Sweet Nothings

by Daria Doshrelli

  Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Avenged Fairy Tales Series

  A Thousand and One Preview

  Sweet Nothings

  Avenged Fairy Tales

  Daria Doshrelli

  Copyright © 2020 by Daria Doshrelli

  All rights reserved.

  Cover by 100Covers

  Chapter 1

  Your Majesty,

  There was nothing left of the pirates. Crushed plank and shredded sail drifted as far as the eye could see, the remnants of three or four vessels, at least. Our eyes made a futile search for survivors among the wreckage.

  I gave orders to the crew to troll along as close as I dared to the shoreline. Sober faces said what words could not, what every gust of wind tugging at our sails foretold, that something unnatural stirred in this place.

  It was with horror that I saw my error, the first heap of jagged stone, our fair vessel headed straight for it. In my haste I had risked the heroic living for the sake of inspecting the vicious dead. Were it not for the quick wit of my first mate the ship would have been lost in that moment. But alas, we dodged the hidden reef, or whatever it might have been, and maintained our bearing.

  Would that we had perished instead.

  My breath remained shallow as the ship traversed mound after mound of rock, their presence invisible until we were nearly upon them. The slow passage drew out time until I no longer knew how long we travailed to extract ourselves from the stone and carnage. At last the ship emerged unscathed. I moved from the helm to the starboard side and assessed all that we had left behind.

  It was then that I knew. This savage disarray—an entire fleet.

  What courage, cannon, and relentless pursuit could not achieve had been done for us. Yet I could not congratulate myself on ridding the seas of the dread pirate menace or foresee any happy circumstance surrounding its demise.

  What manner of evil could have outwitted the pirate admiral himself, the cunning Sea Fox, and created such a heap? One ship might have been lost upon entering the rock-infested waters, but all? It was impossible.

  It was madness.

  I took with me three rowboats and the stoutest of my crew and led the way ashore. My first mate and the rest of the men kept the ship ready to sail, cannons aimed at our destination in the event the vile pirates lay in wait for us.

  My company neared the quiet beach and an unmistakable glint shone beneath the clear waters, gold nestling itself among the sand. Lumares gold. I beheld its proud inscription with my own eyes as the men cheered. What was plundered would be returned. Women and children would not starve.

  I was wary, nonetheless. The Sea Fox did not acquire his name for naught. Immediately, I suspected a trap.

  But the pirate fleet had prevailed against us in battle and had many days’ lead as we made repairs. Why scuttle the ships? No blood, no bodies, no sharks in the water?

  The sea answered none of my inquiries.

  I redirected our course from the beach to the waters along the shore. Heaps of gold and jewels lay as if they had simply been tossed overboard. This trail of bounty seemed without end, stretching along the coastline and calling out to us to retrieve it. Still, no sign of danger appeared. With wavering sentiment I signaled my first mate to send out three more boats. The loot would be long in returning to its rightful place. Our ship could not bear its weight in full.

  I endeavored to laugh at my predicament. Too much gold? Too many jewels?

  The men likewise made jest of my hesitation, smiles and camaraderie on every face. But I had no fear that greed would compel them to redirect the loot into their own pockets or murder me for the sake of the treasure. These were the best souls ever to sail under my command, or any.

  Yet my gaze kept returning to the ruin among the rocks. Such vessels could not have sailed close enough to the shore to dump any loot. This bounty had been deposited some other way. And what had become of the most precious cargo?

  No mortal had done this deed. Of this I was more and more certain.

  Forgive, I pray you, Great King, the scribble that follows. It is with a trembling hand that I put quill to parchment.

  My curse, for which many thought me unfit to captain a ship, saved me from what came next. Better I had met the same fate as my crew. I dare not tell you what my eyes saw for fear you may take the matter lightly or think me insane, to the doom of our kingdom.

  I have scuttled the ship, the fair Olivia. Tell King William his daughter is lost.

