Jacob couldn't remember a time in his life when he had been so distracted from the task at hand. He knew exactly what he had to do - buy essential supplies for their voyage home, but he found himself spending his time between either looking for gifts for Raephier or keeping an eye (and ear) out for Fingers.
It was noon and he had still not made a single purchase that he was supposed to. Oh, he'd made plenty of purchases alright, just nothing that he'd necessarily intended to buy. He looked down at the items he was carrying and shook his head.
He had some parchment and a quill and ink that he was intending to use to help teach Raephier how to write, and also some small woodworking tools that Raephier might be able to use to carve small ornaments. He'd also bought some new clothes. A pair of trousers and a new shirt. The clothes may have been for himself, but he knew that was only so he could give Raephier his current ones, so he didn't have to wear items that had holes in them anymore.
His hands were so full that he'd decided to drop off the items onto his ship. He hid the items he'd bought for Raephier in the chest at the foot of his bed so he could surprise him at a later time.
He'd walked back across the gangplank and onto the harbour wall when he heard his name being called.
"Jacob, Captain!"
He turned and saw Pete at the other end of the harbour waving at him frantically.
He didn't mind that he'd called him by his first name. Shouting 'Captain' at a port with about 50 ships in dock wouldn't get you very far.
Jacob made his way over to Pete, weaving his way through the crowds, making sure he didn't step on any merchandise that had been laid on the floor to sell.
"I've been looking for you everywhere!" Pete said with only a hint of annoyance. "We're ready to load, but we need to get your goods on first."
The building materials that Jacob was supposed to have bought, were by far the bulkiest item, so it made sense to load them first.
"Just give me 15 minutes and I'll have them ready for loading," Jacob said, hoping that by some miracle he wouldn't take too much longer than that.
He was thankful that at least he had done his job yesterday and so had narrowed down his options to just two traders.
One was busy, so he decided the other would have to do.
He ended up paying a slightly higher price than he would have liked, but beggars couldn't be choosers, so he coughed up the extra money, then arranged for the goods to be loaded onto his ship.
Only 20 minutes later than he said, the items were being lifted on board, so he left his men to sort out the rest.
It was way past lunchtime, but due to the large breakfast he'd eaten at the inn, Jacob still wasn't hungry, so he decided he'd drop in and check on Raephier.
As he walked up the stairs to his room, his brow furrowed at the sound of voices coming from inside. He put his ear to the door and was relieved to identify Sally's voice. He should have realised the nosy woman wouldn't have been able to stay away from his boy.
Although he knew Sally well and trusted her, Jacob was still uneasy at finding her in his room. A room that had been locked.
He opened the door swiftly and saw them both turn to him with wide eyes.
"Sally? Raephier? What's going on?" he asked.
Sally quickly stood up and fixed her smile on Jacob.
"Oh, I was just keeping your friend here company," she said. "Can I get you anything, Captain?"
"No thank you Sally," Jacob said firmly, and Sally quickly bustled her way out of the room.
Jacob shut the door and slowly turned to Raephier who was busy picking at a piece of loose thread on the blanket that was across his knee.
"Are you alright?" Jacob said, sitting on the edge of the bed next to Raephier.
It never even occurred to him that Sally might have been the one most at risk. For some reason, Jacob felt very protective towards Raephier.
"Yes," Raephier said, and Jacob was relieved to see that his accompanying smile looked genuine.
"She didn't ask you any questions that you couldn't answer, did she?"
Raephier frowned in a way that suggested he didn't understand the question.
"Let me phrase it another way," Jacob said quickly. "Was she suspicious at all about your true nature?"
Raephier looked torn, like he didn't know what to say. When Jacob saw him start to show signs of anxiety, he didn't think twice before reaching over and laying his hand on top of Raephier's.
"Don't worry, I won't be angry if you struggled to answer her questions. I'd just rather know what you told her."
Raephier opened and closed his mouth a few times like he was starting to say something but then stopped himself. Eventually, he sighed and mumbled quietly,
"She knows I'm a Siren."
"What! You told her?!" Jacob said, standing up in alarm.
"N-No, it's not like that!" Raephier said looking upset.
Jacob quickly realised his mistake and sat back on the bed next to Raephier.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that," he said. "I just worry that if people know they might do something to cause you harm. It's ok if you told her."
"B-But I didn't tell her," Raephier said desperately. "She already knew."
Jacob had to fight his instinct to jump up in alarm again.
"She already knew?" he repeated as calmly as he could, but he could feel his heart pounding in his chest.
