Siren's Kiss

31: Sugarcane and Its Yields Part Three

Captain Purity "Ladyqueen," her first mate Barny, the siren princess Coraline, and the siren historian Sage settled comfortably in the carriage, leaving the chaos behind for Captain Hawk to handle. As they sped through the throngs, heading towards the secret path that led to the Black Swan, Purity's pirate ship, Hawk used his sorcery to create an illusion, leading the templar soldiers astray.

Inside the carriage, Barny, Sage, and Coraline bound the still-unconscious templar commander's wrists and ankles. They knew he'd be furious once he woke up to find himself in such a state.

Purity, feeling utterly bored, spied a wicker hamper on the floor of the carriage. "Well, what have we here?" She lifted the lid, revealing bottles of wine, champagne, and a wide assortment of foods. "How considerate o' the regalia who owns this here carriage to provide us with a snack!" Starving and stressed out, she extracted a bottle of wine and grabbed a turkey leg.

Coraline gave her a disapproving look but couldn't resist the temptation to look around the interior. Truly, a carriage owned by one of the regalia wasn't only big and extravagant, it had the appeal of being magical, appearing wider inside. Like Purity, she spied a small ornate box. Opening it, she gasped---it was filled with gold coins and jewelry!

"We must return this wealth to whoever owns the carriage," she suggested.

Purity glanced at the treasure and grinned. "Trinkets fer the ladies." She took the liberty of pocketing some of the jewelry.

"Hey! Give it back---" Coraline hissed.

"Let's share, shall we, princess? We saved yer ass from gettin' caught by this tough dog. At least give us this fer payment!"

Coraline was exasperated. "You pirates travel the Seven Seas in search of a vast treasure, yet I never heard of any of you getting filthy rich. You still continue salvaging other ships for goods. What is it with your people and gold?"

Purity chuckled, taking a swig of wine. "It ain't just about the gold, lass. It's the thrill, the adventure, the freedom. Gold's just a part of it, a shiny reward that reminds us of the life we chose." She offered Coraline a piece of jewelry. "Take it. Consider it a token of our partnership."

Coraline sighed but accepted the trinket, knowing there was no arguing with pirates about their ways. She noticed that Sage was observing the unconscious commander with an unfathomable expression.

"What's on yer mind, mate?" Purity was the one who reacted, much to Coraline's surprise.

Sage looked at her. "Oh, nothing much. Just thinking about the trouble we've brought onto our ship now that we're dragging this commander with us! Can't we just let him go somewhere? This isn't part of the plan!"

Barny grunted. "We 'ave a plan?"

"No can do!" Hawk called from the driver's perch, his keen hearing picking up the conversation. "Have you seen the look on those templar guards? They won't stop chasing us. We need leverage to keep them at bay."

"Even if we can get the templar soldiers off our backs, we have the siren fleet to worry about. Ye think the siren king cares fer the commander o' the templars? We have his daughter, and his son's with Drake. He ain't givin' up the ordeal," Purity reminded him.

"Don't worry about my father," Coraline interrupted. "He won't make a move unless we've found Ciel."

Purity narrowed her gaze at the princess, recalling something. "May I ask ye something, Yer Highness?"

Coraline, still upset about the ornate box, rolled her eyes. "What?"

"That fine, powdery dust you used on the commander earlier," Purity said slowly, watching as the princess stiffened. "Where did ye get that?"