  Father, take care. Do not come looking for the gold, nor the crew, nor the princess, nor me. Keep our people and our vessels away from the islands and all that encamps among the Aeorus. I am lost.

  All is lost.

  Prince Henry

  Chapter 2

  “Get her into port you slithering scallywags,” Avery called out from the helm.

  “Aye, cap’n, gimme a chance to get me bearing,” Basset replied. He put his spyglass to his eye. “This is our only chance so ye’ll be wantin’ the thing done right.”

  Avery cast a wry grin at his first mate. The long barrel of Basset’s spyglass barely made it past that belly of his and he waddled when he walked, but he’d always had a bit of cheek. “Arr, our kind doesn’t get second chances. We don’t even get first chances. One look and it’s, ‘Off to the gallows with them.’” He grinned at Basset. “The way I see it it’s the world’s own fault we have to make our living on the sly. Everybody’s afraid we’ll steal from them.”

  Basset collapsed his spy glass with a thwap. “We do steal from them.”

  Avery looked around at the rest of the crew. On a good day they could outfox a sea slug or swindle a peppermint stick from a toddler. He and Basset were unquestionably the brains of the lot. Though each of the others was loyal and always up for an adventure, no other captain in his right mind would have agreed to take on such a band of misfits. Only Avery wasn’t one to dismiss anyone based on appearances.

  “True, but you’d think a person might postpone judgement now and then. After all, you never know who someone might be under their ratty clothes.” Avery tugged at his shirt.

  Basset turned a hawkish eye on him. “And ye’re claimin’ to be more’n an ornery pirate, even if yer speech is a bit dainty?”

  “Of course not.” Avery grasped at his heart with both hands. “Although you injure me with your words, sir, my speech happens to be what is needed to gain the confidence of our unwitting benefactors, as you well know. I am the pirate of pirates, a real pirate captain.”

  “And here comes yer real pirate sister.”

  “Real pirates do not wear white,” Avery said loudly enough for any pirate within half a league to hear.

  Nadia strode across the deck as if she owned the thing, her ivory blouse fluttering in the breeze, ivory boots silently bearing her across the planks toward him and Basset. “Real pirates do as they please, and I like white.”

  “Ye’re already too fair, Nadie,” Basset replied. “And before ye ask, no ye can’t keep comp’ny wi’ us in port. Pretty girls like ye don’t mix wi’ this business. And fer ‘nother matter, nobody’d believe ye’re ever above ground.”

  “Hardly ever am.”

  “Don’t get her started,” Avery said.

  Nadie clomped to a stop next to him. It was never hard
to tell when her mood was sour since she made a show of stomping her heels against the deck to notify everyone of the sentiment. “I suppose I’m not entitled to complain when I do all the work and you have all the fun. And why do I need to have a tan? Are you pulling the pigmy savages con again?” She raised her eyebrows at Avery. “Getting a little old, don’t you think?”

  She was just trying to lure him into an argument that would land her the lead in the upcoming scheme. Avery wasn’t taking the bait. “There’s always one more fool to be had.” He swept his eyes over the waters. “Never forget, woman, you’re talking to the most cunning pirate ever to sail the seven seas.”

  “Seven?” Nadie nudged him with her elbow. “As I recall you ordered the crew to navigate around the Aeorus.”

  Avery grimaced. “Six, then. There’s something unnatural on those islands. I’m daring, not stupid.”

  “Aye, the Aeorus be a strange place,” Basset said.

  “I could help, you know.”

  Basset shook his head at Nadie. “Ye’re too pretty. Nobody’d be payin’ us any mind wi’ the likes o’ ye around.”

  “I could be a very charming damsel in distress.”

  “Not happening, Nadie. Now get yourself out of sight.” This time Avery gave her a look to let her know he meant it. There was no way he was letting her run amok in port. She had a mind to look after herself but it was much more suited to looking after others.

  “Port dead ahead, cap’n,” Basset cried.

  Avery gave his petulant sibling a wink. “Time to change into me dainties, then.”

