Under Murky Waters
Chapter Fourteen

PIRACY WAS NOT uncommon in those waters. Cordelia died by its hand, her life withering into nothing more than a vengeful spirit birthed by the fathoms below. Her father was missing because of it, his body never found. As a result, Cordelia refused to believe that the old man was dead. Until a body was presented before her, she would not consider such a horrendous thought.

It seemed like years later, the pirates — albeit a different bunch of men — were back again to steal something precious from Cordelia. This time, they desired to steal Zale, the last connection to her past that she had.

Gritting her teeth in annoyance, Cordelia blew at the stray strand of her hair that dangled down her forehead, allowing it to fly sharply to the left of her face. Her eyes narrowed, scanning the body language of the men before diving back under the surface.

Unlike those feeble human legs, her powerful tail allowed her to swim quickly, easily speeding to the ship before it could sail too far away. Her hands grazed the wood just as it started to sail away from the island, clinging onto the barnacles that had made the wood their home for support. Straining her arms just the slightest, she began to climb up the wood, using the ropes that hanged from the side of the ship as her aide.

It took much effort to slither through the opening unseen but Cordelia accomplished it anyway. If she set her mind to something, there was nothing that could stop her.

The second she climbed through the open window and landed on the wooden panels, her scales started to shrink away. There were no more droplets of salted water splashed against her bare skin, thus triggering the transformation. Her tail split into two, scales of midnight lightening into the color of her sun kissed skin tone in a practiced way she had witnessed so many times before.

“Drat,” she murmured once she realized that she had forgotten about her scrap piece of cloth, careful not to raise her voice too much.

Scrambling to her feet, she pulled at an unused fabric that laid on the floor before tying it around her body. Thankfully, even though the newly acquired piece of fabric had small holes and tatters, it still covered the bare necessities. It came down to her ankles, a little too long for free movement, in Cordelia’s opinion. Thinking on her feet, she quickly grabbed a few ropes, skillfully tying it around her waist to secure the main outfit before tearing away at the fabric. She then tied knots across her legs, ultimately, shortening the ensemble into a one-piece jumpsuit.

Cordelia grinned to herself, admiring her handiwork with a small nod. Due to the overlapping fabric, a vast majority of the holes in the cloth was covered up, leaving a lot more to the imagination than before. Although it was figure hugging and displayed a little more than what she was raised to believe was proper, it would have to do.

After all, she survived that many years under the sea not because of how lady-like she was but rather the skills she had secretly built without her father’s knowledge.

A thunk came from the wooden plank above her, followed by the shape of a boot that covered the cracks that allowed sunlight in. Cordelia jumped in surprise, eyeing the men above her cautiously.

“Thank you!” Cordelia recognized that desperate gratefulness as Zale’s voice. “Thank you so much. I have been stuck on that island for so long a time that I was sure I would die there.”

On the tips of her toes, if Cordelia strained hard enough, she could see what was happening up above. She squinted at the figures above her through the small cracks in between the wooden planks. Even though their faces were distorted by the bright golden reflection of the sun’s mighty light, she could still vaguely make out Zale’s figure along with a stockier man’s.

“Don’t you mention it, mate,” the pirate laughed. He slapped a faux friendly hand against Zale’s back, using a little more force than what should’ve been necessary. “We’re glad to help any lass in need.”

Unknowing to the trouble that was to be headed his way, Zale continued to smile, his eyes not looking where he looked until a slight push sent Zale tumbling down the flight of stairs that led to where Cordelia hid. The latch slammed close above him, plummeting them into darkness before Zale could even get back onto his feet.

“What the—”

“Trust you to go dealing with pirates again,” Cordelia laughed, shaking her head just as Zale spun over with his eyes wide and round.

Humor danced in Cordelia’s voice as she gently perched herself on top of a barrel. Moving her hair over to one shoulder, she shook her head and took advantage of Zale’s silence to playfully mock him.

“I thought you learned your lesson the first time round. Why do you always need the villains to come and save you?”