by LJ Andrews
His eyes traveled along Nova’s small frame hungrily. A crooked smile crossed his lips and he turned to the uneasy crew, whipping Nova’s legs with his tattered, black coat tails. “What say ye men? Shall we see if this she-pirate can earn her spot among men?”
A slow rumble of uncertain cheers in agreement filtered throughout the deck. Smythe seemed dissatisfied with the response and shouted again, lifting his silver cutlass into the soft light of the morning sun. “I says we should have ourselves a duel−proof that missy deserves a spot on this hearty crew. What say ye, boys?”
The cheers lifted above the rushing wind puffing up the gray and black sails and shattered through Nova’s ears like the shriek of a dying cat.
Smythe sneered as he faced Nova again. He shoved a small cutlass from his hip into her hands, knocking her off balance. Her stumble made him laugh harder.
“Now, who will be your opponent?” Smythe said, loud enough for all to hear. He tapped his lips as his eyes scanned his crew, but although many pirates lifted their swords as tribute, his eyes fell to red patch. “Nay, it should be the girl’s accuser to send her to the Below. Harvey Jones, step forward.”
Harvey grinned and unhinged a menacing dagger with jagged points along the blade and crusted blood stained into the metal. Nova grimaced, watching him spit a long stream of brown liquid from the pocket of his cheek, a string of smelly muck left dangling from his chin stubble.
“Winner stays aboard, the loser learns the mysteries of the Below,” Smythe chuckled. “Raise your weapons. Go.”
Harvey circled Nova, tossing his blade between his open palms. Nova gulped and stole a glance at Atlas. He leaned on his elbows against the rail of the quarterdeck. His eyes were wide, and he offered a simple nod of encouragement which sent a surge of warmth through her veins.
She could do this, she had to do this. She thought of all the times her father had practiced with her. Memories of their playfulness brought back the basic handlings of a blade. Her father had shown her advanced footwork from his time in the navy, and she’d understood every routine as if she’d been born with the knowledge engrained in her senses. As Harvey lifted his cutlass, Nova tried to pull the inner strength she’d lived each day before her father was taken, but found only fear.
Focusing on Harvey, all whoops and cheers from the crew faded and all she saw was the slice of his blade aimed at her throat. Nova bent back and watched the cutlass narrowly miss her neck.
Harvey glared ferociously after his miss and swung his sword. With a trembling hand, Nova clashed her blade against his. She met his eyes. He laughed triumphantly as he read the fear written in bold letters across her face. Inside, she knew she had to embrace the dark strength beginning to boil or she’d be dead before supper.
Harvey slapped the back of his hand across her face, forcing her to the deck. Blood dripped from the open gash on her cheek, and Nova desperately wanted to give in to the tears burning her eyes.
She saw, with clarity, Harvey lift his heavy boot to kick her while she was down. Nova rolled to the side and heard his toe crack against the side of the ship.
Cursing her as she scrambled to her feet, Harvey unlatched another dagger from his ankle. Holding both blades, he cackled in the bright light.
“Ye ready to die, wench?” Harvey attacked with seething hate.
Nova swung her blade awkwardly, her shoulder throbbing from exertion and improper handling of the sword. She tried to remember what she’d been taught, but the movements wouldn’t come. The powerful strength pooling inside her seemed to pound against the cavity of her chest, begging to be set free, to save her, but after what had happened the night before, she tried desperately to keep the darkness locked inside.
Harvey Jones pushed her small frame against the rail of the ship, bending her over the side. Out of the corner of her eye, Nova saw the stormy, gray cloud line hovering over the mysterious Below. She wondered if it would hurt when she landed. Would she be killed quickly once she left the Launi Kingdom or would she slowly suffocate as she dropped?
Fight him, a voice said to her. It was her own voice, but more powerful, more firm.
She met Harvey’s murderous glare and suddenly felt a wave of fury fill her heart. The furious strength was free. Her muscles filled with power as her blood pumped through her veins, and the arrogance consumed her once again. She could beat him—he was nothing. If she desired, she could destroy Harvey Jones.
