The Lady and the Pirate

by Bernadette Rowley

  “Are you well?” Katrine asked.

  “I should be the one to ask you that.” Esta searched Katrine’s face for signs of deeper changes. She sighed. “I’m in such a bind, Katrine.”

  “You love the pirate.”

  Esta’s head snapped up. “I wouldn’t call it love.”

  “I would and he loves you. Anyone who is close to you can feel the connection. I would caution against it but I think I should save my breath. You’ll do what you wish and so will he. I hope that you can find common ground or two souls may be destroyed.”

  Esta frowned. “What has Hetty done to you?” She referred to the witch Katrine had turned to after the debacle of the crystal cave.

  Katrine stepped closer, her breath hissing through her teeth and her eyes snapping sparks. “Don’t mention her name in public. I don’t wish anyone to know I am associated with her. She would be in danger.”

  “I still ask the question.”

  “I have completed my training. The crystal has enhanced my abilities. I may become the strongest of my kind my mentor has ever seen.”

  At her words, fear looped tight around Esta’s heart. “How are you supposed to live a normal life?”

  “I can’t care. This is the lot I’ve been handed and I must make the most of it. I’ve already accepted that I’ll be alone.”

  “Then it will be the two of us alone together,” Esta said, hugging her younger sibling. Katrine stiffened and then relaxed into the embrace. They stayed like that for long moments and Esta’s heart was lighter when they parted.

  “It might not be too late for Reid,” Katrine said.

  “You didn’t see his face when I told him I had to delay the ceremony. He was furious and the cost is only part of the reason. I’ve made him lose face before his peers and the community. He is a gentle but proud man. I almost wept for him.”

  “But not for you?”

  “Katrine, you know Reid and I were a marriage of convenience. I’m fond of him and hoped I would grow to love him. I have to face the possibility that I’ve done irreparable damage to our union.”

  “Your actions speak louder than your words. You’re charging out to sea in pursuit of a man who might not appreciate your help and leaving your betrothed to pull together the shards of his pride.”

  “Thank you for your support, sister,” Esta said, dismayed at Katrine’s brutal summary of her actions. “I know my behavior is telling but I couldn’t turn my back on Samael. I’m afraid that Nikolas will go too far without my involvement.”

  “Again with the control complex,” Katrine said, a smirk on her face. “You don’t trust the admiral will deal fairly with his own brother?”

  “You didn’t see them together and you didn’t see the fury on Lord Cosara’s face when he told me of Samael’s latest activities. I have to be present at their confrontation so I can try to bail Samael out if needed. I owe him.”

  “You owe him nothing as far as I see it. I don’t think you know what you want, Esta. First you get a fixation on Samael and then you accept a marriage proposal and then you run off to find Samael, leaving your betrothed’s life in tatters. You’re behaving like a child, not a mature woman. When are you going to decide what you want and go after it?”

  Esta glared at her sister. “Perhaps that’s what I am finally doing. I don’t know if this is love. I just know I must find him. If this ends up in a big mess, perhaps I’ll throw myself on Reid’s mercy.”

  “Do you hear yourself? Forget Reid or turn this ship around if you can’t do that. Make a decision and stick to it. You can’t have it all your own way.”

  “As far as I can see, I’ve never had my own way,” Esta snapped, thinking of all the years she had looked after their mother and the estate—all the worries she had shouldered while Katrine was away learning her craft. “Perhaps this is me being selfish for a change.”

  “You said it, not me.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help, ladies?” The deep voice of Nikolas Cosara caused Esta to pull herself back into line.

  “Merely a sisterly chat, Admiral,” Katrine said, her eyes averted.

  “I don’t want any trouble on this ship, even if it is between siblings.” Nikolas locked eyes with Esta. “I wanted to ask you to my cabin to peruse the maps, if you please, Lady Aranati.”

  Esta nodded and followed him below. His cabin was neat, the maps laid out on a desk before the rear window. She reminded herself not to show too much knowledge as she scanned the maps, marking off in her mind the places they had already searched.

