Chapter Fourteen
We pushed forward for a few more hours before we reached an island. The water was calm and the night sky was clear of clouds, almost as if we hadn’t just faced the Kraken. Almost as if we hadn’t lost any men—great men like Barty.
All I wanted to do was crawl onto the sand and fall asleep, so that was what I tried to do. The sand was still warm from the sun that day and I wanted to soak up all of its heat. We had no towels for me to dry off with, so the breeze felt colder than it should’ve.
As I was drifting off, something warm covered me. I peeked my eyes open to see Steel’s coat. He plopped on the ground next to me with his thin, white shirt that I was unaccustomed to seeing. His coat was always around him except for when he was shirtless in bed. It was a nice change to see him in only his long-sleeved shirt and I watched him as he gazed up at the sky. The sadness that lingered in his eyes was hard to look at, but there was something else too.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked.
His attention remained upwards as he said, “The things I lost in the attack on The Sea Nymph’s Revenge besides my bed.”
The seriousness in his voice forced the drowsiness away and had me sitting up. I pulled his coat tighter around me and scooted closer to him. His arm came around my shoulder and I could feel it shaking. Steel’s eyes were glassy, but no tears were falling. I waited for him to be the one to say something because I didn’t want to push him to talk if he wasn’t ready to.
When I thought we were going to be sitting in silence for the remainder of the night, he sighed. “I know you don’t know anything about me really and that’s my fault. I’m not usually one who opens up, especially about my past. But after all we’ve been through, I think it’s time you know a little more about my life before The Sea Nymph’s Revenge.”
He drew in a shaky breath before continuing, “My dad left my mom before he even knew she was pregnant with me. She was a whore who worked in a brothel and he’d been a client. Pregnant whores don’t get much sympathy or assistance, so she was doomed to fail before she really had a chance to live. My mom was only seventeen when she had me and I was delivered in the whorehouse. She almost died during childbirth, but claims that the life returned to her after taking one look at me.”
He paused again and there was a hitch in his voice now. “My mom was an amazing woman who was dealt a bad hand by fate. She loved me, took care of me, clothed me, fed me. Everything a mom should do, but our home was in the whorehouse. It was all I knew for the longest time and I was seen as a bastard. Sons had no use to the owners of the brothel, so mom was given a choice when I reached age five. She could either send me away or sell me into slavery. If she didn’t do either of these, then—per her contract with them—they would sell both her and me to the highest bidder. They were greedy bastards who should’ve been killed for the way they treated other people, especially the women and children.”
“That’s terrible,” I interrupted with a gasp and my eyes blurred at the thought of Steel being treated so poorly.
With the way he acted, I would’ve never thought he had such a bad start in life. It made me understand why he went into piracy a bit more.
“Do you know what she chose?”
I shook my head and waited for his answer with bated breath. Whatever she chose must’ve been bad because none of the options sounded reasonable.
“She decided to run with me. Her goal was to get us out of town and she would find us a home instead of a brothel. Only, she didn’t make it that far. We were discovered quickly from the owners who wanted their money. Well, mom was. She’d forced me to hide in a nearby bush and made me promise that I would survive for her. You wouldn’t think so with the way I am now, but I was a good child, so I did as she asked without hesitation. I didn’t even come out when they dragged her away from me by her hair as she fought them tooth and nail. I blame myself for her being in the position to begin with. If it wasn’t for me, there would’ve never been a choice for her to make.”
“It isn’t your fault, Steel.” I squeezed his arm encouragingly. “She loved you from the sound of it and would be happy you escaped. Have you been to see her since?”
Steel’s body vibrated under my hand as he shook at that question. The tears were coming freely now and it was a heart wrenching sight to see him cry. I thought it had been bad seeing Bastian upset, but this was ten times worse.
