by Tom Gallier
Tiana quirked a brow. He licked his lips, eyes raking her form over and over. The savage pirate captain had a body to die for: slim, athletic, with a nice pair. The redheaded beauty looked like a wild and wicked lover.
“We're about three thousand feet above the sea,” Helene added.
Alex looked at Tiana. At her lips. At her breasts and nicely rounded hips. His shoulders goose-fleshed and he felt a tingle and a need to mingle between his legs. It got harder to breathe as his heart raced. Visions of doing very wicked things with Tiana filled his mind.
Only in a dream, he thought and smiled. Aloud, “I've always wanted to be a pirate and I adore redheads.”
Chapter 14
“Helene, get us back above the clouds,” Captain Tiana commanded. “I want to catch the East Trade wind. All hands, prepare to deploy all sails!”
Alex smiled. Eastward was where he wanted to go. Towards Tal Keer.
While on Swift Wind, he'd confirmed that the winds did indeed blow at different speeds and directions at different altitudes. They were currently in the southwardly blowing winds, going the same direction as the clouds. The winds blew harder up high in the sky than down on the water, too. From what he’d heard, the eastward moving trade winds were even faster.
Tiana walked over to dead Lykos, dropped to a knee, and drew some strange symbol across his face with a finger. It made Alex wonder if they were all pagans on this world, or if some of them worshipped his God. Then she sighed gustily, and stood.
“Clean up this mess,” she commanded.
A deckhand rushed over with a bucket of sand. Two others picked Lykos' body up, and thoughtlessly tossed it over the side. Alex gawked at them. Was death such a part of their life they could treat their friend and comrade's body so callously? Did all of the people of this world treat life and death so casually?
Alex turned away as Tiana returned to him. Looking forward and up, he considered his situation and options. He knew what he wanted to do. He just wasn't sure how to get the pirates to cooperate.
He watched men and a few women scrambling up and down the ratlines, unfurling sails, securing ropes. Everyone moved with a sense of urgency. Officers barked orders, bringing a semblance of order to the chaos. But as more and more sails filled with air, the faster he felt the ship moving.
“So, Captain, up in the East Trades, which flies faster?” Alex asked. “A ship like Wraith or a dragon?”
She slanted suspicious eyes up and studied his face a long second.
“A dragon. At least at first,” she said. “Dragons need to stop and rest, but ships don't. So a dragon would win a short race, but a ship would win over a long distance.”
“How far away is Tal Keer?”
“About twelve hundred miles,” she replied, stepping up closer, hands curled into fists. “Why do you ask?”
“Lord Kalis has kidnapped Princess Thaleia of Kandos,” he said, watching her face intently. She didn't look pleased. Jealousy? “What do you imagine the reward for rescuing her would be?”
“A princess's ransom, I'd guess,” she said, her anger softening a bit as she considered. “Hmmm, Thaleia. Helene told me Kalis snatched her. Good riddance, I say. She got better than she deserves.”
That wasn’t exactly encouraging. So even a pirate captain found reason to dislike Princess Thaleia? Or was it a dislike of royals in general?
“On top of that, I'd wager Lord Kalis has a considerable treasure we could loot,” Alex continued. She cut her eyes up and to the side, biting her lip as she thought. “We could make a killing raiding Lord Kalis and rescuing the princess.”
“A killing,” she whispered, before a fierce and terrible look spread across her face. “I like that even better.”
Thunk!
“What the hell?” he said, whirling around to face the line of ballistas on the port side.
As he turned, a pirate on the far left ballista pulled a lever and released the bolt with a loud Thunk! The first ballista to shoot was cranking the bow string back, while the other two ballistas were unmanned.
“Are the Nikaian ships rising that fast?” Alex asked.
“No. They're just having some fun,” Tiana said. “Hey, you idiots. Don't waste our bolts. Those things are expensive.” She pointed an accusing finger at them. “That bolt is coming out of your cut.”
Wraith sailed into a cumulus cloud. Alex gasped. It was the first time he'd ever been inside a cloud aboard a flying ship. Swift Wind stayed below them while he was on board. It was like being plunged into whiteness. Like a super thick fog. And it was wet.
