The next morning, Captain Scarre had boatswain Henry gather the entirety of the crew onto the deck. When she was certain all were present, she clapped her hands and requested their attention, and, once the rabble had settled down, she told them of the danger that lurked ahead. A silence fell thick upon the crowd, until a pale and shaking Robert Browne spoke up. "Beggin’ yer pardon, Cap’n, but...’ave ye shared this only so that we might foresee our dooms, or ’ave ye a way ta avoid this grim fate?"

Syndalle Scarre gazed kindly upon him. "Fear not, Robert," she said, then directed her words to the whole of the group. "I didn’t mean to startle you all, I just wanted you all to be fully aware of the seriousness of what we’re facing before I offered a possible solution to our quandary. No fix is certain, of course, but I’ve received advice from one with knowledge of the sirens regarding how we might evade ensnarement."

The crew exchanged uneasy glances and hushed murmurs, and she continued, "I have learned, first and foremost, that the sirens’ song does not affect those who identify as women, and so Hildreth and I will be safe from its effects." She glanced over at the cook, who was nervously fiddling with her apron, then resumed speaking. "Additionally, the curse will not affect anyone who is currently in love with another. Now, who amongst you believes that their love is strong enough to allow them to remain unscathed?"

Henry grabbed his wife’s hand. "I know I’m safe," he said, grinning.

Reynard stepped forward. "I met a woman in Pultare last night, and I think I’ll ask ’er to marry me when we dock there on the return leg of our journey." He blushed, then smiled brilliantly. "I don’t think even the Goddess of Love could tempt me from ’er right now."

A handful of other sailors volunteered that they had wives or partners waiting for them at home and were sure enough of their feelings to take a risk, and so Captain Scarre ended up with a "skeleton crew" of nine individuals including herself. She assigned three elder seamen the duty of tacking the ship’s sails so that it might move swiftly past the sirens’ isle, two younger men the task of climbing aloft and rigging as needed, and Reynard the job of sitting atop the main mast and keeping watch for signs of the dangerous island―he was to alert the captain as soon as it was spotted. Hildreth was asked to ensure all lines remained in working order and was additionally commissioned to tear strips from an old sail, and the captain deemed that the boatswain should steer the ship so that she might navigate and also regularly check on those who would remain vulnerable to the sirens’ song.

When all roles had been determined, Syndalle Scarre turned to those who had not been assigned them, a group which included the duke. "As for you all, you’re at risk of being ensnared when we pass the sirens, so we must enact special measures to protect you. Each of you must be tied firmly to a solid piece of the ship so that, when the creatures begin their song, you aren’t able to jump into the sea. You must also plug your ears so that you’re less tempted by their melodies, which is why I’m having Hildreth tear those strips―stick one in each ear and they should block most of the sound. Now, we must make haste to ensure that you’re all secured by nightfall; Reynard’s view may become obscured by the dark, and so we shall not be able to see how near we’ve drawn to our enemies. If you’re all safely tied by then, you shall hopefully make it through the night unharmed."

The idea of being fastened to an object for hours did not sound very appealing to Adelard, although he accepted it as a necessary evil when dealing with sirens, and so he managed to finagle himself into last in line for the ordeal. The men who had bottom bunks were the first secured, as they could be firmly affixed to the legs of the upper berths and would not experience much discomfort if they needed to remain in place a long while, then the men with top bunks were given a choice of objects to be affixed to. Most chose to be tied to heavy items of furniture belowdecks, but a few of the foolhardier younger men chose to be fastened to items on deck, for they claimed that, if they were to have their lives threatened by sirens, they wanted to at least be able to accurately describe them when relating tales of their encounter.

The process of tying each man so that he might not accidentally break free took hours despite all of the crew members taking turns, and by the time the sun had set both Robert Browne and Adelard remained unbound. Syndalle Scarre and Adelard quickly worked on securing the younger Browne to the fife-rail of the foremast, and they had just finished the task when they heard a yell from aloft. Reynard rushed down the main mast and hurried over to them. "Cap’n Scarre," he panted, "there’s a creature approachin’ our ship on the port side. I feared it might be a siren, so I wanted to let ye know right away."

