Dawn's Dusk on the High Seas
Chapter 12

As the sun lazily, almost tiredly, made its way up the sky, the three ships were near silent. The only sound was the creaking of the ships in the toppling waves. Jack hadn’t fallen asleep at all since Colton woke him. It was somewhat serene to watch the sun’s lonely rise while being unattended himself. It was one of his daily meditation techniques to embrace the stillness while the rest of his crew slept in their hammocks. He was used to only six hours of sleep. He usually only had about five. Once dawn’s pink light had crept its way through the windows, Vivian and Christopher yawned and sleepily opened their eyes. Sitting up from where they slept on the floor with pillows and blankets, they quietly acknowledged each other before rising and changing into their new clothes. Alice remained soundly asleep as they eased the doors open and slipping out. The cool ocean breeze kissed and nipped at their cheeks while providing a refreshing awakening. They soon noticed Jack sitting up in the highest crow’s nest. Christopher was about to shout for their father, but Vivian shushed him. They returned their gaze up to the nest to replace that Jack had disappeared.

“And good morning to you too,” he whispered behind them.

Vivian and Christopher jumped and nearly leapt out of their skins in surprise. Both of them confusedly stuttered as they gaped and pointed at the crow’s nest. Jack loosed a quiet chuckle, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“Are you ready to begin your training?” he questioned, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

“Yes!” they squeaked.

“Alright, but there’s one other thing. When I’m training you, I’m not going to be a lenient instructor. You either do, or you don’t,” he warned.

They nodded, and he smiled in pride.

“Three laps around the boat. Go,” Jack ordered, his voice becoming much more cold and stony.

Christopher and Vivian took off at a sprint along the deck eagerly trying to show that they were ready. The first lap went quickly as he folded his arms and observed. Even though Vivian was younger, she ran faster. And Christopher lasted longer. He’d have to make sure that they were good at both. The second lap, signs of exhaustion were starting to show. By the third, when they finished, they were on their hands and knees panting and gulping down air.

“We’re going to have you begin each day and night with running three laps around the ship. Now, we’re going to work on upper body strength. I want you to climb halfway up the mast and climb down again. I want you to bring me this blade. Christopher, you first,” he started, flicking a blade from one of his sleeves into his palm and sending it flying into the mast.

The blade quivered as it struck with deadly precision and stayed lodged in the wood.

Christopher continued to pant as he looked up at Jack, and then the blade in the mast. It shined in the sunlight. Pushing himself up, Christopher walked to the base of the mast with Vivian and Jack before he grit his teeth and began to climb. Jack began gaining distance from the mast as he backed up. The last of Christopher’s strength left him half way up to the blade. He fell back off of the mast, his face filled with terror, and Jack was a blur. He’d launched himself up the mast, one hand gripping a rope that was around the mast, and the other holding the collar of his son’s jacket. Making his way down, his son still hanging in his outstretched arm, they reached the deck and Christopher was quivering.

“Your turn, Vivian,” Jack then said simply.

She looked at him with fear in her eyes, and a flicker of a smile crossed his features to comfort his daughter. She then took a breath and began to climb too. While not succeeding in retrieving the blade, Vivian made it higher than her brother before she looked down and became scared. Holding tight to the mast, she pressed herself against it and called down for help.

“Focus on the mast. Don’t look down at the height. Look down for a foothold and handhold,” he replied.

Taking a slow breath, Vivian shakingly looked down again, but focussed her gaze on the wood and ropes to search for places to step. Jack didn’t so much as utter a word of encouragement as she continued until she was standing on the deck once more. Except, he was thinking them the entire time.

“That’s enough for now. We’ll do it again tonight, before you go to bed. Once you begin to get the hang of it, I’ll increase the height, and add more activities for you to do,” he finished.

His children looked up at him in disbelief before watching his features lighten, and his tone change.

“You did great for your first try. It may continue to seem hard, but it’ll get easier the more you do it,” he comforted, extending his arms.

They hugged him before he led them back to his quarters.

