Beneath Black Sails

by Clare Sager

  And she didn’t seem to care.

  “What’s got your tongue?” Aedan leant close. They were the same height, so he could easily follow Knigh’s gaze before he tore it away. “Ah.” Aedan chuckled and rubbed his chin, blue eyes staying on Vee. “I suppose the lasses you mix with don’t parade about like ours, eh? Vice especially doesn’t give a damn, so get used to seeing her naked.”

  “So I see,” Knigh said, voice coming out hoarse.

  Aedan gave an appreciate smile over the side before looking at Knigh. “Don’t mistake it for an invite, neither – she’s just cleaning up, same as the men. And much as it’s a lovely view, keep your hands to yourself.” He sighed, clapping Knigh on the shoulder. “If the Captain sees a man touching her, the poor sod won’t live to do it a second time.”

  Knigh swallowed. That explained the look FitzRoy had given them both after the weapons check. He cleared his throat. “Are they … involved?”

  Aedan’s face darkened like the sky before a storm. “Not for a while, no.” His easy smile, so like Vee’s, returned with a sour edge. “You’ve been in his cabin,” he went on softly, “you’ve seen the gold. He’s a mite covetous of his belongings, and he sees Vice as very much his.” He lifted his muscular shoulders. “She might see it differently, but she’s on his ship, so she doesn’t have much choice in the matter.” A quick breath left his lips as his gaze drifted over the side again. “Unfortunately.”

  Knigh narrowed his eyes. “That regret seems personal.”

  Aedan gave him a lopsided smile, then lifted his chin and pointed to a thin pink scar on his throat. “Very.” Rubbing his jaw, he looked over the side again. “Once with her wasn’t enough, but the Captain persuaded me there wouldn’t be a repeat performance.”

  Once with her – so before the Captain found out, they’d managed to … Knigh’s jaw popped at the thought of Aedan’s big tattooed hands on her, his fingers resting in those dimples. Had he –

  “Gods,” Aedan went on, “I’m only alive because she found us, pulled a pistol and held it to her head. Said she’d shoot herself if he killed me. She knew exactly how to get him to let me go.”

  Knigh’s mouth twisted with tension. “How romantic.”

  Aedan snorted. “Romantic? There’s no love or romance with Vice. Fun? Yes.” He nodded, eyes widening, brows raised. “A lot. But death is too high a price even for that much fun.”

  That expression. It said more than Knigh wanted to know. He blew out a long breath in an attempt to rid himself of the vision of Vee and Aedan. Or Vee and FitzRoy. “Well, I have …” He tried to keep his voice light, but it came out worryingly close to a growl. “I have … I’ll see you later.” With a sweep of his arms and twist of the wrist, he finished off the line he’d been fiddling with and secured it in place before stalking away.

  “You’re welcome for the warning,” Aedan called after him.

  “I didn’t need it.” He squared his shoulders.

  Speaking to a male member of the crew had been a mistake – that one especially. It made sense – Aedan was their age, good-looking. Knigh had seen Saba and the other young women in the crew looking at him.

  And Vee hadn’t been shy about approaching Knigh at the Governor’s ball before she realised who he was. He shouldn’t be surprised that she’d had a liaison with someone like Aedan.

  He’d learned something, though. And not just that she was a lot of fun. She’d saved Aedan’s life, threatening her own in the process. Even if she’d only been bluffing to make FitzRoy stand down, there was always a risk of a loaded pistol misfiring, but she’d still held one to her head.

  Still, Aedan’s revelations had set his muscles solid. He shook his hands, trying to rid them of the tension.

  “Been working too hard?” Perry appeared at his side, a bar of soap in one hand, a towel in the other.

  “Perry,” he breathed, relief colouring the word. She’d given him sound advice about what to wear in Nassau, and she’d listened to his suggestions about hammock stowage and had even thanked him for it. She was wise and fair – she’d be able to help him build a picture of the real Lady Vice.

  She cocked her head at him, green eyes soft. “You sound like a drowning man who’s spotted a lifeboat. What’s wrong?”

