Siren's Kiss

09: Rude Awakening

Ciel stared at the calm ocean as they set sail for their next destination. After Captain Drake had managed to convince Hawk King that he hadn't kidnapped the prince, using the weak alibi that he'd been hired to give the young noble a taste of adventure across the Seven Seas. Of course, Captain Hawk didn't accept this reason and even ridiculed it.

"You're babysitting?" said Drake, chuckling at the notion. "That's a first."

"Aye," Drake replied nonchalantly. "I admit, it's a brand-new experience for me. One that I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed. Now ye've had yer say, so off ye go."

The crew of the Crimson Corsairs got all excited and gathered around, looking forward to witnessing another walk in the plank. Only to realize that they hadn't set sail yet and the anchor was still down. Disappointments etched on their faces much to Ciel's amusement.

Hawk raised his hands higher, noting that Drake had no plans of removing his finger from the trigger. "All right, I leave. In case you changed your mind...Ladyqueen and I will be waiting."

"Ladyqueen, eh?"

"Aye. We'll give you a day or two to think about our offer. After that..." Hawk paused, and they silently stared at each other. He was trying to elicit a reaction from the other captain, but Drake remained blank, impossible to read. He knew his reason was a lie, a jest, but Drake was committed to the charade. It made Hawk intrigued. It was true that the prince wasn't bound or chained or even imprisoned like a typical captive. Prince Ciel could walk freely aboard the ship. But he could also tell that Drake was protective of him. He wondered how much Drake was paid to act as the young noble's bodyguard, and whether the king was involved. But no, that was impossible. If King Cyraeni was indeed tolerating his son's whims, there would be no need to recruit the Templar Knights. Clearly, there was more to the situation than met the eye.

"We both know that ye cannot scare me that way, mate," Drake was resolute in putting an end to their conversation. "Leave me ship. Now."

Still, with a grin on his face, Hawk gave his old friend and rival a half-salute before climbing down the ship. As the crew pulled the anchor and the ship stirred, Hawk stood on the dock, looking across the water toward the Scarlet Tempest, and smiled.

Thinking back at the scene, Ciel had mixed feelings about it. He didn't move even after seeing Drake from his peripheral vision approaching the side. There was a palpable silence between them. Drake picked up a coin from somewhere and flicked it into the water. They both watched as it skimmed across the surface, making two to three jumps before disappearing into the depths.

"That was the second time you betrayed your kin in my favor."

Drake was bewildered and didn't speak for a moment, and then he smiled faintly. "Nay, if yer talkin' 'bout the Ladyqueen, she was after me, not ye. She was barely aware that ye were there."

"You're wrong," Ciel argued back. "She knew I was there and she probably knows my identity too. Where do you think Captain Hawk got his information that I'm aboard this ship?"

Drake merely shrugged. "Hawk would find a way, with or without her assistance."

Ciel looked at him. "Is he really a Pirate? He doesn't share the same accent as the rest of your kind. Also, how did he know where you were?"

"Hawk was raised by magic folk----witches and sorcerers dabbling in black magic. When we're younger, Ladyqueen and meself made a blood pact with him. Since then, he can track our whereabouts using his magic."

"You never believed in such things, did you?" Ciel hazard a guess.

Drake scoffed. "Aye."

"You never believed in the existence of the Forbidden Isle either, but here we are."