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I can’t explain it. Riden is not the only one who has spoken to me while I was the siren. In the past, my father kept me contained while I was stocking up on my abilities. His voice didn’t bring me to. Tylon has seen me as a siren, tried speaking with me. That did nothing for me, either. Wallov and Deros have done it. A few other captains at the keep.
Nothing.
It’s Riden. Only Riden.
Chapter 16
That was close, wasn’t it? When next we meet, Alosa, you will face the full force of theDragon’s Skulland my fleet. Things will go differently then.
ANY PROGRESS Ithought I’d made with Riden the previous day feels insignificant when reminded of the sheer size of the fleet. So what if I can keep my mind while restocking my abilities? What am I to do against twenty ships? With the thirty more that may already be following behind them? Without the siren treasure to bribe my father’s men away from him, I don’t like our odds.
Only a few hours later, another note arrives.
I see you.
I climb the rigging all the way up to the crow’s nest. Even then, I have to squint to see the brown line on the horizon. There must be a good current back there, helping the fleet along. It sets my heart to pounding to see them so close.
I climb back down as quickly as possible.
“Go find me Radita,” I say to Niridia.
My father must be working his men into the ground, rotating them at the sweeps. They’ll be exhausted by the time they reach the Isla de Canta. But I don’t think that’s my father’s current goal. He only needs to catch me. Then they can rest before continuing on.
When Niridia returns with Radita in tow, I can’t get the words out fast enough.
“He’s gaining on us. Now that he has us in his sights, he won’t slow. What can we do to build speed?”
Radita’s answer is immediate. “We can’t do anything to the ship itself, but we could lighten her. The most effective way would be to throw the cannons overboard.”
“We can’t do that,” Niridia says. “Then if he catches us again, we have no way to fight!”
I don’t have solutions for anything. There’s sense in lightening the load and sense in keeping the cannons. It’s impossible to know which is the smarter choice right now.
“All right,” I say. “We don’t do anything yet. Roslyn!”
The lass isn’t on duty, but I need to quickly change that.
“Yes, Captain?” she asks, strolling over from where she was chatting with a group of the girls.
“I need you up top. You report to me immediately if the ships in the distance get larger. Understand?”
“Aye.” She scurries up.
“Search the ship, Radita,” I say. “See if there’s anything else we can toss over that will make a difference.”
“There isn’t any—”
“Just check, please!”
She shares a look with Niridia before going below.
“I’m not being unreasonable. Maybe she’s overlooking something. He can’t catch us, Niridia.”
“We beat him once,” she says, “we can do it again.”
“He won’t face us one-on-one this time. We can’t take on twenty ships.”
“That’s true,” she says. “But there’s nothing you can do to help the situation yet. Focus on practicing with Riden. I’ll oversee everything out here.”
