Chapter 8: Voice of the Dammed
Something soft tickled Emma's cheek, it was insistent and distinctly not human. She moved her head with a soft groan, too asleep to check what it was, after a moment the thing touched her face again, this time it was cold and wet. She jumped awake, her heart was pounding and her back aching from the uncomfortable way she had slept, Hook's men had dumped her in the damp stinky cellar with nothing to sleep on except an empty grain sack.
The bastards.
She glanced around the dark room.
It was a skinny black cat that had been trying to get her attention, its thin tail was flicking back and forth as if it was waiting for something to happen. Flashing green eyes watched her carefully, in a way that looked almost human.
After a moment, the cat gave a soft meow.
What was the poor thing doing on the ship?
She scooped up the lanky excuse for a cat and placed it on her lap. It sat down and began to work on its wet paws.
Emma sighed, remembering her difficult situation.
"What am I going to do?" she muttered to the cat.
It continued its licking. She scratched behind its ear.
Life would be so much easier if you were a cat.
She had no idea how they would treat her on this ship, would they even let her live? What if the Princess Emma never returned from her ill fated quest for revenge? Her last trip at sea didn't end exactly how she desired. Who knew what this time would be like?
Maybe if she went back to sleep she wouldn't have to think about it anymore. Emma groaned and lay back down on the rough sack, she closed her eyes willing herself not to think about it. Somehow the groaning of the ship calmed her.
After a moment of lying with her eyes closed she noticed something, a sweet soft sound carrying through the creaking panels of the ship.
A woman was singing, it was beautiful and sad. A lovely sound as elegant as a bird.
Why did Emma immediately get the feeling that something was terribly wrong?
She pushed the cat off her lap, and stood up in the half light of the cellar.
And then out of the blue she had a sudden urge to find the source of the beautiful music.
It seemed to be so very important, she didn't stop to think why.
Surprisingly the door opened when she pushed.
Why wasn't it locked?
Outside, every corner of the deck was filled with curling icy fog. So much that she could hardly see in front of her. And it was so cold, it seemed to bite her. She shivered and hugged herself, her teeth chattering wildly.
Where were all the crew members?
She took a tentative step forwards into the clouds of fog.
The woman's lament continued.
Emma followed the singing up the ladder, the change in volume her only guide through the thick clouds of fog. Oddly, the ship was silent except for the strange music.
Suddenly she saw the woman, she was leaning gracefully on the edge of the ship. She had long straight silvery hair that hung over her shoulders in shimmering waves, her face was a perfact pale oval with bright blue eyes. Surrounding her was what looked like all the men on the ship including Hook. They stared in wonderment. Their eyes never leaving her pale form.
Emma got the strange feeling of watching a cat with its prey.
This was wrong.
The woman gestured to one of the men, he stepped forward clumsily, nearly tripping over his own feet. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her song took a new turn, it was no longer sweet but insistent and loud, the man was still for a moment, then he turned and dove into the waves.
Emma choked back the scream that threatened to escape her.
There was no doubt of his fate. No human could survive without air, even the best swimmer in the best swimmer in the world.
Dread jabbed her like shards of ice as the woman called another man. What was happening?
Whatever it was, it was killing all the crew, Emma would never have a slightest chance of survival if the murdering continued.
"Hey!" Emma shouted in a blind attempt to distract her.
It worked, the beautiful creatures eyes flicked away from her prey, the look on her She scowled curling her lip to reveal a row of pointed teeth, they looked like that of a dog or wolf.
Emma shuddered inwardly.
The 'woman' climbed off her perch strutted towards Emma.
"Brilliant." Emma muttered. "What am I going to do now?"
She wanted to run but her feet remained firmly planted on the ground.
The men the woman had entranced seemed to be coming around, they looked around blinking confused, Hook was staring at the woman, with an odd look on his face. Then he shouted. "Run, Emma!"
But it was too late, the woman was at her in a flash her pale hands wrapped around Emma's throat. Emma punched her in the gut with all the strength she could muster.
The woman was unaffected, she only grinned showing a sickening display of fangs.
Emma choked, clawing desperately at the woman's arm, black spots starting appearing in her vision, she kicked blindly trying to dislodge the woman's powerful grip, she only squeezed tighter.
The suddenly her grip slackened Emma dropped to the ground hand clutched to her throat.
The woman whirled round to face her assailant, it was Hook.
"Leave here demon." he spat the last word as if it was a curse.
"I bring a message." When the woman spoke it was high and eerie. "The woman aboard must die, if you don't get rid of her then I will."
"My ship, my rules." Hook answered aiming his pistol at her head. "Now leave my ship."
"Don't say, I didn't warn you." She hissed. Then with one final glare at Hook she ran and leapt off the ship into the crashing waves.
"That was stupid of you." Hook was addressing Emma.
"A thank you would suffice." She coughed. "Without me you would be dead."
Hook didn't answer. Then suddenly he frowned. "Are you alright Emma?" He was looking at her neck.
"Like you would care." She growled.
She did feel a little lightheaded, the world seemed to spin around her.
Then her vision began to darken, her throat was burning like she had swallowed liquid fire. She screamed, her voice cracked and then suddenly she couldn't draw breath.
Someone swore, then everything went black.