“Pleeman!” I called out and reached for him. But the captainturned and stomped on my hand with his hefty boot. I heard thecrunch of my fingers before I felt the pain shoot up through myarm.
Suddenly,a gunshot piercedthrough the dense air of the room, causing my ears to ring.Everything around me became nothing but a muffled mess, like beingsubmerged in water. It reminded me of sinking below the silentocean waters while the storm raged on its surface. I couldn’t move.The feeling was beyond disorienting. Even my vision vibrated. Icould barely focus enough to see the shape of the pistol in the oldman’s hand as he let it fall to the floor next to hisbody.
As if in slowmotion, I peeled my aching self from the floor and stared at thescene before me in despair. Captain Cook’s lifeless corpse sprawledon the grimy floor of his quarters, his dead eyes locked in afrozen state of shock and pain. I crawled to him and snatched thegem from his hand, placing it in my jacket pocket before turningtoward Pleeman.
The vibrationof heavy footsteps came running in. It was Benjamin. He fell to hisknees by my side, his brown eyes full of panic. I could see hismouth moving and hear the muffled sounds that came from it, but myears still rang with the reverberation of the gunshot. His handsshook my arms and I could see then, he was calling my name. Slowly,my eardrums squeezed, and the sound of the world trickled back tome.
“Dianna!”he called again. “Christ, are you alright?”
I noddedand struggled to lift myself into an upright position beforefalling into his arms. “Yes, I’ll be fine. Just a little bruised.Pleeman…” I shifted and finished crawling to the old man. Mysavior. He was still holdingon to a sliver of life but choked on it as he reached outto me. I took his frail handand held it tight to my heart. “You foolish old man. What did youdo?”
Hesmiled, letting blood seep from his mouth and dribble down hisface. “I’ve lived my life,” he spoke, the blood gurgling in histhroat. “This is the price I pay for the things I’ve done.” Apainful cough spewed blood onto the floor. But he wiped hismouth on the back of hisfree hand, determined to finish. His fingers squeezed mine. “M-mydaughters–”
I squeezedback. “I’ll find them. I’ll tell them what happened and how braveyou were. I promise.” He began to drift then, eyes fluttering andhis grip loosening. I still held on. Tears flowing heavily. “Ipromise!”
And, just likethat, he was gone.
“Pleeman!” I cried as my head fell to his emptychest.
Benjamin heldme from behind and pulled back. “Dianna,” he whispered. “We shouldgo. I have to get you back to Henry.”
Henry. Yes. Ihad to revert my brain to get back on track of the plan. But myheart ached for the old man who’d given his life to save mine. Isniffled and wiped the tears from my face and peered up at myfriend.
“Can youmake sure he gets a proper burial?”
Benjaminglanced down to where the old timer’s body lay. “Of course.” Thenhe looked to the other side of the room where his brother’s corpsewas. “Him, on the other hand.”
“What areyou going to do with his body?” I asked.
His lips pursedunder the scruff of his dark facial hair. “I’ll spare you thedetails.”
“Probablyfor the best,” I replied. “I have the siren’s heart. We should getgoing.”
“Wait,”Benjamin said and took two long strides to the bookshelf. I watchedas his fingers skimmed the spines, searching forsomething.
“What areyou doing?”
“Ifyou’re goin’ to sail to the Siren Isles then you shall need a map.”He plucked an old book from the collection, bound in a thin emeraldgreen leather. Placing it on the desk, he flipped through the pagesuntil a folded piece of parchment stuck out. He took it between twofingers and held it out for me to take. “My brother kept it in hisjournal.”
I accepted themap and tucked it securely in an inside pocket of my jacket. Finnwould know what to do with it. “Alright, let’s go.”
I coveredPleeman’s body with a blanket and said one last goodbye beforefollowing Benjamin out to the deck. He waited by the ropeladder.
“Followthe map, it’ll lead you right to the islands. It’s hard to say, butfrom here it should be about a week’s journey. And be careful. Theislands are hidden in the Realm of Monsters,” he warnedme.
“Whatdoes that mean?” I asked.
“It meansyou’ll most likely be tested. You’ll encounter some creatures whodon’t pay kindly to visitors.”
He helped hoistme over the railing and I found my footing on the first step of therope ladder. Before descending, I stopped and hauled myself up tomeet his face.
“Thankyou,” I told Benjamin before giving him a tight hug.
I pulled awayand he smiled. But there was a hint of sadness in the pirate’sbrooding eyes.
“I shouldbe thanking you.”
I gripped thewooden railing, not yet wanting to say goodbye. “Come and find me,okay? After the curse is broken and you’re free? Sail to Englandand track me down.”
He snorted alaugh. “I’m not sure your Henry would want the likes of mearound.”
“Don’tworry about Henry,” I told him sincerely. “He’ll get to know youlike I did and you guys will be friends before you knowit.”
Benjamin inchedcloser, his rich brown eyes boring deep into mine. “Is that what weare? Friends?”
I frowned andtipped my head. I wished there were more I could offer the man. Hisancient heart ached to be loved but mine already belonged toanother.
“Ina different life,another time, maybe we could have been more. I’m sure of it. Buthere, now…” I held his warm cheek in my palm. “We’re friends. We’llalways be friends.”
His face leanedinto my palm, relishing in its touch, and he sighed. “I’ll takeit.” Suddenly, his eyes filled with tears. “Even if this is thelast time I may see you.”
Confused,I shook my head. “What? No, you’ll come find me. Right?”
“Dianna,”he struggled for words.
