"Jerky?" Romes asked.

She thrust out something brown and leathery. Jax looked up from his book. Blinked. He'd been reading about a reclusive scholar with a magical library, and to find himself suddenly on a ship with a pretty girl kneeling over him was, Jax felt, rather disorienting.

"What?" Jax asked.

Romes waggled the mysterious item. "I made it myself. Sweet honey and peppercorn."

Jax looked down at the jerky; it was the exact colour and texture of wrinkly skin that had been in the sun for too long. Still, he thought, it was clear that Romes was trying to smooth things over after the cave incident. This was an olive branch. A jerky branch.

He took the jerky. "Thanks."

Jax turned back to the book. Romes didn't move.

"Well?" she demanded.

Jax scanned a line. "Hmm?"

"Aren't you going to have some?"

"Oh." Jax swallowed. "I don't feel well." This wasn't entirely a lie; the stench of the jerky was turning his stomach. How in the seven burning hells did people eat this stuff for fun? "I'll try it later."

Romes shrugged. "Suit yourself."

She turned for the quarterdeck. Asa ignored her as she climbed the stairs, his eyes fixed on the horizon. Jax lay on his back. The sun was sinking in the sky; clouds belly-flopped on to the horizon, their underbellies tinged with a reddish glow. What day was it? Monday? Thursday? Jax had lost count.

It had been three days since they'd departed the Lair of the Lost. Jax had spent most of it secluded in his cabin, scribbling down stories and adventures. The work was turning into a book of short stories. He was tentatively calling it "Handsome Warrior Jaxon Bravely Takes On the Very Terrifying and Impossible Forces of Evil."

Heavy footsteps raced across the sky.

"A flutterpie!" Xander exclaimed, pointing at the sky. "Did anyone else catch that? It has the most magnificent red beak." He stretched on his toes, craning against the railing. "And it travels at speeds of up to 200 miles an hour."

"Blackwater?" Asa called.

Jax sat up. "Yeah?"

"Get your stupid pig off my steering wheel," Asa grunted.

Jax watched as Bibi pranced across the spokes, wiggling her little pink bum. She'd taken a liking to Asa, which was... unexpected. Asa seemed about as cuddly as a cheese grater. Then again, Jax thought, Bibi also liked eating mouldy banana peels and rolling around in sewage, so perhaps he shouldn't be surprised.

"She's not bothering anyone," Jax said.

Asa glared at the pegapiglet. "I'm going to turn you into bacon." He turned the wheel sharply. "You hear me?"

The boat jerked. Bibi squawked and jumped onto Asa's head. Asa looked murderous, swatting at her as he muttered something about his hair. Xander clutched his red bandana, his eyes fixed on the sky.

"There it is again!" Xander stabbed a finger at a passing cloud. "You can just see its outline. Magnificent."

"Look, Bird-Boy," Asa sighed. "I'm sure this is all fascinating—"

"Ornithologist," Xander said.

"What?"

"I'm an ornithologist." Xander's voice was mild. "It refers to a person that studies birds."

Asa cast his eyes upward. "I don't care what you are. If I have to listen to one more word about migration patterns or plumage patterns or goddamn faeces patterns, I will steer this ship into a cliff."

Xander frowned. "I don't see why you'd do that. We'd all surely die."

Asa muttered something that sounded suspiciously like ducking unbelievable. Romes gave him a wary look before retreating down the steps, sprawling out on the ship deck. Her white top slipped down, and Jax caught a glimpse of a fading yellow bruise before she yanked it back up. He frowned.

"What's that from?" Jax asked.

"What?"

He kept his voice low. "The bruise."

Romes held his gaze. Her eyes were the colour of bitter melon, so bright and green that you couldn't look away. "Someone asked me too many questions."

She set her knife on the ship deck. The polished metal threw off crimson sparks, glowing in the fading light.

"You know," Jax said, "you're kind of scary."

Romes tipped her face up. "Thank-you."

"Guys," Asa called.

There was an edge to his voice. Jax sat up. The sea was a shimmering blue hair ribbon; the water was narrowing, turning into a river that ran between two cliffs. Vines dangled down like curious snakes. Strangler Hands, Jax thought; the vines only grew in places with high concentrations of hemoglobin. Usually places of mass bloodshed, like battlefields and graveyards.

A terrible thought occurred to him.

No.

Surely not.

"What is it?" Jax asked.

Asa's shoulders were stiff. "This is it."

Jax and Romes exchanged a look. A shiver spider-walked down his spine.

"What do you mean?" Jax asked.

Asa's face was hard. "We're entering Siren Cove."

Romes seized her knife, scrambling to her feet. "You said we wouldn't reach it until tomorrow. You said—"

"I know what I said," Asa muttered.

She planted her hands on her hips. "Then why are we—?"

"Look," Asa said, "I've spent the last two years inside a cell the size of a pincushion." His grip on the wheel was tight. "My depth perception might be off."

Romes blew out a breath. "Shit. What do we do?"

"I don't know," Asa said.

She turned. "Xander?"

