Under Murky Waters
Chapter Twenty-One

HONESTLY, CORDELIA COULD not say that the news was a hundred percent surprising. Ever since she found out that Zale had that medallion on that random beach, she knew that there must’ve been something in their pasts that linked them together. The only thing she had not expected was that their fates were so intricately twined, prepared to be tied together for life before her death tore them apart and set Zale’s line free.

She wondered then that if Zale had been relieved to hear about the news of her death from his father— or any other cultured sailor and gossiping merchant, even. After all, Cordelia’s father was once a renowned sailor that everyone that neared the high seas heard news of. Zale had never been one to be tied down, that was what she deduced in their short time spent together.

He reeked too much like a free spirit with no anchor to his ship.

It was as though Zale could read her mind because he immediately shook his head with a slight chuckle, placing his hand gently on Cordelia’s shoulder in what she thought was to be a reaffirming pat. She leaned into his warm touch, her own cold skin ablaze.

“I didn’t celebrate your death. I mourned it. To be honest, I was rather excited about meeting the girl that my father so praised as a prodigy in multiple things.”

Zale suddenly became quiet, pursing his lips.

In a quieter voice, he said, “the stories I heard about you from my father made me think of you as a goddess. So when I realized that you, someone that defied death, were my betrothed, it just reaffirmed my thoughts. After all, immortals cannot die.”

His words set Cordelia’s heart a flutter, making her cheeks blush a brilliant scarlet underneath the starlight. For once in such a long time, warmth was emitted from her body, one that she welcomed dearly. She had always viewed herself as an independent woman, one that some might say was too independent for her time. However, that didn’t mean that she never wanted someone that she could love and call her own.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes dropping to the ground. “That means a lot to me, more than you can possibly know.”

“I’m just saying the truth.” Zale turned, smiling softly at Cordelia’s radiant blush. “I’m glad to be able to meet you, even if it was under such circumstances.”

Immediately, Cordelia nodded in agreement. She pressed the palm of her hand against Zale’s cheek, feeling as his skin warmed with her touch. Gently, she tilted Zale’s head to face her way, watching as his cerulean eyes roamed across her features, dipping over every arch and crevice of her face. The freckles on his skin formed constellations similar to that of the night sky before them.

If she was darkness, would Zale be her light? He seemed to be made of all things glittering and mesmerizing.

Cordelia wanted this moment to last forever. She wanted to memorize every detail of his face, savor every last memory of him. If she had escaped death not for revenge, it must’ve been for him.

As her hold on him wasn’t very firm, Zale could still move about easily. Noticing how Cordelia was in a stunned silence, he moved closer to her, pressing a lingering kiss on the top of her nose before withdrawing.

The night was ending. Furthermore, the cloth on Cordelia’s head was starting to dry, meaning that she would soon suffer from repercussions if not given water. Both of them knew that their little nugget of bliss had come to an end, like most good things.

Grasping ahold of their now-empty cups, Zale shuffled towards the edge of the roof, before hopping off, landing on the ground with both feet. He tucked one cup under his arm, offering his other to support Cordelia if needed. She simply waved him off, following after him to the ground unharmed and unfazed.

“I’ll head to the kitchen to clean up,” Zale said, raising the cups. “We can go grab some breakfast later after dawn breaks. I know some of the best spots in town that sells heavenly food.”

“I would like that very much,” Cordelia smiled.

Just as Zale disappeared through the doorway, Cordelia heard footsteps behind her. Instinctively, she turned, eyes on alert using senses that she had cultivated through her years in the wild.

There, she spotted the person lurking in the shadows. It was a hooded figure and darkness was cast over his or her face. But the lips curved into a menacing grin and Cordelia could see the pearly white teeth that finished the smile.

The figure cooed, “hello, little siren.”