Across torn tides from t.., p.1
Across Torn Tides (From Tormented Tides series Book 3), page 1
Across Torn Tides
Val E. Lane
Wave Song Publishing
Copyright © 2024 by Val E. Lane and Wave Song Publishing
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
ISBN 979-8-9874248-3-4
Cover Art: Stefanie Saw/Seventh Star Art
Header design: Etheric Designs
This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents in this book are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
This work of fiction contains scenes and events set in an alternate 18th Century time period. Names and places may differ from actual historical names and locations, and it is not meant to depict historical events, myths, or figures accurately.
To the little seagull that flew into my life and sent me on my own adventure while I was writing this book.
♡
Playlist
Scan the code or click to listen. Each song corresponds to the chapters in order. You can also search for the playlist on Spotify by book title.
1. "heartbeats" by Hanniou
2. "30 purple birds" by why mona
3. "Through Me (The Flood)" by Hozier
4. "Throw Me in the Water" by WILD
5. "Deep Water" by Lyves
6. "Self Sabotage" by Ruelle
7. "In The Stars" by Benson Boone / "WHERE YOU BELONG" by Matt Hansen
8. "Hold On" by Will Church
9. "Amen" by Stereo Jane, James Gillespie
10. "My Mind & Me" by Selena Gomez / "Overthinking" by Zoe Wees
11. "Hurricane" by Josh Alexander
12. "Cómo Cuándo y Dónde" by Sofia Carson
13. "Truth Comes Out" by Willyecho
14. "Secrets" by Jay Denton, Hannah Parrott
15. "Will It Ever be the Same" by Young Summer
16. "Contigo" by Sebastian Yatra / "All Things End" by Hozier
17. "Sígueme y Te Sigo" by Daddy Yankee
18. "Stronger" by Thunderstorm Artis
19. "Look What You Made Me Do" by Taylor Swift / "Upside of Down" by SVRCINA
20. "Be Here For You" by Sam Tinnesz
21. "Ships + Tides" by OneRepublic
22. "Wave After Wave" by Sleeping At Last / "Wasteland" by NEEDTOBREATHE
23. "Follow the Sun" by James Mclean, A. Void
24. "Don't Give Up" by Ursine Vulpine, Annaca
25. "I Feel Like I'm Drowning" by Two Feet
26. "MAYDAY" by Culture Code, Natalie Major
27. "Drown" by HANDS
28. "Wish That You Were Here" by Florence + The Machine
29. "Lost at Sea" by Rob Grant, Lana Del Rey
30. "Unsinkable" by Sail North
31. "Not Gonna Break Me" Jamie N Commons
32. "Can You Hear Me Now?" by Owsey / "Never Been Away" by ABBOTT, 2WEI
33. "Where Do We Go From Here" by Ruelle
34. "Leave Her Johnny" by Sean Dagher, Nils Brown / "Carry on Wayward Son" by Kansas