  “Can I ask you –”

  “Of course. Anything.” She gave him a gentle smile and scanned the deck. “Here’s quiet.” She led him to the bow and leant against the rail.

  “I don’t know how much Vice has told you about when we met –”

  Perry scoffed. “Vice tells me everything – well, everything she’s willing to talk about.” She sighed. “Which isn’t always as much as I’d like and is sometimes more than I want to hear, but there you go.” With a shrug and an apologetic smile, she waved her hand. “Sorry, go on.”

  Did that mean she’d told Perry about the times they’d come too close for comfort? And about his family?

  He crossed his arms and leant back against the rail opposite. “Well, she introduced herself as a young widow that night. The way she said it and one or two things I’ve heard since made me think that wasn’t a lie.”

  “You picked up on that, then?” Perry’s eyebrows rose, and she nodded slowly. She wrapped the towel around the soap and tucked them under her folded arms. “Well, yes, she is a widow. They came to us three or four years ago, already married, but it was only a week or so after the ceremony. Very sweet, she was. Young love and all that.” She waved a hand, gaze drifting to the horizon.

  “Young love?” Knigh shook his head. “I can’t imagine Vee being soft enough to cuddle up to any man and be sweet.”

  Perry’s eyes shot to his. “Vee is it?” She gave him a pointed look. “And asking about her marital status. Someone’s showing a lot of personal interest in my friend.”

  Keeping his face still, Knigh breathed slowly and fought against the discomfort tickling the back of his neck. Scratching it would give away how close to the mark she was.

  When he didn’t reply, Perry sighed and shook her head. “Vee can be very affectionate, she just … Look, I can’t tell you much, but I love that girl, and maybe this will help you understand her. She’s a lot of bluster, you know?” She spread her hands along the rail and leant back. “She and her husband wanted to stay on board, but FitzRoy wasn’t convinced he’d be any use in the crew and Vice’s gift hadn’t manifested yet. As far as FitzRoy was concerned, they were paying passengers and nothing more unless and until the husband proved himself as one of the crew.”

  Knigh’s brows twitched. So, it was her husband who was meant to become the pirate. “What happened?”

  Eyebrows raised, Perry sighed. “The first battle came. His big chance. And … he died. Neck broke on the deck, right in front of her.” She fixed Knigh with her green eyes. “She was only 18 – she wasn’t the woman you see now. She hadn’t even hurt a person before that day, never mind killed, but she stood over his body and defended it. And” – Perry ran her hands over her face – “and he was all she had – she’d left her family, wealth, everything behind for him. She was alone and –”

  “So she is from money. The aristocracy or –”

  “That’s enough.” Perry straightened and waved the soap and towel parcel. “I told you she talks to me, but she never speaks of this. I only know about it because I was there. I shouldn’t even have told you this much, but I wanted you to understand. Do you?”

  He held her stare. Vee wasn’t everything she appeared. The stories didn’t even come close. Her comments about how short life was made sense now. Gods, maybe her whole flippant attitude and recklessness were just because she half-expected to die tomorrow. He’d seen her kill in battle, defending her own life. But when they’d taken the Veritas, fewer members of the crew had died than he’d expected, most of them leaders. He’d heard how she’d lead the boarding. Had she deliberately directed them to focus on the men in charge to get the others to stand down?

  Raking a hand through his hair, he shook
his head. It pounded with all these conflicting ideas about her. “I don’t know. It’s complicated. I need to … process. But thank you for telling me.”

  Perry nodded. “Woe betide anyone who mentions it within her earshot, so whatever you do, don’t say a bloody word about it.”

  “Of course, I –”

  “Sails!” The call came from aloft, shrill. “Starboard, sails!”

  Was that panic in the sailor’s voice? Knigh and Perry exchanged looks, the lines between her brows saying she wondered the same.

  “Men-o’-war! Three!”

  There was a beat of stillness, then the deck erupted in movement.

  Friend or Foe?

  “Three Albionic Navy men-o’-war.” Vice lowered the spyglass and wheeled on Knigh. “I thought we were legit now. Why are your friends attacking us?” Was this a trick? Had he fooled them all along?

