The Queen of the Waves

18: Blood under Nails

Mara's body burned as the tears streamed down her face, Bas had left her on his bed while he dealt with the remnants of the failed mutiny even though his heart told him he shouldn't.

Mara sat on the edge of the bed and bit at her nails. The grief, her secrets, everything was eating her from the inside out. All she wanted was bloodlust, she had let her demon taste blood again, but it wasn't sated yet.

Ciaran was still alive, bleeding but breathing and Mara wanted him to suffer, as she was suffering.

Bored of sitting on the bed, she stood up and strode over to the door. She paused outside, her ear pressed up against the wood for a moment. There were two guards outside, she could hear their breathing.

Swallowing, she opened the door. The first guard opened his mouth to protest but he was on the floor unconscious before the sound could echo around the hall. Mara flew to the next and he too was falling to the floor before she even had to think, muscle memory was a bitch.

Ciaran, she had to find him. Knowing Bas as she did, he would be in the cells but guarded properly this time. Mara hoped she had killed all the dissenters but truthfully, distrust was a disease that was hard to stem.

Bas sat before his men, his hands in his lap, he leg jigging as he spoke. None of the living men knew anything about that plan, and Bas trusted them. On a small ship, trust was all there was.

"There will be a wake for our Captain tomorrow, until then duties will return to normal. I realise this is a difficult time for us all, but this is a ship and things must continue efficiently."

Taking a deep breath, he stood and nodded his head at the men who were looking up at him with pale, startled eyes. Losing a captain, losing their captain, was a shock that no one saw coming. They had underestimated Ciaran's power and it had cost them all deeply.

As Bas walked from the galley of the ship, he turned one last time to speak.

"I thank you all for your loyalty."

"What about the traitor? We should kill him!" An unknown voice shouted from somewhere among the men, seconds later the clamour started from all the men. They all wanted to watch Ciaran's execution.

"Enough!" Bastian called over the din of the shouting, "Ciaran will be executed, but after our captain's funeral."

The men fell silent and nodded their heads solemnly, only one thing could calm them away from the execution right now, and that was the respect and honour of their leader.

Bas left the room with the silence hanging over his head. He would have to execute Ciaran, but right now his thoughts were on those he cared for, Bayen and Mara.

"Are you ok, Captain?" The doctor asked softly as they walked through the ship together, at first Bas didn't respond to the title, he was still listening for Bayen. It was when he realised that he was now the captain that another rush of guilt and remorse slammed into him.

"Yes, I'm ok-" Bas trailed off as a sliver of brown curls darted past out of the corner of his eye and he let out a curse.

Mara slunk through the ship, hiding in the shadows, invisible apart from the glint of metal in her palm and the glimmer in her eyes. Ciaran was prey, and she was the huntress.

For years, Mara had been forced into hiding in Zauros, Ciaran was the perfect fool to blend in with. Admittedly, she underestimated him, but not by much.

"Mara," Bas called out as she began the descent down to the third level of the ship, "Mara stop!"

She whirled around, a hiss of warning in her throat. She was wild and untamed, to get revenge she would go through anyone.