Pete watched from a distance as he saw the life drain out of Marco. As soon as Pete had seen the injury, he knew that he didn't stand a chance, but that hadn't stopped Lyle and Harry from trying, and Pete was grateful for that.
He always imagined that if he was lying there dying, he'd want someone to try to save him, even if it was pointless. It just meant that at least someone valued your life.
Pete took a final drag on his cigarette before flicking out to sea, his eyes moving off Marco to follow it. It somehow seemed disrespectful to stare at the dead.
Pete was feeling many emotions at that moment. He was devastated at the loss of his crew mate and friend, and he couldn't help but think how hard it was going to be to tell Marco's wife back home. He was also angry at the people who'd killed him. Angry at the Tredda and Pirates who constantly fought them when all they wanted to do was bring vital supplies to their loved ones. But for the first time since he stepped onto Jacob's ship, he was also feeling something else; a sense of unease about their future as a crew. It was an unsettling feeling and one Pete wished he could ignore.
Pete had known Jacob for as long as he could remember. They had grown up on the same street and played together as children. Even though Pete was a year older, and they'd been equals during their first few voyages as sailors, Pete never once felt resentful that Jacob ended up as Captain of his own ship. And he didn't have to think twice before accepting a position on his crew.
Jacob was a natural born leader, and the years Pete had spent under his Captaincy were by far the best he'd had at sea. Never once had he questioned one of his decisions. Until now.
He did understand his decision. He really did. And he'd not questioned it when he had told him that night that he wouldn't use Raephier as a weapon. But seeing one of the crew, and one of your best friends die in front of you, kind of altered your perspective.
Even before the second strike, the men had pleaded with Jacob to use the Siren, but he had stood firm with his decision. Many of the men had pleaded with Pete to try to get Jacob to change his mind, afterall he was his second in command and best friend. But Pete had refused, respecting Jacob's decision. He had felt so sure he was doing the right thing at the time, so why did he now have the irritation of guilt running through his veins.
Pete didn't even need to listen to the whispers to know that Jacob's integrity was now in question. The crew felt as though he'd put the needs and concerns of Raephier over the rest of the crew. And although Pete would never judge him for it, he kind of felt the same too.
A hand on his shoulder made Pete jump slightly.
"Come on," Lyle said, his usual scowl somehow even more prominent on his face. "We're going to send Marco off."
Pete nodded and headed over to the rear of the ship where Marco's body had been moved. All the crew gathered round, the mood somber and dark.
Marco's body had been wrapped in hessian cloth and tied to a large lump of stone to make sure his body sank to the bottom of the ocean. Although Pete was hoping to live a long life, he liked the idea of dying at sea. He much prefered the thought of his body being dropped to the bottom of the ocean rather than being buried in a mound of dirt somewhere on land.
Jacob stood at the front and said a few words about Marco, and then Lyle did the same. Whatever the two speaker's felt about each other was pushed to the back of their minds at the moment to pay respect to their fallen friend.
Pete didn't really pay much attention to what was said. He knew the words would be kind and respectful, but his head just wasn't in a kind or respectful place at that moment.
As Marco's body was gently lifted and thrown off the back of the ship, Pete watched as Jacob turned and quickly walked away, heading towards his cabin.
Pete saw a few men raise their eyebrows in surprise. To some it might appear disrespectful for the Captain to turn and walk away before the body had even sunk below the surface. But in the brief glimpse Pete got of Jacob's face, he knew why he went. It was a look Pete had not seen on Jacob for many years, but it was the look of a man about to break down. And there was no way Jacob would ever break down and cry in front of his men.
Pete went back to his original position on the main deck and lit another cigarette. There was a lot that needed to be done. The ship, while still afloat, needed lots of repairs and the cannons needed cleaning ready for if they were needed again. But above all the men needed feeding and then to get some rest. Everything else would have to wait until morning.
Pete heard the footsteps of someone approaching and turned round to see James heading his way.
"Come on, there's bread and cheese in the galley," James said, and Pete stubbed out the remains of his cigarette and put it behind his ear for later.
The mood was somber inside, so Pete decided to take his food and eat above deck. He saw Jacob carrying two plates back to his cabin and was about to call out to him, but then realised he didn't really know what to say. In the past, the two of them would have spent a night like this one, lying out on the deck staring at the stars attempting to be philosophical about life. But he had Raephier now. And the fact that he made a beeline for his Cabin to break down meant that he was comfortable in doing so in front of him. Pete knew that Jacob would not be coming to stare at the stars with him tonight.
Pete heard his name being called and turned to see James waving him over. He got to his feet and saw that most of the crew seemed to be sitting in a circle on the upper deck. James scooted over and patted the floor next to him, so Pete came and sat down.
He suspected that they would be reminiscing and sharing stories about Marco. He was wrong.
It was James who spoke.
"Some of the men are worried about Jacob, and I thought it would be worth hearing your opinion, seen as you are probably the closest to him."