  Despite his usual mask, his gaze kept flicking to the approaching sails and a line formed between his brows. No, he had no part in this. And if even he couldn’t hide his worry, they were definitely in trouble.

  He wasn’t the only one – the crew hurried across the decks and up the shrouds, eyes and hands on their tasks, but their faces were creased in concern, and they only spoke to pass on an order.

  Knigh licked his lips and glanced at FitzRoy, Perry, then Vice. “I – I don’t know. We’re flying the right flag.”

  The Albionic jack quartered on a red field fluttered overhead. The flag of marque announced them as Albionic privateers – or at least it was supposed to. They’d raised it as soon as they’d identified the warships, but it had made no difference.

  FitzRoy folded his arms. “And they’re still on an intercept course.”

  “An attack course, more like,” Vice ground out.

  “Vice,” Perry said, eyes fixed on the growing sails and the men and women working aloft, “can you –”

  “No.” She sighed. She’d been pushing The Morrigan on since the cry went up ten minutes ago, but the Navy was still gaining on them. “As light as we are, even with just two masts, we should be able to keep pace with a man-o’-war, but” – she squinted at the trio of ships – “they’re fast. Maybe they have a sea witch of their own?”

  “We have to stand down, then.” Perry tore her gaze from the approaching sails and turned on FitzRoy. “We must raise the white.”

  FitzRoy glowered into the distance.

  “Captain?” Perry lifted her hand as if to shake his shoulder, but she stopped short of touching him.

  “No.”

  Vice’s heart dropped at the word. She was all for throwing caution to the wind, for challenging the odds, but …

  She shook her head. This wasn’t a merchantman with a handful of cannons. They were facing three warships built solely to destroy. The Morrigan could fit inside a man-o’-war four times over and still rattle around. Hells, a first-rate like that probably carried 15 cannons on the port side of just one of their three gun decks.

  The Morrigan carried 16 cannons. Total.

  “FitzRoy,” Perry hissed, “we’ll –”

  “They’ll destroy you,” Knigh said, voice flat, expression mastered again. “They’re first-rates. Do you have any idea of the firepower of just one first-rate ship of the line? They could sneeze and obliterate The Morrigan.”

  FitzRoy lifted his chin, giving Knigh a cool look. “They’ll destroy us, don’t you mean?”

  “No,” Vice growled, “he said you. He isn’t one of us and he – he’s done this.” She rounded on him again, neck knotted, and shook a finger in his face. “You’ve tricked us, or you’ve pissed your own people off so much that they’ve turned on you. Either way – you’re going to get us all killed.”

  His cheek twitched, but he gave no other response.

  “Fitz,” she muttered, “we were fools to listen to him, to –”

  “It was my decision to take his offer,” Fitz replied, voice soft, “are you calling me a fool?”

  “Enough.” Perry stepped between them, her blonde braid whipping in the wind. “Fault doesn’t matter right now. Survival does. What do we do?”

  Fitz’s jaw rippled with tension. “We flee,” he ground out, “then we deal with him. Vice – do what you can. When they fire, evade. We’re 20 miles south of Inagua – we can lose them there if we reach it, their draught’s got to be four times ours. They’ll never be able to cross the shoals.”

  An excellent idea, but 20 miles? Even with her gift, it would take an hour and three quarters, maybe an hour and a half. She drew a long breath and glanced back at the warships, their Albionic flags now clear to the naked eye – they’d gained throughout this conversation. Getting to Inagua before they caught up would be … Urgh, she hated the word, but it would be impossible.

  She swallowed and nodded. “Fine.” They were already light, having sold their cargo at Nassau. “Can we offload the fresh water, lighten us up a bit?”

  Jaw clenched, Perry nodded and made for the main hatch. “I’ll see what we can jettison.” She called over half a dozen men and women before disappearing belowdecks.

  “I need the wheel.” Vice raised her eyebrows at Fitz.

  He waved a hand. “Do whatever you need to.”

  With a nod, she started for the helm, chest pounding.