"I have never heard of sirens approaching prey on their own, for their songs gain strength in numbers," said the captain. "Still, I’d best see what it is, in the rare case that it might be capable of doing us harm."

She ran to fetch her spyglass, which she kept on the table that held her maps and navigational instruments, and, when she returned with it, Reynard led her over to the left side of the boat and pointed at something off in the distance. "Look there! Can ye see it?"

Captain Scarre brought the spyglass to her right eye, closed her left one, and peered out over the water. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she spotted a shape moving smoothly through the water toward the vessel. The moon provided enough light to allow her to discern the approaching creature, and she sighed with relief. "It’s merely a seal! I didn’t know they hunted at night, but it’s likely looking for fish and might have mistaken us for a fishing vessel. It will probably come near to see if we’ve nets in the water and, once it determines we haven’t, will likely be on its way."

The captain watched the animal until it was about fifty yards from the boat, then brought the spyglass down and continued tracking it with the naked eye; Adelard and Reynard, lurking just behind her, stared at it as it advanced, for Adelard had never seen a seal outside of a book and the thing was unlike any other Reynard had ever encountered. The seal maintained its steady course in their direction and in no time had reached the ship. To the onlookers’ surprise, it beelined toward a spot in the water directly underneath where the trio were standing. It looked up at them, then barked several times while enthusiastically nodding its head.

Captain Scarre realized that the animal appeared to want to board the ship, and, after exchanging some uncertain glances with the duke and young sailor, requested that they lower a net into the water so that the seal be lifted onto the vessel. Adelard and Reynard did as requested; they dropped the net and the seal maneuvered itself into it, and soon it lay upon the deck tangled in the ropes.

It was a pretty creature, about the size of an adult human and covered in plush brown fur that seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, with two flattened forelimbs and a thick body that terminated in a powerful-looking tail. Its large brown eyes sparkled with an intelligence that was unusual for an animal, and its mouth almost seemed to grin at them as it scrabbled its way out of the net.

As all on deck watched the thing―for those with assigned roles had briefly ceased their duties to peer curiously at it and all those tied to objects sat gazing at it open-mouthed―it shook its head vigorously, and, without warning, its face split down the middle. The crowd collectively gasped as the animal’s hide flopped open, revealing a dark-skinned woman with dark brown hair clothed in a sailcloth dress. As Adelard watched this, amazed, it dawned on him that she was the lady from the tavern who had warned the captain of the sirens.

The stranger stepped off her recently-shed hide and gathered it in her arms, then grinned winningly at Syndalle Scarre. "Hail, Captain!" she exclaimed. "I bet you hadn’t expected to see me again."

Captain Scarre stood speechless a moment, then croaked, "You’re right, I hadn’t." She hesitated, then said, "If you don’t mind my asking...what are you, and why have you sought out my ship? I appreciate the advice you’ve given, but hadn’t anticipated any further support."

"Well, I’m full of surprises then, aren’t I?" the woman giggled. "To answer your questions: I am Irmene, and I’m a selkie, which, if you didn’t know, is a kind of fair folk that can live in the ocean as a seal or on land in human form as they so choose. I’m here now because I took a liking to you upon meeting you and decided that I wanted to help you reach the ’land of the dead.’ My motives aren’t completely unselfish, though, for I’m curious about it myself and, frankly, sometimes it’s boring floating purposelessly about the sea. If you’ll have me, I’d love to offer you my assistance."

Captain Scarre met the eyes of each person near to her, and, after all had nodded eagerly at the idea of their receiving help from a magical being during their treacherous journey, she told the selkie, "It seems the crew and I are in agreement regarding your being an asset to our party, so you are more than welcome to join us." She then requested that all those with duties return to them, and soon only she and Adelard remained standing next to the serendipitous stranger.

