Vengeance of the Pirate Queen (Daughter of the Pirate King #3)

Chapter 2

THE SEA brEEZE IS warm against my skin as the ship lowers anchor just off the tropical shores of Queen’s Keep, an island gifted to the pirate queen by her siren mother. Initially, Alosa had wanted to name the island Alosa Island.

“I’m the queen. Why not name it after me?” she asked.

“Makes you sound just a tad conceited,” Niridia, her first mate, answered.

“Whatever. If a man named an island after himself, no one would bat an eyelash.”

“You’re not a man.”

“No, I’m far better.”

“Which means you’re too good to name an island after yourself.”

Alosa glared at her.

“Why not something more subtle?” Mandsy, Alosa’s best healer, offered. “Like Queen’s Keep?”

Alosa grimaced as though she tasted something sour in her mouth before turning to me. “What do you think?”

“Name it Queen’s Keep.”

“Ugh. Fine.”

I’m rowed to shore in a dinghy by a blessedly silent party. When I step foot on the beach, a gun fires somewhere in the distance.

It’s not necessarily a sign of danger. Someone could be at the firing range. Still, my instincts beg me to check it out, so I make my way toward where the sound originated. Palm trees line the sandy shores, but a well-worn path leads to the island’s center, where Alosa is still in the process of having her stronghold constructed. Builders are hard at work, hammering and sawing. I pass them by and hear another shot fired, this one followed by a whimper, and I pick up my pace.

When I arrive at the firing range, a peculiar sight greets me. There’s a man tied to a dummy some twenty paces off from where Alosa and Riden stand. A crowd has gathered, and I push through it to get myself a better view.

The queen cocks back the hammer of her pistol, takes aim, and fires. A bit of straw just above the man’s right shoulder explodes, raining down upon him. He shrinks away from it.

“That was the closest yet,” Alosa taunts, turning to Riden.

The smile he gives her makes her own grow, and I refrain from frowning. I liked Alosa better before she had a consort. Now she’s all dove eyes and too much laughter, and I have to put up with Riden at all hours of the day.

The pirate tasked with reloading their weapons hands him his pistol. Riden doesn’t take his eyes off Alosa as he extends his arm and fires.

The hat upon the restrained man’s head blows off, and the crowd applauds.

“Are you ready to talk yet?” Alosa calls out to him. “Or are you going to let me win this wager first?”

The captive rolls his lips under his teeth to keep his mouth firmly closed, and Alosa is thrilled. She accepts another pistol, puts her back to the target, and rests the gun atop her shoulder.

“Wait!” the man calls out. “All right, all right. It was Draxen. Draxen sent me to kidnap his brother and—”

Alosa fires, and the crowd gasps as the shot skims the fabric of the man’s collar, not even an inch from his neck. He faints from the ordeal, and Alosa doesn’t bother to turn around to see if she missed or not. She’s simply that good of a shot.

“Show-off,” Riden says to her.

“Don’t be a bad sport just because you lost. Now,” Alosa says, turning to the crowd, “who’s next?”

No, not to the crowd. To the line of men and women bound with rope at the forefront, being guarded by the crowd.

Alosa approaches them, blowing the smoke from her gun as she does so. “You all came in on the ship bearing the newest recruits. This man was among you, and he was caught in Riden’s rooms.” Alosa gestures with her thumb over her shoulder to the one serving as her target. “Draxen’s far too obsessed with overkill to send only one man to do his dirty work, so who wants to offer themselves up willingly? Now’s the time. I’m in a good mood after winning that wager.”

Not a soul says a word, and I know exactly what’s to come next.

The queen starts singing.

To hear Alosa sing is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It has no effect on me because I’m female, but it’s still achingly beautiful. There are no discernible words in the melody, as far as I can tell, but the first man with his wrists and ankles bound says, “No.”

The second says, “No.”

The third, “Yes.”

Riden steps forward and separates the man from everyone else.

On and on Alosa goes, singing down the line, rooting out the spies from her midst with just a few sung notes. Men under her spell have to tell the truth. They have to do exactly as she says. They are completely powerless to her will. And though it makes her terrifying, I have never once seen her abuse this power for her own purposes. Alosa keeps herself and those who serve her safe. Nothing more. Nothing less.

She is a queen I am proud to serve.

I catch a brief movement at the end of the line. A moment later, one of the pirates runs free, having cut his bonds with something he managed to keep hidden. Alosa could easily stop him with her voice. Instead, she gives Riden one look.

He takes after the escapee while she finishes her work, skipping the two females in the lineup. She’ll probably save them for me to question later. I have ways of getting information out of people without uttering a single word.

