Warding Song

Catherine paced back and forth, glancing anxiously at the clock. Another second ticked by. It was half past one in the morning. Her supplier should have been here almost an hour ago. For the Rogue’s sake, where was he?

She busied herself cleaning; anything to occupy her hands. Try as she might, Catherine couldn’t help but run through the worst of circumstances in her mind. It wasn’t the first time the shipment came in late, but she worried every time. It would not bode well if her supply of crystals slowed down.

Several knocks rang out, startling her. Cat put her eye to the peephole. There was no sense in unlocking it at this time of night, when she didn’t even know for certain who was standing on the other side. The hooded figure was unfamiliar, from what little she could see, but they had tapped out the agreed upon signal for a supply run. She bit her lip and decided to risk it.

She unlocked the door and cracked it open. “Show me the cargo.” The figure stepped aside, revealing a large barrel on the ground. Satisfied, she opened the door wider and stepped back. “Bring it in. Hurry.” He checked no one was watching, then rolled the barrel into the kitchen. “Thank you for bringing it here. How come you’re late?”

The barrel was heaved upright. Its lid was embossed with a familiar symbol; a pentagon-cut gemstone flanked by dragon wings. The crest of a crystal baron’s house. Catherine never cared to know which one.

“Had to avoid patrols,” the man replied, in a voice that rasped like sandpaper. He coughed and hacked; the reek of tobacco drifted off his clothes, making her grimace. “Loads more Imps sailing around out there.”

More Imperial ships? Wonderful … She checked the contents. Inside were several carefully-wrapped bags of crystal powder. He remarked, “Did ya hear about that dragon nest they took out? The whole hoard’s being carted off. There’s been rich pickings lately. So, are you gonna pay me for that load or what?”

Cat handed over some tavos. He snatched the bag with nary a mutter of thanks, and peered inside it. She rolled her eyes. “Thanks again. Now you’d best be on your way,” Cat said pointedly, all but shoving the man out of the door. The reek of tobacco was making her feel nauseous.

After locking the door, she checked her savings. The supply was getting low, but not enough to worry her just yet. So long as she continued selling crystals, there was no reason she couldn’t keep her illicit business afloat.

Business was slow. The Imperials were cracking down on black market crystals; her shipments in turn became less frequent, the crystals of lower quality. The guards raided poor neighbourhoods like hers over ‘non-medicinal use of crystals’. They’d even come to the shop at one point. Catherine was worried, though she tried not to let on.

She needed to sell these illicit crystals, and save the tavos she earned. Three hundred of them went every year to some crime boss she’d never met, in exchange for renewal of her ‘licence’ to sell them.

The day things changed was unremarkable. Cat was about to close when a last-minute customer walked into her apothecary. He was tall, thin and wore a long black overcoat. Cat recognised him, and felt a cold trickle of dread run down her spine. She knew him only as the payment collector.

“Good evening, Ms Flanders,” he greeted, hands clasped behind his back. “My apologies for disturbing you,” he added insincerely, “but I’m afraid there have been some … changes I was asked to bring to your attention.”

She kept her face a careful mask, but inside Catherine felt panic. Normally the collector’s arrival was a necessary evil, but with how poor sales had been … “Oh? What kind of changes?” she forced herself to inquire politely.

“As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the Imperials are having one of their crackdowns on the black market,” he replied. “Most likely due to the sudden … windfall, you might say, of crystals from the dragon nest that was destroyed not too long ago. I’m sure I don’t have to explain supply and demand to a businesswoman such as yourself,” he added.

Cat had never liked this man. “With all respect, sir, we both know you’re here for the payment.” She hesitated, willing her voice not to crack. “I’m afraid I’ll need a bit more time. As you say, things have changed. Business hasn’t been … at its peak,” she admitted.

“That is regrettable, Ms Flanders. You see, the payment has been doubled. It’s harder to provide … insurance to people like yourself, in these difficult times. The Imperial intelligencers are quite thorough.”

Doubled. I can’t afford that; I’d have to save up another three hundred tavos in – how long would they give me? A month, a week … a day? Cat’s mouth went dry. “You should have told me sooner; I only have enough for the usual fee.”