Irmene stepped closer to them and cast an appraising glance at Adelard. "I don’t believe we’ve met," she said to him, "for I would’ve remembered you from the tavern." She turned to Syndalle Scarre. "Is this pretty young seaman your boatswain? I wouldn’t have thought so, for he looks quite green."

The duke reddened, and the captain stammered, "No, he isn’t the boatswain, that would be the older gentleman currently behind the ship’s wheel. Adelard is...a special passenger. He―"

"There’s no need to hide who I am, Syndalle, as all the crew know and one of them is bound to say something," Adelard gently interrupted. He extended his hand to Irmene. "My name is Adelard, Duke of Roseland, scion of King Farramond the Rose. I’m in line to rule the kingdom and hadn’t felt up to the task, so I stowed aboard Captain Scarre’s ship in hopes of finding out where I fit in this world...and perhaps finding my mother, the king’s younger sister Rosemond, in the Land of the Dead."

The selkie grasped the profferred hand daintily. "A pleasure to meet you, My Lord," she said, smiling coyly at him. "If I’d known I’d be sharing the journey with such charming company, I might have joined you all sooner."

Adelard’s face burned once more, and he was glad when Syndalle Scarre changed the course of the conversation. "Your introduction reminded me that I’d penned a letter to your uncle regarding your being on this voyage, Adelard, and that I’d commissioned someone to deliver it to him during our time in Pultare. I’d meant to tell you this but was, erm, distracted." She tilted her head in Irmene’s direction.

Irmene laughed, then her eyes abruptly widened. "Oh! Part of why I’d shown up just now is that I took some time to find the exact location of the sirens’ island before coming to you rather than merely following your vessel from the harbor, so that I might provide you with the information when I joined your party. I can now tell you exactly where the danger lies."

Captain Scarre clapped her hands. "That’s wonderful, Irmene! Have you found a way of avoiding the sirens altogether?"

"Unfortunately not," said the selkie, the corners of her mouth turning downward. "If the ship continues to travel in the direction it’s currently going, in about an hour’s time we shall come to a place where the land on either side of us draws together to create a narrow channel. The sirens have chosen a large rock in the middle of it as their roost, for they know that all ships intending to visit Fermigon―that’s the largest port on the other side―must pass through in order to reach their destination."

"Then it sounds like we’ve not much time until we reach them and must fully prepare for an onslaught. I have secured my vulnerable men and plan on having them plug their ears―is there anything else you recommend doing?"

"Not in preparation, but we might have to intervene in certain ways whilst we’re facing the sirens if anyone seems at risk," said Irmene. "If a man seems like he might break his bonds and rush over the edge of the boat, a woman―or man, if the one affected generally prefers other men―offering a distraction could help prevent him from doing so." She winked at the captain. "As I’m already so good at providing them, as you’d mentioned, and since I think I might enjoy myself, I don’t mind primarily shouldering the duty, but you might need to assist me should I grow busy. Also, why does he remain untied?" she asked, gesturing at Adelard. "If he isn’t in love at all he’s in danger, so you’d best tie him to something soon."

Captain Scarre conceded that she was right, and so she and Irmene quickly set about attaching Adelard to the fife-rail of the main mast; the captain had suggested he be fastened to her desk in their quarters, but he had wanted a place on-deck, for he was of the same mindset as some of the others in terms of wanting to glimpse the foes menacing them. Once he had been thoroughly secured, the captain and the selkie proceeded to plug the ears of each bound man, but, in their rush to finish the task, they did not push the material very far into Adelard’s right ear and it ended up falling out. He considered pointing out their mistake but then determined that he would not, for he wanted to be able to say that he had heard the siren song and survived. He understood this might be folly, but he had always been very curious (at times to his detriment), and so he hid the unblocked ear as best he could to avoid it being re-plugged.