Another pirate tries to beat Riden to the running traitor. Instead, he’s disarmed and gives a weapon to the man fleeing.

That had better be a recent recruit. How green do you have to be to lose your weapon to someone without one?

Riden’s faster. The queen’s consort can run and fight, which is part of the reason he’s so insufferable. The man is cocky. He has lots to be proud of.

I have far more respect for those who know their skills and keep them to themselves.

Eventually, the running man has no choice but to turn and fight or be struck down by Riden from behind. They face off, steel against steel, while Alosa finishes her lineup.

That’s when she notices me hiding in the crowd.

“Sorinda, you’re back!”

“Just now. Heard the shots and came to investigate.”

Alosa puts her arm around me as she leads me away from the others. Her women are already carrying off the traitors and the two women for questioning. The others are being released. We walk past where Riden is still engaged in battle.

“First time we’ve had a breach on the island. And who’s behind it? Not the land king. No, Ladell is far too stupid for that. It’s whiny, useless, blasted Draxen. The perpetual thorn in my side. Riden, stop toying with him. You’re not even breaking a sweat.”

“He broke free of his bonds. Least I could do was let him feel like he had a fighting chance.”

“Just put him with the others. Will you oversee the prisoners while I decide what to do with them?”

In a quick move, Riden kicks the man’s feet out from under him, steps on the hand holding his weapon, and puts his cutlass to his throat.

“Will do, love.”

Alosa fights a grin as she leans forward and whispers something into Riden’s ear. He nods once, never taking his eyes off the threat below him. Then Alosa Kalligan, Queen of Pirates, leads me into her office—one of the few rooms actually completed in the stronghold.

“How did it go?” she asks me, and I know immediately what we’re talking about.

“He’s dead.”

“Did he know it was me who sent you?”

“He knew.”

“Good. No complications?”

I shrug. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

Thankfully, my limp is gone, and the few scrapes I acquired have healed well enough in the month it’s taken me to travel to the keep from the Seventeen Isles.

Alosa gestures to the chair on the opposite side of her desk, inviting me to sit.

“How are you doing?” she asks.

This is one of the things I love about Alosa. She genuinely cares about everyone in her crew and likes to ensure their well-being, whether physical or emotional.

“I’m fine,” I answer. I always am. Just fine. Never better. Never worse.

Holding on. Staying steady as long as I can keep busy.

She says nothing in return, likely hoping I’ll offer just a morsel of information more.

“I’m sleeping better,” I say because it will make her happy. It’s not really a lie. I slept much longer each night while my body was healing.

“That’s good.”

“And you?” I ask, desperately trying to get the attention off me.

She purses her lips. “Busy.”

“Are you saying that running a piratical empire is taxing?”

At that, she smiles. Her eyes are mostly green after all the siren song she used today, and she wears a magenta corset that looks stunning with her red hair.

“There are so many things that need my attention. The fortifications we’re erecting here, for one. Then there’s the constant monitoring of the money coming in and out of the keep. Teniri is happier than ever, counting and recounting the gold. I’m building new relationships with my father’s old clients, so all who wish to cross the sea pay me my dues. Don’t even get me started on the enemies I have to monitor to ensure no one gets any stupid ideas.”

“Is being queen not as wonderful as you thought it’d be?” I ask.

Her smile grows wider. “It’s even more wonderful than I could have imagined. I’m only complaining about the bad things. It’s the trade-off for the wealth, respect, notoriety, and fun I get to have.”

“Speaking of fun, do you have a new assignment for me?” I ask. “Perhaps some prisoners to question?”

“You just got back!”

“I like to stay busy, and you have a lot of enemies, remember?”

“I know. I just miss you when you’re gone.”

My lips twitch, but I can’t find the words to reciprocate her sincerity. I’m not one for sharing feelings or making lengthy statements when a few words will do the job. Besides, Alosa already knows how much I value our friendship. And Mandsy is usually around to express enough love for five people.

Alosa says, “If you’re sure …” She pauses, as though thinking something over. “Do you know what I hate the most?”

“Men who don’t do what they’re told?”

“Yes, but after that?”

I shake my head once.

“Delegating.”

“Delegating,” I deadpan.

“I like being in charge, but I also like seeing things done myself. But now? I don’t have time to do everything, so I have to delegate.”

“Isn’t that the purpose of having lackeys?”

“Is that how you think of yourself?”

“Hardly. Lackeys are replaceable.”

“You certainly are not.”

“What do you not want to delegate?” I ask, getting us back on track.

