Call of the Sea Read online

  Papa smiled and the light in his eyes sparked an ember of joy in her chest. “Me too, sweetheart. Me too.”

  ***

  Once the floorboards stopped creaking and Ellie was certain her parents had gone to bed, she tossed off her blankets and crept to the window. Heartbeat pounding in her ears, she lifted the sill. Cool night air rushed in the opening as Ellie, clad in a cotton nightgown, climbed out. Her feet pressed into the sand. She crouched down, turned her attention to the sound of the surf in the cove below, where her father’s ship lay anchored until morning.

  Moonlight bathed the surrounding dunes with an eerie glow, and the clumps of tall grass shimmered as they swayed in the breeze.

  Excitement surged through her as she snuck across the open space between the path and the house on swift steps. She rounded the bend and crept down the path toward the shore. Relief washed over her when she lost sight of the house. Almost there.

  She turned her attention to the white-tipped waves rippling in the black water below. The square yellow lights of The Siren’s Call bobbed in the distance. Doubt crept into her mind. Even with the tide out, it seemed so much further to the ship than it had during the daytime. Can I really make it?

  She emitted a small gasp when the chilled surf washed over her bare feet. Ellie stared across the water, pondering the best course of action to get on that ship. Once on, she could hide and then it’d be too late to bring her home. Would the crew hear me if I screamed for help?

  The wind caught her hair and tossed the strands across her eyes. She brushed them away like a pesky fly. If I get caught, they’ll tell Papa. Her chest tightened at the prospect.

  Just don’t get caught.

  Ellie sorely regretted the extra cinnamon biscuit she’d eaten after her birthday dinner by the time she’d swum halfway to the ship. It sat in her stomach like a ball of lead while she struggled and kicked her way through the rolling waves.

  A jolting cramp gripped her side. She gasped and pressed a hand to her ribcage. Her feet kicked with furious speed as she tried to keep her head above the bouncing breakers. The more Ellie kicked, the tighter the spasm clamped down, and the harder it became to breathe. She twisted her torso in a frantic bid to release the vice-like grip on her body. She reached an arm toward the sky and stretched out her leg. Please go away.

  A wave smashed into her face, forced its way down her throat.

  Ellie choked and sputtered. Her head dipped below the black surface while her throat convulsed, still trying to expel the water she’d inhaled. She managed to slurp more seawater into her airway. Chest burning, she clawed for the sky. Terror seized her.

  I just wanted to sail with Papa.

  White light exploded behind her clenched eyelids. She felt herself jerk backwards as oblivion’s tsunami claimed her consciousness.

  ***

  When he first noticed her, Daniel thought the captain’s daughter was some sort of apparition. Her white nightgown glowed in the bright moonlight, the hem whipping against her ankles like sail canvas. The girl faced the rolling waves with an intensity that startled him. Her chin lifted and she seemed to stare straight at him.

  With a grunt, Daniel dipped his dark head beneath the surface and pushed his front fins up to propel himself deeper. Please, don’t see me.

  He performed a quick about-face, and with a powerful flick of his tail headed further out to sea. What is she doing?

  Daniel returned to the surface. He faced the beach and his eyes scanned the moonswept shoreline, up the winding path to the top of the bluff.

  Nothing.

  Maybe she went back to bed.

  His eyes darted to the ship anchored in the bay. She wouldn’t try to swim to the ship in the dark, would she? His whiskers twitched and a knot twisted in his stomach. Why else would she be out here this late?

  Heart pounding, Daniel sliced through the water, heading for the ship. He searched the breakers around its perimeter, the anchor rope that stretched to the deck. When he’d assured himself the girl hadn’t yet reached the bobbing hull, he began working his way back toward land.

  He found the captain’s daughter about halfway to shore, gasping and choking as she reached for the star-laden sky. The look of terror in her stormy eyes stole his breath.

  Daniel surged forward. He reached the girl just as she dipped below the surface. Clamping his mouth around the shoulder of her gown, he yanked her back up. He locked the garment in his teeth and rolled over until she lay on his chest facing the sky. A shiver of fear slid down his spine. She wasn’t gasping for air anymore.