"Yes," Raephier said, finally getting the courage to look up at Jacob. "Are you angry?"
Jacob's heart nearly broke at seeing Raephier's pleading blue eyes. He wasn't actually sure if it would ever be possible to be angry at Raephier. Especially when he looked at him like that.
"Of course not," he said, reaching up and pushing a strand of hair away from Raephier's eyes.
The moment Jacob's fingers caressed his skin, Raephier leaned into touch just enough to make Jacob lift his other hand and take hold of Raephier's face, gently but firmly.
A blush spread across Raephier's cheeks, making Jacob smile.
"Look at me Raephier," Jacob said.
Raephier slowly lifted his gaze and let out a small intake of air when their eyes met.
Jacob could see every little mark and freckle on Raephier's face this close. He had a weird urge to rub their noses together.
But it was Raephier's eyes that finally claimed all of Jacob's attention. He'd never seen anything so blue before. Except maybe the summer sky. Pure blue. Nothing else.
A quiet giggle snapped Jacob out of his trance.
"What are you laughing at?" Jacob said in amusement.
"You're staring," Raephier replied.
Jacob immediately pulled back in embarrassment.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"N-No, it's fine. I liked it!" Raephier said hurriedly.
Jacob smiled at him.
"I suppose you're used to people staring at you," he said, imagining all the attention that those stunning eyes must bring him.
Raephier frowned.
"No, people tend to look away rather than stare at me."
"Why would they do that?" Jacob shot back, before he'd thought the question through.
"I think they fear me," Raephier replied, looking down.
"Hey," Jacob said, putting his fingers gently under Raephier's chin and tilting his head back so he was looking at Jacob again. "I don't."
Raephier smiled, but it looked nervous, and his eyes were still darting every which way but at Jacob's own brown ones.
As much as Jacob wanted to sit here with Raephier for the rest of the day, the thought of Sally knowing that Raephier was a Siren was starting to itch away in his mind.
He let go of Raephier's chin and stood up.
"I'm going to head out again but I just wanted to check on you. Are you still wanting to go explore the town with me later?"
"Yes, if that's still alright with you?" Raephier replied.
"Of course it is. I'll see you later Raephier," and then with a last sweep of his hand over Raephier's head, he walked out of the room.
As soon as he was out of Raephier's distracting presence, Jacob felt his shoulders tense up with stress. He hurried down the stairs, listening for Sally's voice.
It didn't take him long to locate her behind the bar.
"Captain," she said, acknowledging him with a nod to the head. "I had a feeling you'd be coming to find me."
"Yes, I think you've got some explaining to do," Jacob said, using his Captain's voice. Not angry, just assertive.
"Then let's go sit in the back," Sally said, putting down the cloth she had been cleaning the bar with.
Jacob let Sally lead him out into the back, which were the private quarters of Sally and Barny.
Sally gestured towards an armchair, and Jacob took a seat. Sally sat on another chair opposite him.
"Firstly, let me apologise for letting myself in your room," she said, "but I just had to see whether what I saw earlier was true."
"I don't understand," said Jacob, shaking his head. "How did you know he was a Siren?"
"I've seen him before," Sally said, making Jacob sit up in alarm. "Not to talk to, I've never officially met him before," she quickly clarified, "but I see a lot of goods come and go from this port, Raephier being one of them."
"Hmmm," Jacob said, going over Sally's words. Was that plausible? Was it possible that she'd seen him before?
"Come on Jacob," Sally said, leaning over towards him. "I've known you since you were a nipper, you know you can trust me."
Jacob sighed. She was right. Even if what she said wasn't the whole truth, he didn't think she was someone who couldn't be trusted.
"So do you know much about Sirens then?" Jacob asked.
"Yes, I know a lot about them," she replied.
Jacob suddenly sat up straighter. This is what he'd been hoping for. Some more information on Raephier!
"Then tell me what you know," he said eagerly. "Everything."
Sally let out a huff or air, like she was preparing herself for a large task.
"Well for starters, a Siren is someone who has been cursed with the Song of the Sea."
"The Song of the Sea?" Jacob asked.
"Yes, that's the name of the curse."
Jacob nodded to show he understood.
"To be cursed does not change who they are. They are still the same person. They act the same, they think the same, they," she paused for a moment, "they fall in love the same."
Jacob frowned a little at her choice of words but didn't comment. Sally continued.
"You need to think about it like this. Raephier is not just a Siren like you are not just a Captain. It is one part of him. And to an extent, he can choose when he wants to be a Siren, just as you can choose when you want to be a Captain."
"Ok, I think I understand," Jacob said. "So what happens then, when he chooses to be a Siren."
