25. Sunken Treasure

25. Sunken Treasure

"I was thinking about your unique talents," Ozzo stated.

Hakan folded his arms, trying not to glare. He didn't like the idea of his crewmates thinking of Ramorran in calculating ways. That was his job. He could imagine how Loula would laugh if he spoke that aloud – hence, he kept it to himself. "What talent is that?" he prompted.

Ozzo continued to watch Ramorran closely, head tilted. "I'm guessing you can dive deeper and swim further than any of us could manage."

"Almost certainly," Ramorran agreed.

Ozzo glanced at Hakan, then back to their newest crewmember. "There are stories... There are so many wrecks around the Three Sisters. A lot are simple fishing boats, but there's a story that one boat was filled with gold when it sank. I wondered—"

"It's gone," Ramorran told him.

Ozzo blinked. "The wreck's gone?"

"The gold's gone," he corrected. "My people took it from the wreck. Last of it was used by my father to ensure he became king."

Ozzo slumped, blowing out a disappointed breath.

Hakan chuckled. "Did you have visions of more gold than we could spend in a lifetime?"

"I had visions of more than enough to buy back the rest of the crew," Ozzo admitted.

Hakan huffed, his smile vanishing.

Ramorran leaned forward. "I have an idea. For safety's sake, we should stay close to the coast, but there's treasure there, too."

"Like what?"

Ramorran smiled. Warmth rushed through Hakan; happiness looked good on his love. "I know an excellent spot to dive for pearls."

~

"I need a bag," Ramorran said, stripping down to his smallclothes as Emancipation shifted gently on the waves above the oyster bed.

"Here." Ozzo pressed a small, closely-woven net into his hands. "I want to join you, if that's all right."

"Sure." Ramorran wanted to be accepted by Hakan's friends and he needed to be a part of the crew. This was an ideal way to meet both objectives.

Hakan pressed a firm kiss to his lips. "I'll be waiting when you both get back," he promised.

Ozzo flung his shirt aside so he stood in just his shorts.

"Follow me." Ramorran dived over the side of the boat. Ozzo jumped in a moment later. Ramorran tucked the bag in his waistband and waited for Ozzo to surface, slicking his hair back. "Straight down," he directed, when the other man nodded readiness.

The two of them dived. The oyster beds were only a few yards down here, sunlight filtering through the surface, the temperature cooling as they pushed deeper. Ramorran twisted to catch Ozzo's attention, gesturing to the oysters clustered against the rocky seabed. Ozzo nodded. Ramorran tugged the bag free and kicked closer, assessing the oysters before picking the largest: the oldest and most likely candidate to hold a pearl. He twisted to wrench it from its mooring on the rock and pushed it into the bag.

He'd barely begun when Ozzo swum closer, arms so full of oysters two fell from the pile and drifted back to the seabed before he'd managed to get them in the bag. Ramorran saw the range of sizes and realised he should have given Ozzo more guidance before they started. Still, any without pearls could simply be thrown back.

Ozzo gestured, finger jabbing towards the surface. Ramorran shrugged and gestured what he hoped indicated that Ozzo was free to go back if he was done.

Ozzo disappeared only long enough to take a breath then he was back, gathering another armful of oysters. Ramorran realised that even without his skin he could hold his breath longer than most humans. Unique abilities.

When Ozzo indicated a return to the surface for a second time, Ramorran went with him. They had plenty for a day's hunting.

Hakan and Loula were waiting to help haul them back onto Emancipation when they surfaced. As he tipped their catch onto the deck, Loula offered him a knife, hilt-first. Ramorran looked up, puzzled. "What's that for?"

Loula frowned, her expression twisting suspiciously. "To open the oysters." She gestured to the shells. Ozzo reached for the knife over his shoulder.

Ramorran pressed it down and away before Ozzo could take it. "We don't need a knife. That'll hurt the oysters."

Loula huffed. "Do we care?"

Ramorran shot her a look. Hakan squatted beside him. His gaze sparkled. "How do you open them?"

He began to sing, gentle and resonant. Nothing happened for a few minutes – the oysters were probably in shock at the sudden change of pressure and temperature and light and damp. Then, the song penetrated their shells and they began to pop open, like hungry mouths opening wide.

