted a new course. Starting from where their ship was, then west and south to the Lunastri Current. Raiden raised a brow.

“I thought it wise to avoid that area,” he said, his voice a low murmur that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She’d never felt such a sensation before. Glorious and unnerving. But she returned her focus to the map, noting the symbols that marked the other ocean currents. Her hands trembled a little as she picked up the quill. And with a steadying breath, she drew the symbol for a current on the parchment below her.

“A current ,” he breathed. There was a note of hope in his voice that wasn’t there before. Her heart squeezed in her chest. He did not question her or ask her how she knew of it when these mapmakers had not. Raiden simply smiled. “My God, you’re brilliant.”

And Celeste glowed like a moonbeam.

* * *

“We’ll be on the current in two days,” Raiden told the others at breakfast.

“We’re—using a current ?” Kiyami said, a tremor of fear in her voice. “There isn’t any current large enough this far south.”

“There is,” he replied simply.

Nasir and Bastian exchanged a look.

“Isn’t that rather dangerous, Captain?” Bastian hedged. “We don’t know anything about this current. It could lead us miles off course. Or topple our ship from its strength alone.”

“It was our navigator’s call, and I trust her judgment.” Raiden fixed his friend with a look. “It’s the only way to arrive by the eclipse. If we arrive late, we won’t get paid.”

Kiyami’s worried gaze slid over to Celeste, but she said nothing. I’ll get you home to your family , Celeste thought, wishing her friend could somehow read her mind. This will be your last voyage, just like you planned.

And that was that.

Throughout the day, Celeste monitored their progress, and in the afternoon, she had sword training with Kiyami and her now permanent sparring partner, Raiden.

“I love that little crease in your forehead when you focus,” the captain said as she thrust toward him. The comment made her steps falter, and he leaped away easily, laughing.

And I love when you hold still , Celeste thought with a huff, getting her feet back under her. But the pirate was too practiced, easily evading her every strike. He backed her into the mast without her realizing, pinning her between his sword and the wood.

“You know, I’ve pictured us here before,” he growled, so low that only she could hear. His warm brown eyes fell to her lips. “But it wasn’t with an audience.”

Celeste’s heart skipped a beat. That gaze was like a powerful undertow, pulling her beneath the waves. She didn’t want to fight it. And yet, just as he leaned forward, Celeste took her free hand and punched him in the side. With a gasp, Raiden dropped his weapon.

“Excellent job, Celeste!” Kiyami laughed. “Way to see an opening.”

* * *

After dinner, her writing and reading lesson with Nasir felt long. When Celeste’s attention began to wander, Nasir mercifully told her she had done enough. The two walked up to the decks, where the rest of the crew were drinking and passing the time. Now that their stores were replenished, the crew enjoyed fresh meals and plenty of wine. Raiden even surprised Celeste with a stash of the honeyed wine she had loved so much from the festival, a gesture that left her smiling like a fool for hours. The crew sat together under the stars, singing songs when the wine caught up to them. Nasir, it turned out, had a beautiful voice.

“Remember when we had to pretend to be bards to avoid walking the plank on that ship we stowed away on?” Bastian asked. The night had grown so late that even the quartermaster managed to unwind.

Raiden threw his head back and laughed. “Remember? How could I forget! We had a famous song! ‘The Admiral’s Tail’!”

“I believe you mean infamous,” Bastian corrected, grinning.

“Baz can sing?” Kiyami asked, a look of confusion on her face.

“No.” Raiden chuckled. “He was the reason we still ended up on that plank.”

The crew burst into laughter, insisting Bastian sing a few bars. But Raiden was quick to recount another misadventure, saving his friend the embarrassment.

There was a special sort of magic about the long summer days on the ship. The calm before the storm. No one spoke of the current or the time slipping away toward the solstice. But it was always there. Like their own shadows, their futures silently followed them around, always at their heels.