35. "What's Left of You" by Chord Overstreet
36. "I Don't Wanna Leave Just Yet" by Thomas Day
37. "Daylight" by David Kushner
38. "We Go Down Together" by Dove Cameron, Khalid
39. "Past Life" by Trevor Daniel, Selena Gomez
40. "Get Free" by Lana Del Rey
41. "Brother" by NEEDTOBREATHE
42. "Gracestone" by Phildel
43. "Can You Feel It Coming" by Steelfeather
44. "mirrorball" by Taylor Swift
45. "Way down We Go" by KALEO
46. "Live Like Legends" by Ruelle
47. "Black Water" by The People's Thieves
48. "Ripples" by Davis Naish
49. "Francesca" by Hozier / "Sunlit Grave" by Saint Mesa
50. "The Deep" by Phildel
51. "A Storm Is Coming" by Tommee Profitt, Liv Ash
52. "My Jolly Sailor Bold" by The Hound + The Fox
53. "Never Let Me Go" by Florence + The Machine
54. "Destiny (feat. Krigaré)" by Generdyn, Krigaré
55. "Brother – Acoustic" by Kodaline
56. "Witness the Masterpiece – Orchestral Version'" by Ganyos
57. "Take Me to Church" by Hozier / "Say Yes To Heaven" by Lana Del Rey
58. "If the World Falls to Pieces" by Young Summer
59. "Home Again" by UNSECRET, Aron Wright
Contents
1. Sea Glass
2. Part of the Crew
3. From North to West
4. Rogue Storm
5. Siren's Call
6. Sing Me To Sleep
7. Lilies and Coconut
8. Sailors and Swindlers
9. A Cap'n Worth His Salt
10. Raise the Topsails
11. Eighteen Sixty-Six
12. Return of the Albatross
13. Only the Sea
14. Deal With the Devil
15. Red Sky At Night, Sailors Delight
16. Coral
17. La Fuente
18. Ghost From the Past
19. Eye for A Bargain
20. Spyglass
21. Eye of the Storm
22. Any Port
23. Island of the Sun
24. Release the Kraken
25. Drowning
26. A Mermaid’s Kiss
27. The Sea Queen
28. Meet Me in Eternity
29. A Song to Save You
30. Leviathan
31. The Fountain of Youth
32. Across Time
33. Off the Hook
34. Sea Shanties
35. Until the End
36. Fight the Current
37. Where's the Rum?
38. Burn
39. Parting Waters
40. When Stars Speak
41. Calamari
42. Sailing Through Fog
43. Decoy
44. What Does Water Do?
45. Crosswinds
46. False Goddess
47. Black Water
48. Written In Stone
49. To Crown A Queen
50. Call of the Ocean
51. Seafoam
52. Sweet Sailor Bold
53. Daughter of the Sea
54. Burial At Sea
55. Dark Water
56. Dead Men Tell Tales After All
57. Davy Jones
58. Maybe Someday
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Follow the Author
1
Sea Glass
Katrina
“What’s that?” I squinted, focusing in on the glimmering fragment drifting ashore on the waves. I didn’t wait for Bellamy’s answer before I took off running, my bare feet treading the dense sand into the roiling surf.
I nearly stumbled over grasping at the shiny object as seawater swept through my fingers. A piece of glass. It was just a piece of sea glass. I walked back to Bellamy, straining to hide the crushing disappointment on my face.
“Not a clue then?” He asked, probably out of pity. I knew I was being absurdly hopeful. He had to be tired of it by now.
“No,” I croaked, swallowing. “Just broken glass. But I know I saw that albatross yesterday. He’s telling me he’s out there.” I knew I was delusional. But was I, really? After everything that had happened to me, could it really be so ludicrous to hope a message or letter, or something might drift in from the far reaches of wherever Milo was?
Captive to this hopeless optimism, I roamed the shores each morning, looking for whatever remnants the tide had washed in overnight, hoping for anything I could convince myself came from him. When I saw the bird, it only fueled my fantasy.
The semester had begun without me, like a whirlwind whisking past. Isabel’s campus resumed its usual bustle, and students had returned to their dorms, readying themselves for classes to start in a few days. But I had withdrawn to give my heart some time to grieve losing Milo. And more importantly because I couldn’t afford school getting in the way of rescuing him.
“Are you ready for this voyage?” Bellamy asked, likely trying to pull my attention from this useless piece of glass in my hand.
“Of course, I am. Tomorrow can’t come soon enough,” I tossed the piece of glass back into the water with all my strength. We’d be setting sail to find the pirate lord who had the Crown of the sea goddess who could hopefully bring Milo back, and I’d been counting down the hours. “And you’re sure you're going to be able to pull off sailing Cordelia’s yacht across the Atlantic?”
“Love, did you already forget what you saw me do back in 1720? I think I can handle a ship that doesn’t even have sails to manage.” Bellamy smirked.
“Just saying, you might be a little rusty,” I teased as Bellamy rolled his eyes. I secretly wished we could just fly there. It would be faster. But that wasn’t an option for Bellamy. He had no ID, no passport, nothing that would allow him access to board a plane. So, sailing there was the only option. And luckily my deceased mermaid great-grandmother’s unused private harbor was the perfect place to snag a ship seaworthy enough for us to do it.
“It’ll be fine, Katrina. Clea
I took a filling breath of the salty air around me as I watched Bellamy’s focus lock onto the seawater. How I wished he would let me know what he was thinking under that aloof exterior. He seemed to keep his thoughts under lock and key ever since the morning at the pier, except for whenever we discussed our plans to get to Cuba and find this Pirate Lord Bastian Drake. But I figured I probably wouldn’t be the same after everything he’d been through either. I couldn’t say I was doing much better.
“I’m going back to the dorm to get an early start on packing things.” I used the silence as an opportunity to excuse myself, leaving out the part about how I wished I could stop by Milo’s old loft just to sleep in his bed. But Bellamy was staying there now, so I couldn’t.
Bellamy sent a nod my way and then resumed his pensive stare into the ocean. I walked back to my car, thinking about it all over again. I touched my face to feel the scar along my jaw and twisted the silver-blue scale I now wore on a string bracelet I’d made so that if I needed my song, I wouldn’t have to be in my siren form to use it. It matched the ring on my finger. My souvenirs from the past, each reminding me of the moment I lost Milo. I wondered where he was, and what he was doing now, and I lived each day in anguish wishing I could know he was safe. I knew we’d do anything to get him back, and morning couldn’t come soon enough. But a small part of me—maybe some sinister remnant of my siren side—wouldn’t stop asking myself if we could really turn back time and save him.
2
Part of the Crew
Katrina
Istared at the green call icon on my screen. I just had to bring myself to tap the button…to call my parents like I told them I would last week. I needed to tell them everything was fine and I was ready for my classes to start tomorrow. I couldn’t tell them I was headed to the Caribbean tomorrow evening. They’d flip and ask too many questions I couldn’t answer. I didn’t need them to worry and complicate things even more. If something happened, I’d figure out how to deal with it. I pressed the button and waited while my stomach sank further with each ring.
“Hija, hi!” My dad’s voice came through excitedly through the phone, as he always sounded when I called.
“Hi, Dad,” I said, forcing a smile that I hoped made me sound more alive than I felt. “I just wanted to call before the semester starts tomorrow and check in.”