Ramorran continued to sing while he reached for the closest, spying inside. It was one of the larger ones, and exactly as he'd hoped the size reflected the creature's age, and its age had left it victim to an irritant that had grown to a sizeable pearl in its depths. He scooped the pearl out with a quick fingertip and set it into Hakan's cupped palm. His love grinned and pressed a kiss to his temple. "You're so smart," he whispered.

Ramorran shrugged. It wasn't difficult, not when you knew how. He threw the now-empty oyster back into the sea and picked up the next. Ozzo joined in, then Loula, peering inside and scooping out any pearls they found. Hakan didn't stir from his side, watching his movements and collecting the bounty from all three of them.

"Keep some," Loula said as the pile depleted, oysters that had been emptied or had never contained a pearl returned to the sea. A smile twisted the corner of her lips. "I was afraid we'd be eating them for days when you surfaced. Now, I'm worried we won't have enough for dinner."

Ramorran nodded and continued to sing until the last oyster had been checked, the final two dozen left on deck to provide a meal. He fell silent and the oysters slowly closed.

"That's it." He glanced around, shoulders prickling when he realised his crewmates were all watching him intently. They'd just witnessed something no other humans had ever seen.

And he'd just shared more secrets his tribe would kill him for spilling.

"That was extraordinary." Hakan broke the silence, running a fingertip over the white, silver and grey pearls in his hand. "Three dozen good-sized pearls, and a few smaller that will still be worth something. It's a small fortune from an afternoon's work."

Ramorran's face heated at the praise and he ducked his head. "It's easy. We'll get more next time."

Ozzo rose. "Should we dive again?"

"Steady." Hakan held up his free hand, shoving the other into his pocket to secure the pearls. "We don't want to flood the market and lower their value."

Ozzo shrugged with a nod and reached for his shirt. Loula gathered up the oysters. Hakan took Ramorran's hands.

"Maybe I'll go with you next time," he murmured.

Ramorran smiled. "I'd like that."

Hakan leaned forward, nuzzling Ramorran's neck. "I want to learn all your secrets."

Ramorran couldn't help it. He stiffened, remembering the last time they'd spoken about sharing secrets.

Hakan peeled back, looking at him in concern. "What? I mean, keep your secrets if they're important. I don't mean to pry."

"No." Ramorran tugged him close again. "I want you to know my secrets. But I want to know yours, too."

"I'm an open book," the pirate declared.

Ramorran twisted to give him a hard stare.

"I am!"

Ramorran just waited. He saw the moment Hakan remembered. "Ah, okay. I guess I could have told you more about myself."

His shoulders began to hunch and Ramorran burrowed back into him, head against his shoulder, arms wrapped around his broad waist. "You don't have to." He turned Hakan's words back on him.

"No, no, I want to." Hakan sighed, his breath ruffling Ramorran's hair. "I'm just not used to being open with partners. Everyone before was just…"

When he trailed off, Ramorran found his lips curving. "Bedmates?"

Hakan's arms tightened around him. "Yeah, bedmates." Another sigh ruffled Ramorran's hair. "My life has been very much easy come, easy go. I never had anything I wanted to hold onto until now."

"I'm happy with whatever you want to share," Ramorran promised. "However much or little."

"You don't have to humour me just because you're my…" Hakan broke off. Ramorran felt the sudden stiffness in him. Then he realised he was barely breathing himself while he waited for Hakan to finish his thought.

"Boyfriends feels a bit young to describe us," Hakan admitted.

"I hope you're not suggesting you're an old man," he teased.

"Definitely not." Silence fell once more. Waves slapped against the side of the dhow. Ramorran breathed in the salt scent of his beloved.

"I want you to be my everything." Time seemed to stop. Hakan shifted. "I can't believe I just said that," he admitted.

Made of romance, Ramorran reminded himself. He squeezed Hakan's waist. "I heard it. No take backs."

Hakan pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Hush, you."

Ramorran smiled, pressing the expression against Hakan's shirt. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone." He meant the vow; he wanted to keep Hakan's soft words all to himself.