Page 38 of Unmoored

“Oh, he is,” Maki chuckled. “But he’s a great ally to the Talassi. In situations like these, we’re in need of someone like him.”

We swam in silence, the formation of our group making a diamond shape as we cut through the water. Maki and I were stationed in the back, and before long I noticed some larger, more abstract shapes appearing beside us.

“That’s the Naytes,” Maki said, his voice nearly a whisper.As they moved closer, I noticed the outlines of decaying wooden ships, almost translucent in the water as if they were appearing from another realm, flickering in and out of reality.

Apparitions of the crew were scattered across the decks, and many were missing limbs or chunks of skin and flesh. These people toed the line between death and life, though from the looks of it they were far closer to the former.

I caught the eye of one, who looked suspiciously similar to the captain who’d thrown me off my father’s ship. His eyes widened for a second when our gazes met, and he opened his mouth as if to yell something across the current.

Except he couldn’t, because he no longer had a tongue.

“That man has no tongue,” I whispered, tightening my grip around Maki’s body.

“Ah yes,” he murmured. “That’s part of Jogia’s conditions.”

“Oh,” I replied, once again at a loss for words as the reality of what lies beneath the surface of the ocean made me far more uncomfortable than I ever would have liked.

24

HAZEL

Two ships from The Nayte Brigand flanked our formation, and I could only imagine how terrifying we must have looked from above. The ships looked as if they were built from the salvaged remains of centuries' worth of oceanic debris, constructed from ships destined never to return from the sea. As they solidified around us, the diamond formation of the Talassi warriors never faltered, and soon the bottom of my father’s steamship came into view.

My heart thundered faster as we approached, and I thought of all the things I wished I could say to him. I wouldn’t have time for pleasantries, but the fear and hatred I felt for the man burned inside of me like a hot iron. I’d been beaten, tortured, captured, and forced into too many situations because of him, and I hoped by the end of this visit thatIwould plague his nightmares.

A low rumbling sound flowed through the water around us, and I realized the Talassi were starting to sing. The vibrations stilled the water, making the path ahead vibrantlyclear, and their collective voices grew into the most mesmerizing, haunting sound I’d ever heard in my life.

Maki had told me to shift as much as I possibly could prior to this part of the journey. If I stayed in my full human form, I’d be susceptible to their hypnosis. That thought alone was enough to give me nightmares, so I’d focused all my energy into shifting everything I’d learned so far. I leaned into Maki as we pressed forward, and soon we surfaced near the hull of my father’s ship.

A spark of strange energy coursed through my body as soon as air hit my face, followed by pelts of rain and the sound of thunder above.

“Is this you?” I whispered to Maki.

“Both of us,” he smiled softly. “It’s mostly me, but your anger is fueling the storms.”

I looked up at the sky in awe. Dark clouds swirled around each other, accented by lightning as sheets of rain poured over the steamship. Talassian magic didn’t make much sense to me, and I wasn’t sure it ever would, but it was beautiful nonetheless. And it gave me a sense of pride to know that I was useful, even in a small way.

The Nayte ships surfaced abruptly, rising from the sea as water sluiced down the battered sides of the boats. They flanked my father’s ship, tossing lines across the space in between as the Talassi latched onto the sides.

Between the storms raging, the ominous sound of the Talassi voices, and the violent shouts from the top deck of Lord Emerson’s ship, I was utterly terrified.

Men from the Nayte crew slipped along the ropes, crawling onto the steamship like insects. Within minutes, rope ladders were tossed over the sides, and Maki and Iwere climbing up the hull before I could catch my next breath. By the time we reached the railings, all of the Talassi had shifted, and The Nayte Brigand had rendered most of my father’s crew unconscious. Or they had succumbed to the hypnosis of the Talassi song.

My father, however, emerged from his quarters, breathing heavily with a scowl on his face as he watched ghastly apparitions overtaking his ship.

“I’ll make you all pay for this!” He shouted. He was clearly outnumbered, but that didn’t seem to scare him.

A hand grabbed my waist from behind, and I looked up to see Draya, his face twisted into the most intimidating expression I’d ever seen. We stepped in front of my father, who was still standing, though swaying from side to side, and I wondered if he would try to attack.

My question was answered as Maki and another Talassi warrior appeared behind him, tying him to a post beside us.

“What areyoudoing here?” He seethed, spittle flying out of his mouth as he recognized who I was.

“We tire of playing your games,” Draya responded.

“We?” He chuckled. “I don’t know how you ended up with this wench, but she’s been dead to me for years.”

“I sent you letters!” I said, the words flying out of my mouth before I could stop them. “I sent you so many letters from that horrible asylum! Month after month, and Iknowthey were mailed. You had to know I was alive! Or did you just not care?”