Chapter 1 #2
“Alister,” Naeem, her first in command, huffed when his feet found the deck. His dark-brown skin glistened with sweat, and he wiped the hairline of his short hair with the back of his hand. “Now aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?! How’d you find us?”
“Saw your ship, lad, as I was making my way to port.”
“So, you stumbled upon us?” The man gave a laugh, shaking his head with a toothy grin. He set his hands on his hips, his thin yet strong chest heaving slightly, as if he’d been one of the men helping row. “Isn’t that a miracle!”
Well, this wasn’t the kind of greeting Alister expected.
A fight maybe, but not this.
There was far too much lightness and humour in Naeem’s brown eyes, and it didn’t reflect the anger in Alister’s chest.
“Where’s Rosetta?” He made a show of clenching his fist in front of his torso. “Got a bone to pick with her about stealing my fucking supplies.”
Naeem’s eyes drifted over the men behind him, who had their swords drawn with looks of deadly intent on their faces. He also noticed the multiple pistols trained on him.
“Oh shit.” He raised his hands in surrender, understanding they weren’t here for a friendly visit.
Those who climbed over behind him raised their hands as well when they realised what was happening.
“Oh aye!” He turned his head towards Pierre, nodding in the direction of the hatch that would take them below. “Get the supplies. I’ll get the safe key off her.”
“Wait!” Naeem yelled, stepping forward with his hand outreached when they started to move. They all halted. “It’s not what it looks like!”
“Like hell it’s not!”
Alister brought his cutlass up to stop Naeem from taking another step. He pointed the tip so close to his torso, he could cut him in the chest with it if he moved even an inch closer.
“I don’t like betrayers and I don’t forgive people who steal from me!”
He’d already foolishly done it twice when she’d stolen his ship and then the locket. A third time was just a mockery. I should have known she was up to no good. That mistrust in her was always present, and he’d chosen to ignore it like a damn fool.
Naeem lifted his hands in surrender once more. “You don’t understand.”
“What’s there to understand? She could have met us and instead chose to bank here with our supplies.” He nodded his head towards the shore. “I’m guessing you’re all working to make a new mast.”
It was a difficult task, but not impossible.
With the supplies they had, they could afford to waste the time it would take to cut and shape a tree trunk, then fix it to the ship. It would make do until they were able to reach port – unless they had someone on board who could instruct them on how to do it properly.
“We were on our way to Glutten Valley after we figured out where we were. We’d been pushed around by the storm without our mast and were lost.”
“Like I care.”
Alister turned away from him with the intent to personally lead his men below deck. If Naeem wouldn’t tell him where she was, Rosetta would come for him when she boarded her ship. She would come screaming and stomping like an imp.
I can ‘chat’ with her then.
“We were mutinied!”
That made him pause.
He turned back around, squinting his good eye, and his lips thinned with suspicion. “A mutiny?”
That was an audacious lie.
“We lost nearly a fifth of our crew, Alister. We took so much damage during the storm.” He gestured towards the mast before bringing his hand back into the surrender position. “Just when we were secure enough to head towards your location, she was turned on.”
She’s not with Naeem. She also wasn’t the first one to climb onto the Laughing Siren to stop him.
Realisation hit just as a cold chill ran down his spine. Wait...
“Is she dead?” Alister asked in a choke, putting his cutlass away to show his men to stand down.
Had she been intending to come to him all along but truly hadn’t been able? Were they here because they were lost, because she was gone?
Why did a lance pierce his heart at the idea of her death? He was used to people around him dying. Hell, sometimes he was the wielder of the blade.
“No,” Naeem answered with a shake of his head.
Alister didn’t think he’d ever felt such a heavy wave of relief wash over him before. She’s alive.
“But she isn’t well,” he continued. “She’s gotten sick and hasn’t left her cabin.”
She’s ill? Many things could catch them on the seas: scurvy, pneumonia, a simple infection from a wound. He turned his head back to look at his men with a grim face.
“You lot,” he barked. “Go back to the Howling Death.”
A string of ‘ayes’ confirmed they understood as much as he did why he was standing down, why he was telling them to leave.
“She still could’ve sailed towards us afterwards, even with so few of you.” At least a mutiny was enough of a reason for her to anchor in haste. “I don’t care if she’s unwell. She could have put you in charge to command the crew.”