  With renewed urgency, Daniel swam for the shore, doing his best to keep her head above water as it lolled to the side. Her closed lids and quiet expression needled his chest. Please don’t let her be dead.

  He rode the crest of a wave to the coast. Sand scraped his back. Releasing his hold on the girl, he wriggled from beneath her lifeless form and flipped over. Waves rushed over her body, her parted lips stained purple.

  Frantic, Daniel dragged her away from the water. His eyes swept the empty beach. With no other ready options, he closed his eyes and concentrated on his human body.

  Soon, a familiar heat surged through him and his arms and legs began to tingle. His thick sealskin loosened to make room for the contortion of bone and ligament. Daniel grunted as his flippers and tail stretched and unfolded, becoming arms and legs. His fingers and knees dug into the wet sand as they formed, colored to pink flesh. He gasped for air as a wave of nausea washed over him. Once he could move without fear of passing out, Daniel turned back to the unconscious girl.

  She wasn’t breathing.

  With a cry of dismay, Daniel crawled to where she lay and pounded on her chest. She remained motionless, her face pale. He rolled her onto her stomach and beat the heel of his hand against her back.

  Once.

  Breathe!

  Twice.

  She coughed, sending sparks of relief through him. Water burst past her lips in ragged choking gasps. Daniel stopped whacking at her, released his hold, and scrambled backward.

  The girl’s entire body shook with the force of her gagging as she tried to expel the remaining water and suck life-giving air into her chest. She pushed herself up on hands and knees and retched into the sand. The girl inhaled deeply and twisted her head to look at Daniel. Her brow creased before her eyes lost their focus and rolled back in her head. The girl’s elbows buckled and she dropped to the sand with a whoosh.

  Daniel scurried back to her side, eyes wide.

  The steady rise and fall of her body told him she breathed.

  He ran shaking fingers through his thick hair. “Thank heaven.”

  “You dropped something.”

  Daniel’s breath caught. He whipped his head toward the deep voice, eyes wide.

  Captain Winters stood over him, Daniel’s discarded sealskin clenched in his large fist. Recognition narrowed his eyes. “Well, if it isn’t my new cabin boy.” A muscle in his jaw flexed. He flung the sealskin at Daniel. “Find some clothes, boy.”

  Before Daniel could utter a response, Captain Winters stalked past him. He knelt beside his unconscious daughter and brushed a wet strand of sand-coated hair from her ashen cheek. He bent over the girl, listened to her chest for a few long moments. Releasing a relieved sigh, he scooped her into his arms and stood up. Her head rolled against his shoulder as he spun about. Without so much as a backward glance at Daniel, the captain strode across the beach. His daughter’s little feet bounced with each angry step.

  Pulse racing and body frozen by fear, Daniel clutched his skin to his chest. He knows I’m cursed. I’ll never work for him now. His mind conjured the image of his father, the hatred in his eyes the night he kicked Daniel out. What if the captain tells my secret? His throat closed.

  A few yards away, Captain Winters stopped, glanced over his shoulder. The intensity of his gaze halted Daniel’s heartbeat. “I said get dressed, Daniel. When you’re done, come up to the house just over the ridge. It is
time you and I had a little talk.”

  Daniel shivered, but managed a slow nod. He swallowed the paralysis from his tongue and whispered, “Aye, Captain.”

  Chapter Three

  Once he’d dressed in the clothing he’d stolen from the neighbor’s line and tucked his sealskin back into its hiding spot, Daniel climbed the winding path up the bluff on heavy feet. His teeth gnawed on the inside of his cheek as his mind raced with the dark possibilities of the conversation to come.

  Captain Winters sat on the porch steps of a modest wooden house at the top of the cliffs. He lifted his head at Daniel’s approach. Worry had made a home in the lines etching his forehead, despite the smile of welcome curling his lips. “Thanks for coming up, lad. I’d begun to think you might have decided against it.” The captain patted the floorboards to his left. “Have a seat.”

  After taking a moment to quell the quivering in his limbs, Daniel nodded and sat down beside the captain. “Is your daughter well, sir?”

