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I rolled out of the cloumàk, letting myself tumble until I landed perfectly on the main deck. I looked around the ship and cursed colorfully.
"No rotting way," I breathed.
Standing tall were nine Serène. They were more beautiful than I'd expected, in a broken sort of way. My jaw hung at the sight of their slender bodies. Some had light eyes, and others were dark. They all had long hair down to their calves. They were stunning... if a well-made coffin could be called that. The Serène flexed hands, ending in long claws as they rooted themselves onto the ship. Then I noticed more crawling up the sides of the Ashweaver as the sweetest, alluring melody filled the air, the song tugging at my hearts.
Rot, rot, rot.
"Cover your ears!" I screamed. I flexed my wings and slammed a pair over my ears to snuff all sounds from entering. If I let myself hear the song, even for a moment, I'd be dead.
I looked up at a horrifying sight, straight out of a nightmare. The Serène leading the troop tilted her head, pure hatred contorting her features. She lifted a webbed hand, pointing straight at Ayella Corellis. All the Serène turned to the sea angel and snarled viciously.
"There she is."
The Serène lifted a clawed finger in the air, then she charged.
Chapter 16
Collisions With Serène
RAESHELLE
Ilooked around the Ashweaver as chaos ensued. I gaped, flabbergasted at the nine Serène standing proudly to the end of the deck. Even worse, their murderous eyes were pinned on me. Rot. I hated I recognized some of those faces.
Serène were once angels of the sea before they were Clipped—having their wings broken at the taloned joints, and pierced through the bone, then plucked so they could never fly again—transfigured, then exiled for one form of treason or another. They were stripped of their true beauty, their wings, their ethereal angelic demeanor and abilities, and were cursed to be bound to the depths of the sea.
These nine had been sentenced by King Bakari.
Three of them used to be family.
"Cruesaiyi?" I whispered.
It felt as if everything on the ship had gone quiet. Like there was no one on the deck but the two of us. I looked in horror at Cruesaiyi Thesalla Reefsea, former Avarien princess, and once my favorite cousin.
"Blessed Alpha. What has become of you?"
I covered my mouth, shaking with emotion to the point of tears. I scanned the rest of the tall, gangly bodies, as strong as they were starved, with dark skin and patchy scales looking aged and worn. My hearts went out to them. I couldn't look at them without feeling immense compassion.
Cruesaiyi glared, pure hatred staining her snarling face. She lifted a clawed finger, pointed to me, and snarled.
"Se li se okea." Her sing-song voice slithered into the crisp, cold air. "Touye yo heidät kaikki. Li se on minun."
I froze as Cruesaiyi's words slid over my slack limbs.
She is the one. Kill them all. She is mine.
Then the Serène charged.
Kianga and Tobe were in front of me before I could blink. Around me, the sky angels launched into action, summoning their ethèr. With one cry from Yakobba, they charged at the Serène.
Everything was happening too fast. One moment, Yakobba wasn't far from me, his eyes glittering with rage as he assessed the Serène both on the ship, and the rest still crawling onto it. The next, the pirate prince was dancing with the Serène, cutting them down with his cutlass wrapped in ethèr.
I needed to do something. I needed to move. Instead, I just stood there, hyperventilating, rooted to the spot. I breathed heavily, terrified at the battle taking place around me. Searot. I was a princess, not a Sea Watcher. I didn't know what to do.
In the mayhem, Cruesaiyi locked eyes on me, cutting down the sky angels ruthlessly to get to me.
"Princess," Kianga hissed. Thank the seas the sky angels couldn't hear her. I glanced her way. "You need to get out of here, now! Go below deck and?—"
A Serène shot out from the railing, having crawled onto the ship undetected, and launched herself at Kianga's back. I screamed, but it was too late. Kianga wouldn't be able to dodge the blow.
