Chapter 1 - Journey
Mia decided to wait until Elio was less upset with her to tell him about her trip to the locker. However, that proved to be more time than she thought. A few days passed on the open water and Mia’s leg was healing slowly.
The dark red streaks that once carved climbing swirls into her flesh were less inflamed. The skin around the wounds had returned to its normal size, but moving it still caused burning to her pink wounds. Mia had resumed her duties on the deck and gotten to know some of the crew.
The numbers of those that didn’t like a female sailor were rivaled by the idea that she was basically a prostitute on board. That idea was silenced the second night they spent on open water. A deckhand grabbed her in the corridor. Mia fought him but her injuries were still open.
She elbowed him and clawed his right eye with her nails, but he still managed to drag her back toward the hold. Mia received a hard punch to the side of her head, making her dizzy as pain radiated through her head and face. Thomas and Hugo exited the door to crew quarters and discovered the struggle.
They attacked the deckhand and immobilized him. The meeting that night was much like James’. However, the mood of the crew was different. Mia noticed that the sailors she didn’t know were of the belief that females had no right to fight against them.
The votes were even. Elio, didn’t seem to care. He slit the man’s throat in front of the crew. It asserted his command, but Mia felt that something was wrong. He was more ready to argue than kill the men on The Acacia. The incident lead to a fight that killed three more members of the crew.
No one dared defy Elio or mention Mia like she were a woman at all after that. They simply followed orders. It took a few days of meals and giving orders to make them speak to her like she were one of them. Even then, some simply avoided her.
Mia ignored it. She didn’t have the energy to fulfill her duties on board and argue in her spare time. It had been harder and harder to sleep, knowing the dreams that would follow. Mia kept dreaming that she was drowning, even waking left her with a sore feeling in her chest like she had inhaled seawater.
Today was no different than the previous few. Mia went to work with the feeling that she hadn’t slept at all. The sky wasn’t remained clouded through the mourning. The sun hadn’t managed to heat up the deck, even by afternoon.
Mia could tell a storm was coming. She looked up at the quarterdeck, where she could see Elio. He was at the helm, staring at the ocean ahead with a blank expression. It seemed like his mind was elsewhere. Judging from the darkness in his hazel eyes, it wasn’t in a good place.
She crossed the deck to climb the stairs. She wanted to talk to Elio. In the past couple days, he began to speak less and less. It bothered her. Mia had nearly reached the steps when a call rang out across the deck, distracting her.
“Sails ho!” A deckhand shouted. “Aft side! Sails ho!”
Mia turned toward the aft side. She could see what appeared to be a french ship departing the Caribbean for home.
“Lower the jolly roger!” She shouted behind her.
Crew members jumped into action at the sound of the command. They lowered the flag and waited out of sight behind gunwales. Boarding a ship was different from a galleon, given the size of the vessel. Instead of lowering a gangplank and simply boarding, they lowered rowboats into the water once near the french ship.
Mia led the boarding party from the rowboats onto the merchant ship. The crew of Stolen Siren were soon swarming the deck using hooks and ropes. Mia fought with her sword to make it to the rigging. She and William destroyed the nets and sails while others fought to make it to the cargo hold.
The Frenchmen didn’t give up immediately. They fought back until several of their men were stabbed and thrown overboard. After that, the rest of them were tied and left where they were found. Mia was soon directing goods into rowboats to be loaded onto the galleon.
Elio arrived a few just as the last few boats were pulled from the water. He stepped onto the deck and looked around as if to take stock of the situation. Mia walked up to him, curious about why he wasn’t waiting by the helm for their return.
“Is everything alright?” Mia wiped the moisture from her brow with her sleeve.
“How many dead?” Elio probed flatly.
“Four, none of ours.” She shrugged.
He nodded stiffly.
“You’ll pay for this.” A man with a heavy French accent interjected.
They turned to see the captain of the merchant ship. He was older and he had silver hair. His voice was deep and raspy as he spoke fearlessly to the pirates around him.
“Silence.” Elio demanded.
“You’ll pay. We were here with royal orders.” The captain refused to obey.
“Royal orders...” He scoffed and shook his head before raising is voice, “You hear that men? He came with royal orders!”
The announcement was met with jeers and laughs.
“I don’t think they care.” Mia looked at the captain with a bored expression.
“For now.” The Frenchman replied.
Elio’s eyes narrowed at him. “That’s a threat?”
The captain didn’t respond. Elio lunged at him and grabbed the man by his hair. He dragged him into the center of the main deck, dropping him hard onto the boards. He knelt behind the man just as a few drops of rain began to fall from the sky.
“Come on, say it again.” Elio smirked over him.
Mia watched silently with furrowed brows. Something was wrong; she could feel it. She maintained a small amused grin, unwilling to show weakness in front of her crew.
“We’re here with orders.” The Frenchman answered defiantly. “You’ll all pay for robbing my hold.”
“Are you sure royalty would notice the raiding on a small ship like this one?” Elio asked in a knowing tone.