Nova shuddered at the dark confidence. Where were these oddities coming from? Ever since she’d left Arbeiten, the notion she could out-fight anyone she encountered had dominated. Something was wrong, and her reasonable side took up arms against the furious confidence swelling inside her heart.
Harvey watched her with a curious expression, stepping back one foot in hesitation. His eyes flickered beneath the suddenly sharpened sunlight. Nova was exhilarated—could it be fear hidden beneath his wicked gaze?
Harvey lifted his blade again, ready to end her, but this time Nova whisked her small sword and tore through Harvey’s black shirt just above his elbow. She smiled when the wound drew blood. In one flashing movement, she changed positions with him, unlocking herself from his trap of her against the rail. Now she had him pinned against the rail of the Vengeance. Harvey snarled and pushed against her, but she held her pointed blade underneath his jawline.
Nova smiled arrogantly. As if someone had possessed her thoughts, she looked at the pirate as an insignificant insect waiting to be squashed. The logical side of her fought against such ego, but Nova quickly pushed the hesitations from her mind and embraced the dark power.
Harvey Jones seemed an adequate pirate in her eyes, but the strength she felt was something no one could defeat. When her blade pushed harder in his soft flesh, his snarl fell to pleading for his life.
The blast of a pistol snapped Nova back into the moment. Slowly, her strength seeped from her and she was left with a trembling hand holding her sword tight against his neck.
Smythe held his gun above his head and looked at her in surprise. Nothing could have ever prepared the rowdy crew for the moment a small, nervous woman would cross blades with a pirate…and beat him.
Harvey was on his knees looking on Nova with fear. Nova played her part well, never letting on that her heart trembled in pure fear against her chest as any ounce of confidence she had vanished.
Captain Smythe stood atop the stairs near the helm. Nova turned in his direction, her face as stone. Atlas’s eyes were wide, but a smile pulled at his lips.
Slowly, the captain made his way back onto the main deck. The crew parted again, allowing him to shuffle toward Nova. Smythe’s eyes were black, but Nova saw the intrigue buried in the darkness and something told her she was safe for now.
“I won the duel,” she said firmly, hoping not to give away her fear. “As per the agreement, I stay aboard with the crew.”
Smythe smiled. “Aye, I did say that, lass. And seeing as ye are the victor, what be your name?” he said, ignoring Phipps’s blubbering behind him about pirate law.
Clearing her throat, Nova took a step closer to the captain. “My name is Nova, and I have earned the right to be treated like a proper member of the crew.” Her voice trembled, but she stood firm. Smythe chuckled through a sneer.
“Ye speak so freely for such a young woman. But, seeing as ye bested one of the strongest swordsmen in the skies, I would be a fool to disagree with what ye have earned, Miss Nova.” Smythe looked down at Harvey, his eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. “How can ye call yourself a pirate, Harvey Jones, if this lick of a girl won out?”
Harvey scrambled to his feet, realizing what was happening. “Cap’n she’s not normal. Ye all saw did ye not? Somethin’ strange is a-brewin’ in her. She could be a witch of the sky and bring a curse upon the Vengeance, toss her to the Below, Cap’n.”
Smythe nodded and in an instant two burly pirates were at both sides of Harvey. “And if she truly be a witch of the sky, what would make me daft enough to ang
er such a being? I keep my bargains. Now, miss Nova what be Harvey’s doom? I encourage creativity lass.”
Nova stepped against the rail, swallowing against her upset stomach. She despised red-patched Harvey Jones. The pirates surrounding them looked on hungrily waiting for her to destroy him. Harvey watched her, not with malice, but with true fear.
I’m not a pirate, she thought to herself before taking a deep breath and meeting Smythe’s eye. “Harvey Jones will stay in the brig. At our next port he’ll be removed from the Vengeance and will be at the mercy of the Navy, if he can survive that long.”
She smiled trying her best to sound confident and dangerous, though her knees beat together like a hammer against a nail. She ignored the stunned stares from the men, and the disappointment of the darkness inside her.
“Did ye not hear me say I like creativity, lass?” Smythe said.