"A Siren is a very dangerous thing," Sally said with a shake of the head. "A Siren is a lure. They choose a target and then they sing to them, and the song puts them into a sort of trance like state."
"What kind of song does that?" Jacob asked.
"It's not a song that comes out of their mouth. It comes from their mind."
"Like telepathy?" Jacob asked.
"Yeah, I guess you could say so," Sally replied.
"So what happens then? After you've been put in a trance?"
"You fall under the Siren's spell. You fall madly in love. Like a kind of all consuming love, where you can see nothing else, other than the beauty of the Siren."
"So anyone who heard Raephier's song would fall in love with him? Even a man?"
Sally raised an eyebrow. "I hardly think the sex matters in such things, but I think I understand your question. A Siren can shapeshift, and when they sing their song, they shapeshift into whatever it is that the person finds attractive, whether that be a male or a female."
Jacob tried not to squirm under Sally's watchful stare.
"But how does the Siren know what the other person would find attractive?"
"They don't," Sally replied. "The shape will come directly from the mind of the person they sing to. The Siren doesn't have any control over their shape at that point."
Jacob nodded. "So what happens then."
"The person under their spell will be drawn to the Siren. They will just keep getting closer and closer until they are in front of the Siren and then they will kiss. As they kiss the soul of the person gets extracted from their body and enters into the Siren. The body then dies."
"And the soul?" Jacob managed to ask, even though his mouth was suddenly very dry.
"The soul is just held inside the Siren until the Siren dies."
Jacob suddenly felt a shiver go down his spine. Just how many souls was Raephier carrying around in him?
"So does the song only affect one person then? Or does everyone who can hear it end up losing their soul?"
"The song can only be directed at one person," Sally replied, "but it affects everyone who can hear it. Only they hear it differently. This is the true reason why Siren's are feared so much. They can take down a whole army without lifting a finger."
"How?" Jacob asked.
"Those who can hear the song also fall in love with the Siren, but it is a different kind of love. It's a jealous, possessive, dark love, and when they hear that song, they will do everything in their power to make the Siren theirs. And that usually means killing off all the competition."
"So whole armies just fight each other to the death?" Jacob asked in amazement.
"Yes. The only one unaffected by the jealousy is the one that the Siren is singing to directly. The song will only end once that person loses their soul. Even the Siren can't stop the song once it starts."
Jacob took a deep breath in and out. His mind was reeling.
"Are you ok?" Sally asked.
Jacob nodded slowly.
"I always knew that I'd bought a powerful weapon, but I never really realised it's true power until now."
Sally huffed and shook her head.
"What?" Jacob asked.
"Oh Jacob," she sighed. Her tone reminded him of his mother when he'd disappointed her. "Raephier is not a weapon."
Her words lodged somewhere in Jacob's rib cage.
"But....But that's what he was sold to me as."
Sally looked Jacob in his eyes. Her eyes held a sorrow that he'd never seen before.
"Weapons don't weep," she simply said.
Jacob shut his eyes and buried his head in his hands.
The signs were all there. He just didn't want to think about what they meant. From the moment he'd met Raephier, he could never imagine him hurting anybody. Like Sally said, it was a choice. Just like it was a choice for Jacob. Only being a Captain was a good thing to choose. But killing people? Sure, some people chose that. But Raephier? Sweet, kind, gentle Raephier? But then he'd had previous masters. He'd been sold as a weapon before. Does that mean he'd chosen to kill before? Or was the choice taken away from him?
Jacob suddenly sat back up.
"Does that mean he was forced in the past? Oh god, what did they do to him?"
Sally shook her head.
"Raephier is stronger than you think. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink."
The relief Jacob felt knowing that Raephier wasn't a mass murderer was short lived as he slowly started piecing things together. It was like the damn in his brain was breached, and he was flooded with information as everything started to make sense.
He jumped up and started pacing. His mind whirring.
"So what can I do?" he said to himself, more than Sally. "I need to get the supplies home. I needed a weapon to help, but Raephier won't do that. I can't make him do that. I won't make him do that. But then I spent all that money for nothing. He's worth nothing. As a weapon anyway. So I need something else, some other way. But I've no money left. Unless I sell something. But what can I sell?"
Then, finally, all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place and Jacob froze on the spot.
"Fingers."
Sally's eyes widened.
"I should have known he was involved!" she huffed.
"Yes, and he's been tailing me ever since I bought him, and now I know why!"
Without saying another word, Jacob thundered out of the room with only one thing on his mind. Finding Fingers.