Siren

The Siren's Call

---Orion's POV---

"Swimming lessons?" Cain verified, arching a brow as he leaned back in his seat. I nodded, eyes trained on the map where he had been busy calculating our route.

Pushing his seat back, he gave me his full attention with a slight smirk. "You are asking me permission... to give the crew... on a pirate ship... swimming lessons."

I scratched the back of my neck nervously, fills flaring in annoyance. "Well, when you put it like that."

Cain chuckled slightly, kicking his legs up with a smirk. "While I trust a select few of the crew with my life, you've seen first-hand how easy it is to be betrayed..."

Nodding, I knew exactly what Cain was referring to. After all, I did save him from becoming shark bait. Cain chuckled, tapping his knuckles on the table as he eyed me with amusement.

"Pirates that know how to swim usually take that secret with them to the grave." Cain explained slowly, eyes flicking towards the doorway, "If word got out to the crew that one of their own could swim, they'd most likely keelhaul the bastard before he could squeak."

I blinked in surprise, arms falling down. "Why? Is it just because of what you told me? How the crew can jump ship if they knew how to swim?"

Cain's gaze was warm and gentle as it flitted over my body. A chuckle escaping his lips. "Just? While I trust most of my men on this ship to do as told, there are many things that can influence their behavior."

"If a pirate knows how to swim, what stops them from slitting the captain's throat in the middle of the night and steal everyone's belongings?" Cain tapped his knuckles on the map spread out over the table, "What stops them from swimming to shore and betraying the existence of their pirate brethren?"

I... didn't think of that...

Cain smiled gently as he scribbled down some calculations, marking a spot on the map. "I know you have little to no experience with the true nature of pirates, especially since you've only seen us..."

His dark eyes flitted up, showing the chilling truth of his words, "Most pirates are vile men. They take what they want and give nothing back. Gold, jewelry, riches... women, children." He sneered, shaking his head.

"I've known a captain who was smuggling slaves once. When his crew spotted one of the local guard ships approaching, he found it no better than to discard his shipment so there wouldn't be evidence to be used against him."

Cain clicked his tongue against his teeth, scowling out the window. The hatred burned brightly within his gaze. "He had them all chained together and attached them to several chain cannonballs before tossing them overboard without a care."

My eyes widened as Cain didn't need to explain what happened. The weight of the cannon balls would've dragged the first person overboard and the rest would follow soon.

To die due to suffocation or worse, to still be conscious and be crushed by the pressure of the dark abyss below...

I shivered at the idea, rubbing over my arms as Cain continued, "He bragged about it in a tavern later on. How he managed to avoid detection but lost a shipment of twenty children and sixty capable men and women, all because the royal guard needed to check in on his vessel."

Cain placed a gentle hand on my arm, crouching down to look me in the eye. "There are men among pirates that are nothing more than devils in human skin. Morality is below them and the only thing they want is fortune, in whatever shape or form."

The silence in the room after his explanation was heavy, only interrupted with the chatter on the deck and the sloshing of waves outside.

I had heard stories over the years, warning that the locals would whisper to stay clear of pirates. But all the stories I had heard, I had taken with a grain of salt.