She rises, as though she can’t stand sitting a second longer. Her boots clip on the floor as she begins to pace. They look new, not a scuff on them, but that could just be because Alosa takes excellent care of her things. “I have a situation.”

“Tell me.”

“You know how I like to keep eyes on the land king?”

“Of course.” He’s been wanting to dismantle the pirate monarchy since he took his throne.

“I had six girls undercover on one of his excavating vessels.”

“Why? I thought you only bothered to have someone in his court?”

“This voyage was different. Ladell sent out a larger crew than usual. There was lots of fighting power aboard the ship, too. Harpoons, enough muskets and pistols to outfit an entire army, cannons that could be transported onto land. He anticipated finding something dangerous. I wanted to know what it was.”

“And?”

“They’ve been gone over three months. I’ve heard no word for the last two. The ship seems to have vanished into thin air.”

“You need someone to find it.”

“I do.” She looks at me pointedly.

At first, I assume she’s joking. Alosa is prone to sarcasm (something I’ve picked up from her). I’m not who you send to save people. I’m the complete opposite of that—an assassin among pirates. But Alosa keeps staring at me, and I realize she genuinely means to ask me to do this.

“Why me? Why not send Niridia?”

“Niridia is already on a mission for me.”

I raise a brow.

Alosa growls one word. “Draxen.”

Alosa loves Riden Allemos more than anything else in the world. Unfortunately, he has the most despicable human being for a brother.

“That was fast,” I say. She’d only just gotten the man tied to the firing dummy to admit who sent him.

“I dispatched her before this little temper tantrum of Draxen’s today. I’ve always known he contests my rule and wishes to set himself up as the king of pirates.”

“Boy doesn’t know when to quit.”

“Indeed not.”

“Why not send me after Draxen and Niridia after the missing girls?”

Alosa sighs wistfully. “I’m not allowed to kill Draxen. For some unfathomable reason, Riden still has a fondness for him. Since I care about Riden, I’m forced to allow that scum of a man to walk the world. Hence, I sent Niridia.”

“Mandsy?” I ask.

“Is with Niridia. I thought he might be a two-woman job.”

“Wise,” I say.

“Thank you.”

Silence fills the room.

“Sorinda, you’re the only other person I can trust with something this important. I know it’s outside your usual duties, but would you please consider it? For me?”

I cannot believe she even has to ask. I would do anything for Alosa. She found me when I was at my darkest. She gave me a purpose. Gave me a family again. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for her.

“I’ll do it.”

She must hear me clearly, but she doesn’t relax yet. In fact, she looks even more on edge now.

“What is it?” I ask.

“You will be sailing into uncharted waters.”

“I gathered that. I’m not afraid.”

“I know you’re not. But for that kind of voyage, you’ll need a seasoned helmsman….”

She lets her words trail off, allowing me to come to my own conclusions.

And, oh, do I. I know exactly who she means.

My blood heats, the desire to kill seems to prod at my very skin, and I can’t help the frown that takes over my face.

“I know, I know,” Alosa says, holding her hands up defensively. “I really do know how much you hate him, but he’s the best I’ve got. I can’t give those girls anything less than that. If there’s any hope of finding them at all, Kearan will manage it.”

“He stares at me.”

“You’re lovely,” she says, as though it’s meant to be some sort of compliment.

“He tries to speak to me.”

“You’re a fine conversationalist.”

“He wants me, Alosa.”

She taps her foot on the ground twice, but she doesn’t back down from my stare. “Yeah, probably.”

“ Definitely ,” I stress. “He cleaned himself up. He stopped drinking. He started exercising. He changed , Alosa.”

“Those are good things,” she points out.

“Not if he thinks those changes entitle him to me . I’m not some sort of reward for good behavior.”

At that, Alosa straightens. “Has he laid a finger on you?”

“No.”

“Has he made any suggestive or lewd comments?”

“No.”

“Do you have any reason to believe you’re in any sort of danger from him?”

I pause, giving the words serious thought. “No.”

She cocks her head to one side. “Then what’s the problem?”

I finally drop my carefully composed features. I never can seem to manage my stoicism long around her. “I’m not like you, Alosa. I’m not used to men looking at me and wanting me. I like to hide. I like to be unseen. I don’t want people thinking about me at all. But Kearan? He sees me. He always seems to find where I’m hiding.”

Knocking comes at the door, but Alosa doesn’t move to open it. “It’s been over a year since he quit drinking on our trip to the Isla de Canta. Now that he’s been sober so long, he’s really come into his own.”

I just stare at her.