For four, uneventful days, the crews of The Jackal, Mortis, and Vitae continually would alternate shifts of sleeping and sailing the ship towards Carina. Everyone but Jack, Alice, Christopher, Vivian, and Laura became slowly fazed by the amounts of shifting sleep they had. Namely because of how Jack was used to not sleeping much, but also because those that weren’t part of the crew slept through the nights completely. When an a chain of large islands were spotted, the crews and Colton practically sagged in relief.

“Lower the anchors! A quarter to the boats! Half of the rest get some sleep! The other half, take a sip of some rum and keep lookout for anything!” Jack shouted to the three crews.

“And someone go wake Daybreak!” he added, chuckling quietly.

Striding to the lifeboats, he caught sight of a coat tail peeking out from under one of the tarps in the back of it. Lifting it the tarp, he found Christopher and Vivian huddled together looking surprisedly up at him.

“You know you can’t go on the island until we’ve made sure we can stay. Come now. Back to your mother,” he said, smirking as he lifted them out of the boat and sent them scampering back to where their mother stood at the railing, enjoying the soft breeze.

Stepping into another lifeboat with some of his crew, they were lowered into the calm waves before they began rowing to shore. The sands were bright, almost as if pristine. The water around them was a clear turquoise, granting glimpses at the sand below. Small deviations in the water began around the boat, like when a fish’s tail is just below the surface. It seemed as if they were circling.

“On your guard men,” Jack warned, as they shifted uneasily when catching sight of the trails.

Jack slid a dagger from the sash on his waist without a sound and angled it for deflecting an attack. Something was behind him. But he was at the back of the boat. Glancing slightly, his eyes widened in silent surprise. A woman rested with her head in her arms, gazing curiously at him on the edge of the boat. She had pale skin with soaked and tangled blonde hair falling over her shoulders and bare breasts. Jack held a finger to his lips and pointed with his unarmed hand at the water. The woman nodded quietly before slipping back into the water, before he saw an iridescent fish tale peek out and disappear. None of the crew had noticed. After reaching the shore without another incident, they warily began to fan out.

“Look over there. There seems to be a path that’s been slightly tread before. Let’s follow. Weapons out and at the ready,” Jack commanded, before they began stalking into the jungle.

The sounds of a jungle were normal at first. The buzzing of insects, the whistling of trees in the wind, the hollar and croaks of animals. Then, a waterfall splashing attracted them to its source. As they came closer, something puzzled them. The sound of women’s laughter echoed. Pushing through a large bush, a glistening waterfall sat with a large pool beneath it, with a stream leading off to the left. But nothing could’ve prepared them for what they saw next. Mermaids. Tens of them, sat on rocks or floating and swimming in the water, laughed and giggled as they splashed and talked. Then, one of them spotted Jack and his crew. Jack had his hood and mask on, but he looked calmly around. His crew, however, were nearly shaking in fear.

“Kill them before they kill us!” one of his crew mates began, drawing a pistol.

Jack kicked it out of his hand and hissed, “They mean us no harm! I saw one while we were rowing. I found out that there were several swimming under us, and could’ve drowned us at any time! But they didn’t!”

The crewmate took a slow sigh through his nose before Jack walked to the edge of the pool and knelt down. The mermaid from before swam up to him and lifted herself out of the water before sitting next to him. Lowering his hood and mask, he smiled to her. And she returned it.

“Might I ask what your name is? My crew and I mean you and the others no harm. We’ve… had some trouble before and aren’t very trusting at the moment. As you saw,” he began softly.

The mermaid smiled in amusement before responding in a voice as smooth as a still pond, “I do not have a name, stranger. May I know yours? What caused your friends to become so afraid of creatures like us?”

Jack chuckled quietly before answering, “My name is Jack. A while ago, we encountered sirens, and lost some of our men to them. They are still quite shaken. Is there a name you can think of that I may call you? It would make things a lot easier.”

The mermaid smiled shyly then, and blushed before whispering, “What would you call me?”

“I wouldn’t choose the name for a creature as beautiful as you. That is your choice,” he cooed.

