The Wandering Knave of the Seven Seas: The Voyage of Neptune's Mermaids

Chapter Seven: Adventure Awaits

CHAPTER SEVEN

Darkness enveloped the entirety of the cabin, save for a tinted light glistening in from the stained windows, allowing the image of a beheaded serpent to take form. An eerie silence engulfed the rather large room, making it seem larger still. The bareness of the cabin did not provide much to distract myself with as the boarded ground underneath me rocked, slowly and hesitantly, as if afraid to speed up and yet wanting to pursue it anyway.

I was aware of where my hands were bound together, tied tightly around my wrist with a thick piece of rope that twisted into a knot at its end. I pulled against my binds and hissed through my teeth when the rope whipped angrily across my skin. I attempted to shift my weight, but I had sunk into the too-soft cushions underneath me. Sitting this way was starting to ache, and my muscles, tensed with adrenaline and nerves, were screaming. I cast a frantic glance around me again, knowing that it would be futile anyway, and uttered a resigned sigh when I was yet to come up with anything new.

Defeated, I leant back against the wall, my head up against the harsh and unpolished wood. Naturally, I levelled my attention at the serpent, its twisted form folding itself at its end. As the cabin moved, so did the serpent, making it seem as if it really were gliding through the air. Bitterly, I thought of Elijah. He would have loved the beautiful image of the serpent, and the bright colours it cast when the water below was caught in its picture. Thinking of Elijah hurt—he was my last link to my family and now he was gone too.

There was a sudden sound of footsteps approaching the dark cabin. I sat up so suddenly I felt my stomach lurch. I snapped my head towards the door, or what I suspected had been the door, and watched with my eyes narrowed, listening intently to the sound of the footfalls. Finally, the sounds stopped, and there was a deep chuckle, not unlike the one I heard as I was falling unconscious. I froze, waiting for the door to snap open and reveal my captor; a strange sense of anticipation settled in my stomach.

However, it did not reveal my captor. Rather, it was my saviour.

I didn’t know how I did it, but I snapped to my feet. The sudden movement caught my off guard, and I felt myself tumble back down, but I did not land back onto the cushions, but rather hit the side of the board on my way down. A sharp pain shot through my leg. The man did not approach me, and for that I felt almost disappointed.

Slowly, I glanced upwards. First, I saw his shoes, so polished and clean it was unlike that of a Pirate; it was as if I were looking upon an angel fish in a shark tank. Next were his trousers, its creases bulging around the muscle of his leg. Next was his shirt, which, finally, revealed the harsh Pirate beneath. The shirt was dirty and unkempt, only some of it tucked in. I let my eyes linger on where his chest was revealed by the broken buttons and studied the gold coin strung around his neck. Then, I raised my eyes to his.

His eyes were a darker shade then I remembered, and in them I saw reflected the beheaded serpent. He had allowed himself to become unkempt. It had only been a few days—hours even?—I knew, and yet he already seemed so very different. He was a Pirate.

“What a surprise, Mr Cahir.”

William let a sly smile slip onto his thin lips, and the ragged look about him made the small smile seem almost like a snarl. I leant back onto my heels and watched him, both startled and anxious. He was to make the first move, and I would react to it as I knew how.