She shrugs. “He’s actually funny and smart and trustworthy. Besides, he likely doesn’t even think about you anymore. Out of sight, out of mind and all that.”

I don’t even blink.

She sighs. “Have you ever considered that maybe it’s time for you to stop hiding?”

The knock comes again, and Alosa leaves me to ponder that while she answers the door.

Stop hiding? Ludicrous. I’m an assassin. Hiding is what I do. It’s how I stay good at my job. I have to keep sharp if I’m to remain useful to Alosa.

She admits none other than Kearan into the room.

My walls go back up immediately.

When he sees me, he freezes, before a smile graces his lips. “You’re back.”

“Obviously,” I say.

He gives me a once-over, but there’s nothing heated in the gesture. It’s almost like he’s … looking for injuries. Either way, I look pointedly at Alosa. See?

“Kearan,” she says, succeeding in taking his gaze off me.

“You sent for me?” he asks, and I realize that must have been what Alosa whispered to Riden.

“I have a job for you. I’m assembling a crew led by Captain Sorinda Veshtas to find a missing ship, and I’d like you to be the sailing master for the voyage.”

There’s a pause in which I feel Kearan’s gaze shift to me briefly before resettling on Alosa. I don’t let a single muscle on my face twitch.

“If Captain Veshtas is amenable, I am happy to serve,” Kearan says.

Of course he’s happy to . I want to scowl, but I remain strong.

Alosa turns to me. “Are you amenable , Captain?”

I blink at her, let the silence fill the room until it grows to uncomfortable depths. Finally, I turn to Kearan. Stars, but he’s a big man. Wide enough for two men, tall enough to tower over everyone. His white skin bears a light tan from all the time in the sun, but he’s not handsome by any stretch of the word. Though he’s finally trimmed his hair and beard, his nose is large and has been broken too many times. His eyes are too far apart on his face.

It’s one of the few things I do like about him: the fact that he’s not handsome. He looks real , like a man hardened by life on the sea, though I would never admit that to anyone. Not even Alosa.

He wears a black coat that’s now just a size too big for him with his weight loss. Muscle has replaced most of the fat, and what fat is left looks good on him. Again, it makes him look real . The coat has dozens of pockets sewn onto it, which used to hold all his flasks of rum.

Those are now floating around in the ocean somewhere, thanks to me.

He’s not much older than me. Before I left to take care of Vordan, Enwen put together a surprise party to celebrate Kearan’s twentieth birthday (which he hated). I had my eighteenth birthday just last week overseas, which was nice. There was no one aboard the ship who knew me well enough to make a fuss.

Kearan doesn’t look away from my stare, which is impressive. There are few men who dare to hold my gaze. I can respect that, even knowing what I do about him.

“If you can follow orders, I have no problem with you joining the crew.” If I can pretend like he doesn’t get to me, then eventually he’ll grow bored and move on. It works on bullies, so why not enthusiastic men?

Kearan nods once. He asks, “What direction are we headed?”

“Northeast of the Seventeen Isles,” Alosa says. She reaches into one of the long drawers of her desk and withdraws a map. She unrolls it and points to the new markings that must indicate the missing ship’s course before it disappeared. “The Wanderer was meant to look for land in uncharted waters. Last I heard, she was here.” Alosa points to where the trail ends.

Kearan’s back goes ramrod straight.

“What is it?” Alosa asks him.

“I’ve sailed that way before.”

Alosa points to the chair I vacated at Kearan’s entrance. “Tell me everything.”

I take position in a corner of the room. Near the door, I’ll be able to hear if anyone tries to listen in, and I like to be the closest to the escape route. Habit of my youth.

“They called it a panaceum,” Kearan begins. “That’s what we were hired to search for. Didn’t matter if we found it or not; our employer promised us a fortune to sail that way and dig up what we could.”

“Your employer, who were they?” Alosa asks.

“Some rich heir who dreamed of fame. Said he came from a line of explorers, but he intended to be the one to actually find the panaceum.”

“Which is?”

“Utter rubbish if you ask me. The git said it was a mystical object that could heal any injury or sickness, no matter how fatal. It’s supposed to grant whoever possesses it immortality and immunity from death. Meaning you can’t kill ’em with a blade or anything.”

“I get the idea,” Alosa says.

“So we sailed northeast to search for this thing. Didn’t find anything but trouble. As the weather grew colder the farther we went, the sea started bubbling randomly. People would disappear from the ship in the middle of the night. Just vanish without a trace. All their belongings still aboard. Lifeboats still attached to the ship. It was strange.”

“What ended up happening?”

