Page 21 of Ballad of Sea and Sky

“Did you drown in there?” a female voice shouted through the door.

“Coming!” I shouted back, splashing inelegantly in the too-small tin tub. I had subconsciously shifted in the salt water, and I had to will my tail to part back into legs before I could stand and dry myself off with a coarse linen towel.

I felt a little more clean as I emerged, but found Zephyr nowhere in sight.

“Knock when you’re ready!” she shouted through the door to the main deck.

I was surprised. While I enjoyed the privacy, it was another oddity of my treatment as a siren prisoner.

I pulled on the borrowed clothes from whatever mystery female the captain had spent his nights with. The trousers were a little big, but I was able to tuck the long cuffs into the boots. They were also a bit big, and I resigned myself to just feeling a bit loose.

The cotton shirt had no shape to it whatsoever, and the last item must be the bodice. We didn’t have such things on the Silent Isles. Selkies were generally unconcerned by breasts, and restrictive clothing meant it became more difficult to strip and swim. Most of our clothes were designed to be loose fitting and easily removed. Even my formal gown at the feast had been of loose silk that didn’t leave much to the imagination.

I supposed sirens must be more concerned about such things, and I took the soft leather in my hands to examine it. I frowned. There were ties and hooks and I had no idea how to put it on.

Gingerly, I went to the door and knocked.

“All ready?” Zephyr asked when the door clicked open. She looked at the bodice I held helplessly in my hand and grinned. “Ah. Not sure what to do with it?”

“No,” I winced, trying to see how the one Zephyr was wearing was tied.

She smiled kindly as she closed the door behind her and held out her hands. “Want some help?”

I nodded, feeling distinctly embarrassed at my inability to put on a simple piece of clothing. I was determined to study how she did it so that I could do it alone in the future.

“Well, first you should tuck in your shirt,” she pointed out, taking the bodice from me and pulling some of the laces. “It’s not safe to have loose clothing on a ship. It could get caught on hooks or rigging too easily.”

I complied while I watched her loosen the laces, not removing them from the leather garment.

“There,” she said, holding it out to me. “This side is up,” she pointed to one area that was rounded, clearly meant to cover breasts. “It’s sleeveless, because the wings make sleeves tricky. Most sirens don’t even bother with the undershirt,” she added, gesturing to her own lack of cotton shirt and bare arms. “This strap goes around your neck and hooks for extra support. I usually step into mine or unlace it entirely because of the wings, but you could probably manage it over your head.”

She handed the bodice back to me and I slipped it on over my head as instructed. It was very loose and offered no support, and I frowned as I looked down at it.

Zephyr laughed. “Don’t worry, Princess, we still have to tighten the laces,” she said, stepping behind me and beginning to tug at my back. I felt the leather pull snug around my chest and waist as she adjusted it, worrying that I would never manage this on my own. The bodice covered my front all the way to the top of my trousers, and once Zephyr had pulled all the laces snugly, I did feel supported. The garment dipped lower in the back, I supposed to accommodate wings. “How’s that? You still need to be able to breathe.”

I wiggled, testing the snugness of the fit. It was a little restricting, but not uncomfortable. I would manage.

“That’s good, thank you,” I said, pulling at the leather to adjust my shirt beneath. “Siren fashion is significantly more restrictive than selkie fashion.”

Zephyr laughed again. “It is,” she agreed. “In the—” She broke off, as if realizing she was about to reveal too much.

I bit my lip, unreasonably irritated that the sirens were watching their words around me. I’d have done the same thing, in their place, but it was irritating nonetheless.

“At home,” she corrected, “many don’t bother with the bodices. But when you have to run and fight and fly regularly, the support is helpful. Ready to go?”

“Will your songs ensorcell me?” I asked, gesturing to the door. I didn’t believe Astraios for one second after his prank with the net, but Zephyr seemed like she would tell me the truth.

She frowned, and then realization hit and her eyes went wide. “Oh,” she laughed, “no, Princess. Siren song doesn’t sound like that,” she said, nodding to the door. “When we use our magic, it’s…well…different. You won’t be magicked unless Cas orders it. And you’ll know the difference.”

I frowned as well at this, and she grinned. “You look like a real pirate. It kind of suits you, honestly. Come on.”

I felt strangely warm at the compliment, despite the fact that I seriously doubted I’d be bringing this fashion back home with me when I got off this ship.

The sun was setting and the deck was noisy, the sounds of raucous laughter and conversation abuzz against the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. For a moment my breath caught, the beckoning, glittering sea and haunting melody both warring for my attention.

The ocean was sobig.Sowide.I hadn’t really realized, trapped as I was on my island, how muchspacethere was. The sky kissed the sea with an orange glow, setting the whole world ablaze. I itched to jump into the water, to shift and swim and dive and explore and become part of the endless tapestry. The sea seemed to sing along to the ethereal melody aboard the ship, begging me to join her.

What I didn’t see were other siren ships.