When the conversation finally came to a lull, Delia seized the opportunity to ask a question that had been nagging at her ever since Khaleel had first spoken into the tendril.

"Er, this might be silly,” she said with an embarrassed smile, “but why can't they hear us?"

"They're wearing their headphones. It’s noise cancelling," Khaleel answered, confused.

"No, I know that. But you speak into that thing, and they can hear you. Why can't they hear us through it? We're speaking loud enough for it to pick up our voices, no?"

She had never seen headphones before, but she doubted those things were so sensitive to sound. The man didn't move the tendril closer to his mouth or speak any louder, if anything, his voice was more of a mumble when he repeated Delia's story or Jeremy's answers.

"Oh. Right, that makes more sense," Khaleel said. "Unlike regular headsets, these microphones are magically attuned. They don't hear anything but my voice. There's no point wearing these if the Sirens singing is picked up by the mike."

She nodded to herself, noting it down. "And why do you always say 'over' at the end of your sentence?"

He scratched his face and gave a sheepish smile. "Ah, well..." he said, his tone tinged with embarrassment. "The issue is that our headphones are only capable of half-duplex communication."

Her nose wrinkled in confusion.

"Only one of us can talk simultaneously," Khaleel explained. "You either receive or talk. It teaches discipline, making sure we don't talk over one another."

"And… you can't do that with normal headsets?" She asked in genuine confusion.

"Full duplex sets are extortionate for the prices," he mumbled. Then his eyes brightened. "Ours is set so the voice only goes through when intending! Most full duplex sets can't do that. They pick up anything you say unless manually muted. No one has time to fiddle with the things when in battle. Imagine trying to say something, but you're muted."

“I see… you probably wouldn’t want to broadcast every message you say.”

She noticed the man's smile as her eyes focused on the device with intrigue. Unable to help herself, and encouraged by his expression, she asked if she could get a closer look. With a nonchalant shrug, Khaleel replied, "Of course," though his grin betrayed his casual tone as he handed her the device, like a child showing off a toy.

The device was cool in her hands, solid and smooth, but not like metal. She pressed it firmly and there was a little give, but it seemed sturdy and strong enough to withstand regular use.

Her fingers traced over the cords, like braided nylon, then went back to the ear cups; the cups seemed to be made of the same material as the rest of the device, though the inner face was cushioned and soft to the touch.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she slipped the headphones over her ears and adjusted them, the ear cups covering her lobes. Then the world around her faded away, replaced by the sweet sound of silence. In that moment, she felt a strange sense of isolation, cut off from the rest of the world, the rhythmic thumping of her heart her only companion; it felt like a physical force, a drumming pressure in her head. It was unsettling.

"How does it know when you're intending to speak?" she asked, her voice sounding muffled to her own ears.

He shrugged, mouth moving silently. This must’ve been what Jonah experienced, she thought, as Khaleel stared blankly at her

“Sorry,” she said, taking the headphones off.

"Magic? I don't know,” he repeated. “Probably some fancy glyphs."

"Is it linked to your mind?"

He laughed. "No neural links in my head. We wouldn't need these if we could afford them. And no mind magic... I think."

Delia didn't know if the man was joking about magic, especially after the strange occurrences of the past few months, but she pushed the thoughts aside and focused on what she did know. She had read ancient research papers — the few in the shipwrights' cabins — on brain plasticity, electrons and neuro pathways. She had never heard of neuro links before, though it sounded like a device. Could it alter the brain? Perhaps enable telepathy?

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

She could ask… Delia debated herself: On one hand, the mysterious devices and the potential knowledge they held intrigued her. On the other hand, she didn't want to reveal her ignorance and risk being judged or laughed at.

Finally, she took a deep breath and resolved to take the risk. "The only way to learn is to ask questions," she said to herself. There was more to gain than to lose anyway – It was already established they were from faraway lands, and Khaleel seemed friendly so far, she doubted he would mind.

“What’s a –” A loud knock interrupted her.

All eyes in the room turned to face the imposing oakwood door, looming large in the flickering candlelight. The silence that followed the knock only amplified the weight of the door, and Delia's heart raced with apprehension. Did the Sirens return?