  He hurled himself below deck and into his quarters. There he stripped off his pirate garb and donned a gentleman’s disguise, complete with a top hat and pretentious cane. When he emerged once more he was no longer Captain Avery, pirate of pirates, but Ambrose Cunningham, nouveau riche merchant, high-class adventurer, master storyteller.

  Nadie, however, was still her old self and stood reprimanding the crew for their slobbery, slouch, and stench. She shook her finger in Grimtrunkle’s face. “This is the last time I clean up after you.”

  Grimtrunkle gave her a toothless grin.

  “I mean it.” Nadie crossed her arms and turned her eyes out to sea. “Next time I throw it all overboard. Right there, even.” She nodded at the waves on the starboard side.

  “Arr, we’ve heard it all before,” Avery said.

  Nadie shot him a searing look.

  Avery ignored the look and the little huff that accompanied it. He addressed his crew. “Now, my rotten pirates, you all know your parts. The most convincing spectacle receives a double portion of the loot.”

  “Why can’t I go?” Nadie pouted at him. “I bet I’d win.”

  “I’ll split my double winnin’s with you, lass,” Grimtrunkle said. Color rose in his cheeks as Nadie cast him a smile.

  “It will be me splittin’ my winnin’s with ‘er since I’ll be the most convincin’,” Iakapov said.

  “No, I.”

  “I’ll win it for you, Nadie.”

  More romantic oaths filled the air.

  Avery breathed out a small sigh. “Maybe instead of scouting a mark, I should be on the lookout for a real pirate crew, the crusty sort that doesn’t turn loose of its senses in the face of a pretty girl.”

  “Good luck wi’ that cap’n,” Basset said. “But aye, real pirates wouldn’t be caught dead sharin’ what they’d plundered fair and square.”

  Nadie gave each face on the ship a scolding with her eyes. “Now I don’t want to hear of any misbehavior while you’re in port. And you had better all come back to me in one piece, or else.”

  “Quit your mothering.” Avery turned to Basset. “Still no ships?”

  Basset shook his head. “Tossin’ ye overboard would be a mite useless unless ye’re wantin’ to feed the sharks.”

  “Well, then we’ll just have to do it the hard way,” Avery replied. “Let down a rowboat.”

  “I s’pose that means I’ll be doin’ all the work again?” Basset said.

  “A gentleman cannot be seen rowing himself ashore.” Avery avoided Basset’s narrowed eyes and looked at the crew. “Two hours. No more, no less.”

  The seven crewmen mumbled their understanding though Nadie, as usual, pretended not to hear. It was astonishing how selective her hearing was when she was plotting some mischief. Avery decided not to think on it and whirled himself around to where Basset was letting down a narrow vessel they had plundered from another in their most recent escapade.

  Minutes later he sat straight and proud while Basset rowed the two of them toward port. The day was sure to be a charming one, and with the sun on his face and the breeze teasing his senses with the scents of Shub-Haramb, Avery almost allowed himself to wish he had someone to share this life of open air with. But he had long ago learned never to think on impossibilities, only of the business at hand. That was the burden of being a pirate. It wasn’t that he was tired of it. Just that after sailing everywhere there was to sail, his heart felt even less full than when he had first turned to the sea to make his fortune more than a decade ago.

  Back then he had grand visions of his prospects, a future that included a dash of adventure and whirlwind romance. Somehow that had faded until every day was much as the day before, too much adventure, no romance to speak of, and each horizon held the promise of no less and no more.

  “Oy, up there!” Basset cried.

  They had reached the tier while Avery was lost in his musings.

  A shaggy head popped into view. “Oy?”

  “This gentleman wishes to tie in here,” Basset grunted out.

  The man on the tier swept his eyes over Avery’s finely-clad figure. His bushy brows drew together and a grimace expressed itself beneath his unkempt moustache.

  “It’s a rowboat, I know,” Avery said. “But it’s the only vessel I could acquire after such a disaster as befell me.”