At one point, Torben convinced Bastian and Raiden to join a game of cards. It was a different game than the one Celeste had played with Raiden. After a few rounds, Celeste joined them and won a fair bit of money off Torben, enough that the Yenrian had been bitter all the next day, grumbling about Raiden helping her cheat, which he most certainly hadn’t. It wasn’t until the following evening, when Torben won the pants off Raiden, that his mood improved.

Raiden excused himself to go find new pants, causing raucous laughter to erupt among the crew.

“But, Highness!” Bastian protested, his tankard spilling over one side, “why deny us the simple pleasure of a fine pair of legs?”

Another round of laughter sprung up, which grew tenfold when Raiden took off his shirt and threw it in Bastian’s face. Celeste wished she could say she had averted her eyes. But she had not. She drank in his lean, muscled body as he swaggered away, rewarding her with a light smack from Kiyami.

“Keep your eyes in your head, Cel!” her friend snorted.

A blush burned her cheeks as she trained her eyes on her cup of honeyed wine, absently patting the Admiral on the head.

The night passed by until one by one the crew started drifting to their bunks. A yawn escaped Celeste’s lips, her lids growing heavy. And when even Raiden’s reappearance did nothing to rouse her, she finally decided to drag her body to bed.

She was halfway to the officers’ quarters when something in the water caught her attention.

Not entirely trusting her eyes after a night of drinking, Celeste moved to the railing. That’s when she saw her. Nerissa . Glowing faintly with her bioluminescence. The Sea Witch bobbed in the wake of the ship, staring with a white-toothed smile. Celeste started, then threw a look behind her to see if anyone else had noticed. But the few remaining crew were preoccupied with a new game. Apparently, Torben wanted this new pair of pants too, even if they were entirely too long for him.

Sucking in a breath through her teeth, Celeste crept around the back of the ship, positioning herself as far from the others as she could. When she was certain no one was there to overhear her, she turned to the Sea Witch.

“What do you want?” Her hushed voice sounded strange, even to her own ears. Hoarse from underuse. The crescent upon her wrist prickled faintly, and Celeste rubbed it with her thumb. Had she really almost forgotten about her bargain? Was that why the witch was here?

Nerissa drew closer, ink-black eyes unblinking. “You have not called upon me. Are you not finished with your task?”

Celeste swallowed, throwing another look over her shoulder before answering. “I—I do not need to change back yet.” Guilt washed over her as she said it. She wished she could ask about her family, but she knew better than to seek information from the Sea Witch without expecting to pay a price.

“Really? How interesting.” The witch’s smile was knifelike, as if with one look she could read all of Celeste’s guilt. Every betrayal of her heart.

“Is that why you’re here?” Please let that be all , she prayed, rubbing her hands against her hips. Please do not ask for your favor. Not yet.

The Sea Witch waved a hand. “I like to check on my investments.”

A cry rang out. Celeste’s head snapped around in time to see Torben seize Raiden’s second pair of pants. Her shoulders dropped. False alarm.

When she turned back to the water, there was nothing but seafoam. Nerissa was gone. Uneasiness settled in Celeste’s stomach as she scanned the night, looking for any sign of disturbance. When she found nothing, she drifted back to her room, hoping that the next time she saw Nerissa, it would be the last.

* * *

When the day arrived that they were to reach the current’s mouth, it began to rain. The wind, which had been so fair throughout their trip, turned punishing. They had to take down the sails for fear of them being shredded. And with the wind and rain came rough, choppy waters. The great ship tossed back and forth, at the mercy of the waves. It was all Celeste and Kiyami could do to keep the ship on course to enter the current.

“It’s only a storm!” Raiden shouted over the roar of the wind, attempting to reassure his shivering crew. “It’ll pass eventually!”

But as the day dragged on, the crew had to take turns going belowdecks to warm up and change clothes. This far from shore, any sickness could mean death. The Admiral was kept downstairs in Raiden’s quarters, much to his dislike, and was only let out a couple of times to relieve himself. It was a miserable day. The Red Revenge moved so slowly that they weren’t able to reach the current as planned. Celeste considered it a blessing. Navigating the strength of a powerful current with a ship this size would have been difficult enough, let alone during a storm.