  To get the best speed possible and to, eventually, turn tightly and evade the inevitable shots, she needed to coordinate the ship’s rudder with her gift working on the currents. But her focus and strength would be split between the sea and the wheel – she needed a firm hand to assist. “Aedan,” she called, searching for him. “Aedan?”

  “He’s belowdecks checking the supplies are properly stowed,” Knigh said, voice close behind her.

  “Proper stowage?” She scoffed without warmth. “Thought that would be more your cup of tea.”

  With a tight smile, she relieved Bricus at the helm. When she turned, Knigh was still there.

  He raised his eyebrows. “How can I help?”

  “Find Aedan,” she snapped, gripping the wheel’s handles and expanding her awareness.

  “That’ll take too long. I’m here” – he lifted his hands and indicated himself – “I can help. I can do whatever you needed him for.”

  “I thought you were only here to observe.”

  “I can’t fight for you, no, but this is sailing. This I can do.” He gave a single, solid nod.

  She huffed. “Fine. Hold her steady.” She stepped back, keeping one hand on the wheel. “I’ll be here, but I’ll also be …” Waving her hand to starboard, she gave a half shrug.

  He took the helm, grip sure. “You need all my attention here.”

  “And your strength – just follow my lead to ride the currents.”

  Her awareness faded from the deck, away from her crewmates hurrying, passing along orders, away from her damp hair blowing in the breeze, from her chilly skin where she hadn’t had time to dry off …

  It all faded away, leaving just her fingers on the polished handle.

  Below, the sea already bent to her desire, channelling them north. Above, the wind was – ah, that could be better. She shifted its direction, a touch there, combined with a shift on the wheel, but –

  She blinked and shook her head at Knigh. “No, too hard. Like this.” She put her hand on his, so he’d feel the subtleties in her shifting movement.

  “Ah. Yes, I see,” he said, nodding and shifting his course to match her pressure and direction.

  “Perfect.” She flashed him a smile before drifting away again.

  The currents pushed them on and she spread further – open water around them, a little shallower ahead, behind …

  Her fingers twitched, and Knigh’s hand under hers tensed in response.

  Behind was …

  Waves, natural currents and eddies, the tail end of the one she bent towards Inagua, but then –

  A wall.

  Her usual sensation of the ocean’s vastness, the constant movement, it all cut off abrup
tly. It felt like a cliff stood behind them, blocking the sea and her gift, except there was no surge of waves against rock, and …

  She blinked, coming back to herself and looking to stern, part of her awareness still pushing them on. No, there was no cliff, only the sea and the gaining warships.

  “Vee?” Frowning, Knigh lifted his gaze from scanning the seas ahead to her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Something’s” – she shook her head – “there’s something behind us that I can’t …” She sighed and shook her head again. “It’s fine, I can keep pushing us on our course.” She smiled and squeezed his hand.

  Onward.

  But as hard as she pushed The Morrigan, the men-o’-war still gained, as did that blank wall. One ship split off to port, another to starboard, and the third kept on their tail.

  Damn it, they’d be surrounded within minutes – and they were still almost half an hour from Inagua.

  If she angled The Morrigan to stop the two closing in on either side, the one off their stern would catch up. All she could do was keep focusing on speed. Sweat broke on her brow and chilled her back. Her muscles burned.

  “Gunports opening,” the call went up.

  Vice’s heart thundered, and she gave Knigh a long look. “This is …”

  Jaw set, he nodded. “I know. I’ll be your hands – just direct me.” His grey eyes were dark and strong as steel – maybe that was what made his level gaze reassuring even as they faced imminent fire from three warships.

  Hard to starboard, sudden. Timbers groaned.

  An instant later, the first ship opened fire with a dozen deafening booms. The shots sent water spouting high, splashing The Morrigan’s decks and crew. But it was only water – a miss.

  They hadn’t expected such an unnaturally sharp turn. A ship couldn’t move like this without a sea witch who could turn the currents and keep their sails full to prevent them being caught aback with the change in direction. A ship taken aback risked losing a mast or worse.

  Thank the Lords and Ladies, and especially that unknown fae father for her gift.

  She blew out a long breath. She squinted at the gunports of the second ship, now ahead of The Morrigan.