Tidal Vortex-Book One

Chapter Nineteen

Teal:

I wake up snugly tucked into a soft, fluffy bed. Noticing the bedding, I realize exactly where I am. I immediately relax, by taking deep breaths to calm my nerves. Relief settles over me with the realization that the battle is done. The ship is a lot noisier now, with sirens talking and a few sleeping on the other two beds nearby. Feeling extremely zapped of energy despite having just slept for a while, I stay laying where I am. Part of me wonders if everything at the warehouse really happened. It seems so surreal. All that water that had done my bidding and the way the trident had formed within my hands, as if it appeared from the water itself. Then it hits me: I killed human beings. I know they deserved it, and I was defending myself and others, but the act itself doesn't sit well with me. I almost feel as if my predator instinct, which I'm told is normal for a siren, is at war with my humanity. Almost as if there are two wolves within me fighting over a bone, and I don't know which one will win. I let my eyes roam over all the siren people. I realize these are my people, and I'm so happy to have been able to help rescue them. I'm only sorry that it wasn't sooner. The things these people have had to endure were beyond cruel. I was only there for less than a day, but it was enough to haunt my nightmares forever. I can only imagine that it will take years for them to overcome the trauma, if they ever do. Some sirens sit in human form, on the floor against the nanotech type of glass walls, while others stand. Many sirens are in different stages of dress, some are naked while others have a few dirty flimsy articles of clothing on. A few sirens sit up front with Connor, eager to see the first glimpse of home when it appears. The ship is stuffed with hardly any room to move, but there's no way in hell that we would have left anyone behind. Glancing out the one-way window, I'm stunned to realize we're floating on the water rather than below it. Suddenly loud banging noises rock the ship. Sitting up quickly, adrenaline shoots through my veins as I look through the crowd for Connor.

"Connor! What's happening?"

I can't see him through the crowd, but apparently, he can hear me yell.

"Technical issue with the ship, and we're being attacked by Nimrod!"

'Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!' Sounded as what appeared to be bullets ricochet off the sides of the ship. Outside, a familiar black inky supernatural smoke surrounds the ship. I stared at the smoke in horror. If it gets into the ship, it will kill anyone it touches instantly. Everyone huddles close as the ship takes more hits. Siren women and children whimper in fear, huddled close together. I hear an injured siren man's comment.

"I knew our escape was too good to be true!" One old withered siren man says.

"Connor, please tell me these walls are bullet proof. And is the ship fixable and if so, how long do you need?" I wring my hands in my lap, biting my lower lip. Looking out the window, I can now see the boat of men shooting at our ship. Five silhouettes outlining the bodies of men sit in the boat in the distance, bobbing on the waves.

"I need at least fifteen minutes, and well, the walls can take a beating, but if they hit the same spot a lot, we might find ourselves with a sinking ship. Everyone on board is injured, they aren't fit to fight." In the distance I can hear him banging on pipes, trying to fix the ship as he yells, answering my questions.

Getting up before I can change my mind, I walk to the exit hole in the middle of the ship. "Don't you dare argue with me, Connor. Stay here, focus on fixing this ship. That's an order! I will buy us some time."

"No! Teal, don't you dare! You can't!"

Ignoring his pleas coming from the front of the ship, I jump into the water. I hate playing the higher rank card, but these people need to get to safety. I'm their princess, but damn it to hell, there's no way I will sit here and do nothing! I transform quickly, fully ready to let the predator in me out to play. These men after us are killers. They deserve death. After all, how many of my kind have they killed? Something in me tells me the numbers would be too high to count. Especially if they took the serum they made, extending their lives by hundreds of years longer than the average human being making them into monsters. Time to lure some naughty sailors to their death!