Siren's Kiss

36: Vainglorious Bastards

Confronted by the grim reality of their situation, the crew realized their stomachs were empty. Captain Hawk, who had nabbed a few delicacies along the way, still proclaimed his hunger.

"Do ye still want to eat?" Drake challenged Hawk. Purity and Rowan also looked at him for answers.

Hawk's grimace was a mixture of disgust and amusement. "Face it, if we don't eat, we'll be weak. And we need strength to fight off this whole army."

Drake glanced at the small group of soldiers placing food before them. What Hawk said was true. Without food or water, they would soon yield to death. He looked at his "boys," his beloved crew, trapped on this godforsaken island with him. This was merely the entrance to the Forgotten Isle, and he wondered what other horrors awaited them at the top of the thousand steps.

"Cap'n Hawk's right," Drake admitted. "We must eat to 'ave the strength to fight aft."

Vic, pale and on the verge of vomiting, grumbled, "Cap'n, I ain't eatin' our kind!"

Hawk replied, "No one knows if it's a pirate. It could be one of Commander Rowan's soldiers."

Both Drake and Rowan glowered at Hawk. "Stop foolin' around," Drake hissed. "We're not touchin' any o' the meat. Be ye daft? Don't look at any o' their roasted piles. If we're goin' to be gone, ye filthy dog o' 'ere, we need to keep our heads an' build our strength." He reached for the fruits and cheeses. "We need to eat somethin'. Let's prepare ourselves fer the fight."

Understanding the gravity of the situation and silently agreeing, they began reaching for the fruits, cheeses, and grilled vegetables. They tried to push aside the thought that they were being fattened for slaughter and ate like they had been starving for decades. They could only imagine what the "person" went through before meeting their grisly demise. Seeing the crew heartily devouring the food, the stalkers, led by their warden, left their gilded cage, grinning widely.

"I don't think these people understand our language," Captain Purity "Ladyqueen", mused. "We can probably take them down with our wits alone."

"Aye," Captain Drake agreed. "They don't understand our language, but they understand our strength, which be why they used blow darts against us. We must attack the warriors first. The ones who attacked us initially be probably the lesser defense force, meant to create chaos. They're too weak to resist Ciel's siren voice, which be why they was sent out first."

"But where do ye reckon they took the prince an' princess?" Purity asked. "This here be the first hamlet we've encountered since our climb. Who would've thought creatures dwelled in such a barren land o' ice an' snow?"

That was correct as well. Here and there, the ice and snow gave way to patches of permafrost, the ground hard and unyielding, covered in a thin layer of powdery snow. On the way to their cage, they spotted small, frozen streams and ponds scattered across the tundra, their surfaces perfectly mirroring the sky above and reflecting the cold yet stark beauty of their surroundings.

"I wonder if it's like with me mother," Drake pondered aloud. "She been stuck in Eldoria, like the rest o' the Amazon tribe an' the jackals, because they was born at the same time the gods gave birth to the island. Perhaps these stalkers be also trapped 'ere?"

"Be it as it may, it's interesting that they survived such harsh conditions," Rowan interjected. "I've fought stalkers in other lands of the Seven Seas, and I've never known them to have a liking for cold environments."

"Not to mention, they aren't even wearing any protection considering the temperature here," added Sage, a siren who didn't feel the chill of the atmosphere but shuddered at the thought. "Although I believe Captain Drake has a point. They must've been cursed to guard the entrance to the Lost Isle."