Song of the Sea

Chapter 15- The End

My dreams are monstrous and filled with madness that night. At one point I dream that there are three old ladies sitting at the edge of my bed. They have a sewing machine propped up between them and have a basket full of gray thread. As I watch, they pull out a thread. It turns red in their hands and comes alive.
"Who are you," I try to ask. All that comes out is a garbled rasp.
"Oh, child. You don't know anything. We are the masters of your fate. And your fate? It's not happy." One of the women snickers. She turns to me and a feeling of terror pools in my stomach. Her eyes have sunk into the back of her head. Bloody stumps are where her teeth are supposed to be. I try to scream but something stops me.
"Are you dead?" I think. I have a feeling they can hear my thoughts.
"Yes. We died in war. You will soon join us." Another woman turns around.
"Is the battle over? Is everything peaceful?"
"My dear child." The last woman turns around. "Peace and war go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other."
"Please. Did anyone die?"
"I will not tell you that. You ask too much."
"I ask just enough."
"That you do. I see why she chose you." The women stand up and face me. "We bid you farewell. When you come to the other side, we will greet you. Don't be scared." They vanish.
I jolt up in a cold sweat. The covers are tangled around me. My heart pounds. I take deep breaths and I lay down again. The old ladies said something to me, but I can't remember what. I hope it's not too important. I sink back into the depths of sleep.
When I wake up again, I lay there a bit before opening my eyes. I hear someone breathing next to my head. The curtains are still shut, so I can't see what time it is. I stare up at the canopy, willing myself to move. I finally am able to lift my arm and groan. I hear a chair topple backwards and a face comes into view.
"Hey, angel," Aric says. "How are you doing?" I force myself to smile at him. His hair falls over his eyes, and his face is waxy. I grunt. "Are you hungry?" he asks. My stomach growls in response. He looks over his shoulder and Rachel comes into view. She's carrying a tray that has a steaming bowl of soup with a slice of bread on it. He sits me up and she places the tray on my lap.
"I'll help her," she says. "Please, get some rest. You won't do her any good by not sleeping." I look at him. He does look tired. I nod. He sighs in resignation and walks out. "Here." She spoons some liquid into my mouth. The broth hits my tongue and my stomach growls. It is the best I've ever had. I try to take the spoon from her but she pulls it away. "If you eat too much, you'll be sick." She spoons some more into my mouth. I cough.
"What happened," I whisper. Her mouth tightens.
"We won," she says. More broth enters my mouth. "Your father's dead and everyone is safe. You won't have to run anymore. You could stay with us. Anne is thinking about asking you and Aric to be a part of the crew." My heart soars. To be part of a crew! To sail the seas and do whatever I want. I nod. "Talk with Aric about it," she says. "He has something for you." She pulls the broth away and heads for the door. "Try to get some more sleep."
"I know what you feel for Jean," I say. She pauses.
"What?"
"I know you have feelings for her and she has feelings for you. You should tell her before it's too late. Take it from a girl who did lose the person she loves."
"You don't know what you're talking about," Rachel snaps. She slams the door behind her.
I lay back against the pillow. I remember the feeling I had when I was on The Sea Gypsy. I had never felt so free in my life. But what surprise did Aric have for me? I remember that promise I made to him to help him find his skin. It feels so long ago. A knock sounds on my door and Aric enters.
"I know she told me to sleep, but I want to be with you. Can I get you anything?" he says.
"Sing?" I ask.
"Of course," he says. He begins the lullaby he sang the night we spent together. As he sings, I am taken to a world full of magic. I wonder what it would be like to live there. If it was real. As I drift off, I think back to my life. What a whirlwind the last few weeks have been. But in the midst of it all, I met some very good people. A new family.
I wake up to silence. I try moving my body, and find it doesn't hurt anymore. I sit up and look around. Some clothes hang on a chair. I stand up and walk on wobbly legs over to them. I tug them on and notice how soft they are. The cloth brushes against my skin like angel wings. I run a brush through my hair a couple of times and walk out the door. Nobody is in the hall. I cross to Aric's room and find nobody there either. I walk down to the patio. The Savage Rose crew is seated around a table. They aren't talking, but rather look like they are sleeping. I walk closer and notice their slit throats. Red stains their clothes. I stumble back into a hard body. I turn around and see Aric. His skin is stitched together and his mouth is sewn shut. He holds a bloody knife in his hand. He lunges, and I fall backwards. I keep falling until I wake up in a cold sweat. I lift my arm and find my body doesn't hurt. The curtains are open and sunlight falls on the bed. I notice a bed at the end of mine. Jac is curled up on it. I poke her shoulder.
"Jac. Jac, I'm awake now." She groans. Her eyes slowly open. Her red hair is a tangled mess, and her makeup is smudged underneath one eye.
"Oh, good. I was beginning to think you wouldn't wake up. Come on, let's go eat breakfast." She lifts me up and walks out into the hall. We make it downstairs and into the dining room before she collapses. I am able to stand, and try to lift her up. Jean walks in and notices us.
