brokenmagxc​ cont. from here
“Oi! Don’t lose it! Keep it on the line!”
Jamie’s voice was hoarse over the thunderous  crash of  waves  and the
creak  of  warped  wood.  He  blocked  his  face  from  the  harsh  spray
of the  ocean as he  made his  way to his men,  joining them in reeling in
the rope.  His hands were slipping, the  rope  burning  across  callouses, Â
but he pulled  with strength  that was rivaled by no man  in the  crew.  It Â
was  enough;  through the murky  whirl  of  the sea, a shimmering fin fell Â
into  sight,  and he called  out once  more  as  a rallying cry.
They  pulled  as  one,  and some  of his  men  in the  front  reached  over
the side of  the ship  to grab  hold of  their catch.  It  was large,  from the
look of it --  Jamie took in a sharp  breath of salty  mist as it  was thrown
onto  the deck  and  he  caught an  eyeful of smooth  skin giving  way to
dappled scales.
A  reverent  hush fell  over the  crew,  parting  without  a word  as Jamie
made his  way to the creature. It looked frightened; unlike the mermaids
before it, it struggled to move away  and avoid human contact. He knelt
beside it, looking it over.
“Keep calm,  beast.  The  pain’ll  be over  soon.”  He  steadied  a  heavy
hand on  the tail  and pulled the hook from its fin,  tossing it  to the  side
to  be  collected.  He  never  bothered  to  be gentle  about  it,  and  he
wouldn’t start now;  no need,  when it  would  be out of his  hands once
they reached  their next  harbor,  used to sell  to the superstitious  fools
who believed  in myth and legend.  He had dealt with  mermaids before;
they were  nothing but  fierce monsters  who lured  in good  sailors.  He
had no sympathy for them, but they fetched a pretty penny if alive.
“Bring it to the quarters,” he ordered as he stood,  looking  out over the
water. It was calmer now, returning to a stiller, Â brighter blue, and it was
unsettling,  his stomach rolling  with the same  tumultuousness  the sea
had  encompassed moments  earlier. He  didn’t know  what it  meant --
and he didn’t  want his crew  thinking it was the work  of old gods  who
had no place  in their world any longer.  When nobody moved, his voice
turned an  edge harder. “Now!” Jamie stalked to the  captain’s quarters
once  two  men  moved  forward  to  hook  their arms  underneath  the
creature’s, dragging it across the floor towards the quarters.
