Page 19 of The Song of the Void

Air rushed out of my chest. I nearly toppled over, but I managed to keep my balance through sheer refusal to lose to a prick like him. “Well, you’re a former pirate, so of course that would alter your perception of Sirens, and of course you’d fight dirty.” He gave me a derisive bow, pressing his non-sword hand against his heart. “And why is that? Why former? If you ask me, that kind of lifestyle seems like it would fit you perfectly. Lying, stealing, killing—smoking.” I dramatically coughed as I stepped closer.

Honestly, it was such a disgusting habit. I couldn’t fathom why Humans liked it. But whatever he smoked wasn’t a pirate’s usual acrid tobacco, and I hadn’t yet figured out the source of the bittersweet aura surrounding him.

I aimed another swipe at his neck, but he leaned back so my blade missed him by an inch.

“Why protect a boy genius like Ashkade?” I asked.

“The Timebreaker pays well, and protecting him is far cushier than piracy.”

A desire to do something simply for the coin was an answer I absolutely expected from a pirate. From a man who held money, and the comforts and pleasures it could buy him, above all else. It reminded me of someone I’d tried not to think about in a long time, and that just pissed me off more. Yet…something rang hollow in Reiven’s voice.

Our blades clanged together again and again, flashing silver in the sunlight.

“Besides,” he continued, mid-parry, “I think I’m the only one on this ship who can protect him from you, and if that’s my lot in life, so be it.”

He aimed a slice at my side, forcing me backwards a few steps, but he was the one who wobbled and almost lost his balance. His brow furrowed over his dark eyes. And those lovely bags under them.

Getting a little tired, are we, Reiven?

“I can see from a hundred leagues away how fake you are to all of them. Drawing them in with imitation sweetness as you plot to stab them in the back.” Our blades met again, and he took a half step back, forcing me to stumble closer. Far closer than one ever wanted to be in a duel. The corners of his lips lifted into a smirk as he considered me. “You’re poison disguised as sugar.”

I growled and shoved him away, slashing wildly at his arm, and my saber finally found its mark. Fueled by the trickle of blood that slipped down his bicep, I repeatedly swung for his ankles. Reiven didn’t even flinch at the tiny cut I had inflicted on him, and instead of blocking my strikes, he danced backwards along the railing. I had to chase after him until we reached the mainmast’s shroud, the web of ropes the crew used to scale the masts and rig the sails.

“Oy! You two, stop that right now!”

Pretty sure that was the captain’s voice, but neither of us were in a very obedient mood.

Reiven aimed a potentially life-ending swing at my midsection, forcing me to stagger back several steps to avoid it. With me a fair distance away, he sheathed his cutlass and began to climb up the shroud.

“Come on, Blue!” he taunted, and I swallowed my nerves and followed him.

Higher and higher, we climbed until we reached the crow’s nest. I didn’t expect it to be so…unprotected. Clouds drifted by just overhead. Every gust of wind threatened to blow us off the rectangle of wood, only large enough for us to stand apart, swords crossed. No railing. Nothing but air between us and the deck far below. I hazarded a glance over the edge of the platform, and my stomach plummeted at just how high up we were. If one of us fell—I shuddered.

“How do Sirens feel about heights?”

I silently considered my options. Both of us already had our heels almost hanging off the wooden platform, so there would be no prancing and dodging like we had been on the railing. One misstep, or one well-placed cut, and it would be over.

Reiven drew his blade along mine, the grating of metal like a goading invitation. “Yield.”

I’m not yielding to this fucking Human!

Rather than slashing, I stabbed straight for his stomach. His pure strength overwhelmed my attack as he knocked my blade to the side. I didn't react fast enough to swing for him again before he snatched my sword arm by the wrist, rendering my blade useless. While I was off balance, he rested his cutlass against my neck. “Yield, Blue.”

I strained against his grip, leaning backwards with all my weight. “Go fuck yourself.”

“Hm. You have a filthy little mouth, don’t you?” With nothing more than a smile, he released me.

A puff of air escaped my lips as I toppled backwards over the edge of the crow’s nest. Before I could scream, his hand clamped around my wrist again, halting my fall with a jolt of pain. I glared up at a gloating Reiven, seriously considering stabbing him in the neck with the saber I barely held on to.

Nearly powerless in this position, my last resort was to respond with all the venom I hoarded inside. “Where does the pain inside you come from, Human? I feel it every time you touch me, and yet outwardly, you appear perfectly healthy.” I raised an eyebrow and reached for that sea of agony twisting inside him. “Are you dying?”

If he wasn’t lying on his stomach gripping my wrist, I thought he would have staggered away from me, like he did in the alley. His face slackened into shock, then hardened back into hatred. My wrist had begun to ache from bearing my weight, but I almost feared my arm might snap when his fingers tightened like a vise around it.

“Stop,” he warned. He yanked me closer, no doubt trying to pull me back up to escape my touch and my tampering with his sensations.

I bared my fangs and slashed at his arm. The tight grip he had on my wrist faltered long enough for me to jerk my arm away from him, and I had a split second to be proud of the horror that flashed across his face.

Then I remembered I was falling.