The glen was utterly silent. All the other mermaids had stopped everything to try and listen. So had his crew.

“I can’t think of one,” she muttered embarrassed.

“Perhaps Jewel? To represent the ravishing jewel you are,” he offered.

The mermaid blushed profusely as she nodded and tried to hide a bit behind her hair.

“Jewel, if I may, could you tell me about this place, and your friends?” he murmured.

Jewel sheepishly nodded again and began, “As you have called us, we’re mermaids. We live alone on this island, unable to leave…” she revealed a golden cuff around her right wrist, “...and dreaming of the outside world. Poseidon tasked us to guard the gems that could control the tides. Demanding that no one ever use them. We eagerly await any that come here, but few have ever come. And those that do only ever want the gems. All we want is to love and please our lovers.”

“What if I told you, I know how to take your cuff off?” he whispered in her ear after drawing close.

Her cheeks changed to a deeper shade of red at his gesture, and looked meekly down at her cuff before up at him.

“Really?” Jewel squeaked.

“Really,” Jack replied, smiling with a lover’s tenderness.

The instant Jewel had shown him her cuff, memories of a passage in the journal sparked:

With the amulet enclosed, I have discovered how to release a mermaid from her servitude to the sea god. If given the amulet, the mermaid must place it around her neck and so will begin the spell. One must transport the mermaid outside of the boundaries of the cuff from the island in order for it to break. But, not a drop of water can be allowed to touch the amulet or the cuff, or it will not work. Efforts have shown that it is possible to repeat the process with the same amulet, but still must have completed with the first mermaid. A mystic that we’d brought onto our boat kept rambling about a stone that rested at a shrine a mile from a glen that we found the mermaids at. Went to investigate. Carved initials in the right of the waterfall to show that it was the right one. Once I arrived at the shrine, the mystic started screaming about needing to destroy the stone. If the stone was destroyed and broken apart, the mermaids could be free. Only problem was, it began to mysteriously glow as bright as a sun. I was unable to get within about twenty feet of the stone. Also, we regrettably did not have any gunpowder to blow the stone to kingdom come. When I asked about the gems, the mermaids became enraged when I asked its whereabouts. Barely made it back to the ship with my life. Must never come back here. Those wretched harpies.”

Producing the amulet that he had found in the book from one of the folds in his robes, Jewel’s and all the other mermaids’ eyes widened in glee.

“You and your friends were enslaved to Poseidon, right?” he asked.

Jewel grimaced and nodded.

“I know how to set everyone free. There is a shrine a mile from here. We’re going to destroy it and set you all free. Is there anything I should know?” Jack added.

“No normal human can reach the shrine without going blind. Although we do know that breaking the shrine will break the cuffs. It’ll also release something else. A kraken will be released.” she informed sadly.

“Is there anyway that you and the others can kill it?” he questioned.

“I don’t know. No one’s ever gone to see it. But we do know that it can’t move. It’s held completely by chains. An inscription told us,” Jewel returned.

“If you can try to send someone to see, perhaps you can kill it with some of our blades. Or perhaps just blind it,” Jack suggested, before ordering one of his crew to give him a sword.

They did, and he handed it to her. Jewel passed it to a nearby mermaid and the mermaid nodded before swimming down and away. After, Jack placed a hand over one of hers, and Jewel blushed even more.

Standing, Jack looked to his crew.

“Go back to the boats. Inform the crews from Colton’s ships to go back too. But tell Colton to meet me on the beach. Load two boats with barrels of black powder and bring them ashore. Wait for me on the beach,” he ordered.

His crew nodded in relief and began back through the brush.

“Would you like to know about the outside world?” Jack began.

Jewel’s face lit up in excitement before she put her hands around her tail and looked at him intently.

“All of you that wish to listen, come close. I’m not going to make it so that only lovely Jewel may hear. We could play a game. You ask a question, I answer, then the other way around,” he announced.

