Ocean's Call

[ 01 ]

   Anna had always found herself drawn to the ocean. For as long as she could remember, the waves ebbed over her bare feet as she walked along the shoreline. She'd been drawn to the sea ever since she was a little girl, only to be dragged back to the safety of land by her parents.
   When she'd proudly announced that she was going to become a pirate, her family had simply laughed at her audacity when she'd shamelessly added that she would captain a ship and a crew.
   "You'll never be taken seriously, dear," her mother had always told her wearily. "No woman has ever been taken seriously as a captain, much less a pirate, of all things."
   But Anna was determined, and when the day had come she finally had a ship and a crew who regarded her with the highest amount of respect. Her parents had been in awe. Her determination had paid off.
   "What kind of pirate will you and your crew become, love?" Her father had asked when she'd returned with the papers that proved her captainship as well as the lease for their ship.
   "Don't worry, Papa," she'd replied sweetly, pressing her lips to his cheek. "We're going to give back to the poor. We'll only take from those who stole from us and return the spoils to whom they rightfully belong. The poor."
   That had been the promise she'd made to her parents before their untimely demise last summer.
   A demise that she'd had no choice but to watch helplessly as her parents were hung on the gallows as punishment for harbouring a pirate. The memory still clung to the backs of her eyelids, screaming for them desperately whenever she woke with a start and tears streamed down her freckled cheeks.
   The demise only made her even more determined to give back to the poor from those who had everything given to them on a silver platter. The rich snobs who kept everything to themselves selfishly while the poor gathered scraps from trash bins to feed their families.
   The rules were simple. Steal from the rich to give back to the poor, while keeping a small percentage of their spoils for themselves.
   However, greed was a virus that spread quickly and efficiently.
   The selfish needs of her crew were no longer being met by Anna's rules. They were overcome with greed, and the lust for treasure was no longer the objective. Power was, and no matter what she said, it always went in one ear and out the other. They called her selfish and soft-hearted for wanting to give away everything they'd worked so hard to steal. Anna certainly wasn't selfish, she never had been, to begin with.
   She came from a family who could hardly afford to feed themselves, but they were far from greedy or selfish. Anna had been taught that selflessness was a strong skill. Greed would get you nowhere in life. Her duty to her crew was to be neutral towards all, share the spoils amongst the crew and give the rest to the poor. Those were her rules. Selfish needs would get you nowhere in life, but lately, her crew was starting to show signs of greed for their spoils. Spending far more than necessary on selfish things like jewels and lavish broads that hardly lasted the night.
   Anna's had enough of their greed and selfish acts, and that was long before they took a trip to Siren's Cove. Now her crew was after the infamous Siren Crown, capable of bending a human's mind to comply with any demand. No matter how daunting or cruel.
   She'd heard about the crown many times before, the passing stories that haunted the pubs and wayward sailors desperate for power and nothing more. She had no interest in a crown that didn't belong to the humans, another one of her rules. Don't get any other species involved. Their targets were rich humans and rich humans alone.
   Getting the Sirens involved would only lead to trouble, but her words just went in one ear and out the other regarding her crew. They had their hearts set on the crown, and she had no choice but to comply with their selfish needs, no matter how much she wanted to refuse.
   When she'd first hired her crew, they had been just as selfless as Anna was. Each had come from poor families that were hellbent on giving back to the people who had had everything stolen from them by the rich but taking from the rich wasn't enough anymore. Now they wanted power.

   Oceani Vocatio wasn't a big ship, but she was fast and well-armed to suit their needs. She had plenty of space for the small 8-man crew of both men and women, a galley with the finest cook this side of the Atlantic, a spot-on lookout tower and high sails that let the wind take them wherever.
   Anna's first mate had been her best friend since they were children, a woman by the name of Weaver who didn't take anyone's bullshit. She was quick-witted and sharp-tongued with a no-nonsense attitude to go with it, and the entire crew respected her just as much as they respected their captain. Of course, Anna couldn't hire her first mate without also including the woman's husband. The ship's cook, Thomas, or Tommy as he preferred, and he was the best cook on this side of the Atlantic. Not just according to his wife, but the entire crew could confirm it.
   Their lookout was rather complicated, Anna's first love and ex-husband, James. Of course, their relationship had ended amicably, but lately, he'd been parading around the ship like he owned it. Much to Anna's annoyance, and she was fairly certain he knew it too. He was covered in scars from his face to his ankles, scars from the years he'd served in the noble army before the sea had stolen his heart. Just like Anna once had all those years ago.
   Their navigator was just as self-righteous and equally reckless. Alain, or Al as he preferred. If anyone outside of the crew called him by his full name, a name that once held so much power and meaning to society would be beaten within an inch of their lives. Al came from a reasonably wealthy family, but his love for the sea had torn him away from their constant abuse of power.
   Their carpenter was a woman by the name of Holly, and while she may not be identical to her twin sister, Weaver, in appearance. They both sustained certain qualities in their personalities that served to remind the rest of the crew of their familial relations. Holly was sharp-witted and quick-tongued, gifted with the ability to bullshit her way out of any situation with a flirty little smile and a few words.
   The rest of the crew joked that she had to have been part siren for her gift.
   Their on-deck surgeon was another woman. Another of Anna's lifelong friends who'd grown tired of the land and dreamt of a life on the ocean. Irys was as beautiful as she was kind, with star-white hair and crystal blue eyes that matched the oceans they sailed. She was amazing at her craft, skilled not only with a needle and thread but just as skilled with a sword and dagger. One shouldn't mistake her kindness for a weakness, Irys could easily kill a man where he stood with a look if she truly wanted to.
   She was also the one who listened to the latest gossip in the pubs whenever they sailed ashore. She was friendly and gifted with the ability to get people talking about their deepest, darkest secrets.
   Finally, their master-at-arms was the final remaining male of the crew. Amos was an interesting man, with hawk-like yellow eyes he couldn't even begin to explain and a nasty temper to go with it. He was skilled with any weapon, having once been in the noble military before he followed James to the sea.