Delia suddenly felt isolated again, the sound of echoing footsteps mirrored her pulsating heart as Shelby slowly strode to the door and opened it, revealing Gregory standing there.

It was her Pa. He was awake. He was okay.

The sound of chairs clattering against the floor mixed with the metallic ring of a drawn sword as Delia’s breath of relief froze in her throat. She whipped her head towards the commotion, only to see Sajid and Adnan spring to their feet with onyx black knives in hand. Karl lay motionless on the floor, while Jonah's back was pressed against the wall, eyes blazing with fury.

The Midnight Ode gleamed silver, and Sajid shifted his feet and raised his forearms, bracing himself for an attack. Jeremy shot to his feet and Gavin unsheathed his sword, only for it to shatter as an onyx black throwing knife darted into it with pinpoint accuracy. Adnan's knife.

Delia found herself frozen in place, her chest tightening. She could feel her palms getting sweaty and her breathing becoming shallow. Her eyes turned back towards Jonah before being arrested by the only man still sitting.

“Elrasik! Elrayn!” Khaleel shouted. His posture had changed, his body rigid and tense, back straight and his feet firmly planted on the ground. His smile was gone, his brow furrowed and his jaw set. And his eyes — his eyes were fixed on her Pa, unwavering and unblinking. “We are guests. Do not bring shame to our house!”

Greg nodded and raised his palms in the air. “Easy,” he said placatingly.

The room stilled to the two men's words, and as the seconds ticked by, the tension in the room grew palpable. Jonah remained focused, unyielding, his posture and expression unwavering. The two men were still up in arms, and Gavin's hands clenched around another weapon by his belt.

Until at last, with a sudden exhale, Jeremy relaxed and leaned back in his chair.

“Thank you,” Greg said.

“Elrasik,” Khaleel repeated. The man lowered his weapon, shortly followed by Jonah.

Greg nodded at the seated man. "The truce of kind is a writ of blood.”

“For without it, man will never trust,” Khaleel replied.

“The truth of these words serves our bond.”

“Bind our souls and keep us strong.”

Delia's breath came in short pants as her wide eyes scanned the room and her brain tried processing what had just happened. The three men seemed relaxed, as if nothing had happened. Jonah had lowered his sword but still eyed the men wearily. Karl was asleep on the ground, and Jeremy, Shelby, and Gavin were looking between the captain and Khaleel.

"They call me Gregory," her Pa finally said. "Captain of the Flightless Owl."

"Khaleel Elkhart. Of house El, and family Khart. Sajid Elrasik, and Adnan Elrayn."

"Sorry about that. I didn' mean to make you all jump,'' her Pa said with a smirk.

Khaleel nodded seriously. "No. It is I who should apologise. Though I'm sure you understand tha-"

"It's fine," Greg said, interrupting him. He pointed his head towards Karl. "He's not hurt, so it's all fine."

"Del," her Pa said. "Would you be kind enough to give those headphones back to Elkhart? We have some things to discuss."

Delia looked down at the device clutched in her hands tight enough that her knuckles were turning white.

It made sense why Khaleel shouted now. She passed the device to the man who nodded his gratitude and gave an apologetic smile.

"Alright, out you all go," Greg said.

Delia looked at her Pa in confusion before glancing at Jeremy who, like the rest of the crew, was transfixed on the captain.

"Captain?" Jeremy asked, confused.

"You heard me. We got things to discuss."

"By yourself?"

"Can you have a discussion by yourself? With these three you fool. Out you all go."

"But… they're dangerous? They're -"

Gregory laughed. "Yes, so I don't think any of you will make a difference. As we've just seen."

"Do not worry goodman, we have a truce," Khaleel said.

It didn’t seem to mollify anyone as they just turned to the man with furrowed brows.

A truce? They had just met. The first thing the men did upon seeing her Pa was to attack the crew.

"Stop dillydallyin' you fools. Del, take Jonah out of here. Jeremy, get out of my seat. Shelby, take Karl. Gavin, get a damn broom and be ready to clean the mess you made. All of you, move!"