Siren's Kiss

65: The Stench of Treachery Part Three

"Shouldn't we be doin' somethin'?"

"Aye? An' what exactly do ye suggest we do?"

"I don't know. Anythin'!"

The exchange between first mate Tobias and quartermaster Declan broke the stillness that had settled over the rest of the Crimson Corsair crew. They were waiting alongside the crew of the Ladyqueen in Eldoria, a floating island where the Amazons thrived. Their captains had left hours ago, and the silence since then was unnerving. No one knew what was happening beyond the island.

But Amazon Queen Althea did.

She gazed out past the shore, into the expanse of the calm sea, sensing that the stillness carried something far more dangerous beneath.

"Something's wrong."

"Eh?" Eli, the carpenter, looked up from the lumber he'd been working on. He and Rem had found good materials around the island to repair their ship, the Scarlet Tempest. Rather than just waiting around, the skeleton crew decided it would be more productive to make the repairs. Their initiative inspired the crew of the Ladyqueen to follow suit. In the short time they had been on the island, the Crimson Corsair and Ladyqueen pirates had become fast friends.

"Is a storm comin'?" Toby asked, cautious not to upset the Amazons, especially since this woman was their captain's mother.

"There's something under the sea..." Althea murmured.

The crew exchanged glances, noticing a fleeting moment where the Amazon Queen seemed older than she appeared. Though Althea maintained a youthful appearance, it was only because, upon taking the throne, she had bound herself to the island, remaining immortal as long as she held her position. In reality, she had lived far longer than either Garrick Stormare or Aurelius Stormwarden.

No matter how long Althea had lived, the ocean remained an elusive and dangerous frontier for her kind. She had never understood the pirates' obsession with it. When Garrick was still by her side, he often said the ocean was the foundation of all life. Even their world was named after it—the Seven Seas. Their creator, Nerevarus, was the god of the sea and rain. The ocean was vast, teeming with mysterious and diverse creatures, with currents and natural forces that shaped their world.

To Althea, and to those who dwelled on land, the ocean was treacherous, a place that harbored secrets better left undisturbed. At night, the darkness on the water was suffocating, as if the lux count dropped into the negatives, the blackness thick like sludge barely held back by even the strongest lights.

If someone vanished into its depths, they were never heard from again. And things disappeared into the ocean constantly—keys, ships, entire cities, and, most often, people. If anyone knew what truly lay at the bottom of the sea, it would be the creator himself, Nerevarus. Althea had always believed the ocean was an extension of his realm in oblivion, his domain to command as he pleased.

But the same could be said of his twin brother, Lexios.

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The trek down the Thousand Steps was smoother than they had expected, almost as if whatever curse had caused the Lost Isle to be forgotten had lifted with the Leviathan's demise. Drake's crew—Jo, Ori, Gus, Vic, and Griff—were eager to reunite with the rest of the Crimson Corsairs, excited to rejoin their brothers. They knew their journey wasn't over yet. But after surviving countless dangers with their captain, from the escape at the military base camp to their current trials, they had learned to live with the ever-present threats that shadowed their every move.

Drake had hardly left Ciel's side since discovering the omega prince was carrying his child. His protective instincts had kicked into overdrive, often forgetting that Ciel's spirit was the Azure Kraken—a creature known for sinking ships and disturbing the seas when out of control.