After it had been determined that every possible preparation had been undertaken, Captain Scarre stationed herself next to the navigational instruments and kept a close watch on the proceedings as she chatted softly with Irmene, who had chosen to take a seat beside her. Adelard could hear them murmuring but could not discern what they were saying, and he soon grew bored and attempted to engage Robert Browne, who was tied directly across from him, in conversation. However, as the hour had grown quite late, Robert had fallen asleep in spite of the excitement of the situation, and, without anyone to talk to or anything to do, Adelard soon nodded off himself.

He awoke with a start what felt like mere moments later, for Reynard had yelled, "I see ’em, Cap’n!" from aloft. The sailor clambered down the main mast and nearly stepped upon Adelard as he scrambled off the rope ladder and rushed over to Captain Scarre, who had risen to her feet. "The sirens, they’re comin’ up on the starboard side," he gasped as he reached her. "They’re sittin’ on a big rock. There must be at least ten of ’em."

Syndalle Scarre thanked him for the update, then asked him to return to his post, for there was a thick fog rolling in and she wanted to ensure that the ship did not hit anything as it navigated the narrow channel. The sailor did as requested, and the captain hurried over to the right side of the boat and began anxiously scanning the water.

A haunting song rose up from the mist that had quickly surrounded the vessel, and Adelard began to feel a strange humming inside his head that felt like it was focused in his right ear. He initially worried that he had been unwise in leaving it unblocked, but, as he did not feel any urge to jump off the boat and join those singing, his slight panic soon evolved into strong curiosity, for he seemed to be unaffected by the sirens’ vocalizations. He noticed, however, that there were many others not as lucky as he, for several of the men tied abovedeck were squirming against their bonds. Robert Browne, seated opposite him, was wiggling vigorously in an attempt to free himself; his eyes were glazed, his expression rapt, and he kept mumbling the phrase, "I must join ’em."

Suddenly, the strange fog that enveloped the ship parted on the starboard side to reveal a great rocky island situated no more than fifty feet from the vessel. Though Adelard needed to crane his neck to get a good view of it, he ended up managing this and then immediately wished that he had not, for the isle’s surface was dotted with a dozen creatures more terrifying than anything he had ever seen within his worst nightmares.

They resembled waterlogged corpses from their waists up, for they had sagging bluish-purple skin and scraggly manes of tangled dirty-white hair, but their semblance to humans ended below their bellies, for in place of legs each had a thick glistening tail that put Adelard in mind of an eel’s. The monstrosities had their mouths wide open, and the evocative melody that caused his head to tingle emanated from each set of filthy lips, from between rows and rows of needle-like teeth.

As they sang, the sirens’ eyes shone with a hideous brightness, which cut through the dark of night and made them fully visible to those aboard the Pearl. This seemed to intensify their call’s effect upon the afflicted sailors, for each man grew more frenzied, and several began to yell that they must be freed from their restraints to join their temptors or else would die in agony. Poor Robert seemed most affected, for he was thrashing wildly and wailing, "I am comin’ ta ye, if I can just loose these ropes." Adelard realized, with alarm, that his friend’s ear plugs had fallen out and that this might be what was making him react so strongly, and he screamed Syndalle Scarre’s name in hopes of drawing her attention to the problem.

The captain and Irmene came running, and Adelard, who found that the right words to express his concerns were escaping him, simply shouted, "Please, help him!" as he nodded his head emphatically in Robert Browne’s direction. The sailor had almost loosened his left arm from his bonds, and Captain Scarre swiftly pinioned it to his side and tried to hold him still while the selkie attempted to re-plug his ears. The man would not stop twisting about, though, and he bucked the captain off and nearly knocked the plugs out of Irmene’s hand. "He won’t stop moving," Syndalle Scarre groaned as she regained hold of him. "I fear that, if we cannot cover his ears, he shall be lost."

A smirk crossed Irmene’s lips. "Remember how I’d mentioned some might need a distraction? Well, I believe that this one most certainly does." She stuffed the plugs into the captain’s closed fist, then placed her arms around Robert Browne’s shoulders. He stopped struggling and gaped at her, and she laughed heartily. "You’re lucky your looks are to my liking, seaman, or I might’ve have had the Captain do this in my stead," she said, then she pulled the sailor’s face to hers and enthusiastically kissed him.

