Page 361 of Kingdoms of Night

In a daze, I had served my last customers their ale and waved them goodbye once they were ready to head back to their homes or ships.

All alone, I was left to my troubling thoughts of dead mermaids and who killed them if not Elian. I’d vowed away my freedom. That meant that no one would have to die this way ever again.

I blew out the torches and candles that had lit my tavern and stood in the darkness for a moment. The hum of the wind filtering into the boarded window filled the silence as I closed my eyes and sighed.

A strange sound broke me from my thoughts and I shot a glance at the inn’s front doors. Luka—one of my regulars—peeked his head in.

“Sorry, Siddhe. I just need to grab my cap. Kati will have my hide if I forget it.”

With a breath of relief, I nodded. “Of course, Luka. Take your time.”

“Thanks,” he said, stepping inside and heading to one of the tables closest to the hearth. He snatched it from a chair and gave it a little dusting against his faded pants. “She knitted it a few years ago. Ugly thing, it is.”

I giggled and took off my apron. “It’s not that bad,” I said as I hung it up on a hook. “Need anything else?”

“Naw. I’m good. See you tomorrow night. You be careful you hear? Lock up tight.”

“Always,” I said and waved at him as he left.

Feeling only slightly better, I followed behind him and closed the doors.

I sighed, and pressed my forehead against the door. This was my last time locking up.

I turned to the street. A drunk sailor and a harlot stumbled out of the pub across the main road and laughed loudly into the night. They headed down hill, their voices carrying on the soft sea breeze.

I headed downhill toward the ocean. I still needed to get back to the Colony to announce my success to everyone. I could make there and back to the pier in time to meet Elian.

I was so close to finishing this mission. Yet, I felt unsettled. I should be overjoyed.

My life would no longer be my own, despite what Elian said, I would be serving him. There had to be a way to shift my perspective and see it in a new light. My father used to tell me that. He used to tell me that most challenges were blessings in disguise, and it took skill to see it that way.

What was I gaining? How could this be a blessing?

Then, I started to see it—the light in the situation.

I could see the world—not from below the surface—but above.

That brought a small smile to my face.

It was a warm night, with clear skies. Only minutes ago, the streets of Calbrock Bay had been filled with sailors and locals.

Now, it was a ghost town. To busy myself, I hummed an old song my mother used to sing. I noticed how it echoed off the walls of the two buildings on either side as I took the usual shortcut down an alley. It would cut my time in half, and I needed to get home as soon as possible.

The sound of whispers stopped me midway through the alley. It was so faint that I thought I’d imagined it. The way the hairs on my arm stood on end convinced me that it was not just my imagination. Rubbing my arms, I turned to look behind me.

“Who is there?” I asked, softly.

A yelp escaped my lips as someone pulled me by my hair and yanked me backward.

Panic filled my veins as I struggled to see in the darkness. The sound of several footsteps rushing toward me solidified my fear. I grabbed my assailant by the hands and tried to pry his fingers from their grip on my hair.

“Good job, Dani,” a gruff voice called from somewhere close to me.

I sucked in a breath. Who were these men? I’d never seen them before.

They were dressed in similar clothing; exotic materials, sashes across their belt loops, and scarred faces.

Pirates. They’re bloody pirates.

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