  “I hope you’re not leading me on a wild goose chase, my lady,” Nikolas said, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

  Esta sent him a look that she hoped would cut him to the quick, but his turquoise eyes grew colder. “I wish to find the man as much as you do, Admiral. There is no way for me to know what harbor Delacost might use for his refuge. It’s a process of elimination and we have several more to search.”

  “I wonder how you came upon such knowledge. You seem very familiar with this ship.”

  “It’s not so hard to understand. My father was fond of sailing and took me on many trips. He showed me the islands in this region.” Esta shut her mouth before she gave away too much information. It was true. Father had taken her on several voyages and imbued in her a love of the ocean and sailing. Sadness washed over her leaving her drained. She did so wish this could be over so she could move forward, with or without a man in her life.

  Nikolas jammed his finger on the map. “This seems a likely target, though it would be tricky. The access to the harbor is through a narrow channel. A ship could barely get through in good conditions without scraping its hull and risking disaster.”

  As Esta peered at the horseshoe-shaped island, a tingle ran down her spine. Samael was a superb sailor and it would be just like him to take on the tricky task of navigating the channel. “I never heard him speak of it but this could be it. If so, he might be holed up there as we speak. How do we find out?”

  “We won’t be able to check his presence without alerting him but that channel would need to be negotiated as the tide was going in, at least on the inward run it would. It’s ideal conditions in the next few hours for us and he’d be trapped.”

  “What if we sail in and he’s not there?

  “That’s a risk we have to take,” Nikolas said. “I’d rather trap him in a harbor than fight him on the open sea.” He looked at her sideways. “Tell me, Lady Aranati, do you have a romantic attachment to the pirate?”

  Esta froze at the question. Did she even know the answer? They had parted on such bad terms and she had no idea of his true feelings. Could she be frank with the admiral or would that be a mistake? “No, Admiral. Do you have an attachment to Samael Delacost? He’s your brother after all. I would think that would be important to you.”

  He walked away from her, shaking his head. “He stands for everything I hate; he’s a thief and has no respect for authority. Focusing on that is the only way I can do my job, for I may be taking my own kin back to face death.”

  Esta’s heart beat fast. “You could do that?”

  “It is he not I who has made this choice. He has lived the life of a pirate and has caused the death of sailors. I can’t let that go unpunished. The King wouldn’t allow it.”

  “And of course the King doesn’t yet know of your relationship to Delacost?”

  “And will not if I have my way.” He met Esta’s gaze. “You will say nothing to anyone about my link to the pirate.”

  “You can’t even say his name,” she breathed.

  “Tell me you’ll keep my secret,” Nikolas snapped.

  Esta drew in a deep breath. “I’ll keep your secret, Admiral, but you’re making a mistake sacrificing Samael for your career. There is good in him and he hasn’t had the privileges you have. Think on that before you toss him to the sharks.” She turned and left the cabin, hurrying up the passageway and the ladder that took her topside. The open air and fresh breeze
banished the feeling she had had below decks that the walls were closing in. Would there be anything she could do to save Samael? If his own brother wouldn’t acknowledge him, what could she do?

  Nikolas was much tougher than Esta had envisaged when she advised Samael to tell the admiral of their common mother. He was having trouble coming to grips with an older brother and struggling to hold onto the life and reality he had known. Could she convince him to save Samael rather than condemn him?

  Esta knew in her heart that there was good in the man who called himself the Singing Pirate. But was there enough virtue to enable him to be saved?

  Chapter 18

  Esta’s body vibrated with a fine tension she couldn’t banish as the admiral’s ship slid between the walls of the channel. This could spell disaster for them all. She could imagine them smashed against the rocks and taking on water, all the more real for the recent experience of the loss of her own ship. Samael had to be here or Esta didn’t know if she had the stomach for more searching, more danger.