Robert Browne’s body instantly relaxed, his face softened, and he eagerly returned the kiss as Captain Scarre scrambled to plug each of his ears. Once she had done so, she alerted Irmene to her success, and the selkie pulled her mouth from the man’s. He started to groan, but ceased his protestations when Irmene placed a finger to his lips and told him, "If you’re able to behave from now on, I may give you another later." A dreamy grin lit up Robert’s face, and the selkie cast him a flirtatious wave before heading over to check on the other men on deck who might also need "distracting."

Syndalle Scarre smiled at Adelard and thanked him for helping to save Robert from a dreadful fate; he moved to smile in kind but did not get the chance to, for the captain suddenly spotted his ear plug sitting upon the deck. She rushed over to it, picked it up, and jammed it into his right ear, then searched his face, her deep brown eyes filled with worry. Voice heavy with concern, she asked, "Adelard, are you all right? " She shook her head, her brow wrinkled with guilt. "You seem affected. I knew I should have made sure your plugs were fast within your ears." Adelard was confused as to why she thought he was under the sirens’ spell, and he was about to reassure her that they were having minimal effect on him when she said, "Do you need me to...distract you the way Irmene did Robert? Do you think that would be helpful?"

Adelard gazed at her, and, although his brain knew that he was fine and that he needed nothing more than for her to guide them safely past the sirens so that they might all live to see another day, he found himself saying, "Why, yes, Syndalle, I do think that might help."

He immediately wondered why he had spoken thus, for he knew he was being dishonest and was not sure why he had chosen to be, but he had no time to correct his error, for Syndalle Scarre immediately crouched down next to him, removed her mask, cupped his face with both hands, and brought her lips to his.

The tingling sensation that Adelard had been feeling in his skull seemed to radiate throughout his body as the captain kissed him, and, even though he had intended to keep the kiss a chaste one due to his discomfort with his deceit, he found himself kissing her back with a passion that surprised him. The moment they shared felt like both an eternity and a mere second, and then the kiss was over, and Syndalle Scarre removed her mouth from his and released his face from her grasp.

They stared at one another for a few seconds, their expressions sheepish, then the captain pulled herself together and, all business as usual, placed her mask back upon her face. She asked him, in a slightly trembling voice, "Is all well now, Adelard? Did that break any hold the sirens had on you?"

Unsure of what to say, Adelard managed to croak, "Yes, Syndalle, all is well now. Thank you."

His head reeled as he watched her hurry away to check on the crew, for he remained uncertain as to why he had chosen to act in the way he had. He had been untruthful with his friend, which was very much unlike him, and it filled him with shame to consider it; still, as he could not say what had compelled him to behave in such a manner, consider it he did, even though doing so made his cheeks burn.

Adelard remained deep in contemplation throughout the remainder of the ship’s jaunt past the sirens―even as others aboard almost descended into madness and Irmene needed to administer several additional "distractions" and Captain Scarre bravely fired the ship’s cannon into the monsters’ midst and caused them to retreat from the island―and, even after the Silver Pearl had left the dreadful isle far behind and he had been released from his bonds and had situated himself in his hammock, he still could not stop seeking the reason behind his untoward behavior.

As he dwelled not only on his actions but also on the events of the evening in total, it dawned on him that the circumstances had been strange ones even before his unexpected interaction with the captain, for he had found himself untouched by the sirens’ call despite its having driven those around him to frenzy. He figured that part of why he might have remained unaffected was due to his ongoing struggle with feeling "man enough," but, in his heart of hearts, he knew that there was enough maleness within him that he should have been at least mildly bewitched by the creatures’ song. He sighed, for he knew that his immunity had resulted from a different aspect, one that he had up until that point been loath to admit.

Adelard, Duke of Roseland, was falling in love with Captain Syndalle Scarre.

Next Chapter: Chapter 5: Captive