“It’s the perfect punishment,” she argued. “He loves this ship, and removing him from the crew will hurt him greater than the Below could. I…I want him to…suffer,” she stuttered.
The pirates groaned throughout the deck, some even called out for a re-do of the match. But Smythe held up his palm to silence the voices.
“His fate rests in this girl’s hands,” Smythe said. “Kane, take him to the brig.”
Master Kane snatched stunned Harvey Jones and dragged him down the hatch. Smythe watched her curiously for a long, uncomfortable moment.
The main deck was silent. All around her the crew avoided her eyes, and she sensed some worried Harvey’s sky-witch warnings may be true. If Nova was honest with herself, she too was worried Harvey may be right. Something was changing within her, and she needed to find out what.
Smythe walked away, back toward his cabin as if nothing had even happened. Before he turned into the doorway, he faced her and shouted across the deck. “Ye survived this fight lass. There will be others, but as a man of my word ye have become a member of this crew and all that entails. Be warned miss, ye may enjoy the life of a pirate.” Smythe’s eyes glinted with excitement and Nova felt a rush of dread sink in her chest. “Welcome to the crew.”
Chapter 10
A Pirate’s Life
A hush fell over the long table where the crew was eating root vegetables smothered in salty gravy with small bits of dry flatbread. It was the same silence Nova experienced every time she carried her tin plate into the room. Two days had passed since Harvey Jones was sent to the brig. Two days of dark whispers as she walked by or did her chores. Two days of sleeping with her dagger next to her chest, afraid of what may happen if she ever fully fell asleep.
“Nova, sit here,” Atlas said, ignoring the glares from surrounding crewmen.
Offering him a grateful look, Nova stepped over the bench and sat close to him.
“How are things going? I’ve been so busy with Chipper at the helm, I haven’t been able to talk to you as much as I’d like,” he said, dipping his bread in the saucy vegetables. The tall helmsmen, Chipper, had taken advantage of a new man on board. Nova suspected he used Atlas so he could avoid any real work, but would take all the credit if any attention were drawn to those at the helm.
She smiled shyly. “So you’re saying you want to talk to me?”
Atlas smiled his half smile that always seemed to send her insides twirling. He nudged her with his shoulder. “That’s what I just said, didn’t I? Why? Do you think you’re not someone I should be talkin’ to?”
Nova shrugged and pushed her food around on her plate, secretly wishing she had her mother’s fresh bread with sweet butter. “I hate to tell you this, but you’re the only one who looks at me without plotting my murder.”
Atlas laughed and shook his head. “You’re somethin’ girl. Don’t let these belly-scratchers get under your skin. You earned your spot on the crew more than any of us. You passed through judgment and had to duel. You’re as much a part of the crew as any man here. You’re different, Nova. You’re brave and strong. It’s what I first noticed about you.” Atlas placed a hand on top of hers, and then slowly met her eyes.
They looked at one another for a long moment before he cleared his throat and pulled his hand away. “So, have you asked Smythe for help with your pap yet?”
Nova shook her head. “I’m still afraid he’ll change his mind and toss me over board. How do I ask him for help finding my father?”
Atlas rolled his eyes and dipped his bread again, but with notable agitation. “I don’t understand you, Nova. You kill a Lamian, you best a pirate with steel, but you sit here like a frightened, lost girl afraid to do the thing she left home to do in the first place.”
“I can’t explain it Atlas,” she said, her own frustration surfacing. “You’ve been sailing the skies basically your entire life, I’m still adjusting to it all.”
“I just don’t want you to short change yourself,” he said while lifting his leg over the bench. Before he stood, Atlas sighed and looked down on her. “I want you to be strong so you can defend yourself because…I care about you.”
Before Nova could respond Atlas took his plate and left her, stunned and silent. A flush of heat rushed to her cheeks and she could hardly contain the smile that rippled across her face.
“Ye gone and got Harvey killed, so what ye smiling for?” said a gravelly voice.