The next day, Celeste awoke to a soft knock at her door. She groaned. Between the ship tossing her about all night and her continued nightmares, she’d hardly had a moment of sleep. Beside her, the Admiral yawned and stretched, sticking his paws in her face. Then, with a cute little flop, the dog curled belly-up beside her. Since Port Velluno, the Admiral slept with her every night. Although she wanted to believe it was because the dog liked her best, she had a sneaking suspicion that Raiden was purposefully sending the animal to her in an attempt to help her feel safe. And although she would ordinarily find the gesture embarrassing, she couldn’t deny that the dog’s presence helped. Each time she woke sweating after another dream of being abandoned on the shore or cut apart by a human guard, the warmth of the dog steadied her.

Another knock rattled the door.

“Celeste,” Raiden hissed, “knock twice if you’re awake.”

Heaving a sigh, she obliged.

“Good. Get dressed.” A pause. “Something warm.”

It was then that Celeste heard the patter of rain against the window. With a sigh, she rose to her feet and pulled off her nightshirt. With fumbling fingers, she slipped on her underclothes and her white dress, deciding against adding the corset. Even though it was stylish, she’d likely have to change out of this outfit and into another one to keep from catching a cold. She ran her fingers through her long hair, carefully detangling it before she braided. With the winds as they were, it’d be easier to have it kept away from her face. She wove the braids into a knot at the base of her neck and secured it to her head using some pins she had found in Valencia’s things. It didn’t feel strange using them anymore. Perhaps it was a sort of payment for what the Pirate Queen had done to her.

That night felt so far away already.

At last she opened the door, the Admiral leaping upon his owner with a joyful bark.

“Quiet,” Raiden ordered. The dog obeyed, dropping to all fours and sitting stoically.

Raiden’s head of thick dark hair looked uncommonly disheveled, some of it sticking up at odd angles in the back. He gazed at Celeste, his eyes dipping down to her dress and lack of corset, before blinking and looking away. She flushed, realizing her mistake and pulling a long coat from the closet behind her.

“I wanted to meet with you before we entered the current,” he said.

Celeste nodded, part of her still wrapped in the soft, hazy embrace of sleep as she followed him down the hall into his quarters. Upon entering, she plopped with a thud into his chair behind the desk. Raiden’s lips pulled at the corner in a half smile. She supposed it was rather insubordinate of her to sit in the captain’s chair. But he said nothing and pulled up the smaller chair to sit beside her.

Once more the two pored over the map. Celeste corrected him when he mistakenly marked the current’s mouth too far south. If they stayed on course, they would enter siren waters in a couple of hours. A knot formed in her stomach at the thought. But the journey should only take them three days, with them arriving on the day of the eclipse.

“The current bends here and here?” Raiden clarified, reaching across her to point along the line she had drawn. “We’ll hit the first near the end of today and one midday on the second?”

Celeste shook her head. Without thinking, she placed her hand atop his and moved it gently so it was closer to the end of the current. But she dropped it when his eyes met hers.

“Ah, so it bends right as we’re exiting the current?”

She nodded.

“That’s not great.”

It wasn’t. Any bend in a current was difficult for a ship of this size to manage. It was why most ships avoided currents so close to the ocean’s surface. If the Revenge was not pointed in the right direction as the current bent, the ship would capsize. But a bend at the end of a current meant the water would be turning, so the ship would have to turn with it as it was trying to navigate moving between a current and open water. One wrong turn and the ship would go down, the crew with it. But they had no other options.

“You think we can do this?” he asked.

Celeste turned her head to look him in the eye. It wasn’t like him to seek validation from anyone. If anything, Raiden thought a bit too much of himself. But she took his hand in hers and squeezed, this time not pulling away.

Yes. I think we can.

His worried gaze softened.