Despite not having much contact with Naeem, her first mate, Alister still had a deep respect for the man. He was just as formidable and loyal as Pierre and Derek, and with how much he’d aided Rosetta in the past, it was hard not to be inspired – even with how little he still knew.
Her plump, naturally defiant lips were constantly sealed with secrets, and he suspected half the words that came out of her mouth were lies to avoid spilling them.
He started heading towards the navigation room.
No one had been on board, or at least on the surface, to give any warning. It meant she was inside and hadn’t realised he’d come onto her ship.
“Alister, stop.” Naeem reached forward and grabbed him by the shoulder. “You can’t go in there.”
Turning so quickly it made the man stumble back, Alister pointed his finger at Naeem’s chest. Stabbing him with quick pokes, he forced Naeem to back up as he glared. He was only an inch or two shorter, nearly the same height as Pierre.
“You don’t get to tell me what to do, lad. Know your damn place.”
Naeem’s brows furrowed so deeply they created wrinkles across his forehead. “I’m following my captain’s orders. She’s told me to keep everyone out.”
“Oh aye, I bet.” Alister shook his head with a dark laugh, turning from him once more. “But I’m not her crew and I want to know what the hell happened.”
He needed to know the real reason why she’d beached her ship.
Naeem grabbed Alister’s shoulder once more to stop him.
Spinning back around, Alister punched the man so hard across the face he tripped back, spraying spittle, and he barely stopped himself from hitting the ground.
The teeth-gnashing look Alister gave him should have been enough of a warning not to touch him again.
“Fucking shit, man,” Naeem said while palming his mouth, wiping the blood welling on his lip. He stumbled like he was discombobulated. “We lost John!”
“Mr Smith?”
“Yes. She’s unwell and she’s dealing with that. I can tell you’re angry because you don’t know what’s happened, but she can’t handle you right now.”
Alister’s gaze fell to the side, his lips thinning once more. He slowly clenched both of his fists tightly. Shit. I leave her alone for five minutes and it’s chaos.
“She wants to be left alone. Leave her be.”
Alister snorted. “Good for her, but I’m still going in there. She shouldn’t get attached to her crew.”
“Have a heart, man!” Naeem yelled, coming forward to brazenly grab him by the front of his shirt. “You don’t know her like I do. I haven’t seen her this torn up in years, since before we left Luxor.”
The way his face screwed up tightly in anger was beseeching, like he was desperately trying to reach into an evil man in a vain attempt to find something good.
Naeem yanked him closer. “We’ve been through enough shit over the last few days. Give her a chance to get over this before you go in there with all your arrogant bullshit.”
Alister grabbed him around the wrist and twisted his arm back. Naeem caved beneath him, almost dropping to his knees at the pain. Alister contemplated snapping a bone but decided it wasn’t in anyone’s best interest, considering Naeem needed to man the helm at some point.
“That’s what I’m trying to do,” Alister bit out as he released him and headed up the stairs.
He had the courage to fight me. Alister still couldn’t believe he’d been grabbed by his shirt. Not many dared to do that to him these days.
When he opened the door to the navigation room, with its white walls and blue trim, he noticed the mess inside.
Nothing had been put back after the storm, which was odd considering she treasured this room and kept it immaculate.
Seeing it was empty, he crossed over to her sleeping cabin on the right.
He found her curled up on her bed, a blanket covering her all the way to the top of her head. Her boots were lying at the foot of the bed while her doublet coat was thrown over the end.
He eyed the hammock above, knowing she preferred it when she slept alone.
The smell of her, with just a hint of flowery gardenia perfume, invaded his nostrils, and a small sense of ease fluttered within him. It had been a week since he’d smelt it.
“I told you if you disturb me one more time, Naeem, I’ll shoot you in the head.
” The blanket moved back and a pistol waved in the air above her.
Then she gave a disgruntled sigh and let her arm dangle off the side of the bed, as though she didn’t have the strength to hold it up.
“But since you’re here, tell the chef to make me soup. ”
“Nay, lass, don’t know who your chef is.”
“Alister?” The blanket curled down more so she could peek over it while lying on her side. “Was wondering if you’d find us. Took you long enough.”
He noted her voice was raspy and her nose sounded stuffy. All he could see of her face were her blue eyes and freckle-covered forehead, and that arm hanging with the pistol, as though she’d been hugging it like a teddy bear before he’d walked in.