“Crew turned against our financial benefactor after the eighth person went missing. We flipped the ship around and didn’t look back.”

Alosa rubs at her forehead. “This all would have been helpful to know before I let half a dozen girls join the ranks of the land king’s vessel.”

“Had I known, I would have spoken up.”

“I know. It’s no one’s fault, but it doesn’t change the fact that those girls are missing.” Alosa looks to me.

“I said I’d look for them, and I meant it. I’m not afraid of Kearan’s ghost stories.”

“They’re not stories. This really happened,” Kearan insists.

“How drunk were you during this voyage?” My tone doesn’t change, but the words do their job.

He turns to me, his eyes hardening. “This was before I took to the bottle.”

Hmm. I assumed he came out of the womb with a bottle in his hand.

Alosa says, “I don’t leave anyone for dead. If there’s a chance they’re still alive, then I’m going to use all the resources I have to locate them. I’ll want weekly updates, Captain, on the well-being of you and the crew. Anything weird starts to happen, you let me know immediately.”

It’s still so strange to be called Captain . Alosa promoted me shortly after we dethroned her father, yet I never wanted my own ship or women to command. I haven’t bothered to hire a crew for my vessel, and I haven’t even laid eyes on the ship Alosa gifted me.

“Who will be sailing with me?” I ask. “Wallov?”

“No. Where Wallov goes, Roslyn follows. This is no voyage for her.”

I couldn’t agree more. The lass isn’t even eight yet.

“You’ll have a few familiar faces. Radita will serve as boatswain. Philoria and Bayla as gunwomen. Mostly, there will be many new women that you have yet to meet. Don’t worry. I won’t be sending anyone with you that I don’t trust. You’ll have a good crew.”

“Who’s to serve as first mate?”

“Her name is Dimella. You’ll like her, I promise.”

We’ll see about that. I don’t like very many people. “When do we sail?”

“As soon as the ship can be made ready. I’ve been having it stocked since I anticipated your return soon.”

“So sure I would say yes?” I ask with a smile.

“Not sure. Just hopeful. Thank you, Sorinda. I mean it. I really wish I could go with you.”

Realizing that Alosa needs some assurances of her own, I say, “Put it from your mind, Captain. I’ve got this. I will find them.”

She nods. “I know you will.” Then, as though remembering something, she reaches under the desk and pulls out a long, thin box. “Almost forgot. I have something for you.”

I step up to it slowly, doing my best to keep as much distance as possible from Kearan with him still sitting right in front of the desk.

“Go on. Open it,” Alosa encourages.

I find the latch at the front and pull on the lid.

What rests inside takes my breath away.

It’s a rapier. Long and slender, sharp as death. The knuckle guard shimmers, as though some sort of crushed gems were mixed in with the molten iron. The inner guards over the base of the blade have been shaped to look like ocean waves. When I reach for the grip, my hands brush leather so soft it could be mistaken for velvet. It’s impossibly light when I lift the sword. It blurs through the air when I test it out, moving as though it truly were an extension of my arm.

“You didn’t think I’d forgotten your birthday, now, did you?” Alosa asks.

I can’t find my voice right away. “Thank you.”

“Only the best for you.”

“It’s your birthday?” Kearan asks.

Alosa’s gaze snaps to him. “You’re dismissed, Kearan. Ready yourself for the voyage.”

He towers over the room when he stands. “Aye-aye.”

Alosa and I watch his back until he shuts the door behind himself.

She says, “Now, if I might be so bold as to offer you a bit of advice before you go to meet your crew?”

“Of course,” I say, still admiring my new weapon.

“I have no doubt that you will make a good captain, Sorinda, but try to remember that the crew will be looking to you always. Don’t be so quiet with them. Don’t hide all the time. Your presence will reassure them when times are hard. Your words of encouragement will embolden them. Remember how important it is for you to be seen and heard.”

I shift my gaze to Alosa. “I’m going to make a terrible captain.”

Alosa shakes her head. “We can do impossible things when others depend on us. You will make mistakes. There’s no getting around that. But you forgive yourself and do better next time. I’m certain that when it matters most, you will rise to the occasion.”

“You never made mistakes as a captain.”

Alosa laughs. “Sailing in my father’s fleet wasn’t a mistake? Or how about the time I put my entire crew in danger by rescuing my mother? Or what about when Lotiya died because I insisted we stop on an unknown island for a new mast? Or what about when I got Deros killed because I didn’t answer my father’s questions quickly enough?”

I say nothing in response.

“Guilt is healthy when it makes us do better, but don’t let it consume you.”