The man’s lips thinned. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” he lied smoothly, “but business can be cutthroat, you know. Still, if you need more time … ”

“I do. You’ll get your payment,” Cat said tersely, “but I can’t conjure it out of thin air. I sell crystals, but an alchemist I am not. I’ll need at least a month.”

The collector sighed in faux-disappointment. “That’s a shame. My client isn’t the most patient man; if you could get it together sooner, that would be most helpful,” he remarked with a cynical smile. “Well. I’ll bid you goodnight.”

He left the shop; Cat locked the door. For a few moments she stood cursing him and his greedy client and the Imperials who messed everything up for her. Then she took a deep breath. Now was not the time; she had to prepare. First Catherine packed essentials, including as many tavos as she could carry. Then she began cooking a meal with as much perishable food as she could.

“Eleyna, are you in?” she asked, knocking on the girls door. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d come home late or snuck out, but this time she did open the door. “You need to pack,” Cat told her bluntly. “We’re leaving tonight.”

She stared at her aunt in disbelief. “Leaving? What are you talking – ”

“It’s important. I need you to trust me. Pack everything that you need.”

She folded her arms and insisted, “not until you tell me what’s going on.”

“You know that even though I sell crystals, we’ve always been poor,” she said, waiting until the girl nodded. “That’s because most of the money I earn is given to – to people who keep me from going to prison. But now they’ve doubled the price, and we can’t afford it, not with the bad sales lately.”

Eleyna knew things had been tough, but she still didn’t see what the big deal was. “Can’t you tell them you can’t get all those tavos for “em this year?”

“They don’t care how we’re struggling. They just want to line their pockets. I asked for a month to buy us some time, but I’m not sticking around to see if they fall for it. No more questions,” Cat said firmly, “pack your things. Only take essentials, mind; we can buy or barter for whatever else we need later.”

Or steal it, more likely. “But where are we even going to go?”

“I know a place. I don’t want to do this either, but it’s the only way. Unless you want to end up in jail, or in the orphanage,” she warned. Eleyna flinched. “Exactly. Dinner’s cooking – I should get back before it burns. Now hurry!”

Eleyna’s whole life had been in San Nicolas; she never thought she’d have to abandon it and run away. She shook herself and began to pack, wondering how long they’d be on the run for. What if her aunt was overreacting?

Okay let’s see … underwear, toothbrush, change of clothes … what else do I need? Eleyna struggled to think of other items to put in her rucksack. Most of the things she owned or pickpocketed had been traded away, except for … of course! Eleyna quickly pulled up a loose floorboard behind her bed.

Underneath was a cardboard box, filled with cotton wool, and her locket. The one left by her mother, which she’d treasured ever since Aunt Cat gave it to her as a child. Relieved she’d remembered it, Eleyna slipped it around her neck. Then she thought of Pablo. He’d have no idea where she was. He was bound to look here sooner or later, so she scribbled out a note on a spare piece of paper.

My aunt’s in debt and she says we have to leave before they can take her to the slammer. I don’t want to go but I can’t live here on my own. Don’t worry, I’ll try and send you a letter when we get to wherever we’re going. Aunt Cat knows a place. Say bye to Javier for me.

She wedged the note under her window, leaving it open so Pablo could get in. Then she went downstairs. Her aunt was waiting. “I hope you have everything you need, because we’re not coming back,” Cat warned her. Eleyna nodded again. The two of them put on their rucksacks.

Her aunt locked the door. As they walked down the alley, the hair on the back of Eleyna’s neck stood up. She looked over her shoulder. A stranger appeared at the entrance; he walked towards them. Eleyna couldn’t see his face, but he radiated menace. “Aunt Cat, behind us.” Her aunt merely grasped her hand and ran, pulling Eleyna along.

Eleyna heard shouts of “stop, in the name of the Knight!”, and the thud of boots; or maybe her pulse. Cat dragged her away from one street and down another, heading for the docks. She’d run from adults plenty of times … but all her tricks for ditching someone, like hiding in the back of a cart or climbing onto a roof, wouldn’t work for her aunt.

They were halfway there when her aunt faltered, hand pressed to her side. “Come on, Aunt Cat, you can make it!” Eleyna tried to pull the older woman along. “It’s not far to the docks, we can get on a boat and – ”

Cat tugged Eleyna into an alley. They crouched behind some bins. Her fingers dug into Eleyna’s shoulders. “Listen to me. If I stay with you, they’ll catch us both. I’m not as young as I was. I’ll distract them. Keep going, Eleyna. Go to the docks, and get on a ship, any ship.”

