Chapter 10
Ten
“That’s the last of it.” Thrain handed a bottle of apple brandy to a halfling pirate with spiky blonde hair and patchwork pants.
The woman grunted and strode up the wooden ramp leading to the ship where Bonnie already stood talking to another pirate, who appeared to be at least part orc.
Cali stood next to Thrain, hesitant to board the ship for reasons she couldn’t quite put into words.
It wasn’t just that The Cruel Mistress was the largest ship on the dock, or that the carved mermaid protruding from the prow was both terrifying and beautiful, her tendrils of long red hair stretching behind her like tentacles lashed to the hull.
Colors swirled across the hull from bow to stern, vibrant at the top and becoming paler as they seeped toward the waterline.
Even the sails were color-soaked, and the only skull and crossbones was emblazoned on a hot pink flag flying at the top of the center mast.
This was what Sass had meant about the ship being distinctive. Cali supposed Bonnie preferred to announce her crew’s presence instead of sneaking into a place, because there would be no sneaking anywhere on a ship as unforgettable as The Cruel Mistress.
She shifted her gaze to the dwarf, who was piling pastry bags into his arms and practically covering Bramble. “You don’t trust the crew to bring those on board?”
“Not on your life,” Thrain said in a low voice. “Who knows what the food situation will be there? I’ve never heard anyone say pirates can cook.”
Cali decided not to tell him that the cook was a dwarf. Let that be a surprise, she thought.
Hitching her satchel onto her shoulder, Cali took a breath and strode up the ramp. It looked like the crew was preparing for their departure now that their captain was back, and the pantheri didn’t want to be left behind.
She jumped from the ramp and landed in a crouch.
Like the hull of the ship, vivid color drenched the deck, and the pale green plank she’d landed on seemed to shimmer beneath Cali’s boots.
When she heard grunts behind her, she turned and helped Thrain board the ship before he splattered the paper bags of pastries and the raccoon all over the polished deck.
Murmurs followed Thrain’s arrival, along with enough sharp looks to make the pantheri second-guess bringing him. Not that she’d been given much choice.
But before she could weigh the chances of the dwarf being tossed overboard, he flashed the women on deck a wide smile. “Can I interest anyone in a teacake?”
That seemed to do it. The scowls turned curious, and once he’d opened the bags and started passing out the sweet treats, the female crew was welcoming him with hearty pats on the back as they ate.
So much for Thrain saving the goodies in case the food wasn’t up to snuff, although she had to admire his instinct for survival.
Better to be hungry than have a ship full of females out to get you.
Maybe the dwarf would be an asset after all.
Bonnie approached them as the orc pirate headed for the captain’s wheel. “Smart move bribing my crew with food. Just don’t let Marvella catch you.”
Thrain’s brow wrinkled, but the captain didn’t elaborate on who Marvella was. Instead, she put a hand on each of their shoulders and cleared her throat.
“We have two guests—Cali and Thrain—who are joining us temporarily to help track down the hellkins who stole our jolly boat. I hope you’ll show them the hospitality that The Cruel Mistress is famous for far and wide.”
The pirate captain’s hand slid from Cali’s shoulder to the small of her back, and the pantheri’s breath quickened. She forced herself to look straight ahead, even as the warmth of the woman’s hand seeped through her vest and fur.
“Three guests,” Thrain said, tugging Bramble’s head from the inside of a paper bag.
“Apologies,” Bonnie said. “The raccoon is also a guest.”
“Bramble,” Cali added, her voice crackling. “In case you wanted to call him by name. He does answer to it.”
Bramble raised his black hands and opened and closed them a few times, as if waving hello.
Even the thick-necked woman heaving heavy rope and the sailor swabbing the deck, who appeared to be part goblin, emitted sighs.
Maybe Bramble stowing aboard wouldn’t be the worst thing.
Between his adorable waves and Thrain’s offering of teacakes, she might be the least popular new member of the crew.
“All right,” Bonnie called out. “Let’s prepare to set sail.”
The crew snapped into action, with a purple-haired gnome scampering up the center mast while the orc Cali assumed was the ship’s quartermaster directed sailors to cast off the last of the ropes.
Cali and Thrain both stepped back to be out of the way, but it wasn’t until they were easing away from Eldu that Bonnie beckoned them.
“Let’s get you situated,” she said, but Cali suspected she also wanted them out of the way as the crew hurried around deck raising sails and swinging booms.
Bonnie led them through a door beneath the quarterdeck and down a set of steep stairs that creaked under Thrain’s weight.
Although the lighting was dimmer as they descended, Cali noticed that even the stairs boasted vivid swirls of color that had only marginally faded in the center where footfall had buffed them smooth.
Below, the ship smelled less of salt water and more of tallow, tar, and the memory of yeast.
“We don’t have much in the way of accommodations, but there’s one spare cabin.” She opened a door at the end of the corridor. “I guessed you two—sorry, three—wouldn’t mind sharing.”
Cali swallowed a groan. She had no problem sharing with Thrain because he was male or a dwarf. She did wonder how she was going to sleep through his snoring.
Thrain stuck his head into the narrow room outfitted with two hammocks that were already swaying from the motion of the ship. “I’ve never slept in one of those before.” He clapped Cali on the back. “This is going to be fun, eh, Cal?”
“Fun,” Cali repeated, with significantly less enthusiasm.
Bramble leapt from the dwarf’s arms and landed in one of the hammocks, his tiny hands gripping the rope for balance as he swung.
Thrain chuckled, resting his hands on his belly. “The wee lad already loves it.”
Then he edged into the room sideways and slung his pack onto the lower hammock. “You don’t mind if I take the bottom, do you?” He eyed the higher hammock. “Don’t know if I can get myself into that one.”
The thought of the heavyset, snoring dwarf sleeping above her wasn’t the least appealing thing she could imagine, but it was close. “I don’t mind at all. I’ll take the top.”
Cali caught Bonnie grinning, and when the captain’s smile turned into a laugh, she couldn’t help but join in.
“If it becomes too crowded in here,” Bonnie said so only Cali could hear her, “I can always arrange alternate accommodations.”
Then she winked and was gone, leaving the pantheri to wonder what she’d meant by that wink.