Page 37 of Wicked Tides #1

On deck that day, Mullins was sitting on a barrel strumming his fingers over a small, hollow string instrument and singing an upbeat tune to which a few of the girls were dancing.

Or jumping. I wasn’t sure it could be called dancing.

Billy joined them, his footwork equally uncoordinated.

Gus was behind them, leaning against the railing with the same old pipe in his mouth, but his eyes were on me like he expected me to dive in and tear everyone to bits.

If I was going to do that, I would have done it already…

Vidar stepped down from the helm looking exhausted.

He’d been at the wheel since before most of the crew had woken up.

I watched as Ahnah danced in a circle, stumbling into Vidar as he passed.

I stiffened. The girls had warmed to him over the days, but they were still wary, and rightfully so.

He’d held a knife to one of them and they weren’t soon to forget.

But Ahnah, the na?ve little thing, turned and grabbed his hand as if asking him to join.

Vidar rolled his head back with a groan, trying to get around her.

When she did not allow it, he feigned irritation and stooped, tucking her little body under one arm like she was a sack of flour.

She giggled so loudly as he carried her around, pretending she wasn’t there.

Her laughter was almost infectious. Almost .

And then he set her on a pile of linens like she was a piece of cargo. Smiling, he said something to Gus and patted him on the shoulder before retreating to his cabin.

I pursed my lips, staring as Ahnah continued to dance, despite that she was out of breath. And Gus was back to watching me, catching the suspicious glint in my eyes.

“They’re getting so comfortable with them,” Meridan muttered. “Even after what that other crew did to them.”

“So are we,” I confessed. “We must stay sharp, no matter how well they play their roles.”

It was late in the day when the lantern lights of Port Devlin came into view. Meridan was growing increasingly nervous as we approached and as if on cue, Vidar came up behind us.

“Merilyn will have to stay on the ship unless she wants less forgiving eyes to see her.”

“Meridan,” she replied.

“ Meridan will have to stay on the ship.”

I nodded and gave Meridan a glimpse. She didn’t look keen on going ashore anyways.

In Vidar’s hands was a leather hat with a floppy brim. “Hide your hair in this,” he said, tossing it to me. “There’s another ship on its way and men can get rowdy here.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“Even so, I don’t want to make a scene that will make everything harder than it needs to be. This place is the only port around and it attracts all manner of people. Pirates, mostly. But other hunters, too.”

I rolled my eyes and started twisting my hair into a knot on top of my head. Then I pushed the hat over it to hold it in place, hating how constricting it all felt. In the oversized shirt and coat, I looked as much the young sailor as the rest of them at first glance.

The men rolled up the sails and anchored while one of the boats was lowered for part of the crew to row ashore.

Going with them felt odd, but behind us, another boat filled with the girls, Gus, and Mullins was rowing in our wake.

It would be the first bit of land the girls had seen since they’d been taken, I assumed.

The men of the Rose still looked at me with sideways glances, cautious of my existence.

One in particular, Uther, stared as if there was no one else in the boat.

I was certain that would not change anytime soon, but I didn’t care.

Our cooperation was a truce, not an alliance.

If I didn’t have anything to lose, I’d be putting their own blades through their hearts, but I had Meridan and the girls.

When we arrived on shore, I stepped off the boat onto a rickety wooden dock.

The port was small with a sparse amount of buildings that looked to have been built in a previous century.

The air smelled heavily of firewood and bread and fish.

As we walked inward, I saw drying racks with small silver fish carcasses hanging in the sun.

Those who roamed the muddy streets looked as if they’d been following the same routine for generations.

Old farmers, shopkeepers, and fishermen ambled about with their wagons, baskets, and sacks, hauling goods from one place to another.

I’d been to Port Devlin before, but never in the form of a woman. I’d circled it from time to time looking for hunter’s ships, but its people were too disconnected to be of interest to me. I’d known other sisters who fed on those who ventured too far out to fish, but I never cared to do the same.

I had a more aggressive palate.

“Brom and Nikolas,” Vidar said, speaking to his men. “Gather what food we need. I believe Boil gave you a list.”

“He did,” one man nodded.