Even though Pete was expecting some backlash from the men over what happened today, he still found himself surprised to hear it voiced.
"Why are you worried?" Pete asked, keeping his face as expressionless as possible.
James seemed to not want to answer that question and shot a pleading look at Lyle, so Pete turned to him to see if he was more willing to say something.
"I'm not saying we don't trust Jacob," Lyle said. "You know we do. His integrity is not in question. What I don't trust is that thing in there with him."
Pete saw James flinch slightly at the bitter tone Lyle used when he called Raephier a 'thing'.
"Ok," Pete said calmly, "I think we all know by now that you don't like Sirens. But what has that got to do with Jacob?"
"Don't you see it?" Lyle said, sounding exasperated. "Can you not see how he's changing him?"
Pete frowned. "What do you mean, changing him? I don't think Sirens are capable of changing a person."
"He's bewitching him. That's what Sirens are isn't it? They trick people into falling in love with them and then they rip out their souls."
"Surely if that was Raephier's intention, he'd have done it by now," Pete suggested with a shrug.
"Maybe, maybe not," Lyle replied. "What if his motives are deeper than that. What if he is just waiting for the right time, or he wants to use Jacob to kill the rest of us."
"What are you talking about?" Pete said with a frown. "I think you've been reading too many horror stories. Raephier's no threat."
Lyle looked like he was going to argue back, but then clenched his jaw shut. The anger seemed to radiate off him, the tendons in his neck flexing.
James had his eyes fixed on Lyle showing concern.
"I think you should tell them," James said quietly to Lyle.
"Tell us what?" Pete asked.
Lyle leaned back, with his hands stretched out behind him propping him up. He sighed and looked up to the sky before shutting his eyes tightly.
"Raephier is not the first Siren I've come across," Lyle finally said, making a murmur go round the crew.
"I suspected there might have been some kind of history there," Pete said. "Care to elaborate?"
Lyle nodded slowly. He sat upright, bringing his knees towards his chest, his arms wrapping around his legs.
"I was just 5 at the time. I come from a family of fishermen. My dad would leave in his boat early in the morning and would be home just before sunset. Some days he would come back with nothing. Other days he would have enough to feed everyone on our street and sell extras to the market. He didn't earn much money, but he was happy. He was always happy as long as he could go out to sea.
"I was my parent's third child. All boys. The eldest, Gerald, was 19, Owen was 17. I was what my parents liked to call their 'happy surprise'. I certainly wasn't planned but I was loved all the same.
"I'll never forget that day. I've played it over so many times in my head that I can still remember every single detail.
"It was spring and it was the first warm day of the year. Gerald had been going fishing with my dad for nearly a year at this point. My dad's hands were starting to seize up, so he needed Gerald to bait the line. Gerald was just like my dad. He loved the sea and there was never any question that he would take over my dad's boat one day. Owen was very different. He hated the sea. He was very energetic and always on the go, so he struggled with being contained on a small boat for hours on end. My dad was always pestering Owen to go with them, but most days he chose to help out on our Uncle's farm instead.
"I don't know if it was because of the change in weather or if my dad had bribed him with a promise of a cut of the money, but Owen decided to go with them that day. And because Owen was going I wanted to go too.
"My mum tried to persuade me not to go. She promised we could bake a cake together, or that I could go and visit my cousin Joseph, but I could not be persuaded to do anything but go with my brothers.
"My dad persuaded my mum to let me go with them. I knew she didn't like it. My 5 year old self thought she didn't want me to go because she wanted to play with me and would be lonely on her own. Now I know that it was fear that made her so unsure.
"It was a good day. I'm glad I can say that. We caught a lot of fish which stopped the trip from being boring, and even Owen seemed happy to be on the boat. We were at the furthest point away from home and were about to turn back when we passed a large galleon ship. Our small boat was dwarfed by its size. I've always wondered why they didn't warn us. I suppose it was possible that they didn't know that the Siren was there, but it seemed odd that they had just come from the direction we were about to take, and saw nothing.
"We'd not long lost sight of the ship when we came upon a tiny island. It can't have been more than 20 foot long. But on this island was a woman. She had wavy red hair and was wearing a torn green dress. I would say she looked about the same age as my mum, but that was with the eyes of a 5 year old, so I couldn't be sure.
"I spotted her first and shouted to my dad and brothers, pointing towards the island. They all turned to look, and that was when the most beautiful music filled the air. I'll never forget it. It was beautiful, and calming, and it stirred emotions in you that music shouldn't be able to.
"I stared at the woman as her body suddenly took on a different shape. She changed right in front of my eyes to look like a younger, slightly prettier version of my mother. I burst out laughing and turned to look at my dad, but then I noticed that he had this mesmerised look in his eyes, almost like he was in a trance. I remember shouting 'Dad! Dad!' and pulling on his arm, but it was like I wasn't even there. I turned to my brothers to tell them something was wrong with our dad, but I found them glaring at one another as if they'd just had a massive row. I tried shouting their names too, but just like my dad, it was as though they couldn't hear me.
