Merciless Waters by Knowles Rae

Author:Knowles, Rae [Knowles, Rae]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Brigids Gate Press, LLC
Published: 2023-11-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

I race to Lucinda as quickly as my feet will carry me, paying no mind to befuddled looks from Dana and Tahi as I go. I burst through her door, self-conscious of my urgency when she meets me with a questioning glare.

“Captain, I must have your audience immediately.”

She sighs and spirals the paper she was reading into a scroll. “What can I do for you, Jaq? I see your prophesying has not ceased since last we spoke.”

My cheeks flush. “You must speak with Yinka. Our danger is more present than even I imagined.”

She scoffs. “You suggest I take counsel with poor young Yinka, who’s descended to madness?”

If her eyes were daggers, I’d be stabbed.

“She—she remembers. Before. ”

“I assume you mean the names everyone’s been murmuring on about, but I can assure you—”

“No. And apologies, ma’am, if I am too bold. But she remembers … another life. In great and vivid detail.”

Lucinda rises from her seat. “She’s told you as much?”

I shift my weight from foot to foot. “Well, in a manner of speaking, yes.”

“A manner of speaking?”

“She’s resorted to her mother tongue, so, yes, she spoke the words and Ambrose was kind enough to translate.”

“Ambrose!” Another scoff. “You would take the word of a snake?”

“It’s not just Yinka,” I plead. “I seem to remember too. Just before you rescued us.” My eyes search the cresting waves through her porthole window. “When Lily and I … in the sea.”

Lucinda takes me by the shoulders. “Jaq, it is not so unusual that you might recall glimmers of the time just before Scylla. But I see the worry in your face. You are my charge, as are your sisters. If danger creeps within our haven, I shall find it and snuff it out.”

My tongue searches for the shape of the right words but finds only a saline breeze.

“Now, get yourself to the deck and make haste, woman. We’ve nearly arrived, and we’ll need every sister to bring Scylla safely to anchor.”

Something inside screams at me to stay, to convince her to act quickly, but I lack the fortitude to do so. I shrink, nod my head. She hangs back while I corner the hallway and take the stairs to the deck. Green breaks the horizon. I squint and see the impossible—leaves. Leaves and branches of a cluster of trees amidst the endless sea. I follow their hefty boughs to their bases to find they root in the remnants of a half-sunken ship.

“Hit a reef.” There’s a hand on my shoulder, and I turn to see Tahi. “Must’ve been a reef, anyway.” Her eyes pass over the same otherworldly sight as my own. “What else could explain it?”

I shake my head, half hypnotized by the sight of it. “It’s so strange.”

Tahi steps away. “Will you be lifting the sails then?”

“Aye.” It’s a whisper.

Lucinda’s booming voice breaks the stillness in the air. “Bring her safely to anchor alongside. I must consult with my advisor. Certainly, much has been amiss as of late, and it’s my duty to ensure Scylla remains a refuge for us all.

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