“Get on it. If another ship is about to dock, they’ll be looking for supplies, too, and I want the best before they get their hands on it. I’ll get us rooms for the night.”

The two men set off to do what they were ordered to while the girls, Gus, and four other men from the Rose remained with us.

“What of your other men?” I asked. “They do not want time ashore? ”

“They’ll get it tomorrow. Part of the crew must always be on the ship.”

I raised a brow. “Did that work for your father’s men?”

Vidar smiled and leaned in close to me as we walked. “Say something like that again and I’ll pour hot bronze down your throat.”

I rolled my eyes and followed him and the others to an inn. It was small, but inns had taverns, so most of the noise was coming from that one building. It was made of brick that had eroded over time and the wooden doors leading in were thick and warped. They whined as they swung open.

Before going inside, Vidar turned to his men and me and held up a hand. “Stay here with the girls until I get the rooms. I don’t know the crowds yet.”

I remained with the girls, glancing back to see Ahnah clinging to one of the older ones.

The one Vidar nearly killed to gain my cooperation.

She seemed to favor her and the older one seemed quite protective.

Of course, all of them seemed protective of each other.

It made me miss Voel and Kea, but I knew missing them would do me no good and I hadn’t known them as long as Meridan. I was fortunate for that.

I schooled my features just as I met Ahnah’s eyes. Even after everything, she found a way to smile up at me and I couldn’t help myself. I gave her a weak smile in return and even that seemed to overjoy her.

I longed to know what that kind of joy felt like. Even when I was her age, I wondered.

“Lord only knows why the brat likes you so much,” Gus said.

I glanced over at him leaning against the outside wall of the inn scratching his head.

“Children are fickle. She’ll bore of me soon enough.”

“Don’t think so. I don’t speak every word of their language, but I know she says the word ‘Da’ya’ almost every day. ”

“Can you blame her? These girls were taken by men. Men hurt them. You are a man and I am the woman who killed her captors. No matter what you think of me, that fact remains true.”

“You’re no woman,” he sighed. “But kids don’t know better. I suppose I see your point.”

I slid my hands into my coat pockets, inching closer to Ahnah just to let her know I was still there to protect her.

That even if I was keeping my distance, I was still her friend.

I knew abandonment and betrayal and I knew what it could do to someone.

If the only thing I could do was keep her from feeling betrayed, I would.

“You think those fish men Vidar talked about would come here?” Mullins asked me.

I shrugged. “They don’t discriminate. They’d devour me as easily as they’d devour you.”

“And sirens like you do discriminate?”

I smirked at him, letting a fang peak out from behind my lips. “You’re still alive, aren’t you?”

When Vidar came back out and waved us all inside, I took up the rear, making sure none of the girls were left alone on those dank streets.

We walked through the whole establishment, up a wide set of wooden steps, and down a hall lined with doors.

A short, plump woman with breasts spilling over a cinched bodice pointed out four different rooms before waddling back down the stairs to the tavern.

“All the girls in one room,” Vidar said, his eyes meeting mine. “Including you.”

I was surprised to hear him say it. I knew he didn’t trust me, but it seemed he finally understood I wasn’t going to hurt the girls.

And I could protect them better than anyone.

The other men divided into the rest of the rooms as I walked into the largest of the four with two bunk beds against the walls.

A couple of the girls would need to double up, but I doubted they’d mind.

I knew I was destined for the floor, but I didn’t care.

I’d been sleeping on harder surfaces for days .

With the door closed and all of us in one space together, I gave Ahnah another smile and she rushed over to hug me.

The little thing was a warm glimmer of light in an otherwise cold and desolate wasteland.

She started spewing words I couldn’t understand until her older companion stepped up beside her.

“She miss you,” she said in a heavily accented voice.

I raised my brows at her. “You’ve learned how to speak their language.”

“Little,” she nodded, gesturing with her hands. “Maps. I help.”

“You learn fast. What is your name?”

“I, Sakari. Ahnah,” she said, pressing her hand to her chest. “Mother… my sister…” She gestured to her belly, unable to find the words.

“Your niece. Her mother is your sister.”

“Yes,” she said, somewhat uncertain.

“And the others?”

She started to explain in her own language, peppering words I could understand in the mix like “home” and “taken.”