Around me, the organized crew had fallen into a frenzy. Hapless sailors reached for the waves, dug in their heels, shouted to the heavens, growing belligerent with their mates who tried to hold them back until swords were drawn. The rescuers fought to parry. The possessed men fought to kill, so that they could die in siren arms.

I straddled Lanard, pinning his thighs down with my feet. He bucked under me, but this scrawny boy was no match for my years of experience fighting men twice my size. Krinny knelt beside me and held down his arms while I stuck the wax into his ears. His filmy eyes stared at me, unwavering. I’d never been this close to someone under a siren’s trance before so I wasn’t certain the plugs could undo it. I smacked Lanard’s cheek hard enough to smart my hand.

Krinny leaned over Lanard’s prone body, her long shadow cast over us both. Her inky hair had come undone from her bun and brushed across cheeks darkened from exertion. “Try it again,” she encouraged me between ragged breaths.

I raised my brow, and she shrugged.

“I think the lad would rather another hit than your sword to his throat again.” She chuckled, nodding to the red scratch I’d left under his chin.

Without further question, I raised my hand and struck him again in the same spot, throwing my weight into it with hopes of literally knocking his senses back into him.

Lanard blinked rapidly, green irises losing that glassy look. A genuine smile crossed his face, and he mouthed, Thank you.

I dipped my chin, let him up, and the three of us rushed back toward Lianna and Dara, who stood firm together with backs pressed to the main mast.

“We need weapons. What if the men start trying to kill us?” Krinny asked, scouring the deck.

“Forget the men,” Lianna said. “If the sirens surround us in enough numbers, they’ll attack the ship.” Sirens traveled in pairs, usually with their partners. Although they bore children with human men, they chose one of their own to love, a soulmate. But one couple’s prolonged song could bring on a swarm.

Rylander darted toward us, pale eyes wide. “Are you all okay?” he yelled, voice throaty. Spatters of blood speckled his entire torso. I searched the crowd, wondering which of the crew he’d had to bloody.

Something dawned on me. “How are you talking?”

Rylander flashed that smirk I was starting to loathe. “Sirens can’t steal voices, only minds.” He tapped his skull twice and winked. A fluffy white material protruded from his ears. “And mine is encased in a steel trap.”

Instead of indulging him, I patted my empty scabbard. “We need swords.”