Siren Song (The Fated #1)

13 | Nokos

To the ignorant and the naive, there was nothing extraordinary about the port of Nokos. Sailors, fishers, and those with more... colorful backgrounds scurried about the boarded walkways as Lykos' crew steered the ship in. The smell of fish and saltwater wafted through the open air. If Iliana tuned out the crew, she could hear the shouts, jokes, and curses that echoed between the people of Nokos.

She observed all of this from the very tip of the bow. She sat with her legs dangling over the edge of the railing, her hands settled uncomfortably in her lap. Her position put her the furthest from the crew as she could manage while still being offered a decent view of the port. Her curiosity about the town warred with her annoyance towards the ship's inhabitants.

Not a single one of them seemed surprised to see the iron cuffs that chafed her wrists. They pissed her off as much as the restraints themselves depressed her. After all, escaping like this would be that much harder. Of course, she was determined to manage it anyways. There had to be some method to remove the cuffs without Lykos--perhaps it was only rumor that they were spelled; she wouldn't put it past slavers to be operating with tools that were based on fear rather than actual fact.

She would slip away the first chance she got, Iliana decided. Lykos was intelligent, but confident as well, perhaps overconfident. Hopefully, his mindset that escaping him in Nokos was impossible would lead to mistakes. All of this flitted through her mind as Lykos called his crew over to where he stood on the middle deck--with the exception of Nuri who stayed to guide them through the crowded waters. Iliana glanced over her shoulder at the group, not wanting to miss out on any information that might be useful.

"Sophos, Heron, I want ya ta run ahead and let'em know we're 'ere, assumin' they dun know already," Lykos instructed, and the two mercenaries nodded their heads. "Ian, Abarron, get in touch with the merchants, see if they want any of the goods we got stowed away. It's been awhile since we've cracked those doors open, might have something of interest in all that junk." Once again, the persons in question simply nodded. "Nuri--"

"Aye, I'll keep an eye," the man interrupted, tone gruff. He glowered down at them from his position at the helm. "Till moon high, yeah?"

Lykos nodded, amusement playing across his face. It seemed he couldn't care less about any insubordination from his crew. Rather, he seemed to brush Nuri's attitude from his thoughts as he looked to Eumelia and Abiel.

"Your usual spot?" he questioned.

She nodded. "Same rules. Seek me out if needed, otherwise..."

"I understand," Lykos agreed.

He shooed the crew back to their duties. Then, he turned to face where she sat. The knowing edge to his greeting grin had her scowling and turning her back. No doubt he knew that she'd heard his entire conversation. After all, with all Eumelia seemed to know about Iliana's kind, it'd be strange if she wasn't aware that her senses had grown stronger as her appearance grew more enchanting. And if Eumelia knew it, odds were Lykos knew as well. Each day she'd spent on the ship, observing everyone, had made it incredibly clear to her exactly how close the witch doctor and mercenary captain were.

In all honesty, Iliana wouldn't have been surprised if Eumelia walked over and told her that she'd lied, and Abiel was Lykos' son by blood. The three of them seemed to hold some special bond that made little sense to Iliana. At the same time... if one looked at Lykos' personality, and then Eumelia's, they couldn't have been more opposite. Except, perhaps, their unshaking confidence in their own actions.

Lykos seemed to enjoy playing with others. Iliana wasn't alone in the list of people he enjoyed teasing while they'd sailed. In fact, such antics had Eumelia slapping the back of Lykos' head nearly every time Iliana'd come across the two of them without drawing Lykos' attention. This was a direct contrast to Eumelia, who seemed to be utterly concerned with treating every person aboard the ship with respect.