Some mermaids cheered in delight before all of them swam over and either rested their arms in the sand and held their chins in their palms or climbed up onto the sand next to him and practically leaned on him as if in love.

“What’s it like? Out there?” “Where do you come from?” “Who’s Colton?” “What’s your name?” “Why are you dressed like that?” “What are those on your waist?” the questions all blended together as the mermaids eagerly began asking questions.

“I can’t answer you all at once. One at a time please,” Jack laughed.

A mermaid with brown hair, light skin, and shells weaved into her hair began timidly, “What are those things on your waist?”

“These are blades that I use to defend myself if there’s an attack. Or, to defend my loved ones. Would you like an example?” he responded.

All the mermaids eagerly cheered before he stood and produced his bladed tonfas. Picking up a coconut off the ground, he tossed it to one of the mermaids.

“Throw this right at me,” he said as she caught it and looked confused.

Throwing it back at him, a quick block cut the coconut in half before he pretended to be fighting another enemy. They watched spellbound as he went through a hint of his normal practice. Slipping the tonfas back into the sash on his waist, he returned to sitting with them, and they looked to him in awe.

“Now, it’s my turn to ask you a question. Why is it that you do not have names? Surely you must have them,” he started.

A mermaid to his left answered, “We don’t have names because we were never given them. We want the men we fall in love with to give us our names. To better please them.”

Jack seemed taken aback a bit before beginning, “Can you think of any names that sound particularly interesting to you? It’s fine if you like the same one, and maybe I can help give you ideas.”

None of the mermaids seemed to notice or care that he’d asked two questions. They were practically in his palm. And they all already loved him. All but Jewel began shouting out names that they liked and Jack agreed with them all except for ones that aren’t really names.

“Our turn!” one giggled.

“What’s your name?” she added.

“Well that’s simple. My name is Jack Dusk,” Jack laughed.

The mermaids looked intrigued with every word he said and all looked to be madly in love with him.

“Why don’t you let anybody look for the gems if you don’t even want to guard them?” he asked.

He was taking an enormous gamble after what the book said about them reacting to when the man inquired about the gems. Each of the mermaids seemed to go into deep thought. A few biting a finger out of habit.

“We don’t really know. We were just shackled to this island and told to guard them. We just obeyed without thinking,” another responded in enlightenment.

He could use this. While it did make him feel guilty to be using their curiosity against them, he’d set them free anyway. He’d tell Jewel about getting the gems and see how she’d react. Then determine how to go from there. They all traded questions back and forth until the mermaid with a sword came back with her eyes bright in joy.

“The kraken’s dead! It’s not even there anymore! Rotted away!” she gleamed.

Grinning, Jack then said, “Thank you for searching. Because of how you’ve removed the danger from releasing you and the others, why not have a gift besides your soon to be freedom. Like, perhaps that sword.”

The mermaid’s smile widened in excitement before another piped up.

“What’s it like to be kissed?” she questioned, her cheeks blushing from how the others looked incredulously at her.

“Why not replace out?” Jack cooed, before gesturing for her to come closer.

The mermaids looked in extreme curiosity and want. As they parted to let her through, the mermaid lifted herself onto the sand and Jack cupped her chin. She looked as timid as a mouse before her lips met his. She started in surprise, but eased herself and pressed her lips more into Jack’s. Once Jack broke the kiss, the mermaid looked quiveringly up at him with want for more in her eyes as she slowly and uneasily slipped back into the water. Jack wasn’t sure the rest of the mermaids were even breathing. He’d run out of any questions that he would need information for later, which, they’d all given him great detail in, so he asked a simple, trivial question. Another answered, before several began to ask if they could replace out what it was like to be kissed.

“Are all of you wondering this?” he chuckled.

Every one of them eagerly nodded, gazing in lust at him.

“Well, one at a time then,” he added.

Every mermaid crowded around him before he began to grant each a lover’s kiss. He kept count of each one, but skipped his count when one came back for another. Some, he would glide a gentle hand down their backs or sides. Even some over their breasts. Each and everyone of them moaned, arched their back, pressed themselves against him, shuddered, or did all four.

