Song of the Mermaids

Fog rolled through the cavern, bringing a chill to race down my spine as I looked around the well lit area. Even being inside of this rock helped very little. The ground was hard and uneven. The walls were spikey and enclosed around us, as if to trap us.

I didn't like it nor did I like the feeling that it brought being here.

It was different from the softness of the moving island and different from the feel of being in cities or even towns. This was a different type of land than what I had heard of as well. Could it even be considered land?

There wasn't a drop of soil to be seen, just rock with splashes of color. Blue, orange, purple.

I stood on the left side of the chair Captain Velwyn st in, as the other captains found their own places. More were still arriving, everyone getting here at different times. Some had even arrived before us and were seated at the table for who knew how long.

On the right side of Captain Velwyn stood Meldmldoc. The others who had came were in a different part of Hope Coove, exploring the city built in stone, as they were unneeded here. It seemed that each captain could only have two of their crew with them, and for odds that continued to be against me, he decided I needed to be in eye sight.

Anyone who hadn't been able to join us in the boat, which only fit six of us, stayed in the ship. Including Saul, whose job it seemed was to make sure none of the others in our crew turned their back on Captain Velwyn and tried to steal his ship.

Something I doubted any would have dared to do.

After he had been able to get us away from Scarlet, it seemed the crew remembered whatever they had seen before I joined. Their loyalty lied in the captain who hardly ever did his job.

I knew only a few of the other pirate captains that rested at the table. Their silence is thicker and deadlier than anything else in the room. Just from the feel of it, if one made a wrong move, one would strike out like a snake.

Running my tongue along my teeth, I looked over them.

Don Gibert sat, leaning back in his chair. The scar on his throat was a glaring reminder to whoever had done it. I still had the itch to learn just how he had gotten it. Had it come from someone trying to take his head? A hanging gone wrong? Something daring?

Next to him was a woman with a face that had been scarred. A long thin line cut from her right eye and to her throat and as our eyes met, I could see that one was a milky white. A shiver passed through me as I looked away.

It seemed few of the pirates here didn't have some type of signature feature that lined their bodies. Another captain had a missing arm, from the elbow down. Each had stories of fights that seemed to have been nearly deadly yet they had managed to survive.

Captain Velwyn and three others, out of the twenty odd captains there, didn't bear any visible scars. As the twenty-second captain entered, the sound of a door closing echoed. I looked to the long and narrow path that we had walk down, knowing that there had been a door on it.

Was someone locking us in?

The captain of the crew we came with stood. Henry Jennings. He gave off strength and his presence demanded silence. He had reddish-brown hair that had been tied back into a bun.

"Let us begin the first meeting of the great twenty-two pirates." His words wrapped around the room, even as he was on the opposite side of the large table. "The meeting was called because we need a change in this world. It is now our job to bring this change."

"What type of change is that?" A captain demanded. "I only came at the idea of meeting some of these great pirates I see on wanted posters."

She appeared to be a newer captain. I couldn't remember if I had ever seen her poster but I knew I didn't know her crew.

"Who are you?" He didn't turn to acknowledge her, even as he asked his question.

"Sayyida al Hurra."

Henry turned his head at last to look at the woman. "You're young for a pirate captain."

Her face flushed red. "There is no age limit when it comes to that. I will do whatever it takes to protect my people."

He nodded. "We're all here to decide on rules that pirates will follow. Twenty-two is the power it will take to make a dream into reality. Twenty-two captains is what it calls for if we want these changes in place, but," he looked away from her and to what appeared to be each of the captains. "If you plan to betray anyone here or to destroy the alliance that will form, leave now."

"If we don't?" Captain Velwyn asked.

"If you stay but still betray this alliance, a real pirate war will happen."

I could picture the grin on Captain Velwyn's face as he spoke up. "Sounds fun."

Unlike with the woman, Henry didn't look at Captain Velwyn. Maybe the days that they had spent together was enough to warn him not to give Captain Velwyn encouragement or maybe it was a different reason.

"Are you saying that we won't be able to fight each other?" The question came from a different captain.

"No," Henry answered. "I'm saying that you will have to be careful. Fight each other. Try to sink the other ship for all I care. What comes as betrayal is turning another captain into any of the governments that seek to take away what we have and to control us."

"So, we can backstab the other, wage wars, kill the captain and ransck their crew, but we can't turn them into a government?" Captain Velwyn inquired.

"Yes."

I heard his hands as he let them fall on the table. "I'm all for that, but not all of us are like you, Jennings. Some of us have values that are nothing like yours. My crew had their own look on what a pirate is and they see themselves beyond murderers who do nothing but cause chaos on these seas we live. If we're here only to establish rules that will turn us into the very thing that many saylors are trying to achieve through the word of mouth, we will leave."

