Ocean's Justice by Demelza Carlton Page B

deflected the blow, so it clanged against the bulkhead instead. A rivet clattered to the catwalk. We fought for the shovel, both pinning it against the hull, and I felt it grind through one rivet and then another. The panel slid beneath me as water splashed my bare feet. I hadn't wanted to sink the ship, but this bastard had forced my hand. So be it.
    I threw myself back into the inky mud, splaying out my limbs so I'd stay on the surface. The metal panel broke free, forced inward by the weight of the Indian Ocean fighting for entry. I watched him flounder on the edge, trying not to fall in with me, and my smile widened. The water flowing in formed a layer on top of the mud, floating my body free. I ducked beneath the surface, swimming to the eddy that swirled behind him.
    "You have to surface some time, bitch, you can't swim forever. And when you do, I have a surprise waiting for you." He grasped his crotch with one hand. The surprise looked particularly small, even to my inexperienced eyes.
    "Come on out!" he called, looking at the spot where I'd submerged, unaware that I'd surfaced behind him. His eyesight must be worse than I thought. He couldn't see death lurking in the shadows. All the better for my surprise.
    I started to sing, keeping my voice so soft it was beyond the range of human hearing, yet I could see it affecting him. His body grew rigid and his eyes widened. I increased the volume so that he could hear me, but the only part of him that moved was his increasingly furious expression.
    "Come on in," I said slowly, beckoning as I hoped he understood.
    The man staggered toward the water, his fear increasing with every step. I sang again, louder still, and his pace increased. Two more steps. One. He splashed into the water, feet first, and his boots dragged him deep into the mud beneath the surface, where he couldn't breathe. He stood like a statue, desperately trying to move as he held his breath. Ah, but this man was in my world now and he would never leave it.
    I dove under the surface, so that I could float face to face with him as he died. I wondered if he could see me as well as I saw him, but I didn't care. This was for my satisfaction and not his.
    When death claimed him, his arms lifted from his sides and his head sagged – my control over his body died with him. Leaving the corpse behind, I shot to the surface before I was forced to swim through the filth that his body expelled. Drowned men voided their bowels like any other dead body.
    I eyed off the hole in the hull. Water was pouring in so fast that there was nothing I could do to stop the flow. I couldn't save the ship, but perhaps I could save some of its crew if I hurried. Hauling myself out onto the catwalk, I slammed the door open and sprinted down the passage and up the ladder to the crew quarters. Darkness followed me, for it was night time and most of the lights were dimmed for sleep.
    I shook the young apprentice awake. "Charlie. Ship is sinking."
    The boy grumbled under his breath but didn't wake, so I took a deep breath and started to sing again. If I could control the angry attempted rapist, the sympathetic Charlie would be no problem, I hoped. "Ship sinking. Save...everyone," I told the boy.
    The boy nodded and crawled out of bed, heading for the captain's cabin. I hid in the shadows while I watched him hammer on the captain's door and tell him of the impending disaster. Satisfied, I headed up to the deck. The sea surface looked closer than it had since I'd boarded...just a short jump and I'd be swimming again. I glanced back at the men clambering into the lifeboats. For a moment, I considered killing them all so that none would live to tell the tale of the girl they'd found floating in the middle of the ocean. They'd let the bastard imprison me, after all. Even if they hadn't condoned his actions, they hadn't stopped him or tried to help me.
    No. Their chances or survival were slim enough without my interference. Sober, most of them were