"Oh! Jac!" She runs over and picks her up. "I've got her. Can you walk and get your own food?" I nod. Jean walks out with Jac slung over her shoulder. I grab a plate and pile it with fruit. I sit down and eat. Aric walks in. He doesn't notice me at first and starts making tea. I clear my throat.
"Mira! Angel, I didn't know you were awake." He comes over and gives me a kiss. "Feeling better?"
"Much." I scoot over and pat the seat next to me. "Come sit." He sits.
"What's up?"
"I heard that Anne wants to make us part of her crew," I say.
"Yeah. What do you think about it?"
"I think it sounds neat. I also heard you have a surprise for me."
His eyebrows flick up. "Oh? Who told you that?"
I pretend to lock my lips and throw away the key. "What is it?" I ask.
"Finish your breakfast, then I'll show you." He gets up and makes his tea.
"Where's Cai?" I ask. Aric stiffens.
"Ran off the moment we won. Nobody knows where he went."
I frown. "That's not like him at all." The sound of the tea maker fills the air. "I wonder where he went."
"Took his crew with him," Aric mutters.
"What?" I exclaim. "The ship too?" Aric nods. "Ugh!" I finish my fruit and get up. "Can I see the surprise now?"
"Right this way." He takes my hand and leads me out onto the street. As we walk, I notice that everything seems brighter. The people are laughing more than when my father was here. We pass the flower shop where we first met Jac. A boy is working there now, someone who looks very similar to her. I smile. We walk in silence for a bit before I break it.
"What happened while I was out? Besides Cai."
"Anne decided that she would make sure everything is back in order. So far, she's done a good job. She has burials for everyone who died, except your father. His body is rotting right where we left it. You've only been out three days, so no drastic changes. The crew began working on repairs to their ships and sending news out to other places. They asked me to tell you that they are all good and very eager to see you again. Apparently, some of the crimes they committed are being pardoned because of what they did. How amazing is that?" He glances at me. "Any more thought of joining their crew?"
"I'm still not sure. I want to see your surprise, then I'll decide."
"Oh, so you're going to judge my surprise on their surprise. Okay, I get you." He laughs and I push him.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"To the harbor."
I frown. "Wasn't it destroyed?"
"I told you, the crew has been repairing things. Pretty fast too." We near the docks. I can hear some sailors singing. Seagulls fly above. Several boats are docked. I see a brig that has a giant hole in it that is being repaired. Another is a man-o-war with the words Savage Rose painted on it. A girl swings from the rigging. At the very end is a galleon. It's hull is long and sleek and painted black with red railings. Aric steers me towards it.
"What is this?" I ask. He just smiles and leads me on deck.
"Close your eyes," he says. I oblige. I hear him walk across the deck. "Okay, open them on three. One, two, three!" I open them and am greeted by a sight. All my friends jump out from behind barrels and cannons.
"SURPRISE!" they yell. I laugh. I see all the Savage Rose, including Jean and Jac, Mr. Bob, Denarius, James, and Maria and someone I guess is her husband. I see the women from the shop I bought my dress from the day of the feast.
"Awww thank you guys," I say. "Best surprise ever. I love you all."
"So, what are you going to name it?" Teuta asks.
"Name... what?"
She rolls her eyes. "The ship, dummy. The ship is your surprise!" My mouth drops open.
"No way. This is amazing!"
"We all pitched in to pay for it, so you can't say no," Anne says. She embraces me. "You deserve this, Mira. Go have your own adventures without worrying about anything. All hail the Queen of the Sea."
I feel Aric stiffen beside me and remember he has no allegiance to humans. His Queen is the Queen of the Sea.
"No, I'm not the Queen of the Sea," I say. "The Selkie Queen is."
"Then you will be the Human Queen of the Sea," Anne says. I look at Aric but his face has gone even paler.
"That works," I say. I pull Aric into me. "So the Selkie Queen will be Queen of the Sea, and I am only the Human Queen of the Sea."
Jac comes and hugs me too. "You know, despite how stupid you are, you kind of grew on me. I'm going to miss you."
"I'll write to you guys. And we'll definitely have to meet up a couple times." I notice Rachel and Jean holding hands and smiling. "So, you guys finally confessed your feelings?" I ask. They blush.
"Thank you, Mira," Rachel says. "I took your advice. We are in your debt."
"No, no, no. No debts. This just made you two happy. No need to repay me." I think for a bit. "Actually, can you help me pick out a name for this ship?"
A week later, Aric and I board Neptune. We recruited a crew from around the island, and are beginning our first voyage. Our friends came to see us off. I wave to them as we sail out of the harbor. Aric comes up and hugs me.
"What will our first adventure be, my lady?" he asks. I stare across the sea. The sun rises and turns the sails orange and red and yellow. A pod of dolphins race in the ship's wake. I take a deep breath and breathe in the salty air.
"I seem to remember a certain promise I made to a boy who captured my heart," I say. I feel him smile. "Let's go find your skin." I lift my arms and feel the wind caress me. The sun warms my face. Neptune plows through the waves and Aric begins to sing in my ear. The same lullaby that he sang the other night.
The Song of the Sea.