The Hunt

Chapter 14

Two nights later, the ship was ready and the entire crew celebrated. Food and liquor had been brought back onto the ship and they'd been sailing for a day already. Bellamy wanted to find the next item, which was some sort of hourglass, quickly. The map didn't say much. Instead Bellamy was left trying to understand riddles that spoke of the "sand of time".

He tried not to think of all the problems he was having trying to find the location. He'd asked Lydia and she'd only heard bribes of information. Nothing truly useful. They'd already gotten one priceless item, now it was time to celebrate.

The moon was the only other witness of their festivities. His men didn't need an excuse to drink but this time, Bellamy was happy to join in. He drank the auburn liquid and made jokes with the rest of the crew. Lydia was sitting a little further from them.

She'd tried joining the men but most of them were hostile towards her ever since she'd gotten on the ship. "She was bad luck", "she wasn't human", "she could use them"... the list went on and on.

But as the night progressed, the men grew merrier and one of them stood up and asked the mermaid to dance. She seemed shocked at first, her eyes widening and her lips parting. Unsure, she stood and neared the large circle of men who were tripping over their feet.

The song was fast and gay. Joy and life seeped through the wooden floors as the men chanted and slammed their feet on the ground. Lydia watched their movements closely until she started to dance as well.

Bellamy couldn't help but compare her to all the others. Her feet hovered over the floor, grazing the surface before leaping back into the air. She didn't dance, she flew. Her hair bounced around as she let herself glide back and forth.

The men took turns dancing with her, making her spin and picking her up. Their cheeks were red from the alcohol swarming in their veins and the music grew louder with each step. Bellamy watched as Lydia played along, her bare feet so small compared to the heavy boots that stomped around her.

"Come on Bel!" Finicky tried getting him to join in but Bellamy was perfectly content with the view. He liked seeing his men so relaxed, but most of all, he liked watching the nymph dance.

He shook his head and finished his rum, all the while enjoying the show. When the melody finally ended, Lydia came to sit down next to Ash. He smiled at her and handed her a bottle of rum. She thanked him and drank a heavy amount before looking over at Bellamy.

Their eyes locked and she smiled. For a moment, she didn't hate him. For an instant, Bellamy smiled back.

"Ye know, I have a bucko who heard a mermaid sing once," said a boatswain. He was young and his mouth was like cotton when he spoke. The pirates listened to him speak, even if the words were slurred together and barely made sense.

"He said she sang songs to lure him in. He told me he almost be a victim." The men nodded around him, as if they knew exactly what he was talking about. "Ye know, they only sing to kill. When a mermaid sings, she traps yer soul and ye become a puppet."

"Your friend has never seen a mermaid." Bellamy snapped his attention to Lydia who was holding her, nearly empty, bottle of rum.

"Ye callin' me a liar?" the boatswain tried getting up but his legs gave out and he fell back. The entire crew laughed and the man calmed down, visibly too drunk to start a fight.

Lydia seemed perfectly fine. Her eyes were focused and her words were clearly pronounced. "I'm calling your friend a liar."

"And why's that?"

"Because mermaids don't always sing to hunt." The men looked at her, too drunk to understand exactly what she was trying to tell them. "We sing because we like music. Give a mermaid music and she's yours. It's like gold."