  Katrine was high in the mast, straining for the first look into the harbor—a very vulnerable position should they hit the rock wall. But her sister could not be dissuaded from the task. Nikolas had to wonder how a lady came to be so comfortable high up in a ship’s main top castle. He appeared to admire Katrine for having such courage but Esta worried about her. It could go so very wrong.

  A shout from above had her looking aloft. Katrine waved and gave a thumbs up—the sign that their quarry was present. Nikolas waved to her from his position at the wheel. Another shout from the starboard watch heralded a narrowing of the margin between the hull and the rocks. Nikolas corrected and the unmistakable low grinding of wood on rock shuddered through Esta. It was short-lived and she heaved a sigh of relief until another sailor yelled from the port side. Nikolas spun the wheel but not in time to avoid an even longer brush with the rocks.

  Esta tried to block out Nikolas’s muttering and swearing. Perhaps the ship’s hull was too broad to fit up this channel. She glanced above to find Katrine clinging to the mast for dear life.

  Another two scrapes with the rocks had Esta gripping the rail, her knuckles white and her breath coming in gasps. She wished they had rowed up the inlet, leaving both ships outside but that might have been just as foolhardy.

  “It widens a little up ahead,” Katrine called.

  Esta craned her neck but there was naught to see from her position. She hoped it opened out under water too. Foolish! Nikolas must want Samael very badly to take this risk for himself, his people and the ship. That didn’t bode well for Samael’s future.

  Samael paced up and down the strip of beach in front of his hut, cursing himself for being complacent. His scouts had seen the approach of the naval ships and Sam had assumed they would pass by. He couldn’t have done anything anyway. Silver Lady lay at anchor in the middle of the harbor and there would be no escape for her until the tide ran out in four hours or so.

  He knew who’d be on the vessel that negotiated the channel.

  Nikolas Cosara. No one else would risk life and limb to track him down. It looked like he would have his showdown and soon. But how to play this? He could take everyone into the hills and forests and hide for many months, living on the land until Nikolas gave up. But he would lose his ship. He had no doubt Nikolas would take Silver Lady for his own. He might even be stranded here on this island. Eventually they would be rescued but he had no yearning for the life of a castaway.

  On balance, he had decided to fight here on the sand. His Lenweri were hidden in trees and behind dunes, ready with their arrows, knives and swords. They had vowed to defend him when it had become apparent the admiral had entered the channel. But he would find a way to save them even if it meant running away.

  Damn the man! Why couldn’t Cosara leave him be. He wasn’t doing much harm. Sam thought of the men who had died recently and cursed again. He hadn’t meant for anyone to get hurt, knowing it would draw unwelcome attention.

  He raised his scope at the channel and a ship’s masts appeared above the cliffs, a figure in the castle. Someone with…long dark hair! Lady Star! It must be her. And if Lady Star was on that ship then Esta Aranati would be too. His gut clenched at the thought. There would be no fighting on this beach, none at all. He couldn’t risk Esta being hurt no matter the risk to his own liberty.

  As the ship slid along the channel, she sawed a little from side to side. It had to be a hairy ride in the main top castle. Lady Star held on grimly, her hands clenching the upper rail. Sam could barely breathe watching her. One wrong move by the captain and …

  He swung the scope down as the ship popped into the harbor, searching for the woman he knew would be on deck. There she was, standing in the bow, her feet apart, riding the waves as if she’d been born on a ship. Her chestnut hair was secured with a scarf and she was dressed in breeches and tunic. He couldn’t take his eyes from her. That tunic fit so snugly it must have been tailor-made for her. Sam licked his lips as he imagined running his hands over those curves.

  He realized where his thoughts had taken him and turned on his heel. “Nande!”

  The elf materialized almost in front of him and Sam clamped his teeth in a curse. “Lady Moonlight is on that ship with the admiral. There’ll be no fighting this day.”

  Nande stared. “We are to surrender? Sorry, Captain, but I have no wish to be imprisoned or worse. You have seen the troubles between my people and the Thorians.”

