Tantamount
Page 35
Nel managed a smile for him. “Stay safe, midshipman Stoker.”
“Aye,” he sighed, “I'll do my best. Gods below, I can't believe I'm doing this. Where's the Kelpie with that barrel?”
Nel shook her head, wishing the man luck at finding an intact barrel on the Tantamount right now.
“Well, Nel, ready to head back to Cauldron?” the captain asked her. He was hunched over to one side, the weight of Bandit on his shoulder bearing down on him. The loompa was still trying out different crew members for size and fit. She suspected Bandit would settle on Jack. She hoped Bandit would settle on Jack.
“You don't see any problems with heading back to Cauldron, Captain?” Nel asked.
“No, why?” Horatio said. “Should I? Nonsense, we've got a cargo to retrieve and deliver. Where was it we were going with that? Seems I should remember these things. Must check my log book. Captain's log, destination, bound to be in there. Bound to be.”
Horatio squared himself, puffing out his chest. “How do I look?”
“Like the captain of the Tantamount.” Nel declined to tell him he was in danger of losing his hat to the loompa. Piper had never worn hats. It seemed Bandit didn't approve.
“Excellent.” Horatio beamed. “Just as I should. Well, then, First Officer Vaughn. Take us out would you?”
“Aye, Captain, I'll get right on that.”
Nel shook her head, watching the captain with a slight smile on her face. Couldn't go anywhere 'til Quill got through shipping Stoker home anyway.
“Ready to head back to Cauldron, Vi?” she called, looking up at the girl. Violet was perched in the riggings, one arm wrapped around the rope while she played lookout. The other hand was pushing tangled locks of hair out of her face.
The girl looked down at her, pointedly. “Ready to start paying me, Chanel?”
“Watch your mouth.” Nel pointed a mocking finger at her. “But keep our captain from betting the ship and I'll buy you your first drink.”
“You're a hard woman, Skipper,” Violet said. She checked so see who else was nearby, climbing down closer to the deck. “Who else knows, Skipper?”
“Knows what?”
“That the captain had the deed tattooed on his back. I saw it when I was looking after him.”
Nel raised her brows. “It was Piper's idea.”
“Captain says it was his.”
“It was Piper's,” Nel repeated firmly.
Violet smiled sadly. “I miss him. Piper.”
“Aye, lass, I do too. We'll get you a tattoo to remember him by on Cauldron.”
Violet looked sceptical at the idea. “Quill's coming,” she said. “Must have finished flying Stoker home.”
Nel laughed. “Tell him to take us out, Violet. We've got places to be.”
“Aye, Skipper.” Violet leaned far out of the rigging, hanging on with arm and leg. “Oi, Quill! Shift your worthless, milk drinking skink hide and get us moving!”
Nel looked away as the Kelpie's outraged response filtered back. The girl was learning.
Acknowledgements
If I acknowledged everyone I should the list would be longer than this novel. Instead let me try and cover most of them in one go. To the girl in question, thank you.
About the Author
Thomas J. Radford is a New Zealand author who wrote his first novel when he should have been studying for an end of year school exam.
After that he acquired a few qualifications relating to History and Film. Now he gets paid to watch Television but is banned from telling children this by their teachers and parents. Tantamount is his first novel.
He wants to know how the story ends as much as you do but lately the inmates seem to have taken over the asylum. And by inmates we mean characters and asylum we mean ship.