Whispers of the Tide

Old Ties

Connor’s POV:

I ran after Serene as she leapt up the steps and out on the deck of the ship. I didnt expect her to be so fuckin fast! She showed no sign of slowing, ripping my shirt from her body leaving her naked in front of my shocked crew. I was furious! She didn't even look back as she jumped over the railing and into the ocean. I reached the side just as she hit the water, then she was gone. 

“f**k! SERENE!” I yelled but there was no way she was coming back. 

She thought she was protecting us, I didnt fuckin need protecting. There was nothing I could do to protect her when I didn't know where she was.

I turned back around and my crew was staring at me with mouths hanging open.

“What the f**k are ya lot lookin at?!”

Lee, my first mate, approached me, “Captain, do we need to send a life boat over to retrieve the girl?” he asked with sincere concern.

I shook my head.

“No.” I answered simply. 

Then I turned to face all my men. 

“Load the cannons and arm ya selves. Be ready for merfolk scum that will be passin beneath us any second!”

The crew looked at eachother then jumped into action at my orders.

“Captain.” Lee said, gaining my attention again. “Does this have anything to do with Serene? Is she one of them?”

I sighed, and looked him in the eye.

“She is nothin fuckin like them. They’re huntin her! We need her, her knowledge of the sea is what we've been lackin!”

“Right captain, we will do what we can. You have me word.” Lee replied and then ran off to join the crew loading the cannons. 

We did need her, but it was more than that. Something in me felt protective of her. I won't let anything happen to her. The thought of never seeing her again set my heart racing, and not in the way I had become used to when being close to her.

My fists clenched at my sides and I stomped down to my quarters. I flung the door open and headed for my locked trunk on the floor. I pulled the key off a chain that hung around my neck and unlocked it. I threw the lid open.

Inside the trunk I kept keepsakes from my parents, from my old life.

But most importantly I kept my Grandfather's sword.

My mother had given it to me as a boy and told me that it was to only be used in times of great need. She also told me it had a particular effect on a well known enemy. Merfolk. 

She had wanted to keep it safe for me until I was old enough to wield it. But she died along with my father, and the sword was one of the few things I had managed to keep safe. 

I wished more than anything that she had had it on her the day she was murdered. She was the most amazing sword wielder. Maybe if she had had her sword that day, things might have ended differently.

I had hidden my valuable heirlooms away before I was taken away to the children's home, and retrieved them years later, when I became captain of The Black Soul at eighteen. 

I had buried the trunk in the sand dunes of a cove in my village, outside my childhood home. I had left the orphanage at sixteen. No one wanted to adopt a rough lad like me. I was too full of hatred and anger. 

I had been living on the streets when I met Captain Sans Drake, The then captain of The Black Soul. I had been sitting in an alleyway and he had stumbled down with a s*x worker. She had kicked me in my side and told me to get lost. Captain Baine took pity on me and ordered the woman away. He said he could see a fighting spirit in my eyes. He had asked me what was keeping me going. I had told him revenge.

His eyes twinkled at this and he offered me a position in his crew right on the spot.

I worked my way up the ranks quickly in my first two years in the crew. Making it to second mate.

We encountered an enemy pirate ship at sea, The Duchess. Captain Baine and his crew had been known for working with witches using black magic to lure merfolk to their ship for capture. Their scales were rumoured to have powerful, magical value when added to spells and potions.

We were in the thick battle, the captains of both vessels engaged in sword combat when Captain Baine’s first mate snuck up from behind and stabbed Captain Sans in the back. 

I had seen it happen, almost in slow motion. I couldn't get to him in time. But I did end Baine and his first mate, shredding them to pieces in my rage.

Captain Sans died in my arms, but not before he placed his captain's hat on my head and named me his successor.

I named myself Connor Drake after him. He was just as much a father to me as my own blood had been. He had saved me, feed me, clothed me and taught me everything I know. I owed him so much.

I didnt often wear the captain hat, but it hung proudly next to the door of the captain's quarters as a reminder of all I have gained, how far I've come, and how much further I need to go. 

I reached into the truck and pulled out the sword. I quickly closed the trunk again and locked it. Standing, I gripped the sword in my hand and let it sing through the air as I spun it. I latched the holster and slid the sword into place and walked towards the door. 

I hesitated when my eyes landed on the captain’s hat. Smiling at the thought of the man who took a chance on me, I took it off its hook and threw it on my head and marched up to the deck.

Things were quiet. My crew were standing in position, listening for any signs of potential battle. I walked to the helm of the ship gripping the hilt of  my sword. I watched in trepidation as ripples started to form around the ship. A sign that there was a f*****g large shoal of fish beneth us. We knew better.

“Fire the cannons on my command lads! Steady ya selves!” I yelled over the helm.

I wanted to make sure the mer-scum were in a good position before we fired.

“Ready!..FIRE!”

The sound of the cannons firing was almost defining but it made me smile. I Fuckin loved it!

The cannon balls ripped through the ocean, I watched with baited breath to see if they would hit their targets. 

Sure enough the sounds of yelling followed a split second later. Then an army of mer-scum almost flew out of the ocean and started climbing aboard my ship. 

They had on armor that only just covered their c***s as their legs quickly formed  from them being out of the water. They had swords of their own and there were about twenty of them. 

One beast in particular caught my eye. He had an evil smirk, jet black hair and dark blue eyes. I was rooted to the spot, he looked so similar to the man who had killed my parents. That evil smirk was burned into my memory. The main difference was the man who killed my parents was much older.

I wanted to kill this arsehole just for looking like him. 

Never taking my eyes from him I pulled my sword from its holster and calmly stalked towards him. I almost saw him flinch at the sound of my sword sliding out into view.

I could hear the sounds of battle take place around me but my eyes were locked on my prey. I was only a few meters away when one of the creatures yelled out. 

“We have her location, fall back!

Talian, forget these time wasters. She can’t get far!” He directed at the man before me. 

“We need to stick to our orders!”

Talian! This was the fuckin scum Serene had mentioned! They knew where she was, I needed to distract them.

“Fuckin fight us ya cowards!” I yelled, now running towards this Talian f**k.

He jumped up onto the railing with the others quickly diving into the water below, following their orders.

“We will meet again pirate, and I will take great pleasure in killing you.” He smiled at me, his gaze quickly flicking down towards my sword.

Then he was gone.

I looked around to see my crew just as shocked as I was. They had completely abandoned the fight.

Fuck! They knew where Serene was, and I was fuckin powerless to help her.