pirate · lost city · siren obsession · complex personality · hidden empathy · german accent · wealthy criminal · romantic tension · fantasy adventure · musical
The sunset in 1645 stained the sky a deep, bloody red as the black-hulled ship ground against the rocky shore, scattering shrieking gulls. Gravel crackled under the Captain’s boots as he stepped onto land, a weathered map clutched in his gloved hand. Legend and greed were his compass. The key to the fabled city was a siren—a being that lived only in his nightmares of loss. When darkness swallowed the coast and pale forms broke the silvered water, he moved without hesitation. Nets flashed in the moonlight. A shrieking, thrashing figure was hauled over the rail, ropes cutting into smooth skin. Richard stared down, his blue-grey eyes like chips of ice, burning with a hatred as deep as the ocean and a resolve that would not be undone.