Heart of the Kraken (Tales from Darjee) Read Free Page B

his side. To see another imprisoned roused him from his ennui. To hold a creature of the ocean in such a small container must be a torture to her. Not to mention what she must endure when they dropped the lid and locked her inside.
    "I can see her boobies," Dinger said and sniggered. Yusuf elbowed him and the smaller pirate fell silent.
    The mermaid turned her head to the wall, as though trying to shut out the men. It could have just been the light, but her skin seemed tinged a pale blue or unhealthy grey. Her lips more purple than red.
    " It , is a fish. My men and I have researched it extensively. You can just see the gills in its neck." Wyman moved forward to pull aside a lock of ebony hair and reveal three delicate lines on her neck. "We only hope the Lady Alise lets us further examine its corpse when—" he swallowed his words and dropped the hair in his hand.
    "When?" Reis swung his head to face Wyman.
    "Well, obviously once it has served its purpose, it will be killed." Wyman really was the most incompetent liar.
    "And what purpose would that be?" Reis' voice lowered in tone. Now they revealed the truth, one far more interesting than a hidden mermaid. What exactly did Lady Alise want with a mermaid?
    "She's going to eat her heart," Fenton said. He had heard the rumours, you didn't spend a lifetime at sea without hearing every marine-related story that abounded. He was simply better at remembering than most of the crew who had been hit one too many times in the head with a plank. "Consume the heart of a mermaid and you know the secrets of all men."
    The mermaid covered her face with her hands and her shoulders shook as the men discussed her death.
    Reis let out a grunt. "A handy thing for a ruler to be able to peer into the souls of all her subjects and know whatever they try to conceal. I bet she wants this mermaid real bad." His eyes narrowed as he focused on Wyman. "How much?"
    The daffodil handkerchief reappeared and Wyman wiped away the sweat on his brow. "The Lady Alise promised us 10,000 gold coins and the creature's weight in Sunshine."
    A low whistle came from Yusuf and Fenton knew why. The gold itself was a fortune but throw in Sunshine? The drug commanded a high price on the street from people wanting to escape their dour lives. Sunshine painted everything in shades of yellow and effused a body with warmth and happy hormones. You could die in the snow while your brain thought you basked in a summer's day. The creature's weight in the toxic drug doubled the offered purse. The Razor's Edge crew had captured a very valuable fish in their net.
    Reis pointed a finger at the short and rotund pirate. "Dinger, go back to the Edge and activate our sling. We're going to liberate Captain Wyman from his onerous task. We're taking the creature and I will personally ensure she is delivered to the fair Lady Alise."
    Wyman clenched his teeth as his features hardened and found his balls. He reached out and grabbed Reis' arm. "No! You cannot take it. We have spent months in our pursuit. The reward is our only pay for the separation from our families and the loss of our jobs."
    The captain drew his pistol and fired. The shot reverberated in the enclosed space. Even the hardened pirates winched as the noise of the blast rang out. The mermaid disappeared beneath the water of her prison and became a shimmer of colour.
    Wyman staggered back against the wall, clutching his right shoulder. Blood oozed between his fingers as he slumped to the floor. His mouth opened and closed but no words came out. Feet stomped outside and two more crew burst into the room.
    "I should kill you for touching me, but you are a fellow captain." Reis turned at the newcomers. "Maynard," he addressed one. "Wyman has injured himself. Send one of his men down to tend his wound. Fenton and Yusuf, open the deck access." He pointed up at the crack in the ceiling and the pirates jumped to work to find the mechanism to open the hatch.
    Reis slammed the crate lid