“Then what do I do?” Eleyna whispered, not daring to speak louder. “Where am I even supposed to go?”

“To sea,” replied Catherine. “Find the Corazon de Piedra. It’s your mother’s ship, and … ” she grimaced in regret and guilt. “And she might still be on board.”

Hearing these words and comprehending them were two different things. “What?” Eleyna was utterly bewildered. “My mum’s dead, how can she be – ”

“She‘s not – ” Cat cut herself off. “I’m sorry, Eleyna. I’m so sorry. I should’ve told you the truth years ago … I thought you were better off not knowing.”

“Not knowing what?” Eleyna started to tremble. She didn’t like this.

“Your mother didn’t die in childbirth,” Catherine revealed. “She asked me to raise you because a pirate ship was no place for a baby. Nicole was going to come back for you when you were sixteen, but … it’s too late for that now.”

Eleyna was stunned; she felt like she’d been punched in the gut. “Alive? My mum is … I don’t understand, Aunt Cat. Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”

Before Cat could answer, they heard shouting, far too close. “Search down there!” a voice called. “Look round every corner! They can’t have gotten far!”

“There’s no time,” Catherine whispered. “You have her locket? Good girl; keep it close,” she urged, squeezing Eleyna’s hands. “Find your mother’s ship, dear, and if you find your mum … tell her Cat said hello.” She pulled Eleyna into a tight hug, and stood. “Goodbye, Eleyna. Good luck,” her aunt murmured, before going out into the open.

“Don’t!” At last Eleyna found her voice again, but it was too late. Her aunt disappeared, leading away their pursuers. Eleyna crouched in a stupor, before her instincts kicked in and she fled. Running in time to her racing heartbeat, she took a shortcut to the docks. Four words echoed in her mind. Your mother didn’t die … didn’t die … didn’t die …

Is my mum still alive? Why didn’t she want me? What if I can’t find her ship? What if I never see Aunt Cat again? How do I get away? That last was her most pressing concern. All of the boats in the harbour were light crafts, too small to stow away aboard … except for two.

There was an Imperial ship, but she didn’t dare try to board that one. At the other end of the pier, a ship Eleyna didn’t recognise was tied up. She ran down the pier and skidded to a halt in front of the vessel. It was smaller than the Imperial ship, with two masts and triangular sails. The flag was down and the name obscured, but she couldn’t see anyone moving about on deck.

The hull was encrusted with barnacle shells along the waterline, and fresh planking was nailed over the aged wood. A frayed rope stretched between the bollard next to her, and a metal hoop embedded in the prow of the ship.

Eleyna glanced around, grasped the rope and began to haul herself up. Her feet got wet before she managed to wrap them around the sagging rope, and she wriggled up towards the deck, hand over hand. At last she reached the top and heaved her body over the edge, then slumped against the side.

No shout of alarm was raised; nobody demanded to know who she was or tried to throw her off. She struggled to her feet and crept over to a pile of crates. There was a bit of space she could squeeze into, and a loose sheet draped over it to hide beneath. It was as good a hiding place as any. She didn’t dare attempt to go below deck, even if that might be a lot warmer.

Eleyna curled up under the sheet, using her rucksack as a pillow. She took deep breaths, trying to quell her nausea. Whether it was from the deck rocking, or the way her whole life had changed overnight, she had no idea.

She woke stiff, cold and frightened. All she wanted was to be back in her own bed, with Aunt Cat down the corridor; not curled up beneath a sheet on a strange ship. Eleyna’s fingers curled tight around her locket. If what Aunt Cat said was true, her mother might have been alive this whole time. She was going to come back for you when you were sixteen, Eleyna recalled.

She would be sixteen next month. If her mother had come back, Eleyna wondered what she’d have said, or done. How could any apology make up for abandoning her? Sure, Aunt Cat took care of her … but Eleyna had known since she was little that Cat was only doing it because she was friends with Nicole.

Despite her discomfort, Eleyna was exhausted. She almost drifted off … only to receive a rude awakening. Hands grabbed her roughly, hauling her up. “Captain!” a man’s voice shouted, “we got ourselves a stowaway here!”