“Claro, Trina. We know you’re busy. So it means a lot when you find time for us,” he teased. “How is Milo and your roommate friend…McKinley?”
“McKenzie.” I corrected with a weak chuckle. “She’s great. She’s really hyped for a new year. And Milo he’s…” I swallowed the burning lump that suddenly appeared in my throat, “he’s better than ever.”
“That’s so great to hear, Trina. I’m so proud of you. And your artwork is still selling like crazy in the store downtown, yeah?”
“For sure,” I shrugged, knowing that part was a lie. I hadn’t even checked on those few paintings since before we’d ended up setting sail for Nassau. “Money hasn’t been an issue for a while, trust me.” That part was true at least. Cordelia’s money had been more than enough to keep me afloat, though I wondered what would happen to her resort and the rest of her assets once her death was discovered. But for now, I had more than enough to tie me over for the near future. I’m sure she wouldn’t have minded her great-granddaughter borrowing a little extra from the bedroom drawer in her yacht.
“I knew you’d settle in eventually. You’re doing it, hija, and I never doubted you would.” I could hear the pride welling up in my father’s voice. He might be even more proud if he knew I’d saved us all from a global disaster of oceanic proportion, but I was content to let him go on thinking my biggest accomplishment yet was my college scholarship. Even if I was about to risk losing it.
“Your mom wants to say goodnight while I have you,” My dad’s voice was suddenly cut short by the rustling sound of the phone being passed off. Before I could respond, Mom’s voice chimed through like a bell. She sounded healthy, and I still couldn’t get over how glad I was for that.
“Hey Trina, sweetie,” she greeted. “I hear things are going well. You’re all the rage in Ozark. You’re all Scott ever talks about around here.”
“I’m glad to know he’s spreading the word.” I laughed. “How are you, Mom?”
“Couldn’t be better, honey. I mean that. In fact, I’ve been thinking.” She paused, her words hanging in the air. “I’ve been thinking about coming down there to visit you soon. It could be a great way for us to finally spend some time together. You could show me your campus and the beach.”
My stomach sank. She couldn’t come now. No way. I’d be in Cuba in just a few days. And I didn’t know when I’d be coming back.
“Yeah, that could be fun. Maybe during spring break sometime. I think that’d be good for us.” I really did think it would be a good thing for us to make up for so much lost time together. Just…later.
“The sooner the better. You just let me know.”
“I will, Mom. Can’t wait,” I said, smiling lightly, still feeling a pang of mistrust that I felt guilty for having.
“I’ll talk to you soon, honey. Your dad’s already wandered off back to the garage probably, so I guess I’ll say goodnight for us both. Love you.”
“I love you, too, Mom. G’night.”
I placed the phone down on my bedside table, ready to sleep. Ironically enough, sleeping was my greatest escape these days. I didn’t dream much anymore—or if I did, I didn’t remember them. But that was better than living the nightmare I’d found myself in.
I hadn’t closed my eyes for five minutes when McKenzie crept in, rapping her fingers lightly against my wall. “Hey, you awake?” She crept into the shadowy room.
“Yeah,” I uttered.
“I just came to check on you,” she walked closer, “I know classes start tomorrow and I wanted to see how you’re holding up.”
“I’m good. Just wondering how long it’ll be before they notice I’m not attending and kick me out.” I forced a weak chuckle, but I don’t think my facial expression matched.
“I would do the same thing,” McKenzie cooed. “It’ll be worth it. You’ll find him, Katrina.” McKenzie’s sweet smile flitted across her face as I leaned forward to hug her. “Which is actually the reason I came to talk to you,” she started. I pulled back to look at her while she spoke. “I just can’t let myself stay here while you and Bellamy go do this. Not after everything we’ve been through together. And Noah feels the same. We can’t stay behind.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose between my eyebrows. “McKenzie, we talked about this. I can’t let you give up what you have here at ISA. I can’t let you throw away your dreams for this…for me. Milo didn’t want us to all make it back home just so you could throw it away helping me look for him.”
“You don’t understand, Katrina.” McKenzie paused with a breath that she held for a moment that felt like forever. “Being here at ISA isn’t my dream. Graduating with an art communications degree isn’t my life goal. I’m just here because I didn’t know what else to do with my life. And trust me, with my family’s money, they’ll let me reenroll anytime and pick up where I left off, I’m sure of it. And that’s just the thing I’m saying. I’ve always gotten what I wanted, easily, not because of who I am, but because of who my mom and dad are. And now I want more. Something their money can’t give me. Something I can only give myself. The past month has made me realize what’s important. And it’s not a degree from some stupid preppy art school. It’s the people in my life who matter.”
I stared at her in silence, blinking in the dark. I didn’t know what to say to any of that. I’d never heard such an eloquent speech come from those perfectly glossed pink lips. And I certainly couldn’t believe it was the same roommate who was all too obsessed with dragging me to college parties and ignoring my pleas not to.
“I’ve never thought of it that way,” I said.
“Well now you will. Because I’m coming with you. And so is Noah. And this time, it’s on purpose.” She grinned mischievously.