He instinctively wrapped an arm around Tiana’s shoulders. She didn’t shrug him off, or punch him. Instead, she wrapped her arm around his waist, while her free hand stroked his belly just above his waistline.
Alex considered bringing up Thaleia's rescue again, but decided the pirate captain needed to think about it on her own a little while. He didn't want to be too pushy and alienate her.
“How do you spot other ships to attack when you're up inside a cloud?”
“We hang a man over the side.”
“Well, that's one job I'll never volunteer for,” he said.
They passed through the cloud pretty fast. Wraith continued to climb, while moving south-east. Once well above the clouds, the ship tilted violently, and then slowly turned more to the east as the sails fluttered and snapped. Finally, the sails filled with air and Wraith surged eastward.
“Wow, we're moving like the wind,” Alex cried.
“Literally,” Tiana said with a chuckle. She pressed up closer, watching his face intently. Alex's breath caught, but he covered it well. “I take it you don't sail much?”
“This is my first trip in flying ships,” he admitted. “And only the second ship I've ever been aboard. It really is quite thrilling.”
Thrilling wasn't the half of it. Her hands roamed over his body. She bit her lip and softly moaned when she gave his crotch a squeeze. His cock was a lot harder than he realized, now straining against the fabric of his pants.
“So no sailing skills,” she said. “That means we have to train you. Not good. Normally, we throw men like you overboard.”
“I appreciate you not tossing me over the side,” he replied, not liking where that conversation was headed. “I promise, I'll learn quickly. I'll pull my weight and I'm not without talent.”
“I'm sure I can find a way to…um…use you,” she whispered. Tiana licked his left nipple, and then wagged her brows. “Yes, I think you'll prove to be interesting.”
Tiana looked him over with relish. She rubbed her boobs against him. Alex struggled to breathe, and then he felt the earth move between his legs. As he tingled and stiffened, she continued to grope his crotch and butt.
“Speaking of thrilling,” she whispered, voice dropping an octave. “I'm eager to find out if you are as good as you look.”
His hand came up and grabbed her hair. Tiana's back bowed, her eyes closed, and she moaned. Alex's other hand went straight to her tits, feeling how large and firm they were through the leather of her clothes. Tiana stroked his aching erection through his pants. So he felt confident in palming the back of her head and kissing the beautiful pirate captain.
“Mmmmmm,” she moaned. After a long moment, she broke free of the kiss and took him by the hand. Tiana waved a tall black man over. “Nakato. Take the helm while I'm in my cabin with Alex. Make for the Broken Isles.”
Alex remembered seeing the Broken Isles on the temple map. They were near Tal Keer, so they were going in the right direction.
Nakato stopped before them. He gave Alex a very unfriendly look.
Alex estimated Nakato stood six feet ten. He was easily the largest man on the ship. Hell, he was the biggest man Alex had ever met. Nakato was very dark-skinned, with his head shaven into a mohawk. Like almost every man on board, he was shirtless. His pants were loose red silk, with a wide belt from which hung a cutlass and many knives.
“Yes, Captain,” he said with a d
eep bass voice.
The beautiful pirate captain led Alex across the main deck and towards the sterncastle. There was a single door centered and next to the stairs up to the sterncastle deck. The door was open, with pirates coming and going. Once inside, he was surprised by its size and lack of luxury.
The cabin looked like a combination bedroom, office, and conference room. The entire back was made of thick glass windows, from waist-height up. They bathed the room in light. The walls were covered with racks of weapons. Indeed, the room stank of the oil used to protect them from the salty air. There were a dozen iron bound chests scattered about, of which one was open to reveal it was full of rolled up maps.
Treasure? he wondered as he looked the other chests over.
“Everyone out!” Tiana commanded.
Men grabbed maps and other supplies, and hurried out. Some frowned at Alex, and some grinned. Everyone knew what was about to happen.
“Very nice,” Alex said. The bed was queen-sized and rumpled, as if she'd just gotten out of it after rough sex. He thought of Lykos and suddenly wished he could have the sheets replaced. “As captain, you live well.”