He dragged Eleyna over to a well-dressed man with black hair, and dark brown eyes; eyes that were all but black, in fact. Another had her rucksack. “Looks like she’s running away from home. Picked a bad place to hole up!”

“A stowaway, eh? Well, the bad news is that it’s awfully unlucky to have a woman aboard ship. The good news is … ” He glanced behind him. “You can still see the island we left behind. So as long as the sharks don’t get you first, you ought to be back in … let’s say, a couple of hours. Unless you can’t swim, that is,” he shrugged, “but that’s not my problem, now is it?”

He gestured to the crewmen holding her, who began to carry her towards the side of the ship. Eleyna panicked. “No! Wait!” she cried out, struggling and kicking desperately. “Listen! I’m not a woman! I’m fifteen!” Eleyna blurted out, the first thing she thought of. They heaved her over the bulwark and dangled her above the cold, murky water.

“Hold it!” the captain snapped before the men could drop her. “Bring her here,” he beckoned. They hauled Eleyna over. She felt unutterably relieved at having solid wooden planks beneath her feet.. She’d have to talk quickly to get out of a cold dip … and drowning. “Not a woman,” the captain repeated mockingly. “If you’re old enough to have a baby, then you’re a woman.”

Damn, she thought, I should have said I was fourteen. “I can be useful.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You can be ‘useful’, huh? I’m in a good mood, so I’ll humour you. You have three chances to tell me how you can be so ‘useful’, exactly,” he remarked, “before I get bored and toss you overboard myself.”

“I can pickpocket, and sneak around. I mean, I did stowaway on board your ship, so … ” Eleyna trailed off and gulped at the piercing glare he gave her.

“ … and you thought bragging about illegally boarding my ship would get you on my good side how, exactly?” the captain inquired, brow furrowed.

Eleyna hastily pointed out, “I mean, it shows I have a skill for going undetected that uh, someone in your sort of profession might find useful.”After all, she thought, pirates needed to sneak sometimes, didn’t they? It couldn’t be all “board a vessel with cutlasses and cannons”, could it?

“Congratulations,” he replied sarcastically, “you stowed away on an unguarded ship, in the middle of the night, that was on low alert.”

“Smart move to choose the pirate ship instead of the Imperial ship moored at the other end of the pier to illegally board, by the way.” His men snickered.

“I couldn’t – ”

“Because pirates have a great reputation with stowaways and not getting rid of them,” the captain went on. “You have one chance left to convince me. I'm taking one away because you kept interrupting me while I was speaking.”

Eleyna was desperate. “I’m small for my age, so I won’t take much to feed, and I can cook!” she said in a rush, before adding with a wince, “ … sort of.”

A pause that lasted a lifetime; then the captain and his crew burst out into raucous laughter, which made her ears burn. “You hear that, lads?” he called out to his men, grinning nastily, “the little girl says she can cook, ‘sort of’! Too bad for you, we already have a cook. As for not needing much to feed, I could throw you overboard and not have to feed you at all.”

That was it. Her chance was up. “But – ” Eleyna tried to protest. “Just, wait!”

“Now that I think about it … I could throw you to my men, then throw you overboard,” the captain continued, without missing a beat. “The crew have been getting pretty restless, after all.”

Eleyna was horrified at the threat the captain made; she knew pirates weren’t known for being courteous, but she hadn’t thought the captain would be so cruel. She had to think fast and pique his interest. Ignoring the leering crew, she held her chin up and put her shoulders back. “Oh, but you must get even more restless,” she remarked, in a collected, almost suggestive tone.

“Hm?” The captain raised an eyebrow. At least he was still listening.

“I noticed you’ve been at sea a really long time,” Eleyna said innocently, “what with the patch jobs and the barnacles on the hull. And I’m sure you’re a busy man,” she said hastily, lest he take offence. “Too busy to take care of all the day-to-day stuff when you’ve got, uh, raids to plan, treasure to steal, that kind of thing. I could be your … cabin girl, if you like,” she smiled coyly.

The captain looked her up and down. Eleyna kept her gaze averted, not directly looking at him. She remembered her aunt saying, “Men are like dogs, in more ways than one. They tend to take eye contact as a challenge.” This was her only chance; if he wasn’t convinced by this, it was all over.

