Chapter Seven
Farah
The sun had shifted to near the center of the sky, signaling that around five hours had passed since the Parataxis left port.
Wandering over to a barrel by the stern of the ship, Farah fiddled with her embroidery kit.
The wooden hoop was supposed to be in the shape of a circle, though it had warped over time.
The pattern on the ivory fabric was marked in charcoal, a scene of a ship like this very one with the moon illuminating the sky above.
She settled onto the barrel letting her legs swing back and forth slightly as she worked.
Using a thin needle and some aqua-colored thread, Farah began to stitch a pattern into the cloth, starting with the waves of the sea.
It helped to calm her nerves and pass the time aboard the ship.
Calm waters and steady wind meant there was not much else she needed to do, especially aboard such a well-staffed vessel.
Quite honestly, she did not think the ship needed the majority of the crew it carried.
The captain wove them along the charted course with ease, never shouting orders for the sails’ trim, nor using a single spyglass or consulting her compass to determine they were in fact going the correct direction.
Distances that should have taken at least a day appeared to take them mere hours.
At this rate, they would enter the Hespali port in three days’ time.
It was as if Kire and the sea were one. And it was a beautiful sight to behold, even if the woman’s unusual demeanor terrified Farah.
“What are you making?” Kire’s voice came out of nowhere and Farah jumped up from her seat. The captain was just at the helm, she swore it, but now Kire stood beside her. “Apologies, Princess, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“How do you move so quickly?” Farah asked, gathering the materials she had accidentally flung into the air.
“Ah, that’s just the tricks of the sea. When you are out here with nothing but the vast unknown surrounding you, time can seem to move differently.” Her voice was still as melodic as when she first introduced herself. Captivating as a siren’s call.
“Tricks of the sea…right.” Farah bit her lower lip, wondering if she should pry further, but was distracted by a scene out of the corner of her eye.
On the opposing side of the ship, two of Kire’s crew were taking on a silver-haired wolf with a black stripe across its eyes.
The creature moved with preternatural speed, weaving in between the two men with ease.
It wasn’t much of a fight, if she were to be honest. There were no cuts along the wolf’s lean body, but there were several claw marks gauged into the men’s leathers and one had a slash across his eye.
“Does she do this often?” Farah turned toward the captain. “When you are out at sea.”
It reminded her of the time they sailed on The Nostos, coming back from rescuing Chloe’s brother from the dungeons of Alentus.
She was injured only a day before and yet still practiced fighting on the ship.
At the time it was infuriating. Farah had just braced her broken bones, and even though Chloe was a Grechi and healed quickly, it was not at the same rate as the elemental gods.
“It is her favorite thing to pass the time. Personally, I wouldn’t challenge her.” Kire laughed. “She’s never lost a match, not even to my toughest of men. They hate it, which is why they entertain her challenges so often. In hopes they will eventually win.”
For such an otherwise proper lady, Chloe had the skill of an elite soldier. Something compared to Commander Ajax of the former Spartanis. She could easily fight side by side with them all, yet chose to indulge in court politics instead.
“Do you think she would accept a challenge from me?”
Kire raised her brows and scratched the air in front of her. “You wish to be clawed?”
“I wish for her to speak to me. It seems like a perfectly good way to force that.”
“You two don’t speak, generally?” Kire questioned.
“Not about anything of substance. Not since I left her…” Farah trailed off.
“Left her? Like in the woods?”
“In bed. Not one of my finer moments.” Had Farah really just said that outloud? She had never told anyone of her tryst with the young wolf, not even Ajax knew and he was her closest confidant.
“I see. You should do it. Maybe it’ll cut some of that tension between you two. If anything, it will make for lovely entertainment for my crew.” Kire bowed in between more of her enchanting laughter.
“Shouldn’t you be sailing the ship right now, not taunting one of your guests?”
“Who’s to say I am not able to do both at the same time?” Kire pointed up at the helm of the ship where the wheel appeared to be held steady by nothing but the wind.
“That is quite the party trick,” Farah said, fascination at whatever power this woman held settling in her chest.
“As you said, I should be tending to the sails or something aboard this ship. Why don’t you scurry along and make nice with the princess over there.” Kire waved her along and Farah couldn’t help but agree.
When Farah turned her head back over her shoulder to say goodbye, the curious captain and her pale blue hair was nowhere to be seen.
Gods, she would not get used to that. Even as a spy, she did not move so effortlessly or quietly as Kire.
Maybe the captain was no pirate at all, but a trained assassin from the shores of Anatole, hired by Chloe’s father to watch the princess on her travels.
Striding over to where Chloe fought two new opponents, Farah tried to memorize any of the wolf’s typical tactics.
There was certainly a grace about her, but her moves were not the same dance-like routine as her two older brothers.
Chloe was spontaneous rather than calculated.
She fed off what her opponents were doing, keeping in step with every move they made until one of them faltered.
It was as if she could read every motion they went through before it even happened.
Her skill was stunning.
But Farah was better.
The wolf shifted back to her human form, panting with sweat dripping down her face and staining the back of her thin white tunic.
“Who is next?” she beckoned to the crowd.
No one answered. The crew was finished getting their asses whopped it seemed.
“Really? No takers? I won’t bite, I promise!” She chuckled.
“I’ll challenge you,” Farah called out, pulling herself right up next to Chloe.
Chloe’s back stiffened and she took a step away from Farah. “Better yet, let’s all take a break. Cards and ale later tonight?”
The crew all muttered in agreement, some taking off toward the galley below for water and some heading back to their duties on the deck of the ship.
“You are going to need to talk to me at some point, you know?” This was getting absurd.
The woman had barely said anything outside of normal pleasantries and a few warnings about her aunt and dresses.
“We need to show a united front and we can’t exactly do that if you look perturbed every time I come near. ”
Chloe wrinkled her nose and let out a scoff. “I do not look perturbed, though I’m fascinated you know such a big word, katáskopos.”
“An insult from a Kirassos…how original. I am serious. We need to talk about what happened between us eventually, clear the air. Make all of this less awkward.”
“Nothing happened between us.”
“Chloe—”
“I need to go. The men will be waiting.”
The young wolf stormed off, but not before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small glittering object. It was too tiny for Farah to see, but the way Chloe flipped it around in her palm before shaking her head and stomping down the stairs was peculiar.
And all Farah could think was at least she had tried.