He struggled to act impressed. He was anything but. At least the room was clean. Well, he wasn't sure about the bed. Alex knew from his few days on that world that most people only had one set of clothes, so he doubted they thought about changing sheets. And he was pretty sure bedbugs and other vermin were a problem.
“I try,” she said. The redhead placed her sword in a rack. Until that moment, Alex hadn't noticed she wasn't wearing a sword belt and scabbard. Indeed, now that he thought about it, very few of the pirates wore swords. “Take off your pants.”
“You don't waste time,” he said.
“Life is short.”
She sat on the end of the bed and started unlacing her boots. His belly filled with butterflies and his cock strained at his pants. Alex quickly removed his sword belt and boots, and then stood up to shuck his pants. Tiana had her boots off by then, and moved in front of him.
“Let me,” she purred.
The pirate captain kissed him, and then dropped to her knees. Tiana bit her lip as she untied his pants and slowly pulled them down. His erection sprang out and almost slapped her across the face. She surprised him by giggling. After she helped him step out of his pants, Tiana wrapped a hand around his cock and stroked him.
“If you don't stop I'm afraid you'll get a sticky surprise in the face,” he said with a strained voice.
“Ooooh, promises, promises,” she purred, and then swirled her tongue around the tip of his cock. “Mmmm.”
The redhead went down on him. Alex gasped, rising up on his toes, and buried his hands deep in her silky hair. Tiana hummed and sucked, and bobbed her head. Her hand squeezed and stroked him near the base, and quickly pushed him over the top.
Alex groaned, feeling his body release into her mouth. “Oooooh.”
“Mmmgh,” she moaned, continuing to suck. “Mmmmm.”
“Oh man, I can't believe you made me come so fast,” he gasped out, panting. “So embarrassing. You're not even naked yet and it’s over.”
“Ha! That's what you think, lover,” Tiana said, rising to her feet. She wagged her brows and licked her lips. “We're just getting started.”
She walked over to a chest of drawers and pulled out a small ceramic bottle with a cork stopper. She poured a little into her palm. Returning to him, she rubbed the clear oil all over his semi-flaccid penis.
“Holy shit,” Alex cried.
Heat infused his cock, and a second later it started to rise. It got real hard, real fast, and stayed there. Alex's skin goose-fleshed, and his insides became tingling.
“Is that some kind of aphrodisiac?”
“Yes,” she said. “And it'll keep your main mast rigid all day, so now you can plow my fields all you want.”
“I think you're kind of mixing metaphors, but I admire your enthusiasm.”
“Oh? Is that the only thing about me that you admire?” Tiana teased.
She moved back a step and pulled the bow knot holding her outfit closed. Alex's breath caught as her boobs separated, and then his eyes locked on her chest. Tiana watched his face as she continued to unlace all of the way down to the dragon's head.
“Oh my god,” he whispered. The leather was barely covering her nipples, and he could see the muscle definition of her abs. That woman was in amazing shape. “You have the body of a goddess.”
Her smile brightened. He pushed her shoulder straps away, releasing her breasts. Alex gently fondled her tits, while she wiggled her hips and worked her outfit down. He heard the leather hit the deck as his lips melted into hers.
“Mmmmm,” they moaned.
Alex hugged her tightly, making the pirate beauty groan wantonly. He kissed and nibbled her neck and shoulders, working his way to her perfect pair. By the time he reached them her pink buds were pebbled and erect.
Feeling overwhelmed, Alex swept her up and rushed to the bed. He sat her on the edge, knelt on the floor, and buried his face between her legs. Her sex was hot and wet, blossomed open as she spread her legs. He kissed, nuzzled, and licked. Tiana laid back, moaned, groaned, and writhed. Alex kissed and nibbled her inner thighs, and then rose up above her.
“I can't wait,” he gasped out. “I have to…I mean…Ooooh.”
Tiana took hold of his cock, and guided him to her. He sighed, feeling her heat and wet arousal, before he pushed past her folds. Her back bowed as she gasped, eyes wide and staring into his face. He held her gaze, reveling in the intensity of it, and thrust long and hard.