He considered the offer, desperate though it was. If she was running away, whoever was after her would probably pay a reward to have her returned …

Still, if he did keep her around, he wanted to be sure she wouldn’t be a liability. “Do you even know the first thing about sailing?” he demanded.

“I know a bit,” she replied, grateful for her childhood spent at the docks. “I know what the different parts of a ship are called, and I’m a fast learner.” Eleyna had a sudden epiphany. “And also,” she added quickly, “If you ever steal some charged crystals, I know how to use them to heal wounds.”

He rubbed his beard thoughtfully, and then glanced round at the crew. “I’m sorry, did I give you bilge-rats permission to take a break? Get back to work!” he roared at his men, who stopped eavesdropping and returned to the task of sailing the ship with a hasty chorus of, “Aye, aye, Captain!”

Eleyna stayed where she was. “When you say ‘cabin girl’,” he remarked in a low voice, looming over her, “do you actually know what that means?”

She gave her best coy smile, that she used to save for Pablo. “Of course.”In reality, she didn’t. Eleyna knew that cabin boys were usually assistants of some kind, but women by and large weren’t allowed on ships. That being said, anything would be better than being thrown at the crew. Eleyna was already so tense, the words were leaving her mouth without passing by her mind first.

The captain chuckled. “I can tell that you most definitely do not. But I am amused at how good you are at making things up on the spot.” Finally, he made his decision. “Our next port of call is Escondido. I won’t throw you overboard, but you’ve got a month to impress me; if not, you’re going ashore and staying there. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” Eleyna nodded. It was not the time to argue.

“Call me Captain. You’ll have to work like everyone else.”

“I’m not giving you any special treatment, got it?”

“I’ll make sure you’re off limits. If anyone off ship asks … say you’re my niece.”

“Yes, Captain,” she agreed. After all, Cat hadn’t really been her aunt, either.

He nodded curtly, and beckoned to her. “Follow me to my quarters, I’ll show you where you’ll sleep.” He spun on his heel and made to walk towards the hatch that led below deck, and then paused. “What’s your name, girl?”

“Eleyna,” she answered; without thinking she added, “What’s yours?”

He stared at her, and she cringed … then he replied, “Fernando. But it’s still ‘Captain’ to you, girl. Now come on, don’t keep me waiting.” He strode away; Eleyna grabbed her rucksack and hurried after him, trying to keep her balance on the deck. Well, this is it, she thought. I’ve gone to sea.

Fernando gave her a tour of his ship. “I don’t like slackers,” he warned her. “Don’t think because you’re a girl that you’ll get out of doing the more unpleasant chores. You can start by … ” the captain trailed off, and squinted at her more closely. Before she could stop him, he hooked a finger under the chain of her locket and pulled it out. “That’s a pretty necklace you’ve got.”

She snatched it away and took a step back, clutching the locket tightly in her fist. “It’s mine,” Eleyna insisted, “I need it. It was a present. From my mum.”

“How touching. Word of advice; don’t wear shiny family heirlooms aboard a ship full of pirates,” Fernando said pointedly. “I won’t take your little bauble, but I can’t say the same for my crew.” Eleyna resolved to find a hiding place for the locket as soon as she could. Or better yet, to just never take it off.

“I don’t mind doing hard chores, sir – I mean Captain.”

“You can start by helping in the galley. Seeing as you can cook, ‘sort of’. You remember where it is, I assume.” She nodded. “Go on, then,” he prompted.

Eleyna wanted to make a good impression; if she made a bad one, he might change his mind about not throwing her overboard. She hurried to the gallery, staggering as they ploughed through the waves. The cook squinted at her through his one eye. “The captain sent me,” Eleyna told him. He said nothing. “To help. With the cooking?” she elaborated. Was he deaf?

“Figured,” he grunted, jabbing at a large black pot. “You can scrub that out.”

The pot was crusted with who-knew-what, a brown layer of filth. Eleyna looked for something to scour it with, and spotted a brush. Well, it was a chunk of wood with bristles sticking out, but it was close enough. “I can use this to scour it with, right?” The cook spared her a glance and a shrug, which Eleyna took as permission. “Can I fill it up with water to soak?” she asked.

