Chapter 9
Nine
“You’re telling me that the raccoon is a friend of yours?” Bonnie narrowed her one eye at Cali as she brought the cart to a slow stop. Even Seraphina had turned to appraise the stowaway, her head tilted.
Bramble had woken, stretched his small arms wide, and repositioned himself in Thrain’s beard. The dwarf didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he didn’t seem to mind.
“Friend might be an exaggeration, but he’s one of Lira’s cooking assistants at the tavern.”
The pirate glanced at the sleeping raccoon. “He helps in the kitchen?”
Cali had grown accustomed to a winged stoat who could make chai and scones, so it hadn’t struck her as odd that the raccoon also had kitchen skills. Since she didn’t know Bonnie’s thoughts on magic, she decided not to mention Crumpet—or Iris’s enchanted bookwyrms.
“He’s good at gathering berries,” the pantheri said, hoping that answer would satisfy the pirate’s curiosity.
Bonnie scrunched her lips to one side. “I’ve never had creatures on board The Cruel Mistress.”
“Not even a parrot?” Cali asked before she could think better of it.
Her lips flattened. “Not all pirates have parrots, you know.”
Despite her fondness for pirate romances, Cali had never encountered an actual pirate.
Most of her quests had taken place on dry land, and her few journeys onto the water had been pirate-free.
So far, Bonnie One-Eye, with her eye patch and red sash, wasn’t doing much to disabuse her of her preconceived ideas.
“You’re the first pirate I’ve met,” Cali admitted.
“Am I?” This seemed to please the woman. She held Cali’s gaze for a beat. “I suppose you’re the first pantheri archer I’ve met.”
Cali hiked a thumb in Thrain’s direction. “And the first man you’re allowing on your ship.”
“You’re right. Lots of firsts.” Bonnie slid her gaze to the raccoon again, sighed, and flicked the reins to urge the donkey forward. “Suppose one more won’t matter.”
Cali released a breath. She hadn’t known what she would have done if the pirate had forbidden Bramble from coming on board.
She didn’t have the heart to abandon a raccoon in Eldu.
Not only would she worry herself sick, but she suspected Crumpet would give her the indecipherable tongue-lashing of her life when he found out.
“He might be a help in the ship’s galley,” she suggested.
Bonnie snorted a laugh. “Not sure what Marvella will think about that, but I look forward to it.”
“Marvella?”
“Ship’s cook. Dwarf.”
Cali nodded but was suddenly glad Pip and Lira had given them so many pastries. She’d never known dwarves to be talented cooks or skilled bakers. Their fare fell squarely in the solid, hearty category, with little emphasis on sweets or pastry.
It’s a pirate ship, she reminded herself. You’re not there for the cuisine.
The cart ambled along the road, bumping over dusty ruts and passing more frequent farmhouses until Cali spotted the tops of houses and the curling spires of smoke from chimneys. Her pulse fluttered.
Until that moment, the prospect of boarding a pirate ship and crewing with a ship full of pirates had only been a fever dream. Now it was becoming a reality.
As the road evened out and the dirt gave way to muck-smeared cobblestones, Thrain jerked awake. Luckily, he didn’t sit up and send the raccoon tumbling off. Instead, he reached for his beard and patted Bramble.
“What’s this, eh?”
“A stowaway,” Bonnie said without looking behind her. “A friend of yours from home, from what I gather.”
Thrain picked up the raccoon with surprising gentleness and held him at arm’s length. “Bramble? Couldn’t pass up the chance to sail with real pirates, either?”
The raccoon rubbed his tiny black paws together and chattered. Cali had the distinct feeling that the creature had understood every word Thrain had said.
The dwarf harrumphed, as if he’d understood as well. “Whatever your reasons, there’s no turning back now.” He sat up and tucked Bramble into the crook of his elbow.
“True enough.” Bonnie rustled the reins to nudge the donkey to one side so another horse and cart could pass. “Allow me to welcome you all to Eldu.”
Cali twisted back around, her fur prickling as they clopped into the port town. Even if she hadn’t been able to hear the distant caw of seabirds, the pantheri would have known she was near the sea from the hint of salt on the breeze.
Unlike Wayside, which was small enough to travel from tip to tail in a matter of minutes, Eldu unfolded in all directions, with streets and alleys twisting away from the main road.
Residents bustled along, ducking into shops and calling out to each other from second and third-story windows.
And unlike the village they’d left, the rooftops of Eldu were gray slate instead of thatch, and not one was slicked with ice.
“Feels like we left winter behind,” Thrain said, as if reading Cali’s mind.
Bonnie nodded. “Eldu never seems to get much snow, and spring comes quicker to the coast.”
The dwarf sucked in a raspy breath. “You won’t hear me complaining.”
Bonnie stole a quick glance at him. “Aren’t you from the Ice Lands?”
“Doesn’t mean I like to freeze my bits off,” he grumbled. “You won’t hear me grousing about an early thaw.”
Cali made no argument. She might have fur to keep warm, but she loved nothing more than to stretch out in the sun.
Bonnie steered their cart down a street that was buffeted by tall stone buildings, all the while the sounds of the docks grew louder. Even over the buzz of the town, it was impossible to miss the insistent slap of the water against the pylons and the snap of the sails.
The end of the street spat them out onto a wide avenue that fronted the docks.
Cali snatched a quick breath at the sight of the sea, her gaze swiftly focusing on the ships that were tethered to the shore with thick rope.
Dock workers—mostly orcs and trolls with a few thick-necked humans—heaved cargo from ships into waiting carts while others hauled supplies up narrow gangways.
She wondered which of the massive ships was The Cruel Mistress as they rolled along the dock and attracted a few startled looks.
Clearly, the port workers knew Bonnie and her master-at-arms well enough to shuffle out of the way and give their donkey and cart a wide berth.
They passed several smaller ships Cali knew couldn’t belong to a pirate, and she decided that the gleaming vessel with red sails looked far too civilized to house pirates.
When Bonnie’s spine straightened, and she jangled the reins to quicken the donkey, Cali followed the woman’s gaze. Her jaw dropped as Thrain leaned forward, his head poking between them.
“Grognick’s beard,” he said under his breath. “Have you ever seen a ship like that before?”
Cali swallowed and mutely stared at the ship looming ahead of them. She hadn’t.