by H. D. Gordon
Captain Amadika bared her teeth in angry resignation. The expression lasted only a moment before the pirate smoothed out her features. She loosed a sigh and cocked her head, her dreads swaying with the movement.
Then, she waved a gloved hand at the seats across from her.
“Have a seat, ladies,” she said. “Seems we have some business to discuss.”
I let out one last snarl before shifting back into my mortal form. Several people in the bar, including the captain, blinked in wonder at the instant transformation, and I was careful not to let a pleased smile come to my lips as I pulled out a seat across from the cursed human pirate captain.
I was old enough to know that gawking was rude, but as the tension in the tavern diffused a touch, I couldn’t help myself.
Could one really blame me? I’d never met a human, and I’d never expected to. I’d known of their existence, of course, but they were as alien to me as the creatures that crawled among the most distant of stars. And now, here was a whole room of them, tucked in the corner of some vast land I knew even less about.
The whole thing was absurd, but I seemed to be the only one who thought so. The pirate captain and Asha looked as though sitting down to chat with one another were a common occurrence, and again, I felt the pang of shame that came over me whenever I was reminded of my ignorance, an ignorance that was the result of having spent a life in cages and chains.
Both the captain and Asha—and the rest of the people in the room, save for Vega, maybe—had spent at least some of their time on this earth as free people, and that meant they’d likely seen more of the world than I even knew existed.
Now, however, was not the time for these musings, so I pushed the thoughts from my head and met the steady brown gaze of Captain Aryna Amadika.
“We need to cross the Seventh Sea,” I said, deciding to speak before Asha could open with some kind of insult.
The captain snorted and ran a hand under her nose, her eyes narrowing beneath the brim of her leather hat. “Sounds good,” she said, “give me the map, and I’ll see to it that you cross the Seventh Sea.”
“We’re not fools,” Asha said. “And as my partner already told you, we can’t give you the map.”
Silence held a tick.
“Where is it taking you?” the captain asked.
Asha and I exchanged glances, but neither of us offered the answer.
The pirate snorted again. “Ah, well, we’re not going to get anywhere if we can’t trust each other, ladies,” she said.
She was right, so before Asha could protest, in a voice that was low enough not to be overheard, I said, “We’re going to the City of the Seers.”
And despite the perils we’d already faced this early in the journey, the look that crossed the rugged pirate captain’s face when I’d revealed this was perhaps the most foreboding of all.
The expression lasted just a little longer than the previous one the captain had worn before she schooled her features into coolness once more.
“The City of the Seers,” Captain Amadika repeated. “Why in all the worlds would you want to go there?”
I sat back in my chair, careful to keep a watchful eye on her pirate companions, should they sneak back in with their swords for a second go.
“I don’t see how that should make a difference to you,” I said.
The pirate shrugged. “It doesn’t, really, but you must know that very few find the city, and of those who do, none have ever come back.”
I swallowed hard enough to be thankful that the collar of my jacket hid the bobbing of my throat. I thought of Adriel and the other Dogs, the importance of the task serving as an anchor on my resolve.
“Will you take us across the Seventh Sea, or not?” Asha said, clearly impatient with the warnings.
The captain’s eyes went to the spot on my jacket where the old scroll was tucked. “What do I get in return, if I sail you across the most treacherous of the oceans?”
“Why do you want the map?” I countered. “Where is it you want it to take you?”
Captain Amadika’s eyes narrowed on me again, but in her scent, my Wolf nose picked up a hint of sadness behind all the anger. It was the first of several times when I would wonder what the pirate captain’s story was, how she’d come to be such a fearsome female who sailed the most treacherous of seas.
“The map is mine,” she said. “It was a gift to my mother. That’s all there is for you to know.”
I held her gaze for a moment, sensing that this was not a lie, and that the map tucked in my pocket meant more to her, perhaps, than riches or power.
I nodded slowly, catching a questioning glance from Asha and ignoring it. “Okay, so how about this?” I said. “You sail us safely across the Seventh Sea, and we continue our journey to the City of the Seers. Once we reach it, and get what we’re looking for, I’ll gladly hand the map over to you.”
The pirate captain was quiet for what felt like a very long time, and I was almost sure she was going to refuse, but instead, she said, “What makes you think you will make it back alive?”
The question was so honest, completely lacking of malice, that I found myself responding in kind.
“We have to make it back,” I said.
Because it really was as simple as that.
At last, Captain Amadika held her gloved hand out across the table, and said, “Okay, Wolf. I’ll take you across the Seventh Sea, and when you return from your trip to the City of the Seers, you’ll hand over the map. Do I have your word?”
I took the captain’s hand into mine and shook it.
“You have my word,” I agreed.
I tried to release her hand then, but the captain kept hold of mine, and yanked me forward a couple inches over the table so that our faces came almost within kissing distance.
“Good,” she said. “Because if you betray me, Rukiya Moonborn, I will hunt you to the ends of the realms, and make you wish that our paths had never crossed.”
I decided then that I liked the pirate captain, that there was something about the female that I could relate to.
