But the sea-ogre flicks his hand at me. “You.”

He nods at the captain and dives back into the water.

Just like that, the deal is done. I’m going to be a sea-ogre’s eager, knowledgeable bride, Vor help me.

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter

Three

RANAN

Why, by all the gods, why did I say bride when I meant to say bribe? My foolish, clumsy mouth has gotten me into trouble again.

I want to snarl at the sea around me, but that will solve nothing. Like it or not, I have a woman now instead of a donation from the human travelers. I could go back and demand both, but then I seem less decisive in their eyes, and in piracy, strength is everything.

It’s why I don’t talk much—so there’s no risk of stumbling over my words.

Ha.

I swim through the waters to Akara’s side and tap her beak, letting her know we’re moving. I send a mental image to the hamarii of where I want her to go, clearing the narrow strait so the humans can pass through as agreed. Akara’s thoughts are grumpy—she just settled in. Why must she move again? But I fill my mind with thoughts of the chin scratches I will give her as a reward, and she pushes off against the narrow cliff, turning and drifting away a short distance.

She will not go far, nor will she submerge. Hamarii like the sun upon their back, and Akara is no different than her brethren, for all that she’s bad tempered. I send her thoughts of gratitude as I surface again to watch the ship nearby.

I don’t know the kind it is. I’ve seen different sorts of ships from the humans. Some have heavy bellies that drag in the waters and tall sails above. This one is long and flat, with a great many oars and an unimpressive sail. It’s clearly meant to stay in shallow waters, which is why they’re being forced to pay my ransom. Once they’ve passed again, I’ll let Akara move back to her spot in the strait and we’ll wait for the next unfortunate human ship to pass.

Perhaps this time my tongue won’t trip me up.

The human boat is a flurry of activity. The female—my bride—is holding her wrists out to one of the soldiers. He frees her from her chains and she moves to the side of the boat even as others cry and wail and argue. Without hesitating, she gives a clumsy jump over the side. At least she is brave.

Gods. What am I going to do with a woman?

The human surfaces and immediately begins to paddle with her hands and feet like a dog, all splashing and very little movement, and I bite back a sigh.

I’ll have to show her how to swim since I’m now stuck with her.

I watch as the woman paddles out to Akara, who is drifting farther and farther away. The human wench will never make it at this rate. It serves her right for being such a bold liar. Two-finger tease indeed. I’ve never heard of such a thing. It was clear from the way she stared at me with fascinated horror that she’d never seen one of the seakind before.

I don’t like liars.

But the woman was desperate to leave her situation and eager to join me while the other females shrieked in horror. I’ve heard too many stories of females that would fling themselves over the side of a turtle to drown rather than be in the company of the seakind, and that’s the last thing I want.

I want peace and quiet. I hope the new female—my new bride—understands that. If I liked the company of others, I’d still be part of my family flotilla. When Akara started showing signs of territorial aggression, I would have taken her far out to sea and released her to be wild and free. But I like my quiet, and I like Akara, so I drift up and down the coast instead, demanding tithes from humans who find themselves caught in my strait.

I know others from neighboring flotillas that live the same life I do. If I were lonely enough, I could have saved up and purchase a hound trained to hunt in the shoals. Instead, I now have…her. I watch the female paddle gamely forward, still in roughly the same spot she was when she started.

Biting back another sigh of annoyance, I glide through the water to her side. Her eyes widen in alarm as I swim up, but I ignore that. I lock an arm around her waist and anchor her against me. As I do, her arms go around my neck, cutting off my air.

I ignore that, too, though it’s more difficult, and swim out to the retreating Akara’s side. A dozen splashes tell me without turning that the oars are back in the water, and the humans are now going to paddle madly to try and get as far away from my territory as possible. They’ll spread the word when they arrive back in port that a vicious sea-ogre is robbing ships that pass through, and eventually I’ll have to find a new strait to guard.

That’s a problem for tomorrow, though.

For today, I have a human clinging to me that I don’t quite know what to do with. I make it to Akara’s side and send her comforting thoughts, even as I all but heave the human onto the edge of her shell.

What exactly am I supposed to do with a human bride?

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter

Four

VALESSA

Crawling onto the back of a sea turtle feels strange, yet it’s not the strangest thing so far this day. I should think nothing of it after all that this day has brought. And yet…it’s not like being on land. It bobs like a ship, though with a different sort of motion, and one that makes me instantly queasy. I shiver, my slave-shift soaked and clinging to my skin. Every bit of my body is outlined under the thin fabric, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I tug it off of my skin as best I can, cross my arms over my breasts, and study my new environment.

It’s very…flat. Empty. Underneath my bare feet, the turtle shell is warm and rough, a bit like a cow’s hoof, and the most surprising thing of all is the thick clumps of moss that grow in cracks on the shell. They hang from the back like tufts of pale green fur, dry from the sun’s rays and crusted with salt from the water.

The turtle is also even bigger now that I’m upon it. When I was a young girl back in Parness, we once walked half a day to see a traveling menagerie at an amphitheater. The amphitheater had been huge, like a giant bowl set down by the gods in the midst of the city. I remember the base of the bowl being sandy and large enough that you could fit several buildings inside. That’s how big the turtle’s back is.

As I get closer to the center, I see that the tree on its back is not actually a tree at all. It’s a bony protuberance—a spike—in the dead center of the shell, and more of the strange moss hangs from it. A wooden cage of some kind has been attached at the top, and it looks like more moss and seaweed hang on it to dry. I turn to look at the sea-ogre’s tent. It’s made of the same strange glossy leather that he wears, and I don’t dare go inside if I’m not invited.

I might be brave, but I’m not that brave.

I rub my arms, continuing to shiver as I look around. There’s no spot for a fire to warm the camp. Of course there’s not. This is the back of a turtle, I remind myself. Why would anyone build a fire? And yet it’s disappointing to realize because I’m freezing with cold and there’s no relief to be had. I glance over at the sea-ogre but he’s ignoring me, and I suspect it’s not the time to demand dry clothing.

The turtle moves into the sunshine and it feels good. Maybe if it stays here, I’ll warm up. I sit near the tent and hug my knees close, watching my new “husband.” He moves around the turtle’s back, looking busy. I watch as he checks the strands of moss and seaweed hanging on the cage and then ducks into his tent. He emerges a moment later with a nasty-looking trident and gazes out at the waters as the ship slowly moves past the turtle.