"Relax. It'll be fun."
Their boat was lifted like a toy and tossed sideways.
They crashed into the water and there was a loud crack, the entire boat tilting hard.
Vines grabbed onto the two halves of the boat, sewing it together before the whole thing could sink.
They'd stopped themselves from sinking into the Mare Dulce, but there was no stopping the boarding.
The Tidecallers leapt across like panthers. One landed directly in front of Ren, spear pointed at his throat.
Ren raised his hands, a big smile on his face. "We surrender."
The warrior stared at him, confused.
"Seriously. This was the plan."
Thorn groaned from where he sat, soaked to the bone. "This was NOT the plan."
Lilith stood slowly, dripping wet, her hair matted to her skull. The Tidecallers on the boat eyed her warily but did nothing.
Elias removed his hand from the sword at his hip. "I don't even care anymore."
"Ho! Ho! Ho!" The Tidecaller captain finally jumped down into their boat, rocking it and almost sending everyone overboard.
At this point the whole thing was overcrowded.
"What a catch!" She said proudly.
She was tall, muscular, with salt-silver hair braided with pearls. Her skin shimmered faintly, like water over sand.
She struck a pose in the little space she had. "My name is Captain Hook, and you have been captured by the Jolly Pirates!"
"Wait a minute." Ren snorted. "Your actual name is Captain Hook?!"
The Tidecallers around them snickered.
"Told you, captain." One of them said. "The name wouldn't work."
"But it's a fearsome name." Hook sighed like a kicked puppy.
Then, she perked up again. "Who are you guys?" She asked.
Ren bowed dramatically. "Adventurers. Nobles. Possible friends. Most importantly, we need your help."
Hook blinked. "You need our…" Her voice trailed off as something occurred to her.
"You let us chase you!" She accused.
"I wanted the full pirate experience." Ren said, grinning.
Lilith slapped a palm to her face.
Hook stared at him for a long moment, then snorted. "You're insane."
"Takes one to know one." Ren replied.
She motioned for her crew to lower their weapons. "Tie them up. We'll hear their story."
She inhaled with her eyes closed and her hands spread wide. "I smell an adventure brewing!"
The crew got to work, though most rolled their eyes or laughed quietly. The group followed Ren's lead, not putting up a fight.
As they were escorted onto the Tidecaller vessel, Ren turned to Thorn. "Admit it. That was fun."
Thorn cursed as water dripped down his cloak. The cloak surreptitiously squeezed itself, draining water from it.
He turned and glared at Ren. "I hope you get seasick."
Out of all of them, it was only Ren who hadn't gotten wet. He whistled to himself as they were led onto the deck.
He released the power over his vines and they sank into the sea, leaving the cracked boat to sink after them.
A few minutes later, they were kneeling on the deck, as Hook paced before them.
The Tidecaller ship sliced through the sea, looking for an actual target.
"Shhh." She raised a hand as she paced, motioning for quiet.
Ren had explained the whole situation to her. The reason they were here and why they needed a Tidecaller.
They wanted to face the Hungering Deep.
Captain Hook kept pacing, a troubled look on her face.
Ren sighed. Was she having trouble believing them, or she was debating whether to help them?
From the look on her face when he'd been telling the story, she hadn't believed them.
Her braided silver hair swayed in the sea breeze as she finally turned to look at them. Her eyes scanned each of them in turn, narrowed in thought.
Ren stared at her, saying nothing.
"I've heard your story." She said slowly. "The Hungering Deep. A Calamity of the sea."
"So you know how all this sounds to me?"
Ren guessed that it was a rhetorical question and said nothing.
"It sounds like someone saw the nightmares of a Tidecaller and decided to create it."
"And it's real." Ren nodded, his expression serious. This wasn't the time to joke around.
"The worst part of it? It's growing, even as we speak. If it gets stronger, it won't stop with just swallowing ships. It'll reach Patino. Your islands."
Hook drummed her fingers against the table. "You say that. But what proof do you have?"
Ren shrugged. "We have an eye witness. Someone who saw it with their own eyes."
"And where is this eye witness?" Hook's eyes flicked to the rest of the group, eyes landing on Elias. "Is it him?"
"Unfortunately, we don't have the witness here with us."
"But the Deep is real." Ren urged. "It's really happening."
Hook narrowed her eyes. "And you want us to go toward it? Into this… maw of the sea?"
Ren met her gaze. "Because no one else can."
"Your people are the only ones who can keep the sea from swallowing us whole. You're the only ones who know the sea's moods. Who can read it and guide us in the right direction."
He leaned forward from where he knelt.
"If the Hungering Deep keeps growing, it will consume everything." His voice was low when he spoke again. "And I know we both don't want that."
There was a long pause.
"You think I don't care about my people?" Hook asked quietly, her expression going hard.
Ren shook his head. "I think you care too much. That's why you're afraid."
Hook's jaw tightened. "We are pirates. Warriors. We face storms, sink enemy ships, dive into the wreckage of our ancestors. But what you're asking... is different."
"Because it's something you don't know." Ren said quitely.
"Yes." She admitted. "We survive by knowing the sea. Reading her moods. Listening. Whatever this… Hungering Deep is, it is not the sea. It is something else wearing her skin."
Ren leaned forward. "Exactly. It's not her. It's an invader. And you're the only ones who can cut it out."
The whole crew was watching the exchange in silence, each having their own thoughts on the issue. But their captain's word was law.
Hook exhaled slowly. "You're persuasive, Noble. And you don't seem like a liar. But I won't throw my crew into the Deep for something none of us understand."
"Then let me go alone. Give us just one ship and a guide."
She shook her head. "I can't. I don't know you. And I don't gamble with the lives of my crew."
"Then release us." Ren said quietly. "I'll find someone who will."
Hook raised a brow. "You won't get far. Patino doesn't lend ships to outsiders."
Ren smiled faintly. "We'll see."
Hook stared at him, weighing her options in her mind.
Then, she turned away, giving an order to her crew.
"Throw them in the brig."