Two
Leon
Declan scurried over as soon as I reached the main deck. When he saw my scowl, he quickly stood to attention.
“Captain, the ship’s ready—”
I whistled to my crew and twirled my finger in the air. “Get her moving north.”
“Did you meet her?”
“Yes, and I’m wondering why my second mate thought bringing a lady that pretty and sweet onto this ship was a good idea. What were you doing checking in the cargo? Where’s Havoc?”
“Havoc had to deal with the other passenger. Captain, she’s paying really well. You saw that emerald. I never seen one so big.”
The ring sat in my pocket, a rather expensive piece of jewelry for a simple maiden. “Who is she?”
“Her name is Havana.”
I sighed and rubbed my face in frustration. Talking to Declan tended to be exhausting. “I’m aware of her name. Who is she? Why is a lady such as her traveling to a haven meant for debauchery on a ship full of men who would plow her below deck within minutes of seeing her?”
Declan opened and shut his mouth a few times, anymore and a fly would have made harbor there.
“Good grief, lad. Have you no sense when it comes to women?”
When I turned to walk to the helm, he followed.
“She was determined to find passage. If she boarded a ship such as theMarauderorLeviathan, beavering away would be the least of her problems. Besides I know you like brunettes. We were going that way, anyway. I didn’t see the harm.”
“You’re a good man, but that soft heart will get you in trouble one day.” I poked him in the chest. “She’s your charge now. Make sure she behaves.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“And have her meet me for dinner in my quarters.”
“Dinner?”
I didn’t miss the squeak in Declan’s voice. If the boy wasn’t such a skilled navigator, he never would’ve made my crew. “Yes, dinner.”
“Aye, Captain,” he mumbled.
Grabbing the helm, I thought on my new passenger. While she wore the dress of a proper lady, her big hazel eyes held a world of mischief. She acted shocked to see a dark fae, but I saw curiosity. I’d find out more about her. A woman of her age and beauty would most certainly be betrothed or even married.
I didn’t need any sort of trouble on this voyage. Besides the excessive quantity of ale I was transporting, hidden among the cargo sat a shipment of aragonite crystals imbued with restorative magic from the Magi Council. Those minerals needed to be delivered to the Northeastern Borderlands port on our way to the Oasis. The eastern port was the safest place to sail, anything closer would be swarming with darkthings—the shadow monsters that haunted those lands.
No one enjoyed sailing even remotely near the Borderlands, but the payment from this haul would finally be enough for me and the crew to take a much-needed respite. Normally, we docked at the Oasis in between runs, but the magi had us hauling cargo all over the eastern coast with only a few days in between to resupply.
“Captain.” Havoc, my first mate and a fellow fae, grunted my name as he met me at the helm. “We’re going to head into that storm.”
We’d discussed this at length before leaving the docks. “The magi need those crystals, and they’re paying for them.”
“So, we risk the ship and the men?” Havoc crossed his arms. Black tattoos covered his burly, tanned frame, and the faces painted there seemed to frown when he did, especially the screaming face on his right arm.
Tattoos could be very artful if done correctly, but something about the unshaped heads and mismatched eyes gave his tattoos an odd look. One I cared not to see. I wondered if I could convince one of the magi to put a magical salve over them and fix the faces . . .
“Captain,” he said, again, the aggravation clearly increasing. “We don’t need any more trouble than what’s hidden within the hull. If we go around the storm, it may cost us a day or two, but we’ll be safe.”
Havoc and I had sailed through many storms together. This was no different. Something else bothered him. “We’ve gone through worse. What’s this really about?”