“We’re on a ship,” he answered gruffly, looking at her like she was an idiot. To be fair, it was kind of a dumb question. Eleyna dropped the scouring brush into the pot, picked it up and stumbled back to the deck. Maybe she could find a rope to tie around the handle and lower it into the sea.

For all she knew, there was already a rope for this purpose. Eleyna boldly walked – well, stumbled – over to the nearest pirate. “Hey, is there something I can tie this to?” she asked. The man completely ignored her, continuing on with … whatever he was doing. Eleyna huffed and tried again. “Is there a rope I can tie this pot to? I need to fill it with seawater,” she elaborated.

“Gerroudaway,” someone else grunted, shoving past her roughly. Eleyna staggered and almost dropped the pot. There’s got to be a spare rope lying around somewhere. Her eyes roamed and spotted a coil sitting there on the other side of the deck. Perfect! Eleyna fought to keep her balance as the ship pitched and rolled, with the pot clutched awkwardly against her chest.

When she was younger, a friendly old fisherman showed Eleyna how to tie knots. She fastened one end of the rope to the pot handle in a bowline, and the other end to the nearest cleat. “Oi!” One of the other pirates snapped, marching over. “What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, scowling.

“Filling this pot into the ocean with seawater so I can soak it, of course.”

“Who said you could touch our stuff?”

“The cook told me to do this,” she retorted. “You aren’t even using this rope.”

The pirate scowled. “Trying to be a smartass, huh?” he sneered. “You want that pot filled so bad, how about I dangle you over the side by your ankles.”

“Ramon!” an older crew-member barked, “Get back to work!”

“ … Aye, sir.”

When Ramon had left, Eleyna got back to work. The rope was long enough for the pot to hit the water and fill up. Heaving it back up was a lot harder, but she persevered. Scouring the pot reminded her of Javier and Pablo telling her about St Jeromes. Guess I wound up scrubbing pots after all.

Life at sea may not be as exciting as she’d imagined, but Eleyna would stick this through. At least until she tracked down the Corazon de Piedra, and reunited with her mum.

Meanwhile Captain Fernando was searching through the girl’s belongings. There was a knock on the door. “Who is it?” he called. When it turned out to be his quartermaster Miguel, he gave the other man permission to enter.

“I’m guessing you’re here about the girl,” he remarked, before Miguel spoke.

“Aye, captain. I’m not afraid to say I think you’ve made a mistake, letting her stay aboard. A woman on board ship is a bad omen; even more so when she’s a runaway. What if she’s got Imps after her, and brings them on us?”

Fernando scoffed. They were pirates, running from Imperial ships was part of the job description. “Then we’ll see what ransom they’re willing to pay to get the girl back in one piece. Besides, she’s not a woman yet,” he quipped, tossing aside a handful of clothes. Then he found a pouch full of tavos.

“She’s an extra mouth to feed,” Miguel complained, as Fernando pocketed the money, “and the crew are gonna be restless with a pretty thing like that around. If you don’t want a mutiny on your hands, you should get rid of her.”

“You think that lot is gonna give her any peace? Miguel, I’ll bet you a drink that by the time we get to Escondido, she’ll be begging to get off this ship.”

“Make it two drinks and you’ve got yourself a wager,” his old friend grinned.

Life on the Tenebra was not easy, but Eleyna was persistent. She did everything the captain ordered and never let his crew bully her. She hadn’t taken that kind of nonsense from Pablo and Javier, she wasn’t about to take it from this lot. Most of all, whilst she did her chores, Eleyna observed. She learned the pirates’ names from listening, and what they did from looking.

About a week from Puerto Escondido, a merchant brig was spotted travelling alone. Fernando shouted orders; his crew began to tack and turn the sail, filling it with wind to chase the brig down. “Get below,” he snapped at Eleyna. “Stay in the cabin, barricade the door. Don’t let anyone who isn’t me inside, got it?”

“That’s ‘yes, Captain’. Now off with you. This is no place for a girl.” He pushed her towards the aft-castle. Eleyna could tell the captain would have her dragged into his cabin if he had to, so she reluctantly sloped off. It felt like being grounded. At least there was a porthole she could watch through.