Captain Velwyn's words brought a surprise to me as I didn't expect to hear something of the sort leave him. I didn't know what these values that the others in the crew held for what they considered a pirate was. Bondi had once mentioned that Henry Jennings was what gave us a bad name, but was that all there were two it.

Just because one had the same title, does that mean that the rest of us should be tainted with their actions? Did pirates really try to see themselves differently? I knew not all of them wanted trouble. Some just wanted to be free.

I have to say that even after all this time, I might still not know what it meant to be a pirate.

"What things should we aim for then, Macrina?" Henry inquired. "We are pirates."

Captain Velwyn stood up. "Few get away with calling me by that name and you are not one of them," he said.

I glanced towards Meldmldoc, only to receive a nod. I didn't know what it meant but I had an underlying feeling that we would be fighting here soon.

"You're still a boy. Do you think you can take me?"

"You should be retired, yet you think you can stand before us all and decide on things and that we will, what? Go merrily along because of your bounty? My own crew has those with a bounty much higher than yours."

I was hoping that Captain Velwyn wasn't planning to share names. I still hadn't had the time to figure out how a bounty could be so high when it came to me. I might've killed, but others on posters had done much worse than me to warrant it.

"Yours is the only crew with a high bounty," Don Gibert said as he stood. "This meeting will not be run by only one of us."

"Oh, so you've seen the bounties?" An emotion I couldn't place a finger on laced Captain Velwyn's question.

"Yes."

My eyes went to the other captain, feeling his eyes on me. Here I had been hoping my posters were only in one city. It could have been easier to take care of if that had been the case.

"If you have so much to say, then speak your peace," Henry said. "Both of you."

"Let's first decide on the King of Pirates," Captain Velwyn threw out. "Then, we can decide on the rules if you insist on some being put into place."

"Does everyone else wish to do that?"

Those who had spoken up and those who had been watching, no doubt wondering what was going to happen and maybe even hoping for blood to spill, nodded. I looked at them, before back at Captain Velwyn who stayed standing.

"What's your plan now, Jennings?"

"Nominate someone here among you. Yourself or another captain."

Around the table it went. Most of the captains didn't nominate themselves, but a different captain. Four had nominated Sadie, pirate captain of the all women crew, Harpies. Something I had only learned through the votes.

She stood, the woman with the one milky eye. Though when it came her turn to nominate herself or someone else, she picked a different pirate.

Captain Velwyn's own name was brought up six times. How he could have it so far and to so many of the other captains, it was a wonderment. Though he had also nomationed himself, something I expected from my own captain.

Still, he had gotten a shocking surprise when Don Gibret's own name was said nine times. The one with the highest amount and the one who was clearly going to become the Pirate King. From the mumbles that escaped Captain Velwyn and how bitter it sounded, it seemed like he didn't expect another pirate to be named.

The last three votes had gone to Henry himself. His name was said the least and he had even nominated himself. It seemed he had thought he should be it as well.

But what exactly did becoming the Pirate King en tale?

A large scroll was passed to each captain, allowing them to sign it. Words were written on it, no doubt discussing the meeting though what else, I couldn't make out. Red ink and a quill was passed with the paper, for the captains to use it.

Everyone settled themselves back into their seats, except for Don Gibert. He stood, a man who few would think about crossing. Though I wondered if he would now share the story about the scar on his neck when I got the chance to ask.

"I don't know what Pirate King entitles but I'm not going to rule over anyone here. You are all as free as you were the day you decided to become a pirate." His eyes swept across the room, from each person it seemed. "I expect for many of you to come for my head so a new one can be put into place." I could have sworn his eyes lingered on Captain Velwyn as he said that. "And for many of you to try and join my crew in hopes of protection. Neither, of which, I will allow."

The captains in the room shifted, the air changing. Some seemed to want his blood on their hands, while others' motivations stayed hidden.

"This new title doesn't give me anymore power than it does to anyone here. We came together as twenty-two captains who want change and it is this change that we will create, but we will do it together, not as one individual."

A hand tapped me, my eyes dropping to see Captain Velwyn who turned his head towards me. "Check the weather outside and see if you can spot any of the other crew. We want word of this to hurry out."

I nodded, though I didn't get why he wanted me to do this. I was sure that he wouldn't have made a move as things didn't seem to have gone the way he had wanted them. He had not been given the title.

Looking at Meldmldoc, I turned and headed out. Don Gibert continued, acting as if no one was leaving, and that was the case. No captain who needed to be there was leaving. Just one lone person.

The tunnel seemed smaller than it had when I first walked through it. The sharp rocks glaring out, waiting for me to hit them. The path was still long, taking me plenty of minutes to reach the end.

My eyes fell onto the door that must have closed with a bang if we had been able to hear it. There was a handle and no guard, though I didn't expect one to be there.