   Their trip to Siren's Cove wasn't easy, it was full of harsh and cloudy weather that made navigating the storms almost impossible. Not a single clear sky to help the crew find their way.
   "Seems the beasts know we're coming," Al had told Anna at the helm of Oceani, and she nodded, reaching to wipe the heavy rain from her brow.
   "Clearly," she replied bitterly. "What use is a bloody crown?"
   The blond had merely chuckled at the question, patting her shoulder. "Best you don't know, love."
   "I'm curious if the stories we've heard about this crown are true," Weaver chimed in from behind them, fixing her grip on one of the sail ropes. "Tie down that bloody rigger, ya useless arseholes!" She called over the heavy rain.
   "Right away, ma'am!" The rest of the crew called through the winds.
   "Whether they're stories or not," Anna continued with a huff, fixing her grip on the helm. "I doubt the crown will have any use to us humans."
   "That's the fun part, love," Al continued with a wicked grin, his single gold tooth glinting in the flash of lightning from the heavens. "The journey to secure it makes it all the more exciting."
   The captain waved him off with a huff. "Get to work, Al," she said bitterly. "Loosen the sails!" She called the rest of the crew.
   "But Captain—"
   "Oi!" The voice overhead barked, steadying himself on the tower overlooking the ship when Anna looked up ever so briefly. "You heard the woman! Loosen the bloody sails!"
   "Right away, sir!"
   Anna couldn't help but scoff under her breath at their audacity to listen to their lookout's words over her own.
   "Think of all the gold we could make if we sold the crown, Hopps!" Weaver squealed, fixing her grasp on the rope to her left.
   "I have no use for gold, Pads," the woman replied derisively. "We have plenty already."
   "And?!" The raven-haired woman exclaimed incredulously. "We have a shit ton of gold, that's bloody wonderful. But what about the power that comes with the right to brag about nicking the Siren's Crown?!"
   "I'm not here to brag about our escapades, Sprout!" She barked with a snarl. "We've never once bragged of our turmoil to return what rightfully belongs to the people." She added with a huff, turning to offer her first mate a side-eyed glare. "We have no use for the crown."
   "You may not have any use for it," the first mate scoffed, brushing soaked raven bangs from her emerald eyes to offer the woman a glare of her own. "But I, on the other hand, look forward to seeing if the rumours are true."
   "And what good are bloody rumours?" Anna asked incredulously. "We made a promise that we'd never steal from those who never did anything to deserve it. What have the sirens ever done to us to deserve this?"
   Weaver scoffed, meeting her gaze with a mocking laugh. "They're brutish creatures, Hopps. You've heard the stories of the ones who perished at sea from the sirens, yeah?"
   "Of course I have," the captain scoffed.
   "Then why are you so keen on protecting them?" The ravenette asked with a huff. "They're monsters, love. They kill without reason. They drag helpless sailors to the depths. Never to be seen again. How is that any different than those rich bastards who steal from the poor?"
   Anna shook her head with a sigh, reaching to fix her hat with one hand when a particularly strong wind blew right through them. "They've never done us any wrongdoing, love." She replied. "The crew, I mean," she clarified to her best friend's look of brief confusion. "I don't understand why you lot are so keen to nick from them."
   Her first mate shook her head with a sigh that was carried away by the wind. "I know you don't understand, love. But this is just as important to me as it is to them," the ravenette said, flicking her head towards the rest of the crew on the deck who were working tirelessly to keep the ship from toppling over.
   Anna shook her head with a knowing sigh. "You lot will surely regret this decision, love."
   Weaver only laughed in reply.