Moonlight Waves

Allies

I step out onto deck and am instantly drenched by a wave crashing against the side of the ship and spilling across the ship's top deck.
I brace my feet and grasp onto the railing as to prevent me from being thrown overboard into the tumultuous sea. The wind throws salt water into my face and I use my hand to wipe it from eyes, trying to adjust to the storm in order to be of some help. The sky above me is a darkening gray and a unnatural blue. Not the normal blue of the sky, but a bright white that is mixed with the depths of the blue sea. There's enough light to inform us it's day, but it looks as if it's the early darkness before the dawn.
I take a step farther out onto deck and release my grip on the railing, spreading my legs out slightly to keep my balance.
Out of nowhere, Roman is by my side and grabs hold of my elbows. "Captain says no green-horns on deck, only sea dogs." Roman tells me, "You're to take Sí her food. His words not mine."
I'm slightly hurt that Captain Dax still thinks of me as a green-horn, but I know better than to protest. I don't want Captain Dax to be proved right if I loose my balance and am flung overboard.
I nod my head in understanding and Roman places a quick kiss on my cheek before walking off to continue helping the crew. Making sure the Moonlighter stays in one piece while sailing through the squall and preparing for the greater storm that's bound to come.
  When I get to the kitchen I find a tray waiting to be taken up to Sí, and I pick it up before making my way to the brig. I have to take extra care to not spill her cup of water as the ship sways back and forth roughly.
  When I walk up to her cell, I find Sí curled up on the hard bench with the coarse, wool blanket tucked around her. When she hears me opening her cell she bolts right up to see who it is.
  "Brought you breakfast." I say, setting the food tray on the floor and stepping back outside, closing the iron door after me.
  "Thanks." She replies, coming forward and grabbing the bowl of porridge, already shoving a spoonful of food into her mouth. "I'm starving."
   "I bet." I say, hopping up onto the same barrel I sat on last night. "It wasn't until this morning I realized that no one brought you dinner last night."
   "Yeah," she nods, talking around a bite of food. "but I don't blame them."
   "They didn't do it on purpose." I tell her,"Everyone was just in shock." 
  "I know. And I'm sorry."
"You know, I believe that. I believe that you are sorry." I say.
  "You do?" She looks up at me shocked. I nod my head, but she sadly shakes her head in response and takes a drink of water. "Ian doesn't. He came to see me this morning and I've never felt so guilty and ashamed than when he just stared at me sadly."
  "No offense, but you should feel guilty." I say, "I could've lost Roman. Ian could've lost his best friend. I believe that you are sorry, but I don't know if I can forgive you. Maybe one day, but not today. As for Ian— he doesn't trust easily, and you broke that trust. It'll take years to gain that trust back, if ever."
  "I don't have years." She says, "I'll be back with my brother soon."
  "Going to go back to being Miss Siren?"
"Nico is the only family I have, of course I'm going back." She says matter of factly.
  "You could've had a new family." I tell her as I hop off the barrel.
  "Not no more." She answers. And the despair in her voice almost breaks me.
  I turn my face away from her as I am reminded of what she's done and leave the brig. She's brought this onto herself, she chose this path. Her and her brother chose to lead this kind of life and if she doesn't want to change than I can't force her to.

  The sky continues to darken throughout the day and all hands are needed on deck at all times. Captain Dax even has me come atop at times to help out here and there, trusting me now to have enough experience that I won't fall overboard.
Everyone is drenched to the core, but we keep moving and keep busy, keeping our blood pumping and our bodies warm. The skirt of my dress clings to my legs but I can't change into my trousers just yet because they're still drying and I'll need them when it's time to fight.
I stand at the back of the poop deck and stare off into the direction we've come from, looking for the Widower. I squint my eyes and shield them from the onslaught of rain with my hand. I can see our purser clearly still following us, but still a few miles off and battling the squall themselves. But I squint my eyes even harder as my eyes focus on something else—another form. I can't quite tell, but it looks like another ship.
I turn on my heel and jog over to where Captain Dax stands making sure Ian keeps us on the right course as he controls the helm. I ask to borrow his telescope and he hands it over.
"What's wrong?" Captain Dax asks me.
"I'm not sure yet." I answer, holding the telescope in my hand and making my way back towards the far stern, Captain Dax following me.
I place the telescope to my eye and locate the Widower, slowly moving my gaze from the pirate ship to the other form. And there, sure enough, is another ship. Larger than both the Moonlighter and the Widower, but clearly slower as it lags behind the steady-paced Widower. I scan the new ship for any sort of identification and when I find it, I have to lower the telescope from my face. I slowly hand it over to Captain Dax.
  "You have to see this." I say slowly, a pit growing in my stomach.
  Captain Dax raises the telescope to his own eye, searching for what I saw. Roman joins us on the poop deck and is asking Captain Dax something but stops when he sees my expression.
  "What's wrong?" Roman asks, standing by my side.
"Hell's teeth." Captain Dax hisses in response, lowering the telescope. I slide my hand into Roman's as Captain turns to looks at us. "They've joined forces with the Night's Scream."
I had recognized the pirate ship right away from the rumors and gossip I'd heard while in Layshmen, there was no mistaking the ship with such a disturbing figurehead: a skeleton, bones painted black, stretching out from the bow of the ship with a lantern in hand and a gold handled dagger clutched against his chest in the other hand. A lopsided golden crown resting against his fleshless brow and a permanent malicious grin covering his face. The most disturbing part is that there's no legs, only the torso that seems to morph from the ship like some sort of ghost searching for his next victim with his lantern.
"What do we do, Captain?" Roman asks.
"We prepare." He answers, "We have a plan in place, we'll just have to change it enough to accommodate two ships."
"You sure Captain Cutler will still help us even with the chance of getting mixed up with the Night's Scream?" Roman asks.
"She'll help us, her word is worth more than most pirates." Captain Dax says matter of factly, and might I add, a bit defensively.
He tucks his telescope into his belt and walks off, I presume to inform the rest of the crew of what's to come.
  "I kind of wish we'd kept up with your fighting lessons now." Roman comments, trying to lighten the mood, but I can see the fear settling across his features.
  I move my other hand to wrap it around his bicep as our other hands stay entwined between us, so we're standing closer. "Actually, Captain Dax took up my fighting lessons." I tell him, "And as it turns out: I'm pretty handy with a trident."
  "A trident? Really?" He asks, "We never tried a trident..."
  Shortly after our conversation, we're ordered back to work. But Roman and I combine our duties so we're near each other for the rest of the day, both of us reluctant to leave one another's side. We talk of home, of everything he's missed. We talk of the future, of everything we'll do when this is over. But we never talk of what tomorrow we'll bring, of what our chances are of winning. We avoid that conversation, because like what my mother always quotes to me from the Bible: "Tomorrow will worry about itself".