I gave her a smile that was just toothy enough to be called Wolfish.
“You’ve got yourself a deal,” I said.
Asha, Vega, and I stood on one of the docks leading out over Fisher’s Bay, watching as Captain Amadika’s crew readied their ship for departure. The sun was just beginning to set on the second day since we’d started this journey, but my body felt as though it had already been weeks.
From the look on Asha’s face, I could see that I was not alone in my feelings.
“We can’t trust her,” Asha said, her curly hair fluttering a little in the breeze carrying off the water.
I cast a sidelong glance at the Demon female. “If I’m being one hundred percent honest, Asha,” I said, “I’m not even sure I trust you.”
To my surprise, Asha only chuckled. She ran her dark gaze over both Vega and me. “Well, the three of us are quite the little crew, then, aren’t we? If the outward dangers don’t kill us, the internal battles just might.”
I remembered something, and turned toward the Valac warrior, giving him a sudden shove that was hard enough to send him flailing over the edge of the dock and into the water. I’d done it so unexpectedly that even though he was wearing a mask, he let out a little grunt of surprise just before wind-milling his arms and hitting the water.
His large and armored body met the bay with a magnificent splash, and as he broke the surface and glared at me—I assumed he was glaring, anyway, because his masked face was turned toward me—I placed a hand on my hip and said, “That was for not jumping in the fight in the tavern.”
Vega continued to stare at me, and I could smell the anger floating off the warrior in the air, but only folded my arms over my chest and looked back at him. There was a moment of silence, and then Asha busted out laughing hard enough that I glanced over at her.
She clutched at her midsection and pointed the other hand at the war
rior, who was now paddling toward the ladder that led up the dock and out of the water, still seeming very much pissed.
“That’s what you get!” the Demon laughed, slapping me on the shoulder.
For that very brief moment, I thought maybe the two of us might actually be able to reach a point where we didn’t hate each other.
Maybe.
13
Rushing to the edge of the ship, I leaned my head over the side just in time to let my vomit spew into the ocean, rather than all over the deck.
I watched the churning water, and as the sea sent the ship lurching again, continued spewing up the meager remains of my stomach. My hands shook as they gripped the railing, my fingers stiff from the frigid air that came in mighty gusts.
Despite this, a sweat had broken out on my brow, and I shucked off my jacket so that the cool air could touch my skin.
Behind me, a couple of the pirates laughed, calling me a handful of colorful names I’d never heard before, but this wasn’t necessary in order for me to deduce the meanings. I ignored them, too sick to care about their taunts, and slid down against the deck, pulling my knees up and resting my forehead on them, breathing through clenched teeth.
Around us, the ocean was an endless expanse that stretched on in all four directions. In all my life, I’d never even been on a boat, and the feeling of helplessness was overwhelming. We were at the absolute mercy of the Seventh Sea, of Mother Nature and her unpredictable whims.
The sound of boots on the wooden deck approached me, and I didn’t need to open my eyes to know who it was thanks to my Wolf nose. The Captain came to a stop standing over me, and I heard her comrades snicker again at my pathetic state, but could not find it in me to care.
Sadistic bitches, I thought. Who in their right mind would choose this life for themselves? With these musings, I remembered that the pirates were cursed, if Asha was to be believed, and could not leave these waters for very long periods of time, anyway.
Thinking of this made my own life seem somehow less tragic.
“What?” I asked, resting my head back against the side of the deck and peeling my eyes open just enough to glare up at the captain.
Captain Amadika stared down at me without pity, her long dreads swaying in the sea breeze. After a moment, she tossed a little leather bag at my feet.
“Sniff it,” she said. “It’ll rein in the worst of the sickness.”
Without waiting to see if I would do it, the captain stalked away again, barking at the other pirates to get back to work before disappearing below deck.
I stared down at the little leather pouch, sighing as I figured there was no reason for the captain to lie about what was inside. Still, as I yanked at the string holding it closed, I hesitated before another lurch of the ship turned my stomach again.
I took a deep sniff of whatever was inside.
To my utter surprise, the nausea that had plagued me since we’d boarded this dreadful vessel receded, and I sniffed the contents of the bag again like an addict needing a hit. The sickness abated even more, and after a moment, I was able to climb to my feet.
I deliberately chose not to be pissed about the fact that we’d been at sea for nearly five hours, every minute of it a torture, and the captain had only just now given me this pouch. Instead, I told myself to be grateful that I had it now, but it would be a lie to say that I wasn’t as salty as the sea we were currently floating on.
I found Asha and Vega below deck, sitting on two crates, with a third crate propped between them. A deck of cards was in their hands, and even though Asha’s face was the only one I could see, something told me that the Valac warrior was wearing the same intensely concentrated expression beneath his fearsome mask.
Neither of them looked at me as I came stumbling down the steps, but a small smirk came to Asha’s face. “Ah, look who’s finally found her sea legs,” she said.
Vega, of course, said nothing at all. He only slapped a card down on the crate between them and stared in silence when Asha scowled at his move.