Nova met the bloodshot eyes of an enormous man. His rolling skin bunched over his belt and rested in his lap. His wide brimmed hat seemed much too small for his large head, and he was missing his front two teeth.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t kill him,” she said.
“He ain’t in the brig,” he snarled. “I be waitin’ for the day when the captain realizes ye ain’t so special and flings ye over the side after Jonesy.”
She glared at him, suddenly affronted by his tone. She hadn’t killed Harvey, she’d saved him to the chagrin of the bloodthirsty pirates.
“Who are you to say this to me,” she growled, and rubbed her fingernail along the tin knife next to her plate.
Nova took a deep breath against her tight chest. Panic increased her heart rate and her fingertips grew numb as the overwhelming power fought to overtake her thoughts. Atlas’s words to be strong burned in her mind which only made the dark arrogance grow stronger. Glancing at the long tables filled with pirates she let the darkness control her movements bit by bit. The men would kill her without remorse and without thought. This power could be the only thing keeping her alive amongst the Star’s Vengeance crew.
She glanced at him smugly. “It’s interesting how a little girl like me can scare such big, burly pirates like yourselves.” She smiled, finally enjoying the arrogance that filled her spirit.
The large pirate stood up, shaking the entire table as he did. A smaller man with a severe hump on one shoulder slapped his rolling elbow. “Let it go Magnus. We just need to bide our time,” he said while slurping the rest of his gravy off his plate.
Magnus pointed a sausage sized finger at Nova, but said nothing more.
Rolling the harmless knife in her hand, she had a thought. Though she’d never done such a thing before, somehow she knew she could—Nova threw the knife hard. The blade stuck menacingly in the wall next to Magnus’s head, causing the intimidating pirates to watch her with wide eyes. She saw fear, but noticeable respect drawn in their features and her chest swelled with pleasure.
She laughed and left the table, filled with energy from the ego that always seemed to come during confrontations. She admitted to herself it was becoming useful. But part of the feeling frightened her. It was if she turned into someone else, no matter how fleeting the moment was, and she wondered what would happen if the other side took over completely.
***
Evening chores were almost enjoyable from the main deck. The sunset was fascinating to watch from the open sky. The enormous white sun melted harmoniously into the blue-green moon rising from the hazy cloud barrier, which warned ships of the end of the Launi Kingdom.
The colors
were spectacular, but Nova’s favorite part was watching the night creatures spill across the sky, enjoying the dusk light. Large sky lizards with black armored scales dipped and dove playfully with one another. The beautiful, wide wings of the pink and green parrots reminded her of the tropical forests of Mollem and made her smile at memories of her parents.
Sounds of hard work along the deck joined in with the calls of the creatures flying around the ship. Some crewmen tugged on the rigging, releasing the main sail and rolling the topsails into place for the night. Others coiled thick ropes into neat piles on the deck, while Nova joined the larger group in scrubbing every visible surface.
Nova was grateful to use the mop for once. Her back ached from bending over the hand scrub brush for so long. As she dipped the dingy cloth on a stick into the suds she had the eerie sense someone was watching her. Looking over her shoulder she saw the captain staring in her direction. She licked her chapped lips nervously and debated if she should approach him.
Smythe stood on the stern like a dark spectral. His black attire darkened his features as he and his hellish bird watched her every step. Nova finally met his eye and thought of what Atlas had said. She had proven her worth more than any man on the ship; the captain owed her an audience.
The mop bucket dropped against the deck with a loud crash, drawing the slaving crew’s attention. Some men hissed insults when she passed by, others watched curiously as she sauntered toward Smythe.
The captain smiled, watching her, as if entertained by the notion of a woman approaching him without request.
“Captain Smythe,” she said, nervously pulling at her loose fitting shirt. “I would like to request an audience with you.”
Smythe rubbed the beak of the raven and glared from underneath his thick eyebrows. “And what leads ye to believe ye can demand an audience with the captain?”
Nova faltered, and looked at the ground while gathering her thoughts. “I hope my captain would speak with me because…well…what happened to Harvey Jones? I thought we had an agreement.” She shuffled awkwardly, wiping her sweaty palms on her blue cutoff pants.