"I watched as Gerald took the first swing and caught Owen right on his jaw. I remember the feeling of shock at seeing that. Gerald never got into fights. I was less surprised when I saw Owen stand back upright and then launch himself at Gerald, both of them landing in a heap on the floor of the boat. The boat started rocking and lurching as they wrestled, and I remember pleading with my dad to go and stop them, but it was like he couldn't look away from that thing.
"The fight was getting worse. I'd never seen either of them be so violent before. The most I'd ever seen them do was slap one another across the head, or wrestle until one of them had pinned the other. This was not like that. They looked like they were trying to kill one another.
"I screamed and screamed at them to stop. I had no idea what was happening. It was like a living nightmare. Somehow the two of them had managed to get on their feet again. They were both bruised and bleeding and exhausted. Owen took another swing at Gerald, but Gerald ducked and then rammed his head into Owen's stomach. Owen stumbled backwards and tripped over the bait box. He reached out and grabbed hold of Gerald to try to stop himself from falling in, but instead just took him in with him.
"At first I was relieved. They were both strong swimmers so I wasn't worried, and I hoped that the shock of hitting the cold water might snap them out of whatever was going on. I raced to the edge of the boat and couldn't believe it when they just carried on fighting. Only now they were in the water, it just became a challenge of who could push and hold the other under. It was then that the realisation sunk in with me, that they literally were trying to kill each other.
"I went back to screaming at my father to do something, and for a moment I thought I'd finally got through to him as he suddenly dived off the boat into the water. But instead of heading round to the other side of the boat where my brothers were, he started swimming towards the island.
"My brothers were clearly exhausted and were spending longer and longer under the water. I stopped watching. I just sat on the bottom of the boat and cried. I didn't look up until the singing suddenly stopped. I scrambled to the side of the boat and looked towards the island. My dad was lying in a heap on the floor, the woman, now back to her original form looking down at him.
"I shouted at her to help him. I didn't know what was wrong. She just looked at me, her expression totally blank and then she waded into the water up to her waist and then dove under the waves. I never saw her again.
"My dad used to say that the sea was never silent, but it was in that moment. And I knew that only meant one thing. My brothers were dead. I wanted to get help for my dad because I didn't know what had happened to him, so I managed to sort of reattach the sail. I had no idea what I was doing, but somehow I managed to get back to somewhere near home and I was picked up by old man Jonas who'd been visiting his son on the mainland.
"As soon as I told everyone what had happened, they sent a search boat out immediately. Jacob's dad was among the group that went. They came back with two bodies. My dad's and Gerald's. Owen was never found.
"It was years before they told me the truth of what had happened. I wish they'd told me sooner. My young mind had turned that wretched creature into some sort of immortal supernatural being and I was sure she was going to come back for me. It was the disappearing into the water that did it. But I guess that mystery has been solved. It never occurred to me she was half fish."
Lyle was finally silent. Everyone had been so caught up in his story that no one had dared to interrupt or ask a question.
"So what do you want to do?" Pete asked.
Lyle shrugged. "I'm not for a moment suggesting I have a problem with Jacob, but if that thing is playing him, then I'm not comfortable being under his Captaincy."
Pete could feel his heart rate pick up, but he didn't let anything show.
"You do realise you are talking about mutiny?" Pete said.
Lyle shook his head.
"I know it sounds bad, but it's for the Captain's protection too. Like I said, it's not about Jacob, it's about what that thing has done to him."
Pete nodded. He couldn't deny that he wasn't worried about Jacob recently but this seemed like a rather knee jerk reaction to what had happened to Marco.
"What do you think James?" he asked.
James sighed. He looked reluctant to give an answer after being put on the spot.
"I don't know," he said. "I think we need more evidence that Raephier really is doing something to affect his mind before we do anything."
Pete nodded.
"I think I agree. Why don't we speak to the Captain. I know Jacob, and if he has any concerns that his decision making has been affected, he'll probably just give up his Captaincy."
"But if he's been bewitched, he probably can't see it!" Lyle said in an exasperated tone.
"Like I said," Pete said in a firm tone, "I know him. If he isn't acting like himself, I'll know. Should I go and get him and then we can have a proper discussion about this."
Lyle nodded, even though he didn't seem too happy about it.
"I'll come with you," James said.
Pete reminded himself that he needed to keep his faith in Jacob. He was a good leader and would be able to alleviate their fears. After all, it wasn't like anything was going on between him and the Siren. He'd told him so himself.
"I hope this goes as planned," James said as they approached the Captain's quarters.
"It will, I'm sure of it," Pete said, then he opened the door.
He had no idea why he didn't knock. He always knocked.
But maybe it was good that he didn't.
Maybe it was for the best.
Because now he knew that the Siren had already seduced his Captain.