  “Aye. Thanks to you she’ll be fine.” Captain Winters twisted calloused hands together as if trying to shape his next words. He took a deep breath, released it, and leveled somber blue eyes at Daniel. “So, you’re one of them selkies, eh?”

  Daniel bit down on a swell of panic. The captain had seen what he was, knew he was cursed. How can I deny it? “Sir?”

  Captain Winters smiled. “I’ve been sailing a long time, boy. I’ve met your kind before, as well as merfolk and other sea creatures only thought to be myth.”

  “Oh.” Unsure what to say, Daniel studied his toes as they dug into the sand at the base of the steps. Will the captain refuse to sail with me now that he knows the truth? Dread wormed a hole in his stomach.

  “I have a proposition for you, lad. One I think will benefit us both equally.”

  Daniel’s pulse jumped. Hope sparked a fire in his chest. Maybe he wouldn’t be turned away after all. “Anything you need, Captain. I promise I won’t let you down.”

  Captain Winters pushed to his feet and took a few steps away from the porch, hands clasped behind him and head bowed. He swung back around, opened his mouth to speak, and closed it again. He searched the sky, shifted his weight from foot to foot. “I’m not sure how to say this, so I’m just going to spit it out.” His stormy eyes locked on Daniel. “I don’t want you to sail with me anymore.”

  The flame of hope sputtered out.

  “After some careful thought, I’ve decided I have a much more important job for you.” The captain grinned. “One uniquely crafted to your special talents.”

  ***

  Ellie woke, aware of a pain in her chest that returned with each breath and a dry rawness in her throat. She pushed her palms into the mattress and sat up, her muscles tightening in protest.

  Memories of the previous night rushed in. A set of expressive brown eyes, like none she’d ever seen, floated through her head. There’d been a boy in the ocean. No, on the beach. He’d beaten the water from her. Her brow furrowed. He was naked, too!

  Mumbled voices echoed from the other room.

  Papa! He hadn’t left her behind.

  Ellie flipped off her blankets and got up from the bed. Her vision swam. She snaked a hand out to grab the bedpost, knees quaking. After taking a moment to steady herself, she padded across the bedroom and pulled open the door.

  The rich scent of brewing coffee greeted her first. Mama busied herself at the hearth, dark head bowed over a sizzling skillet. Papa sat at the table across from a boy she didn’t recognize, at least not the back of his head.

  Papa looked up, smiled wide. “Here’s the little mermaid now. How are you feeling, little one?”

  Ellie stiffened. “I’m not little anymore, Papa. I’m ten.”

  The boy’s chair scraped against the floor as he shifted position, drawing Ellie’s gaze. The same deep brown pools from last night peered at her from beneath thick lashes and a mop of chestnut hair.

  Her cheeks heated as more snippets of the night’s debacle flashed in her head. Why is he here?

  “Ellie, this is Daniel O’Roarke, my new cabin boy.” Papa said. “Do you have something you want to say to him?”

  Ellie’s stomach dropped into her toes. New cabin boy? If Papa had a replacement cabin boy, he had no need to take her with him anymore. She’d be left behind again. Ellie felt her throat close as tears threatened. Blinking them back, she manufactured a smile. “Nice to meet you, Daniel.” Her gaze shifted to her father, back to the boy. She rocked onto the balls of her feet and back to her heels, hands clasped, fingers twisting in front of her. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. “Thank you for saving me from drowning last night.”

  Daniel flashed white teeth. “Nice to meet you, too, Ellie. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

  “Come, have some breakfast, sweetheart,” Mama said, setting a full plate of bacon and eggs in front of the empty chair beside Daniel.

  Despite the growling protest of her empty stomach, Ellie shook her head. How could she sit across from the boy who had to save her from the sea like a helpless little baby? Especially one who’d managed to finagle his way into her place aboard Papa’s ship. She’d be lucky if her father ever let her come along after what happened. “I’m not very hungry, Mama. I think I’m gonna go lie down. I don’t feel good.”

