Fear, alive and writhing, rippled through me—stealing my breath along with my cognition. Every thought became a screaming voice in my head that I couldn’t calm.
GET AWAY. SWIM AWAY.RUN.
The men dropped me into the water. My head banged on the wooden side of the boat, blasting stars across my vision, and the screams that filled my mind suddenly stopped.
They climbed in, their shapes blurry from under the waves. The leader raised his dagger, striking Kye in the back of the head with the hilt. He crumpled. Demyan heaved him into the boat, unconscious.
I began to molt, shedding my human skin. The senseless whirling edged away. My legs fused, spine elongating, ankles splayed—
Things blurred. My vision swam. Every few minutes, one of them lifted me above the surface so I could take frothy gulps of air before they let me fall again. A throb in my head expanded to a dull ache. Suddenly the world was too bright, and I closed my eyes for fear I would vomit.
Wave after wave slid over me until the tall side of a ship came into view.
A hand pulled me up through the surface, where they lifted my limp body into their little boat. Someone stroked the length of my scales along my hip as though in wonder, lifting my dress over my head to fully expose me. Their voices had grown fuzzy, and my eyes wandered to the crow’s nest above, white sails streaming out over my head. My blood ran cold with ice.
A black flag flapped in the wind: a grinning skull atop a mountain of bones.
67
The pirates shoved a silver hook through the rope at the base of my tail, pulling me up like a prized catch. Cheers sounded from above as I was lifted through the air.
Hands carried me over the stern. I craned my neck, searching for Kye, still in the rowboat below.
Nori had always chastised me for calling her a fish, but I suddenly felt like one, flopping lethargically over the deck. Someone grasped my arms and I scrabbled for the railing, fighting to heave myself over, but my strength hadn’t yet returned. They shoved my dress back on over my head, threading my hands through the arm holes.
From up here, I recognized the characteristics of aceleriteship, flanked by trebuchets in the front and back. A battering ram took up residence aft, the hull narrow and sharp.
It was a small ship. A ship for speed and death. For carrying men, not cargo.
I finally managed to transition back into my legs, stumbling over my feet as Eyepatch dragged me to a tiny cabin below deck.
Metal rings graced opposite sides of the room, under each sat an unadorned wooden chest, secured to the wall. The pirate pushed me to the floor, pressing his foot into my back. His knife sawed at the net near my hands. I bucked, and his foot pushed harder.
Voices laughed.
My head pounded.
Fear sliced through me, but underneath that, anger vibrated in my chest.
He shoved me upright, and the one with a pug nose slapped an iron cuff onto my wrist, threading the chain through the ring on the wall. I helplessly followed, hoisted by one arm. The lid of the wooden chest raked down my back until I was high enough to sit on it—which I did, desperate to create distance between myself and the gaggle of pirates who crowded around me.
They laughed and jeered. I couldn't understand their words, but the way they mocked me made their context clear.
Pug Nose ran his finger from my inner elbow to my palm and then sucked it as if sampling a dessert, groaning in feigned satisfaction.
“Chutné, na ryby,”he cooed, patting my cheek with false care.
I growled, swinging at him with my free arm. He caught my hand, yanking up to tickle under my arm.
I wrestled away. With nowhere to go, I burrowed into the wall as far from him as I could manage.
Eyepatch gazed at me, his clawed eye vivid red. He leaned close enough I could taste his breath. “Pozor, táto ryba hryzie,”he said to the others, his voice low and gritty as his eyes fixed onto mine, lip curling.
Someone else answered,“Dám jej nieco na zahryznutie.”The pirates howled with laughter.
Eye Patch didn’t join them. Staring into my eyes with a dark smile, he slid my wedding ring from my finger, then shoved intomy side, my shoulders folding over my chest. Dropping my ring into his pant pocket, he fastened the other cuff onto my wrist.
They filed out, stroking my legs and arms as they went, snapping the door closed behind them.