Steel cleared his throat and took a bit more time before he was able to speak clearly again. “I went to see her when I was a teenager, but it was too late. She’d died a year after the attempted escape from a fever and the other whores believed it was the plague. They were kind enough to pass her belongings on to me without the owner’s consent. There was a beautiful silver necklace, a gold pocket watch, and a silver hairbrush. It wasn’t much, but it was all I had from her. Now, it’s all at the bottom of the sea along with my ship. I typically wear the necklace in memory of her, but something must’ve yanked it off my neck while I tried to escape.”
That explained the heart-shaped pendant I’d seen him wearing. Now, I felt terrible for thinking it was too girly.
“Oh, Steel, I’m so sorry.”
“Me too.”
“Thank you for telling me all of this,” I said after a few quick heartbeats passed. “It means a lot to me. More than you can imagine.”
“Thank you for listening and not judging me. That means a lot to me.”
“How did you survive on your own?”
He took a sharp intake of breath and his eyes clouded from a memory. “The captain of Poseidon’s Whore discovered me in the next town over and raised me on his ship. He, too, had been an orphan so he knew how it felt. His pity was his greatest gift. I accepted his invitation because the name of his ship seemed fitting enough and it wasn’t like I had anywhere else to go.”
“I wish I would’ve known you then.”
He shook his head. “No, if you did, then you might not know me now. Things turn out the way they do for a reason and this was how our story was supposed to play out. Our meeting wasn’t a coincidence and it’s the first time I’ve been truly happy in a long time.”
“I never thought I would be happy again after losing my parents, but you brought it back to me too.”
“You know me spilling my secrets makes you my girlfriend.”
“Oh it does, does it?” I smirked even though my stomach flopped and my heart soared at the word “girlfriend”.
“It does, what do you have to say to that?”
“I’d say… what took you so long to ask?”
He laughed and kissed me softly. “I have no idea.”
“I’ve been wondering, how are you planning on buying a ship in Tortuga when you don’t have any more gold?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Who says I don't have any gold?”
“Well—I—you said it’s at the bottom of the ocean.”
“A captain is resourceful and prepared for anything. I have a friend holding gold for me on Tortuga. Maybe you’ll get to meet him this time.”
I shot him a small smile. “Maybe.”
We cuddled for a bit longer, until Steel broke away. He rubbed his face roughly. “That’s enough crying and soul-searching for one night. I know things aren’t looking up right now—besides that I can officially call you mine—but I think we need to celebrate.”
“What are we celebrating besides me being yours?”
“We’ll toast to those who are still alive and remember those who aren’t. It’s a miracle any of us are still on this planet after facing the Kraken. We should’ve all been killed after that fight.”
He stood and pulled me to my feet. I put my arms through Steel’s jacket so I was wearing it properly. I reveled in the warmth it provided and there was no way he was getting it back tonight. The twinkle in his eyes as he watched me put the coat on told me he already knew that fact though.
The two of us approached the men who were scattered on the sandy beach. Some were glaring at the sea, some were passing around a silver container and drinking from it, but none were sleeping. They all had a mixture of anger and sadness on their faces and a party might be just what they needed to lift their spirits back up.
“All right, men. No more pouting. Yes, we lost our ship. Yes, we lost our gold. But that doesn’t mean it’s all over for us. We’re lucky to be here and we should damn well start acting like we appreciate the fates for sparing us,” Steel said as he looked each one of his men in the eye. “I say, we celebrate life tonight and keep those in mind who aren’t with us. We start drinking tonight and we can sleep away tomorrow before traveling the rest of the way to Tortuga.”
“Here, here,” Gregor yelled as he held up a silver container. He drank out of it and those around us copied him.
“What is that?” I asked Steel.
He grinned. “That is a flask full of rum. A pirate can’t be found without his rum.”
“You mean to tell me that pirates keep rum on them?”
“Most do. I have two flasks. Check the pockets on the inside of my coat.”
I quirked my eyebrows at him, but did as he asked. There, in the inside pockets, were two flasks. I shook them and heard the liquid slosh around.
“Rum?” I asked even though I already knew the answer.
