A Crown of Crystals

The Sea Barbarian carved mercilessly through angry waves while I laid flat on the main deck with my eyes to the clouds to keep from losing my lunch. Sea sickness was no joke. The sea was no friend of mine. It took and took with greedy hands, reaching with its liquid tendrils to drag anything it could into its depths and swallow it for an eternity. Anything that had sunk to the bottom would remain there until it disintegrated into nothing. I wondered briefly what Merlin thought of it when he swam through the deep blue; if he found peace in the madness of it all.

We had been sailing for a week and shore was nowhere in sight. In every direction was nothing but a shimmering endless blue. I spent most days listening to the waves and staring out at the creatures that breached the surface of the water every now and again. Dolphins or whales flung themselves toward the sun before diving back into the darkness. Shark fins protruded from the water ominously, rows of sharp teeth hidden beneath. Though it was dangerous, it was also somehow beautiful. Glancing over at Grimm, I realized that most dangerous things were.

I had begun to doze off when the shouting began. Grimm slid his mask over his face, embodying the cold Death Bringer that I had come to love. I shoved myself upright from the wooden floorboards and scanned the horizon. Sailing right at us was a large pirate ship with a skull and bones etched into a flag flapping in the wind. Cordelia snarled as she drew her blade, tugging on ropes to alter our direction with the sails as they caught wind.

"Captain Silver Tongue!" Death Bringer hissed beneath his mask.

"For fucks sake," Arthur groaned, his body rippling with fur as his structure began to take a new form. Soon he was on all fours, fangs bared as a wolf took his place.

I scrambled across the deck for a weapon, cursing under my breath as I readied myself for the battle to come. The clear blue sky with fluffy clouds was a stark contrast to the doom closing in on us. Fallon was huffing tendrils of smoke from his nostrils as he took intense breaths with clenched fists. I watched in both awe and horror as his refined clothing washed away with a film of magic and scales rippled across his skin. His body grew and grew, his skin stretching and morphing around his ever-changing figure. His jaw snapped together with endless rows of salivating teeth as his snout formed from his face. He dropped to all fours, the wood creaking beneath his feet as he launched into the air. As the sun hit his scales, he reflected a deep red. He was gliding through the sky in no time, a dragon soaring through the clouds with taloned wings flapping violently against the wind. He dove toward the ship, sending fire straight from his mouth into the air as a warning. It burned and smoked before dissipating into nothing.

Shouts of pirate men flooded the space between the ships, swords pointed to the sky threateningly. I dove into the bunker below, flinging a chest open and swiping a freshly sharpened sword from it. The unfamiliarity of the weight had me scolding my choice to put wielding a sword at the bottom of my list of priorities while I was wallowing in the human lands. The blade glinted in the sun as I charged back up the stairs, the ship swaying beneath me in the angry waves.

Grimm charged toward me as he pulled his mask out of his way, pushing his lips against mine before I could anticipate what he was doing. One of his hands cupped the side of my face, pinning my mouth to his. The kiss was feverish and rushed but intense with all of the words we hadn't yet said. I love you, I love you, I love you, I chanted like a song in my head. He tore away, his pupils dilated and surrounded by a glimmering icy blue as they widened in surprise.

"I trust we will find time for you to say that to me out loud once we succeed in sinking that damn ship," he clenched his jaw, his thumb stroking my cheek.

I managed a small smile just for him. "We always have such great timing."

"We have all of the time in the world," he assured me before slipping his mask back over his face, his eyes fading to a glossy black, and he turned away from me to face the battle ahead. He charged forward, his stance ready as he unsheathed the sword that had been strapped to his hip like a shiny accessory.