Pulling it open, night greeted me. The moon was reflecting off of the large spikes of rocks sticking high of the bold waters below. They were wide and even from here, thanks to the lights, you could make out the windows and doors that had been built into them.

Not all of them had a door like this one or even curtains to place.

The ledges were thin and I could see a few people having to be extra careful not to fall. There was barely enough room for two to walk close together and I couldn't imagine what they would do if they ran into someone going the opposite way.

A few bridges had been built to connect one large rock to another, with rock stairs covered out on some of them. The stairs lead down from the water, to help those who slipped and fell.

It took me an hour of carefully moving around to find the others and do what had been requested. Though I doubted Captain Velwyn expected me to be gone for so long. Adding another twenty minutes, I was finally able to make it back to the cave that would lead me to see just how far the pirates had made it on their rules.

Not wanting to be encircled once again, I stared out at the darkness. Fog seemed to be rising and the sky grew only darker. Like the first time I had seen the sea beast. Black, like an abyss waiting.

Soft chimes hit the air and as I stared at the waters, even if I knew it was pointless as I wouldn't be able to see a ship coming, I started to see a glow. Something was glowing out there, not like stars in the sky or lanterns that had been misplaced.

This seemed different almost.

A soft singing floated through the air, drifting around the rocks. The sound drew others out, as my eyes fell upon those standing on the ledges on the other rocks. I couldn't make out the words, but the voice sounded beautiful.

I had heard nothing like it before.

It drew me towards the water as the volume rose. The lights in the distance grew closer. Chimes echoed louder with the seconds.

With so many noises at once, it was easy to get lost in them. To listen to the voice that called out to one's soul. To want to reach out and help the pain that laces their voice.

Fingers snapping in front of my voice broke the spell. I turned, seeing someone I didn't know.

"Careful, or Davy Jones and his mermaids will take you."

The singing still had a pull and I wouldn't have minded listening to it. "What do you mean?"

"That light you see." I looked at the sea, seeing the strange lights in the black that surrounded us. It was too far away to be a place built into a rock. "That be the Ghost Ship of Davy Jones. He haunts these waters and comes out every night to claim any soul he can lure to him."

"He uses mermaids?"

"He uses whatever he can get his mitts on," the pirate answered. "It's best you return to where you came from if you don't wish to become lost in the abyss and become part of Davy Jones undead crew."

Even though I nodded, I struggled between listening to the song and entering the cavern behind me. I knew Captain Velwyn awaited there, though I doubted he expected his crew to have said anything. As they hadn't to me.

Mermaids had been a tale I knew as a kid. They were said to sneak in late at night into someone's house to take the kids that had been back. Act like a thief in the middle of the night. They're beauty were said to be in their voices and songs they sang, that could capture anyone one.

But mermaids had been no truer than Davy Jones. Yet, if this is what one sounded like, I would gladly become charmed by them. Just so I could escape from the thoughts that clouded my mind and to ease the pain in the voice I heard.

A hand rested on my shoulder, a voice I would have known no matter what came. "Live, Rach."

A tear slipped at the pain that engulfed me. George. I turned, as if I could see him really standing there but my eyes were only met with emptiness.

"As I said, be careful. Davy Jones lets all his ghosts out this night."

All his ghosts out? No, George was alive and well. He would have stayed in Carlisle with his bar. He had to be fine.

George wasn't a ghost and I had heard him speak those words plenty of times. My mind must just be pulling on old memories to keep me from listening to the enchanting songs.

"How are you able to be out then?"

"Because I've lived here for a long time."

A half scoff half laugh escaped me. I pushed the door open, glancing at the pirate. "Then the song doesn't bother you?"

Their eyes met mine. "It's my song you hear."

A shiver pass through me as they disappear. No, they stepped off the ledge. That could be the only thing that explained it. Ghosts, ones that my mind didn't try to trick me with, weren't real. They couldn't be real.

Returning to the cavern where the Captains were, I found a party waiting. I told Meldmldoc of the ship outside approaching. It couldn't be a ghost ship and if one ship could come so close to us, then it didn't make sense why our own couldn't have brought us to Hope Coove.

Captain Velwyn came with Meldmldoc, a coy smile on his lips.

"It's time we leave. We accomplished what we needed."

"And the ship?" Meldmldoc asked.

Our captain looked at the crowd of pirates drinking and gamblings. Laughing and looking as if they were about to fight. The tense atmosphere I had sensed before was gone.

This day made history in more than one ways. Never have I seen so many captains together and never had there been a pirate that was named king above all the others. I was sure once we returned to the ship, I would learn about the rules that had been changed and what this really meant for us all.

"We don't stand a chance against ghosts and I'm not that eager to meet Davy Jones in person just yet. We need to leave before he's drawn here."

And left we did, without another word to the others.