  “Yes, yes,” Sam said. “Damn it Nande, I know our peoples are virtually at war but I have no choice. I can’t have those women put at risk.”

  “So you choose this woman over Lenweri who have endangered their lives for you time and again?”

  “Yes, I do and you’ve sworn to obey me.” This could be disaster if Nande pushed it. Sam had no real idea how far his authority went with the elves or even how far Nande’s power extended. They were odd people at times.

  Nande was silent for a long time as the ship drew closer, his face devoid of expression. “You swore to protect us and that is what I expect you to do. I will not have my people imprisoned.”

  Sam sighed. “I don’t know if I can protect you. You’re pirates just as I am. You’ve killed, stolen. The King will see you as criminals.”

  Nande folded his arms over his chest. “You will protect us or you will never field a Lenweri crew again.”

  “It will be as you say,” Sam said. Fine situation it was. The pirate captain dealing with a mutiny at this most perilous time. Not to mention his mutinous heart that pounded at seeing Esta again. He turned to watch as the admiral’s ship weighed anchor and several rowboats were lowered over the side.

  He was as splendid as she remembered. His light brown hair had grown longer, but he was the same man who had twice saved her life and then turned his back on her. Hands on narrow hips he watched as they rowed toward him, his elven crew spread out behind him. Esta’s hands gripped the sides of the boat so tightly she couldn’t feel her fingers.

  Nikolas had asked her to allow him to handle the confrontation but how could she do that? She knew Samael better than anyone here and Nikolas knew him not at all. The boat’s bottom scraped the sand and sailors leaped into the shallows to draw it up the beach a little way. She and Katrine were helped out and now Esta was close enough to see his eyes. They burned through her leaving her shivering. He was angry, trapped, perhaps even a little frightened. This magnificent man would lose his freedom, she was sure. She couldn’t bear to think of him in a cell or at the end of a noose.

  Nikolas stalked past her and Katrine and stopped several paces away from his brother.

  “Hello, brother,” Samael said, a smirk on his lips. Some Lenweri were close enough to hear and looked at each other. A few muttered.

  “Welcome to my hideaway.”

  “Cut the crap, Delacost,” Nikolas said, his jaw so tight Esta wondered that he could even speak. “You are under arrest and your crew with you. I charge you with theft and murd
er on the high seas and warn you that anything you say can be held against you.”

  Samael held out his hands. “Bind me and take me but leave my crew alone. They were following my orders.”

  Nikolas frowned. “We both know that won’t wash with the King.”

  “I’ve put up no resistance,” Samael said. “Surely that counts in my favor?” His eyes flicked to Esta. “I suppose I have you to thank that they found me Lady Aranati.” His voice was so bitter her heart broke.

  She swallowed a lump in her throat. “I wanted to help, Samael,” she said. “The admiral would have found you sooner or later.”

  “I was hoping for later,” Samael said.

  He stepped closer to Nikolas and Esta hurried forward until her body was between Nikolas and Samael. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be, Samael,” she said, her hand on his chest.

  “I merely wished to ask if blood means nothing,” Samael said. “We have shared blood, Admiral. You need me.”

  “I need you like a hole in the head,” Nikolas ground out. “I was doing just fine and now you show up with your swashbuckling ways and elven crew…You’re an embarrassment, man and worse than that, you’re a killer.”

  “Wait, Nikolas,” Samael said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for anyone to die. I tried to take the ships by surprise, while most slept.”

  Esta cleared her throat, thinking of Stino and his death at the hands of the Lenweri. She frowned at him, even though he had evened the ledger by saving her twice since. He had the grace to look embarrassed.

  “We can cut a deal, Nikolas,” Samael said.

  “Don’t call me that! You don’t have the right to call me that!” He walked away, up the beach and Samael watched him go, a look of longing on his face. He wanted a brother, that much was clear, not only to save his skin but to love.

  Esta was afraid he would be disappointed. Nikolas didn’t need a brother. He had a wife, cousins, friends and a good life. He had everything while Samael might be losing everything.