“Uggh!” she grunted with every thrust, digging her nails into his back.
“Yes,” he cried. Alex grabbed her wrists and forced them above her head. She struggled to break free, but he held her down and continued to thrust into her like crazy. He didn't know if it was some never before tapped passion, or the aphrodisiac oil she put on his erection, but Alex felt like a man possessed. He had to sate his lust in her body. She was just too beautiful to leave untouched. “Hold still.”
Tiana did anything but lay still. She bucked and writhed. Her hips thrust up to meet him halfway, forcing him deeper and deeper. The wilder she became, the crazier he felt.
“Yes!” she cried. “Plunder me! Yes. Yes! Oh yes!”
Heat flowed through Alex. He recognized a major orgasm. He didn't come that hard often, but it was pure glory when he did. Hot tingles flowed into his thighs, and his cock felt so hard it could burst.
If this doesn't wake me up, nothing will!
The rush to climax began. His back bowed, and Alex thrust all the way inside her. He was completely sheathed, and her vagina clamped down hard. Tiana cried out. He felt her trembling around him, and then he released his seed.
“Oooooooh,” Tiana sighed gustily. “Nice. I might keep you a few more days.”
Chapter 15
Alex’s first day as a pirate proved the best first day on a job ever. Captain Tiana was insatiable, and her magic oil kept him ready, willing, and hard as a rock. By nightfall, he’d sated both of their fires, and slept like a baby. Only to be rousted out of bed before sunrise.
“On your feet, ya stinking scab,” a surly pirate shouted, yanking Alex out of bed. “It’s time ya start learning your ropes.”
Captain Tiana grinned at him. Since she started dressing for the day, too, he decided to roll with the punches. The fact three more pirates came in to back up the first helped him to decide.
“Okay, I’m up,” he said.
When they said, “learn his ropes,” they’d meant it literally. The pirate took Alex around the deck and started pointing out different ropes in the rigging. Every single rope had a different name. It wasn’t long before Alex started doubting he had even half as much intellect needed to memorize them all and their function. Some of it he already knew: Port, starboard, main mast, bowsprit… Yeah, he knew ten to twenty things, but the ship had a million different bits of fact to learn. By midday
his head was throbbing.
“Nakato!” Captain Tiana shouted from her duty station atop the sterncastle. “I want Alex on the third port ballista. See if his simple barbarian brain can handle that.”
Everyone laughed. Alex didn’t care. Anything but stupid ropes. So the First Mate called up three other pirates and they all gathered behind the third ballista from the bow. First to arrive was a female pirate. Myrrine was a short, slim woman in her mid-thirties. Her black hair was chopped off short, and her black eyes filled with amusement. She wore a brief undyed leather loincloth and halter, displaying tattoos all over her neck, shoulders, arms, torso, and legs. Nakato named her the loader of the team.
Next to show up was Ramy. The middle-aged man stood a little taller than Alex, with long dark hair and a gray beard. His eyes were fierce and his handshake firm. He’d been one of the pirates to wake him up that morning.
“I’m gunner in this crew,” Ramy said. “That means I’m crew boss, hear?”
“I hear.”
“Captain wants him as loader?” Ramy asked Nakato. “It’s the starter job, but Myrrine ain’t strong enough to help Naar crank her back fast.”
“Your crew, Ramy. Put him where you want him.”
Ramy nodded, and then hocked up a loogie. He spat it over the side. Alex had noticed everyone was keen on keeping the deck clean. Very unlike people on the ground who practically wallowed in garbage.
“That means you help Naar reset the ballista after I fire her. Hear?”
Alex looked at the big, wooden weapon and nodded. “Yes, I hear.”
Naar showed up last. The Nagu pirate had a dragon head and face, but with a relatively human looking mouth. Very odd combination in Alex’s mind. His scales were coal black, and his slit-pupiled eyes yellow. His hands had three fingers and a thumb, and ended in inch long claws. His feet looked similar. Yet, he didn’t have a tail, so his body looked human enough.
