“Hmmm,” I mutter, rubbing the back of my neck. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll go check on Mira.” Jay gives a nod. Before I walk away, I turn my back to him. “Did you take care of him?” I ask, not meeting his stare.
“Yes, he's with the sea now.”
That was all I needed to hear. I nod slightly. His voice had a flicker of grief in it. I could tell he wanted to pry more, but I can’t talk about what happened. I step away from the helm, heading toward my quarters. But the moment I leave the deck, the singing grows louder.
It chases me down the corridor. I’m losing my fucking mind.
I’m so distracted by the voice, I don’t see the small figure until I nearly plow into her. “Shit, treasure, I’m sorry.” I grab Mira’s arms to steady her.
Her hands settle on my chest. “What’s going on, Kai?” she asks, eyes narrowing with concern. “You look exhausted.”
“Nothing,” I lie. “Did you sleep okay?” I try to shut out the noise still whispering in my head. I try to focus on her, on the way her dark hair spills down her shoulders, on the emerald fire in her eyes. But even as she looks at me, grounding me, I can still hear it.
She takes a step back, her spine pressing against the door to our quarters. “Don’t bullshit me, Kai,” she says, low but firm. “Something’s going on. Tell me.”
I hesitate. Her eyes are searching mine, sharp with worry. “I… I keep hearing this singing. It’s getting louder.” I run a hand through my hair. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
I walk past her into the room. She follows, closing the door behind her. “Kai,” she says, gentler. “You can’t pretend what happened with your father didn’t happen. You killed him. I can’t lose you to madness like he lost himself. And we still need to talk about Taika.”
Her words land hard, but I don’t respond. I sit down on the edge of the bed, elbows on my knees, head in my hands. My temples throb like something’s clawing from the inside. I barely slept. My mind’s been spinning since it happened. Thenightmare of losing Mira and reliving slicing a blade through my father is on repeat.
My father’s blood still stains my sword. The darkness he brought on this ship is only clinging tighter in his absences, like it’s looking for the next place to root. Word will spread, and when it does, his enemies won’t care that he’s dead. They’ll come for the next in line.
“She is my mother.” The words leave my mouth like a curse. My head stays bowed, hands still pressed against my face. Trying to avoid the conversation of my father.
I hear Mira’s soft footsteps. Then her head appears between my knees, eyes peering up into mine. “I know,” she whispers. “I thought so.” Her presence soothes something sharp in me, something I didn’t even know I was holding. But I can’t let it soften me. Not now.
“It doesn’t change anything,” I mutter, voice tight. “We still need to hand her over to the sirens.”
“You don’t have to make up your mind right now.” Her voice is gentle now. “She’s alive. She could help you with your magic. Don’t you want that?”
“I don’t.” I sit up, jaw clenched. “She means nothing to me. She left when I needed her most. She’s no one. Just another bloody witch.” I shake my head. “If giving her to the sirens keeps you safe and gets us to the fountain, then that’s what I’ll do. I’ll figure out my magic some other way.”
Mira straightens, arms crossed. “Don’t you think I get a say in this?” she asks, her eyes narrowing with that fire I know too well.
“You do, treasure,” I say, rising to meet her gaze. “But I don’t think you realize, we’re not on some grand journey to reunite me with the mother who abandoned me. We’re doing this to get to the fountain. You’re the Soul, Mira. The only one that matters. Everything in this ocean breathes because of you. I breathe because of you. I won’t risk that. Not for her. Not for anyone.”
She starts to walk away, then pauses, her voice calm but firm. “I think I’m more than capable of protecting myself. And your happiness?” Her gaze flicks to mine. “It matters to me. In case you’ve forgotten, our souls are tied. I felt your heart shatter the moment your blade went through him. Every piece of that pain, yours became mine.”
Her words hit hard. “I want happiness for you, Kai. You are all I have. All I want. Your heart matters. More than you’ll ever know.” She lowers her voice. “And what you don’t know is that I would kill for you. Drop dead for you. Walk the plank for you. I’d jump into an abyss, so long as you’re holding my hand on the way down. My heart beats for you. So your happiness, your soul? Yeah, it matters to me.”
She steps in closer, standing between my legs. Her eyes lock onto mine, her voice sharper, fiercer. “So tell me what you really want. Don’t fucking lie to me.”
Through hell and high water, I love this woman. My hands find her hips, her skin warm beneath my palms. Her hair spills in soft curls just above her lower back, brushing my hands like silk.
Talking to Taika might be the only way to get answers. Not because she’s my mother, but because of her magic. She’s feared for a reason. If anyone can wake whatever power’s buried in me, it’s her.
“I want to find her,” I breathe. “I have a few questions to ask.”
She gives me a warm smile. “Then we’ll do just that.” She kisses me, slowly. When she pulls back, her eyes hold mine. “I see now why the map turned blood red when you touched it.”
My brows furrow, but the truth sinks like a stone in my gut. “Because I’m her blood,” I murmur. “The map wasn’t just for you. It was for her. It was a test.”
Mira nods slowly, her confidence unwavering. “Then let’s pass it,” she says, that sweet, devious smile of hers as steady as the tide. It’s all I need.
She turns toward the door, moving with that quiet grace that’s always undone me. The singing that had been swelling in my head, maddening, fades at last. Maybe I’m losing my mind, but the one thing that calmed the storm was her.
Now it’s time I get answers. Seeing Taika will be a challenge, but one I’m up for. One that could turn the tides in the best way or destroy everything if I’m not ready for what she has to say.