Once inside, Eleyna wedged a chair under the handle, and staggered when the boat hit a wave. She scrambled over to the porthole and squashed her cheek against it, trying to see the other ship. It wasn’t very comfortable, but she couldn’t pass up the chance to watch something exciting for once.

Closer and closer they came, though the merchants had seen them and were making all haste. Before she knew it, they were level with the target. Grappling hooks sailed through the air and latched onto the bulkhead of the cog. Eleyna was thrown off her feet as both vessels bucked in the waves.

She scrambled back up and looked out the porthole. There were men rushing to defend their cargo, drawing swords and pistols. Fernando’s crew were leaping or rope-walking across the gap, joining in the fight.

It was pure chaos. The pirates clashed swords with the merchant sailors and fired from quartzlock pistols. Eleyna watched, unable to look away, as Fernando battled with one sailor up on the other aft-castle. He disarmed the other man – their captain, perhaps – and thrust his sword forwards.

It went into his opponent’s stomach and out the other side, the tip soaked with blood. He wrenched it out. The man’s body slumped to the deck. Fernando looked around; Eleyna gasped and ducked out of sight when he looked right at her. She trembled; her heart pounded. A wave of nausea hit; she scrambled over to the chamber pot. It was empty, thankfully, but not for long.

Eleyna was no stranger to violence; she’d seen plenty of brawls, even started a few. They made for good distractions. None of those brawls had gone so far as this. The captain had stabbed that man in the gut like it was nothing … just like he’d been ready to have her tossed in the ocean as if she was nothing. I’m such an idiot, stowing away on a ship full of cold-blooded killers.

The sounds of the battle faded. Eleyna didn’t know if it was over or not, and didn’t care. For the first time she wondered if she ought to leave when they got to Puerto Escondido. Her mother’s ship might be there … but if it wasn’t, she’d be stranded. It was probably better to stick around for now, until the right time.

How much time passed, she didn’t know. Eleyna was startled by a thump at the door. “Eleyna?!” Fernando called through the wood. “Let me in!” She hurried to open the door. He stepped past her, clothes stained with blood, arms filled with a chest. He strapped it down to some hooks set in the floor, and straightened up. “What’s the matter? You look like you saw a ghost.”

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Fernando shrugged and took off his jacket. “I know you were watching. Finally realised what you let yourself in for, did you? If you can’t stomach it, I can always drop you off at our next port. Or the one after; a girl like you wouldn’t last five minutes in Escondido.”

Eleyna felt a bit insulted, but she couldn’t be left behind. “I – I want to stay on board. I can handle it. Besides … it’s not like I’ll have to fight in a raid, is it?”

The question was rhetorical, but Fernando answered it anyway. “I doubt it, but raids are … unpredictable. Do you have any idea how to wield a sword?”

Fernando rubbed his stubble. “Scrub that stain out, would you?” He tossed her the jacket. For once Eleyna was glad of the dismissal. The chore would give her something to think about … she didn’t want to be near him just then.

“You’ve been twitchy ever since the raid. Having second thoughts?”

“I can’t go back,” Eleyna retorted. “And I am not twitchy,” she huffed.

He scoffed. With a glower, Eleyna demanded: “can you blame me if I’m a bit wary? You just … killed all those men, who hadn’t done anything to you – ”

“Not all of them,” he said shortly, “just the ones stupid enough to fight back. You stowed away on a pirate ship. What did you expect? A jolly crew of misfits out on the seas, drinking rum and saying ‘arr’?”

She stifled a snigger. “Pirates don’t talk like that,” he informed her, “and it’s not that we want to fight and kill. Well, some pirates do, but it’s a lot of work and risk for not much gain. The whole idea is our targets see us, surrender, and hand over the loot. We get treasure, they get to live … everybody wins.”

“So you only murder people if they get in the way?” she asked sarcastically.

Fernando shrugged. “Pretty much. And it isn’t murder if it’s a battle. We kill them before they kill us – or have us dragged off to be hanged, more like.”

It was a twisted kind of self-defence, but Eleyna could almost see the logic in it. “I guess … does that mean raids aren’t usually so violent?”

“Not if fortune favours us, they aren’t,” he replied. “Now go to sleep.”

“Are you gonna teach me how to use a sword?” Eleyna asked eagerly.

“That’s an order,” he replied bluntly, ignoring her so she’d stop pestering him.