I decided to leave them to it, and followed the direction that my nose revealed would lead me to the captain. The other pirates were all above deck, tending to various tasks, but down a small bulkhead in the rear of the space where I found my two companions, I came to a closed door with the words Captain’s Quarters carved into it.
I raised my hand to knock, but before I could do so, a voice floated out from inside.
“Come in.”
Pushing the door open, I entered a spacious room adorned in all manner of finery. A bright red rug woven of the finest materials was sprawled in the center of the room, and a four-poster bed was arranged near the corner, the top of it poking out behind wooden dividers that had been carved with sea creatures by an expert hand. Hanging right in the middle was an honest to Gods chandelier, dripping with crystals that cast flickering light against the walls. There was a large wooden desk on the opposite side of the bed, and two chairs set before it.
Behind this desk sat Captain Aryna Amadika, her booted feet propped up and her tri-cornered hat resting beside them.
“Glad to see you’re feeling better,” she said. She used the dagger she was holding to slice a piece from the green pear she was peeling.
I took a seat in one of the chairs across from her without waiting for an invitation. “Yes. Thank you for the powder. It helped. I appreciate it.”
I didn’t add that I would have appreciated it even more if she would have given it to me five hours ago.
“You’re welcome,” the captain said. “It will be a couple more days before we reach the other edge of the Seventh Sea, so you better hold onto it.”
The thought of being on this ship for a couple more days made me want to cry, but I reminded myself of the stakes and sucked it up.
“What do you know about the City of the Seers?” I asked, deciding to cut right to the chase. “I know you know something.”
The captain popped a piece of pear into her mouth, crunched it loudly, and swiped away the bit of juice that rolled down her chin.
“And how do you know that, Wolf?”
“Because I saw your face when we told you where you were going,” I said. “I smelled the fear that spiked in your scent.”
“Well, that is a handy little ability.”
“Tell me what you know.”
“Why should I?”
I fought to keep a handle on my frustration. “A better question is why wouldn’t you? You want this map, right? The only way you’re going to get it is if I make it back from the city, so if you know anything that could help…”
Before responding, the captain sliced off another piece of fruit and offered it to me. When I shook my head, she tossed it into her mouth and crunched on it slowly. It reminded me of something Asha would do. With how much the Demon and the pirate captain managed to get on my nerves, I figured they should get along swimmingly.
“I don’t know much,” Captain Amadika said, removing her boots from the top of the desk and sitting up to meet my gaze more fully. “I just used to know someone who went in search of it a long time ago.”
A ghost seemed to be passing behind her eyes, and I recalled her warning about how those who managed to actually find the city never returned.
“What happened to them?” I asked.
The captain spread her hands after wiping the pear juice on her trousers. “Your guess is as good as mine, Wolf,” she said. “I never heard from her again.”
I considered this. “Something could have happened to her before she reached the city,” I suggested.
“I suppose that’s true,” the captain replied, “but the sea is as full of legends as it is fish. The pirates, we’ve sailed from one end of the earth to the other. We’ve crossed into every realm, and even so, only the bravest amongst us would actively seek out the City of the Seers.”
“Who was she?” I asked gently, after some silence had hung between us.
The pirate captain blinked, and I all
but saw the wall she slammed up again.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “But if I were you, I would reconsider how badly you want whatever information you’re seeking. I’d consider whether or not you’re willing to die to obtain it.”
I blew out a slow breath. I had considered this. The realization that my life might indeed be the price for the secret to freeing the Dogs had struck me the moment that damn great serpent had found us on the mountain.
With a shrug, I said, “In all honesty, I’ve already made it farther than I ever expected.”
The captain nodded, her brown eyes still holding mine, an impressive feat for a mere human.
“Yes, I have heard the stories. The slave who defied her masters, the Wolf who snapped her leash and sent ripples across the world.”
This was news to me, and the way my eyebrows rose must have revealed this, because the pirate captain laughed. It was a deep, sultry sound that somehow complimented the deadly gleam in her eyes.
“That’s right,” she said. “You’ve got the world talking. They’re whispering your name in the far corners of the realms. Saying that you’re a hero.”
I snorted. “They clearly have the story twisted.”
Her head tilted, dreads swaying. “Do they?”
“My options were death or death,” I said through tight lips. “I only did what anyone else would do.”
The captain sucked her teeth. “I don’t know of any other Dogs who have removed their magical collar and killed a Pack Master in the process.”
“And I don’t know any other pirate captains who are females,” I replied.
She smirked. “I doubt you know any pirate captains other than yours truly at all.”
“And you’re no hero, is that what you’re saying?”
Her dark brows arched. “I believe that’s what you just said.”
This circular talk was getting us nowhere, and either she didn’t have any additional information about the City of the Seers, or she was not inclined to share it with me, so I stood to go.
As soon as I found my feet, there was a loud blast, and the ship shook hard enough to make me stumble and grip the edge of the captain’s desk in order to maintain my stance. This was followed by shouts and curses from above.
