Chapter 2
Two
Well, that explained the eye patch.
There was a sharp inhalation of breath behind her, but when Cali turned she saw only Erindil fussing with Glen, who was edging closer and closer to the glasses of Rosie’s apple brandy on the bar.
“Bonnie One-Eye?” Sass almost dropped the buttermilk tartlet she’d snagged from the tray. “You’re Bonnie One-Eye?” She then flicked a gaze at the black eye patch and shook her head. “Forget I asked that.”
Bonnie’s mouth twitched. “You’ve heard of me?”
“Aye.” Sass moved closer to Val, her hip bumping the seated guardswoman’s shoulder. “I spent some time in Eldu before coming to Wayside. You can’t go near the docks without hearing about Bonnie One-Eye and the crew of The Cruel Mistress.”
Bonnie rested her chin on her steepled fingers, but the twitch of her lips showed amusement. “Don’t believe all the rumors.”
Sass spun on one heel and left in a flounce of burgundy skirt, leaving Cali to wonder exactly which rumors made the dwarf, who was usually so fearless, turn tail.
“I know the hellkin woman better than anyone here.” Vaskel threw a leg over the bench and sat next to Korl. “Although I’m not sure what I can tell you that might help. As far as I know, Marina is not a skilled sailor.”
Bonnie eyed Vaskel. “She and her hellkins knew enough to take my jolly boat and row her out of sight, but what I want to know is if she’s familiar with any of the island havens.”
“Island havens?” Lira asked. “Do you mean The Skittering Islands?”
Bonnie gave a brusque shake of her head. “There are more islands than what’s shown on the maps. Only pirates know of the islands that provide safe haven for outlaws, but it’s possible a band of hellkins could know of them as well. Especially if they’ve crewed with pirates before.”
Vaskel grunted. “It’s been decades since I crewed with Marina, but when I knew her, she was no pirate. She preferred her victims to be on land. That being said, I wouldn’t put it past her to know of outlaw havens.”
The pirate captain exchanged a glance with her master-at-arms. “That’s what I feared.
If this were any other escaped captive, I would limit my search to the ports, but a hellkin crew is a different matter.
” She took a final swig of her ale and stood.
“We’d better be on our way. I’m grateful for the information and assistance. ”
“You can’t be considering going back out in the storm,” Lira said, shooting a look over her shoulder at the frosted windows.
“Lira’s right.” Korl wrapped an arm around his new wife’s waist. “You should stay until the storm passes.”
The pirate opened her mouth to protest, but Seraphina cleared her throat. The blue hue of her scaled flesh was only now fading, and Cali suspected the nagine didn’t relish venturing back out into the frigid weather.
“We wouldn’t want to impose further,” Bonnie said, with an apologetic look to her master-at-arms.
Iris walked up and rested a hand on Vaskel’s shoulder. “You wouldn’t be imposing. Wayside welcomes everyone, and so does The Tusk & Tail.”
“It does.” Lira smiled as she gazed fondly around the great room. “It welcomed all of us.”
“Besides,” Iris continued, “the conditions are too bad for anyone to travel right now. If you wait until the storm breaks, Cali can ensure you get back to Eldu safely.”
Cali swung her head toward the apothecary, startled by the offer. “I can?”
Iris winked at her. A wink that she doubted anyone missed, although the pirates were the only ones who would be perplexed by it. Everyone else was well-acquainted with her fondness for pirate romance novels.
She stifled a groan and forced herself to smile at the apothecary. “I doubt the pirates require an escort.”
The pantheri fully expected the pirate captain to agree with her, but Bonnie slid her an amused grin. “It’s true I don’t require an escort back to Eldu, but I wouldn’t object to someone on board who can help provide insight into the hellkins I’m chasing.” She held Cali’s eyes. “Could that be you?”
The tip of Cali’s tail vibrated as she thought about what the pirate had just offered. Her on a pirate ship? Then she thought about what that truly meant. Living on a ship surrounded by water. Her ears flattened. No pantheri would welcome that.
Just as she was about to decline gracefully, she remembered her time with Marina and all their long conversations.
Most of what Marina had told her had, no doubt, been lies, but she felt she understood the hellkin.
She certainly understood what motivated her and what she desired.
Guilt still gnawed at the pantheri for letting herself be taken in by Marina, so anything she could do to prevent the hellkin from doing more harm, she should do. She would do.
“That could be me,” Cali said, prompting Lira and Vaskel to goggle at her.
“Cal—“ Vaskel started, but Cali held up one paw.
“It’s the least I can do after you saved me, Vask.” She flicked her gaze to Iris, then back to the hellkin. “Besides, you have things to do here.”
Bonnie put her hands on her waist, eyeing Cali up and down as if assessing her seaworthiness. Or perhaps her overall worthiness. After a few beats, she held out a hand. “Then let me be the first to welcome you to the crew of The Cruel Mistress.”