“Sorry my crew and the others, it looks like they’ve all fallen for me,” Jack thought.

He didn’t know how long he spent kissing each and every one of them, along with letting his hands caress their bodies, but he didn’t really care either. Until finally, their lust had been sated, for the time being. Rising, some practically whimpered.

“I’ll be back soon. And you’ll likely have lost your cuffs by then,” he concluded.

Jack could see their silent begging for him not to go. To stay and enjoy them more, while they learned new feelings from their skin. Jewel was amongst them, but her gaze had more love and adoration than lust.

Reaching the beach, he found his crew sitting and relaxing in the shade of the boats. Oh well. They’d done their job anyway. Four barrels of black powder sat upright in the sand, a bit of a distance away from the boats. Colton wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

“Why isn’t Colton here?!” Jack demanded.

“Captain! Sir, he wouldn’t come, but ordered me to tell you that Laura is with child,” one crewmate answered after bolting to his feet.

“Alright then. Come with me. We’re bringing these barrels to a shrine a little ways from a waterfall. Once we’re there, we’re going to blow it to kingdom come,” Jack ordered.

“Sir… but what about the… mermaids?” the crewmate asked.

“They won’t bother us. Stay away from them if you choose, just don’t hurt them. They’re docile right now, but we don’t want them getting angry,” Jack responded, lifting a barrel onto his shoulder and starting into the forest.

Before he’d gone to the beach, he’d gone to replace the shrine. It wasn’t far. Ten minutes at the speed to carry the barrels. The other crewmates hefted the barrels onto their shoulders and followed after. Purposely moving away from the pool, the sounds of falling water couldn’t be heard. Once they reached the shrine, a clearing with vine entangled stones sat overgrown and deteriorating. A strangely pristine rock sat atop an altar that looked to be able to turn to dust if touched. Reaching down into his power, shadow shielded his eyes as he began to carry his barrel to the stone. Radiant light exploded from the stone, but with the help of the shadow, was dimmed in his eyes extremely. It got brighter and brighter as he neared, as if in fear, but he set the first barrel down. Turning, he went back and brought the next, and the next, and the next, and the last. Setting the last one down, he ran back to where he started the trail of powder, lit it, and shouted to take cover. The spark shot like a startled hare along the powder up to the barrel before a deafening explosion occurred, and rocks flew past where they stood behind trees. Peering around, Jack smiled as he saw the shrine a massive crater, and all the rocks that belonged to it in rubble.

“Thank you men. A few extra gold for you. Head back and search for food. Keep to the right of this area. The left area was bare when we scouted,” he said before they started away from the pool.

He, meanwhile, slipped away back to the pool. When he came out of the brush, he wasn’t immediately spotted. The mermaids looked startled by the sound of the explosion but had grins stretching from ear to ear as they looked and sounded to celebrate. Jack crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the trunk of the nearest tree watching as the mermaids leapt from the water and flipped in joy before continuing to laugh and play. Jewel, finally caught sight of him.

“Jack!” she shouted.

Every mermaid looked to him and showed him their wrists. None had cuffs on them. Striding and taking a seat near the water’s edge, they flocked to him and Jewel leapt up onto the shore before laying on him and pressing her lips to his.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” she squealed.

“Look what we can do now!” she added before scooting away and making her face serious in concentration.

Her tail morphed into slender legs before she peeked at herself and gleamed. Unknowing and uncaring, Jewel was also naked. Oh what would Alice think? Jack loved Alice with all his heart, but every mermaid around him loved him with all their hearts. What would he do?!

“That’s amazing!” he congratulated.

Jewel tried pushing herself up to stand, but looked like an infant learning to walk as she placed her feet at awkward angles and wobbled. She yelped as she lost her balance, but Jack was up in an instant and caught her. Holding her elbows, he shifted to her side and took her hand before starting to take small steps with her. Giggling as he taught her to walk, Jewel took more and faster steps before looking back. Jack was about twenty paces away. Many more were snickering and splashing lightly to gain Jack’s attention. They too, had shifted their tails to legs and wanted to be taught to walk. Rolling his eyes playfully, he helped one after another begin walking until they all stood, naked and curious for what they’d do next. Some were inspecting the areas below their waists.

