The Siren's Curse

Six

                Jack Pov

"No way."

"Excuse me?"

I was taken aback by her answer, expecting her to cooperate so we'd let her go. Maybe I'd misheard her? Or maybe she was angry that we'd tested whether or not she could actually read it by switching the papers? Either way, the girl in front of me dropped the smile, features folded in anger and spitting fire with every word.

"Are you absolutely insane? You broke into my home and kidnapped me so I would READ YOU A POEM? Are you seriously telling me there is not a single person on this ship who could read, so you had to STEAL ONE INSTEAD? Why would you do that when you could just pick up a book and learn for yourself! I have patients to take care of, and you are WASTING MY TIME with this NONSENSE! Unless..."

I felt Dominic's cold gaze against my back, and knew my features must have folded into a similar expression. My eyes couldn't quite meet hers, though I studied her face as her thoughts visibly swirled between anger, confusion, thoughtfulness until she finally reached the right conclusion. Her deep blue eyes lit up with amusement, having realised exactly what kind of predicament we were in.

"You can't, can you?" She ventured, "There's no one else who can translate whatever language that was written in, is there?"

"No, there isn't."

It was Dom who answered, reading my frustration from across the room. She either didn't notice or didn't care, a small surprised laugh escaping through her lips.

"I hate to tell you this," Henri began, leaning back against the wall with her eyes closed as though she was still feeling a bit dizzy, "but I haven't the faintest idea why I can understand it myself, and I don't plan on telling either of you anything no matter what you do to me. It's not like I have anything to lose besides my life, and if we are being honest here, I don't much care for it anyways. Fate is a cruel mistress, and it seems you've gotten rather unlucky, gentlemen."

"What if we offered you something instead?"

"Excuse me?"

She opened her eyes slightly at my offer, but regarded me with scepticism.

"What do you want most, Henrietta?"

Her voice grew soft, face falling as her eyes lost focus.

"Sorry, but unless you have the power to raise the dead, you couldn't give it to me."

She'd obviously lost someone quite important to her. I wondered who it might be, for a moment, only to come back to the present with newfound impatience.

"Fine," I huffed, standing and turning swiftly to leave the cell, "don't forget that I tried to help you. A few weeks in the brig ought to be enough to make you more agreeable, don't you think? Dominic?"

"Yes, Captain?"

He locked the cell door behind me, frowning but not raising any complaints.

"Give the orders. No man aboard this ship is permitted to speak a single word to her, she will be given the bare minimum food and water, and there will be no leaving this cell until she is willing to cooperate."

"Yes, Captain."

Glancing behind me one last time, I watched as she took a deep breath, eyes closed like she was trying to fall asleep once more. The morning light bounced off of her near-white hair and pale skin, creating the illusion of a sort of halo that momentarily caught me off guard. Henri would have almost seemed peaceful, if not for the way her eyebrows were knit together in the post-drug induced discomfort I was sure still lingered. It appeared that this was going to come down to a battle of wills, and given that I'd already waited three whole years for this, I doubted a few more days would be much trouble.