"Sirens are ambush predators," Xander said, climbing carefully down from the railing. "They capture prey by luring it towards them."

Romes tapped her knife against her leg. "And we're the prey?"

"All sentient creatures are prey," Xander said cheerfully. "But, yes, in this specific instance, we're the prey." He ducked to avoid a low-hanging branch. "Sirens typically won't attack a ship unless it directly threatens their welfare."

Jax looked at the narrow tunnel. A pulse began somewhere in the region of his throat and chest. "So we just... stay on the ship?"

"Theoretically," Xander said.

"What do you mean?"

Xander shrugged. "Sirens lure their prey using a complex series of vocal sounds. The sound reverberates through the ear canal in a way that's unique to each person."

"In other words," Romes said, "they sing to you."

Xander stabbed a finger. "Correct."

"Five minutes," Asa called.

The tunnel grew narrower. Jax glanced at the water; he could see shapes slithering below, darting in and out of the pink coral. Seaweed? Hair? It was impossible to tell from this distance. He wrenched his gaze away.

"Can we go below deck?" Romes asked.

Xander shook his head. "The sound will reach us there."

Romes glanced up. "What if we tie ourselves to the masts?"

"That could work," Xander said slowly. "Unfortunately, there will still be one person that isn't tied."

They all looked at each other. No volunteers. And Jax seriously doubted that Asa would be clamoring to sacrifice himself to a group of bloodthirsty nautical demons. They were out of options, Jax thought, his stomach plummeting. Unless...

An idea sparked.

"Wax!" Jax said.

Romes stared. "What?"

"There's candle wax in my room," Jax said. "I saw it when I was..." When he was trying to stash the salted pork that Xander gave him yesterday. But no need to mention that now. "Never mind. Doesn't matter. Could that work?"

Xander stroked his chin. "It could very well work."

"Two minutes," Asa called, his knuckles white on the wheel.

Romes grabbed his arm. "Let's go."

They raced below deck. Romes tore apart his room with savage determination, upending pillows and blankets, books and wooden crates. Jax opened a drawer, and then kicked his manuscript — "Handsome Warrior Jaxon Wins a Jousting Tournament and Impresses Princess Romes" — under the bed. Just for good measure.

"Aha!" Romes held up a lump of yellow wax triumphantly. "Here it is."

They raced back. Romes took the stairs to the quarterdeck two-at-a-time, shoving a lump of wax towards Asa. "Here. Take this."

Asa stared at it incredulously. "What on earth am I meant to do with this?"

"Shove it in your ears," Romes said.

"What?"

She pushed the wax closer. "Just do it!"

The ship was hurtling through the narrow tunnel. They were out of time, Jax realized. He hastily passed Xander some wax, and then jammed some in his ears. He clutched Bibi close to his chest; the pegapiglet's tiny heart was racing, beating rapidly like butterfly wings.

And then Jax saw them.

The sirens emerged from the waves, their blonde hair slick as seals. A dozen. No, twenty of them. They were beautiful, Jax thought, his chest aching, in the same way that deadly flowers were beautiful. Their mouths were open, but Jax heard nothing. Still, he knew what they were saying: Come to me. Come to me.

Nobody moved.

The ship was a silent ghost. They drifted along the narrow tunnel, green vines tangling in their sails. The sirens followed their progress, their tails flashing like coloured mirrors. Cobalt blue. Champagne pink. Daffodil yellow.

Bibi stirred.

Jax stroked her head, his gaze still fixed on the sirens. The fading light turned the sea to crimson fire. He could see the end of the tunnel. They were close, Jax thought, his heart pounding; so close to the open sea.

Bibi lurched.

Jax cried out. The pegapiglet scampered across the deck, her broken wing flapping. Too late, Xander's words came back to him: All sentient creatures are prey.

Cold fear gripped his heart.

"No!"

Jax lurched across the deck. He made a frantic grab for Bibi; the pegapiglet squirmed in his arms, wriggling and kicking. Something sharp pierced his hand, and Jax cried out. She'd bitten him, he realized, his heart racing; blood welled on his palm.

His hands were slick with sweat. He couldn't hold her for much longer.

Later, Jax would look back and wonder if what he did next was incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Perhaps it was both. But at the time, Jax didn't think: he merely took out his wax earplugs, and jammed them into Bibi's ears.

The world roared to life.

He could hear the roar of the wind. The slap of the waves against the wooden hull. And then it surrounded him: a haunting, beautiful melody. Jax half-closed his eyes; the gentle music wrapped around his limbs like velvet ribbons, softly tugging him forward. His limbs felt like warm butter.

Below, a young woman smiled. She had dark hair and green eyes, and her lips were red and full. She was also naked, Jax realized, a pulse pounding in his ears; he could see the curve of her chest peeking out from the water. A droplet slid down her throat.

This is wrong, Jax thought, but he couldn't bring himself to care. The entire world was turning hazy. Heat bloomed in his chest, and his desperate heart beat the same three words: I need her; I need her; I need her.

He put one leg on the railing.

"Jax," Romes screamed.

Jax smiled. Then he jumped into the sea.