Siren's Kiss

25: The Templar's Gambit

Purity regretted her impulsive outburst, realizing she might have been too brash with her words, especially considering Coraline's reaction. Drake often criticized her lack of tact, and Hawk dismissed her as foolish whenever the opportunity arose. Glancing at the siren princess, who had fallen silent after their heated exchange, Purity cursed herself for not being more careful. How could she have known Coraline was adopted? Her different appearance from her parents and brother suddenly made sense, even down to the slight foreign tint of her skin. But Purity wasn't one to trust her own judgments when it came to such matters; she knew little about sirens and their world.

Drake had once shared a tale about encountering a siren unexpectedly, but neither Purity nor Hawk had believed him. Sirens were wary of templars but were more likely to engage in conversation with them than associate with pirates. Pirates were the outcasts of the land, chaos on the Seven Seas that few wished to engage with. It was ironic how the most powerful and skilled among them were treated as outsiders.

Lost in her thoughts, Purity was startled when Coraline suddenly stopped in the middle of the street, and they collided. Purity winced at the impact, rubbing her forehead. "What in the bloody moon ye doin'?" she exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot.

Coraline also winced, touching her back. "I should be asking you that! Why is your head as hard as a rock?"

" What did ye see? Why did we avast?"

Coraline pointed ahead to a small shop at the end of the path. As they approached, they saw a sign above the door that read, "Mervin's Marvels." Purity wrinkled her nose. " What kind o' devil's name be that?"

"Who cares about the name?" Coraline snapped. "It looks different from all the other shops."

"Aye, it looks like it be barely hangin' on in this here town. Well, what we standin' here fer? Let's get inside an' ask---"

"Wait!"

Purity looked at Coraline's hand gripping her arm and then at her determined expression. "What?"

"Please be cautious with your words," Coraline warned. "If my brother really came to this place, he wouldn't introduce himself as Prince Ciel, son of King Cyraeni."

"I know that! What do ye take me fer, a bilge rat? I'll stay in the background, an' ye can interrogate whoever's inside this here blasted shop."

Purity refrained from kicking the rickety door open on what could have been any other ordinary day. She didn't want trouble, just to get through the day. As expected, if the exterior was unimpressive, the interior was worse. Shelves lined with jars of questionable contents greeted them in the dimly lit room, lanterns and candles casting eerie shadows. Preserved creatures in containers of varying sizes added to the unsettling atmosphere, the stench making Purity gag as she hurried away towards the counter. There, an old man with a long white beard was arranging books.

"Excuse me, sir," Coraline began. "May I ask you a question? I'm looking for someone. Have you...perhaps encountered a visitor to the island seeking for a cure?"

Uninterested in their conversation, Purity continued to explore the shop, wrinkling her nose at every oddity she came across. The old man turned at Coraline's voice and smiled. Like when he had first met the siren prince and the infamous Captain Drake, his gaze left no doubt that he knew who she was.

"Ah, you've finally arrived," Mervin said. "I've been expecting you, princess."

At once, Captain Purity "Ladyqueen" drew her cutlass and aimed it at the shopkeeper's face. "How did ye know she's a princess?"

Mervin didn't flinch, even with the blade pointed at his chin. "Welcome, Captain Ladyqueen of the Black Swan."

Coraline and Purity exchanged surprised glances, taking in the scene before them. The elderly man, frail yet clearly a pirate from his mannerisms and attire, spoke with a prophetic air. His glazed eyes betrayed years spent in isolation, a hermit who likely held secrets of the universe.