AllFreeNovel
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Her eyes harden, any signs of exhaustion leaving them. They’re the same bright blue as her father’s, but Wallov never looks at me like this. “It’s not a post. It’s a hidey-hole beneath the flooring of the crow’s nest.”
“Be that as it may, it was designed specifically for you, and if any fighting should break out, you’re to go there.”
Her hands go to her hips.
“Now is not the time, Roslyn. Can I count on you or not?”
The fight leaves her at those words. “Of course, Captain.” She runs to the netting and starts climbing better than any monkey.
The ship finally starts moving, angling toward the cave’s exit.
“It’s so beautiful,” Mother says once the open ocean is in view. Riden still holds on to her. He follows her line of sight to the ocean. I notice now that she takes turns glancing between it and me.
I can’t imagine being separated from the ocean for eighteen years.
“Captain!” Roslyn shouts from above. “There’s movement on the dock.”
I spin and instantly find the beast of a man standing on the dock.
The pirate king.
He must have tried to visit Mother tonight after all.
A shout goes up. More pirates appear. A warning bell sounds: the keep’s alarm for if we’re ever under attack.
He’s waking everyone.
The entire fleet, it seems, will be following after us.
I have a head start, and my ship is faster. We are out of firing range already. There is nothing he can do except follow us by this point. And I know all of his ships aren’t stocked for sailing. It may buy us another hour—or even a day.
We need a plan, but nothing is forthcoming, and we’re safe for now. So I hurry to my mother, who is still supported by Riden’s arms over by the port side.
“Could you set me down?” my mother asks Riden.
“Are you sure? Why don’t I take you—”
“No, right here, please. Thank you.”
She has both feet on the ground, but she’s clutching the railing as though her life depends on it, trembling from head to foot. Only when I take his place by her side, does Riden leave for the infirmary to see his brother.
“You named your ship after me,” she manages to say through chattering teeth.
“Let me take you to my rooms.”
“No.”
“What do you need?” I ask. “Food? Sleep? What can I do to help?”
“Water,” she says.
“Of course. I’ll get some.”
“No, Alosa.” She looks sad for a moment. “He let me name you, you know. It was the one thing he did let me do for you. Alosa-lina. We give our children joint names. The first is a unique name—no two sirens have the same first name. The second name is a sung name. It has power.Linameansprotector, and I can see you have already lived up to it.”
A shiver shakes her whole body, and she grips the railing more tightly. “My precious daughter. I want to stay here with you. I tried to be strong for you, to give you what your humannature needs, but I can’t fight it anymore. The pull is too strong. I need the water. And my sisters need me. They’ve been too long without a queen. Follow me. I’ll lead you home.”
Though she’s frail and aching, she leans over the railing and lets herself fall. I hear the splash before I fully register what is happening.
