Chapter 9

The Silent Tide glided just outside of the light of the crackling ship. Already debris clinked against their hull. Powder and guns lay awaiting a fight, but whatever horrific violence struck  seemed to have already left its wake of destruction. The ship circled in closer. A spotter called down “One ship, luxury transport, heavily damaged, survivors and goods in the water. No activity on deck.”

“Move forward” the captain coolly called. “Retrieve survivors, prepare to board”. The mystery loomed. 

Thomas looked at the crew’s faces for clues, but found only focus. A faint voice called out from the waters “Help! Down here.” The waves rocked a chunk of debris the man clung to. Nets cast down to him. 

Excitement clamored from Finneas “The barrels mate, reel them in!” Thomas leaned over for a better look, grasping the edge firmly as to not join the forsaken crew below. The waters were surprisingly calm, but even with the moon and fires Thomas couldn’t see a thing in the dark waters. He squinted and bounced, anxious to get a better view.

Barrels splashed on board, rewards for their courage. Two other men tugged at their net before the stranded stranger reached the deck, seasoaked and gasping for air. Immediately two additional mates ran over, swords readied. Finneas approached, interrogating the man, who struggled to find words. 

Thomas turned back to the open water, and that’s when he saw her. Standing ghostly on a large piece of debris, her body still against the chaos of the sea, the moonlight illuminating her like a lighthouse on a foggy night. “There! A woman in the water.” The boat yearned towards her, likely already spotted well before Thomas’ frantic calling. She latched on to the roping as the ship glazed next to her. Thomas gave her a hand as she reached the top roping. She was in white sleeping clothes, her skin olive, her features dark. While plenty capable, this was no sailor. She stood silently in shock not truly understanding her surroundings.

Finneas screamed at the strange man on board with a strong shake, “Give me something man, what happened!”. Visibly shaken, he uttered only one word, "Kraken". Finneas’ face contorted before calling out in a controlled way. “CAPTAIN! Kraken Call.”

The Silent Tide neared the flaming ship. While extremely damaged, its ornate body was ripe for picking. Unmenacing bodies danced wildly around its deck. Riley approached the captain, “Kraken? In these shallow waters. Could it be?” The boarding crew readied themselves, grapples in hand, the Silent Tide slowing its pace. Riley looked at her crew and then back to the Captain who said nothing. “Captain? Do we board?”. 

A silence fell over, waiting for a response, ship edging ever closer. The Captain remained concentrated, as if she had all the time in the world. Riley called again “Prepare to board?”. The Silent Tide edged ever closer, the chaos from the flaming ship growing intimately close.

Finally the Captain broke, “Full sails, reverse charts.” The two ships were side-by-side and close enough that some boarders had already thrown their hooks. “Abort boarding! Steady your hands men, reverse charts!”. The boarders dropped their hooks, instead pushing the Silent Tide away with long wooden poles as the ships skirted past each other. Thomas looked on ghastly. 

“Riley, there's people on that ship!”, he cried out. “REVERSE CHARTS” Riley glared. 

There would be no rescue. Thomas ran to the side, the faces of the forsaken crew calling out for help. One man measured the gap between the ships, considering his chances. Then from behind him a glowing shadow raced towards the Silent Tide. The shadow blasted past the hesitant man, who clumsily fell between the two ships. The shadow, jumping with all its might, sprung about boosting its foot on the railing before rolling onto the deck.

The shadow called out with bated breath, almost chuckling “I thought you were going to leave me. How are we, mates!”. The two ships grew ever more apart. No one else would make it aboard.

As the night grew, the glow of the fiery ship danced in the distant background. The sea-soaked man, the shocked woman, and the handsome dark shadow sat on the deck being tended too under strict watch. 

Thomas stood on deck, watching over the scene, processing what his life at sea was actually going to be like. Anger twinged, knowing they had left the others behind. How many lives would be lost over the coming hours. The night was young and any chance of rescue vanished with the Silent Tide into the night. 

Riley approached the brooding Thomas. “You okay?” she softly asked, but without a note of apology. “There were people on the ship Riley…” 

She firmly corrected him, “There’s people on this ship. They come first, always.” He looked at her with rebuttal but she abruptly cut him off. “AND- we never question the captain. Never.” 

The dynamic was new to him and he questioned to himself what it meant to truly give his life over to the crew, to the captain. Then, like a candle on a windy night, the flaming ship let out a bright burst before being swallowed into darkness. The crew turned to acknowledge the other ship’s fate. One word danced upon Riley’s tongue softly.  “Kraken.”

We hope you enjoyed episode three. Visit our Substack to read extended scenes, explore bonus lore, and view concept art from this chapter. Subscribers receive early access to future releases and exclusive content from Partners in Shadow.