“Why don’t you try some?” Steel smirked.
“Sera, Sera, Sera,” the others cheered my name, egging me on.
After all that had happened, the side effects of consuming rum would be minuscule, so I shrugged. “Why not…”
I opened the top and took a small sip. The burning sensation was welcomed with our current situation and the crazy emotions that came with it. There just wouldn’t be any dancing this time.
The men all shouted excitedly at me and began talking to each other. Steel had a wide grin on his face as he approached me.
“One is for you, while the other is for me,” he said as he took the second container.
“Did you plan that?” I asked.
“No, I usually drink two, but I’m more than happy to share some with you. Might get you a little frisky for tonight.” He nibbled my ear.
I pushed him away giggling. “Not tonight, tiger. We’re on an island and visible to everyone else. Maybe when we get to Tortuga.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
I laughed again, but didn’t say anything since Gregor was heading towards us. The men behind him were building a fire and Gregor gestured towards it. “Once we get the fire going, the men and I were hoping you could tell us the story of how you defeated the Kraken. It might raise their spirits.”
“I’d love to.” I smiled brightly. Anything to help them forget what happened, even if only for a moment.
They pulled out logs for everyone to sit on around the fire and Steel and I joined them. I recounted exactly what had happened with the Kraken. I didn’t think it was too exciting, but the men loved it. They listened intently and some chimed in comments.
“To Sera,” the men toasted once I was finished with my tale.
“To me.” I laughed as I drank with them.
Even after losing men along with The Sea Nymph’s Revenge, tonight was turning out to be pretty decent. I was part of the crew now and Steel and I were officially together. I felt like I was on cloud nine with Steel next to me. But as I glanced around, I noticed that one face was missing. Bastian wasn’t with us. Upon further investigation, I found him sitting closer to the water.
I brought my flask over to Bastian who was by himself. Without asking, I sat next to him and handed him the rum. “I’m sorry about Barty. He was a good guy who didn’t deserve to go just yet. I think you should drink in his name tonight.”
“It doesn’t feel right with him gone. Drinking was more his thing than mine.” Bastian’s eyes watered again.
“I don’t really drink either, but I made an exception for tonight. I think you should too. My parents are gone, but I still feel like they’re with me in spirit. Barty’s there too, hovering around you. He’ll never fully be gone as long as you keep him in your memory.”
Bastian wiped his nose on his sleeve and then sniffed in the rest of the snot. “Thanks, Sera. You’re a good friend and I’m happy you’re here.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be.”
His mouth turned up into a slight smile and he took the flask from my outstretched hand.
“To Barty,” he said before he took a long swig.
When he passed it back, I took sip and said, “To Barty and everyone else who can’t drink with us right now. We’ll be reunited one day because that’s one thing we all have in common—death. Even sirens aren’t immortal, so that includes me.”
“That is true. I’ll toast to that.” He took another drink.
“Feel up to joining us by the fire?”
He looked at the men and contemplated for a moment before nodding. “I think so.”
We rejoined the others and the men offered Bastian comforting smiles. People who thought all pirates were coarse and mean didn’t get to see this side of them. I was one of the lucky ones who did and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. These guys were humans, but it didn’t matter to me. I was a siren, and it didn’t matter to them.
Even though I was having a lot of fun, I was extremely tired from using my abilities for so long. The fatigue kept begging for my eyes to close, but I fought to keep it at bay. I didn’t want to miss this for anything. There would be time for sleep later. I wouldn’t get the chance to make these memories again.
The Kraken attack felt like it was ages ago with the people who were around me remembering old times. My body told me otherwise and my muscles were starting to ache from the lack of sleep.
As we drank and laughed, I looked around at the men surrounding me. They were all amazing in their own ways and I was happy to have them in my life. I still missed my parents, but these pirates were my new family, and I couldn’t wait to get to know each and every one of them. I would take the time to learn who they were because Steel proved that there was always more to a person than meets the eye.