  The man scratched at the dark hairs on his neck. “Pirates?”

  “Savages.” Avery wiped at his brow. “The little imps made away with my ship, a queen’s ransom in cargo.”

  “Imps?”

  “Pigmies, to be exact.” Avery manufactured a faraway look. “I should have never set foot on that island, no matter how much treasure…”

  The man’s eyes glittered. “Well, let’s get you ashore. Can’t have a gent fainting on my watch.”

  His head disappeared. Moments later a rope ladder fell over the side of the tier. Avery climbed up, Basset just behind, and the two of them surveyed their first target. A ratty shirt, worn trousers and boots with hardly any sole left marked him as one of the dock workers.

  “Thank you, sir,” Avery said as the dock worker scrutinized him with a pair of dark eyes. “If you could point me in the direction of a few fellows, I would much appreciate it.” He rapped his gold-tipped cane on the pier and leaned forward. “Where might a man in my condition find himself a gentlemanly crew?”

  “Eh?” The man’s gaze shifted from Avery’s polished boots to his cane and at last came to rest on his face.

  “My treasure. I intend to get it all back,” Avery said.

  “Eh?”

  This one wasn’t too bright. “I’ll not leave such cargo to the likes of a band of wild men. But I have learned my lesson about taking on a crew made up entirely of seamen who cannot be trusted to stay and fight for the sake of another man’s treasure. This time I’m looking for a few gentlemen in search of adventure, and I’ll split what’s recovered with them. Would you happen to know of anyone would be interested?” The glower the man directed at him brought a grin to Avery’s lips. “Of course, a finder’s fee would also be customary in such cases. The kind of gentlemen I’m looking for would be full of bravado, have a seaworthy vessel, and perhaps a cargo of their own. Any dandies come your way recently?” Avery rattled the money bag tied at his waist.

  The man stared at the sack of clinking coins. “Two such came in just yesterday. I heard them say they intended
to put up at the Crazed Heifer.”

  Avery untied the sack and tossed it at the dock worker’s chest. “Thank you, sir.” He tipped his top hat to him. “You’re a scholar and a gentleman.” He and Basset moved off as their informant tugged at the pouch strings and peeked at his treasure. “That was easy.” Avery clapped his hand on Basset’s stodgy shoulder. “I prefer it when they’re accommodating of my plans.” The two of them emerged from the sight and scent of fish guts and Avery instantly found what he sought. “And would you look at that.” He pointed to the sign of the Crazed Heifer tavern.

  “Don’t be lettin’ yer head swell,” Basset said. “Tis a good way to see it danglin’ from the gallows.”

  Avery did not reply. If Nadie was the ship’s mother, Basset was its father. A short, punchy father, but he had seen them through dark waters many a time.

  They entered the Crazed Heifer and Avery’s eyes immediately landed on two dandies in their mid-twenties laughing it up with a barmaid. By the looks of it they already had a drop or two in and it wasn’t even mid-morning. They were perfect. And with the tavern nearly empty at such an hour, save a few souls eating bowls of something yellow and another nodding off in one corner, this setup was ideal for the next part of the plan.

  He and Basset moved to the table next to the dandies, ordered mugs of ale, and spoke of Avery’s pretend misfortunes and his intention to recover his cargo. All this so that the fops might overhear. Within half an hour this discourse had its intended effect and Avery found himself invited to sit across from John Cottingham and James Griffin, two dapper gentlemen of means, elaborately dressed and neither in possession of much good sense if their inebriated expressions were any indication of their character. Avery took his leave of Basset, the dandies sent the barmaid away, and the three of them whispered among themselves.

  “I wouldn’t keep company with his sort.” John’s eyes stayed on Basset as the squat man headed out the door.

  “Couldn’t be helped. But now that I’ve found a couple of fellows, I may dispense with the escort of reeking seamen who never change into fresh linen.” Avery brushed at his immaculate collar with the backs of his manicured fingertips. “What do you say to joining me? Three comrades sharing adventure and treasure?”