  Mama tested Ellie’s forehead with the back of her hand, followed by her warm lips. “No fever. All right, sweetie, go lie down and I’ll bring you some broth a little later.”

  Ellie flicked her gaze to Papa, the anguish she kept under a tight tether distorting her vision. “Are you setting out again today?”

  Papa nodded. “Aye. I’ve already taken more time than I should getting here for your birthday.”

  She swallowed, refusing to cry in front of the boy. It’s not supposed to be this way. “Say goodbye before you go?”

  “Of course, Bean, and don’t worry. I’ll be home again before you know it.”

  Keeping her eyes from Daniel, Ellie turned on her heel and rushed from the room. She slammed her bedroom door and flung herself onto the bed. Stomach twisting as if she’d swallowed a pile of wiggling snakes, she pressed her face into the pillow and let her tears of grief seep into the fabric.

  ***

  When Ellie opened her eyes again, she found the late afternoon sun streaming through the bedroom window. The curtains swayed in the soft breeze. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Where had the day gone?

  Papa!

  She launched herself from the bed. He said he wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye. She darted across the room, bare feet practically skimming over the floorboards, and yanked open the door. Ellie flew into the parlor.

  Her mother turned from the hearth, wiped her hands on her apron, and offered a sympathetic smile. “He left about an hour ago, sweetheart.”

  Ellie deflated as if someone punched her in the gullet. “Why didn’t he wake me up?”

  “You needed the rest. He didn’t want to disturb your sleep after everything that happened. He said he loves you and he’ll be back before you know it.” Mama turned back to the large kettle hanging by the fire and gave the contents a vigorous stir.

  Ellie flopped into her father’s lounging chair, his scent rising from the upholstery like a specter, haunting her. How could he just leave?

  “I’m sorry, honey,” her mother said over her shoulder. “I know you’re disappointed.”

  Disappointed? Ellie rolled her eyes at the understatement. The aching chasm in her chest spoke of devastation, not mere disappointment.

  She glanced out the window. An hour wasn’t all that long. Maybe she could still see his ship on the horizon.

  After a bit more brooding, Ellie jumped from the chair and rushed for the front door. Her hand found the knob, and with a twist and pull, she was streaking across the dunes. Her mother called her name, but she kept running.

  She rounded the corner at a frantic pace and rushed down the path to the sea, startling a pair of lazing gulls into f
light. Ellie searched for the sails of her father’s vessel on the bobbing crests of navy and white. When a quick sweep revealed nothing, she lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the descending sun. All she saw were the rolling waves, no sails and no ship.

  Ellie growled and plopped down in the sand. She drew her knees up to her chest and watched the crests tease their way along the beach. The breakers crept up the shore to tickle her bare toes before retreating, only to be absorbed by the next surging wave. She wondered if Papa was teaching his new cabin boy the ropes. Jealousy poked at her.

  A mewing sound to her left drew Ellie’s attention away from the sea. She didn’t see anything, so she tilted her head and closed her eyes. Concentrating on separating the sound of the surf from the other noises on the beach, she listened.

  A grunt.

  Her eyes shot open, zeroed in on the large rock formation in the center of the beach. Ellie pushed to her feet and brushed damp sand from her rump. The hair on her arms stood on end as she crept closer to the boulders.

  Another grunt sounded, weaker than the first, followed by a high-pitched squeal.

  Ellie’s steps halted.

  What if it’s some kind of monster, or a giant sea creature with sharp gnashing teeth? She twisted and eyed the path winding up the bluffs, glanced back at the rocks.

  What to do?

  “Don’t be a coward, Ellie.” She urged her feet to move. One step with her left foot, then the right. Her fingers clasped and released the thin material of her nightgown.

  Steady, now. Just a few more steps.

  When a loud cry rang out from behind the outcropping, Ellie balled her hands at her sides, bit back her fear, and rushed forward. Reaching the rocks, she closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing while she waited for her heartbeat to stop pounding in her ears.

  Calmer, Ellie scaled the giant boulder hand over hand. At the top, she took a deep breath and peeked over the rock edge to the sand on the other side.

  A shiny russet shape met her gaze.