At World's Beginning

A Devilfish's Bargain

Then

"You did not heed my warning."

It seemed the mermaid no longer needed prompting to speak—she addressed Franklin as soon as he set foot inside the brig. He would have chuckled, smiled, showed some sign of mirth at the change, but all he felt was exhausted beyond his years. Half the crew, gone in a night, and the remaining men were left to put the bodies to rest and repair what was left of the ship.

"I did," Franklin said, leaning against the cage across from hers. He looked down at his hands as he added, "The captain did not."

A sound like a scoff came from the cage, and her voice was full of disgust as she said, "Men who put their pride above others deserve to have their life cut from their bodies. I hope he's not still amongst the living."

Franklin stared at her for a long moment, at first in shock of her bold words, and then in curiosity. He couldn't deny she was intriguing and captivating, much the same way a thunderstorm was.

Would she cut my life from my body if I released her, I wonder? He wasn't foolish enough to find out. He'd heard the tales of mermaids, anyone who had been on the sea for longer than a sunset would have. The tales were much the same: a beauty would lure a man with her sensuous eyes and pretty face, seduce him and fulfill his every pleasure, and then pull him to the bottom of the sea to eat his still-living body.

This one seemed to have no interest in anything but the murderous portion of the tales.

"The captain is still alive and wishes he had listened to my words," Franklin answered. "I... presented the warning as mine. He would not trust a plea from someone currently occupying his brig."

And not to mention when that someone was a nymph of the sea. Captain Ulysses was having a rough go of it just accepting there was a woman onboard, let alone if Franklin told him that the woman was not a woman, per se. Just a creature that held the shape of one.

She hadn't responded, so he added, "Regardless, I thank you for the warning. I am grateful you tried to save the men aboard this ship."

"There is no saving men like you," she answered as her bright eyes traced the confines of her cage.

"Men like me?" he asked as the corner of his mouth quirked into a smile. There weren't many men like him that he knew of, but he was curious what she had to say on the matter.

"Men of the sea," she said with unmistakable bitterness as her gaze focused back on him. He fought off a shiver. "Cursed, you are. Cursed by your avarice and murderous intent."

Franklin tilted his head and asked, "You seem awfully sure of that."

"With reason," she said in a low tone that spoke of steadfast confidence. After a long moment, Franklin swung his arms behind his back and approached her cage but stopped far enough that he could not be reached through the bars.

"What's your name?"

His question caused her lips to tighten into a scowl.

"My name cannot be spoken by the tongues of men."

"See," he said with a shake of his head, "you can't be saying things like that. Not around here. If the crew or captain overheard you, they'd tie a cannonball to your ankles and throw you overboard. Probably cut your throat for good measure."

The woman moved to the bars so quickly that Franklin almost took a step back. But he forced himself to remain still and at ease, even with her face only a foot from his.