Sea Of Treason, Pirate's Bluff #1

Repayment

Whitley

The look in Bluff's eyes is harsh. Angry. It causes a lump in my stomach. But I don't stop him as he uses the power I gave him to send gusts of wind through the ship, so hard it knocks three pirates over. 

They scramble to their feet, then run for cover. Only a few are even above board now, most were smart enough to hide as soon as the first rain fell. 

The sirens shrink from the weather, unused to what it feels like outside of the comfort of the sea. Their fear is subtle though. Awkward chuckles simmer through their rank. They know this comes from me. They believe they have control over me and therefore over Bluff. So they could make this stop at any moment. But they still feel a string of discomfort. That's the instinct they should be listening to. 

Bluff is still playing with the new power at his fingertips. Lightening strikes into open water at the wave of Bluff's hand, at least 500 feet from the ship. He stops to look at it, curiosity written in his eyes.

Then  loud laugh rumbles over the distant thunder and we all turn our heads towards a bearded pirate. The one who tried to force me to use my power. The pirate who tried to hurt me. I tilt my head as I consider him. 

"This is POWER!" he hollers through the rain. He laughs more, hysterical. 

He stomps up to me and I look him in the eye, my lip curls in disgust as he gently lifts a soaked bundle of blonde hair. "Send that strike of lightening into that man." Simon says, his shining with joy. Amusement. 

I follow his gaze to the man still cowering against the ship railing. My father. I blink several times as memories flood me. In many ways I do hate that man. And yet, I love him. A strange human emotion. Emotion I could shed if only I'd embrace my new life as a siren. 

I look down at my hand, shimmering as I twist it, iridescent webs between each finger. I shake it suddenly, not wanting to look any longer. Not wanting that to be me. 

"Don't touch her." a voice calls. My breath catches as we both turn to face Bluff. His hands are in fists, power still flowing off of him. 

If I lose my humanity, if I allow it to slip through my webbed fingers, I'd also lose him. 

"I will touch her in any. way. I. please."

Except in the ways the sirens have forbidden you, I want to say. The words don't come. 

"Have you met your lovely lass since we won? She's prettier this way, I think." Simon wraps an arm around my waste and my whole body goes rigid. I could kill him. Rip his head from his body right now. 

I search Bluff's face but he won't meet my eyes. He clenches his jaw and casts his eyes to the ground. Movement catches my attention around his closed fists. Little droplets of water spin around, gaining speed. 

Thunder crashes. Lightening strikes--a warning. 

Simon's eyes grow wide. 

Bluff's angry eyes turn towards him. "I told you, I'd kill you."

Simon takes a step back. Lightening strikes again with just a blink of Bluff's eyes, this time close enough to the ship to send a splash into the air. Several drops land onto the damp boards right in front of Simon's leather boots.

"Tell him to stop." he says with a shaking voice, without taking his eyes off of Bluff who steps closer. "Make him STOP!" he yells at me.

"No," I say calmly.

Now Simon turns to me, panicked eyes wide and grabs me by the arm. "I said make him stop. Now!"

"No," I say again with a smile. 

Lightning strikes the highest mast, sending a violent shake through the whole ship and sending Simon to the ground. The sirens hiss and squeal, finally giving in to their instinctual fear and leap off into the safety of the ocean, one by one. 

"You wanted to use her to get to me." Bluff says. "Well, you succeeded. I suspect just not in the way you'd planned."

Simon groans, pushing himself up off the ground. "No. That's not how this works."

Bluff smiles. "Let me show you how this works. As I destroy each and every one of you as repayment for what you stole from me."