“Jack, what is this?” one asked, pointing down between her legs.

Jack’s cheeks colored before he began to stutter and explain. Oh this was uncomfortable. But, luckily they had no clue, but he made sure to tell them not to talk about it to others. Some of the mermaids seemed taken aback after looking down when they returned to looking at Jack to see his cheeks red. Another asked about her rear. Apparently, he’d be giving them a lesson on the human female’s anatomy, as his cheeks colored only a hint more. He gave them a lesson on their new body’s anatomy, and they looked like children to their favorite fairytale as they listened. Jack silently prayed that they wouldn’t ask about a male’s anatomy. They gladly didn’t. Instead, inspecting their bodies in new understanding. One tried swimming under water, but began choking and stopped moving. Diving in after, Jack put an arm around her waist before dragging her back on shore. Beginning quick presses on her chest, Nerein coughed up water and sputtered before gulping down air after sitting up.

“What happened?” she whimpered after wrapping her arms around him and slightly sobbing.

“You weren’t a mermaid and wasn’t holding your breath when you went under the water. When you have legs, you must have changed almost completely human. So you can’t breathe water. You can still drink it, but not breathe it. You nearly drowned and died,” he replied, his tone laced with comfort, and just loud enough for the others to hear.

Everyone else stood transfixed in fear.

“Each of you practice holding your breath. Then, kick your legs like this when you’re in the water, but not with a tail,” he instructed, demonstrating the kick with his hands.

They fearfully stepped into the water, but Jack waded down to his waist to help them.

Now, he felt like their guardian to protect them from getting hurt. Now, he wasn’t sure if they were lovers, or children to him. Perhaps both. Then he got an idea.

“Would you like to be part of my family?” he’d ask each one of them after they’d gotten the hang of swimming.

They each nodded and he then added “Dusk” as their last name. Jewel had been the first he’d taught, mainly because she was in front, but he couldn’t see her amongst her sisters. As they turned out to be. He then saw her. She emerged from beneath the water looking right at him, but with her eyes slightly diverted from shyness. She waited until he’d finished teaching her sister Melody, the most musical of them. Her eyes closed in concentration before she walked towards him. Her hands were behind her back before she revealed what she hid. Two gems the size of an eye were held in her palms.

“They’re the Eyes of Poseidon. I thought you should have them...after all you’ve done for us,” Jewel whispered meekly after placing them in his palm.

“I don’t know how to describe my gratitude. Thank you, Jewel,” he replied modestly, giving her a slight kiss on the lips.

Every moment his lips touched hers, she seemed to savor it. Focussing on the gems in his palm, the water swirled and lifted into the air before bursting and raining droplets down. He then placed the gems into a small square box after stepping out of the water and locking it.

“I know that you want to leave soon,” Jewel added in despair, her features lined in depression.

“Yes… I have to leave, and return to my wife and children. I would ask for you to come with us, but I’m afraid that the outside world isn’t the place for you and your sisters. Here, you can live free and in peace. There, you have to pay taxes, work, and be forced under people’s thumbs. I wish to stay here, and watch over you and your sisters so that they may be safe, but the sea calls to me. I’d be leaving a life I enjoy behind. But I promise, I will come back. Maybe even live here. In fact, Colton’s wife is with a child, and requires rest on land. It will take many months, and we may even stay. My crew love the thrill of being on the seas, but also would like to live life in comfort. I will go and see if this will work,” Jack responded, his voice heavy but changed to light as he gained the idea.

Jewel looked as if losing her only true love before replaceing hope once more.

“Everyone! I’d like to ask you something. Please return to your original forms while I am away. If you get into trouble while in your other form, I will not be able to help until I get back,” he announced.

All looked to him before obediently changing into their normal forms. With a soothing nod to Jewel, he started into the brush.