Trying to throw off her fears, she would burrow into Riftan’s arms every night. Riftan would caress her all over, andhe only entered her when he could no longer hold back. Maxi responded to him more fervently than ever.
When their moments of fiery passion were over, they would listen to the sound of the waves in mournful silence.
Lying on Riftan’s chest always made Maxi feel as though they shared a soul. The gentle breathing above her head or the pounding heartbeat beneath her ear felt like it was her own. She sometimes had the lone, despairing thought that she would not be able to live without him. Her heart burned with the desire to have him all to herself. She was like a newborn chick blindly following the mother hen. Yet the time to send him off was inexorably approaching.
“Stay inside the cabin tonight,” Riftan said with a grim expression when he returned from his short trip up to the deck to talk to the captain. Maxi, who had been reading a book on the bed, responded with wide eyes. Riftan went straight to the armor stand and donned the protective gear he had not worn in a while.
“I-Is there a problem?” said Maxi, alarmed.
“No. We are merely taking a precaution.”
“A precaution…for what?” Riftan paused from tightening the straps of his breastplate to turn to her with his brow furrowed. He sighed and caressed her pale face. “We will be passing through siren territory soon. If we’re unlucky, we may have to fight them.”
Maxi gulped down a sudden lump in her throat. Sirens were notorious for causing shipwrecks by luring sailors with their magical voices. Having unconsciously assumed that they would be safe while at sea, Maxi froze in fear.
“W-Will everything be all right?”
“Yes, everything will be all right. They might not even bother to come after the ship. Try not to worry, just get some rest.” Riftan buckled his sword belt tightly around his waist and left the cabin.
All alone, Maxi anxiously leafed through her book, then looked out through the porthole to the sea. Out of the silver horizon, a fog-shrouded island slowly came into view. A steep, ivory rock face topped with lush greenery rose from one side of the island. Peering out of the porthole, Maxi felt a chill run down her spine for no reason in particular.
Is that where the sirens live?
They got closer and eventually passed by the rock, but no sirens appeared. Maxi relaxed and returned to reading her book, but the words were impossible to keep in her head. After flipping through the book of folktales she had gone over twice already, she felt the need to relieve herself, so she slipped out into the passageway.
That was when she heard the faint sound of someone singing. Maxi stiffened, worried that it might be the sirens’ attempt to lure them, but her shoulders relaxed when she noted the gruffness of the voice. It must be one of the sailors singing a sea shanty.
Maxi hurried down the passageway to the privy and, after relieving herself, was about to return to her cabin when she heard the song grow louder. Unable to resist her curiosity, she crept up the stairs. The boisterous song rang out across the deck, now bathed in the copper light of sunset.
The sailors sang the chorus and rhythmically stamped their feet as they marched about the deck. They hoisted large barrels of water or pulled at the lines, adjusting the sails.
Way-hay, way-hay, pull on your oars,
Sailing through waves like mountains, to the end of the sea we go,
To where the sun falls asleep.
At the end of the glorious horizon lies Adrina’s Paradise,
No storm shall stop us,
Way-hay, way-hay, pull on your oars,
To the end of the sea we go!
Maxi listened to the voices with a bewildered but delighted expression. A fully armored knight who had been pacing nearby noticed her and strode over. It was Jack Breeman, one of the younger knights.
“Lady Calypse, you must not wander about the ship on your own.”
“I-I am aware. I…heard th-the singing…and merely wanted to know…wh-what was happening.”
The knight glanced at the sailors and furrowed his brow. “This is apparently the best way to prevent the sirens from beguiling the sailors into wrecking the ship on the rocks. We were told that they will continue to sing through the night until we are a safe distance from the sirens’ habitat.”
“Th-Through the night?” Maxi asked, eyes wide.
The knight gave her a bitter smile. “I know it is loud, but please bear with the noise. Nothing matters more than safety, after all. Singing loudly like this allegedly keeps the sirens and the mermen away from the ship.”
“I-I see.” Maxi gazed over the sea that now shimmered like rose gold. The sonorous song of the men drifted out over the swells. Indeed, the enchanting songs of the sirens would be hard to hear over such blaring noise. Feeling reassured, Maxi returned to her cabin.
