11. Bryn
Bryn
“What… What was that for?” I peered up at Henrik’s firm jaw, those dark eyes glistening.
“I don’t like loose ends.”
There definitely wouldn’t be any of those now. Rocks continued tumbling into the cove under the light of the moon. I highly doubted anyone had survived that explosion. It would take a miracle.
Henrik reached into his coat and pulled out the maps we’d stolen. Raising them above his head, he turned to the crew and shouted, “Victory is ours tonight!”
Celebrations rang out with cheers and hurrahs filling the night sky beside the twinkling stars.
“A long time coming!”
“Finally!”
“Ale all around!”
“To the captain and his thief!”
A blush crept across my cheeks, and my initial instinct told me to curl into a ball and hide…
Or jump back into my closet on the lower levels.
I’d never been included in such a venture.
Never been praised for my antics aside from the praise I gave myself.
In fact, I hadn’t worked with a team in a very long time and for good reason: People caused pain. Gold didn’t.
But this. This felt different. It felt happy somehow and like I was part of something bigger than myself.
“Well done, little thief.” Henrik appeared beside me again having done his victory lap.
“You were the one who blew apart the castle.”
“Yes, but we wouldn’t have got the schematics and maps if it hadn’t been for you.
We’ve been planning this raid for a very long time but didn’t have the skill set to pull it off.
With you as part of our team, we’ve been able to.
Do you know how many whales we can save and protect with this information? ”
I shook my head, overwhelmed by the praise, especially coming from him.
“Dozens. Dozens and dozens.” He smiled from ear to ear, an elated aura bubbling around him. I’d never seen him so unabashedly happy and overjoyed. It was charming and had something warming within my chest.
“Come.” He tugged on my arm and led me toward the stairs. “We’re celebrating.”
“How?”
“The best way pirates do.”
Someone clapped me on the shoulder, and I found one of the sailors who’d been at the Alta alehouse at my side. “With ale!”
A melee of crew members staggered and ambled downstairs and into the ship, dragging me with them like a seashell caught on the tide. The smell of sweat, brine, and ale washed around me, and I let the crowd take me to the mess room.
Large wooden benches flanked three long tables littered with lanterns, baskets of bread, and a few bowls of stew, but that was clearly not the main event. Tankards had been spread out and pitchers were handed between the sailors.
Henrik was swept up with another group on the left side of the room, while the men and women around me pulled me to the right.
I settled on one of the open benches and was quickly handed a full tankard that sloshed, sending ale over my hand.
Shame for it to go to waste. So, I licked up the spilled alcohol and vowed to enjoy myself even if this was wildly outside my usual celebrations—propping up a bar alone or counting my treasures at home.
The same sailor who’d clapped my shoulder sat down beside me. If memory served, and it usually did unless I was distracted by something shiny, his name was Dragin. Twin scars cut across the corner of his mouth, and an unkempt mop of brown hair tangled with his eyebrows.
“So,” he said and poured himself some ale, “where did you learn how to pick locks?”
“Prison.”
His eyes went wide. “Really?”
“No.”
“Sassy,” said a woman who plopped down across from us and yanked the pitcher out of Dragin’s hand. “No wonder Captain wanted you on the job.”
Heat filled my chest. “I doubt my mouth had anything to do with it.”
She chuckled. “Anyone who is willing to stand toe to toe with the captain and remain alive is someone worthy of remaining on this ship.”
Not sure how to handle that information, I took a huge gulp of ale. The liquid was warm against my throat, but perfect to quench my sudden thirst.
The woman matched my movements and set down her mug at the same time as me, adding, “Eira. Nice to finally meet you, Thief.”
“Call me Bryn.”
She raised her drink, and I clapped mine against it with a grin.
“So,” she started, “are you really the thief who stole a royal portrait from the palace in Copenhagen before it burned in 1794?”
“That I cannot confirm. Always a shame to lose art to fire, though.”
Eira nodded like she didn’t quite believe me and had seen said portrait hanging above the commode in my cabin’s outhouse. “How about the trove of silver that suddenly went missing from Stavanger harbor a few years ago? You wouldn’t happen to know where that ended up?”
“Harbormasters should exercise caution when hiring dockhands.” Those silver pieces currently adorned the side of my bathing tub. It had been a painstaking process trying to find the right adhesive, but I’d managed eventually.
“And the captain’s compass?” Dragin leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with delight. “That went missing recently too.”
“He should be more careful about where he leaves his things,” I said and brought my tankard to my lips to hide my smirk.
“I like you,” Eira said.
“You would be a great addition to the crew,” Dragin added.
I got the feeling that Eira and I, and perhaps Dragin too, could be good friends.
“Speech! Speech! Speech!” the crew shouted, growing more rowdy with every yell and drawing my attention from our table.
Lithe as a mountain cat, Henrik hopped onto the bench where he’d been seated, and with one hand holding the rafter above his head exposing the ropey muscles of his forearm, he raised his tankard.
The room fell quieter, awe and tipsy titters mixing with the anticipation of whatever the captain was about to say.
The man himself gazed around the room, taking in every person as if to thank them personally. Then he smiled. A full ray of sunshine, unabashedly happy, smile. If I hadn’t been sitting, the sight would have knocked me on my ass.
“To my dear crew of the Valur. Thank you for your patience, your hard work, and your magic. Thanks to you we have finally secured the charts we need to stop this senseless killing on our seas.”
Cheers rose anew, and the sailors beside me thumped their drinks against the table, ale and mead sloshing everywhere.
Henrik continued grinning and raised his free hand for another moment of silence. The masses obeyed, myself included. Then the captain’s gaze found mine.
“But we couldn’t have done this without the help of one particular person,” he said. “A person whose planning and creative expertise proved invaluable.”
Oh no. What was he doing?
“You’ve heard the great tales of missing treasure,” he continued. “You’ve seen her at work. Ladies and gentlemen, the Valur’s favorite thief—and only one who will ever leave this ship alive—Bryn!”
A new wave of cheers rang out and everyone turned to where I sat. Ale flew into the rafters and several people clapped me on the back. Henrik winked at me and then tipped his drink to his lips with a smirk.
I was going to have words with him about this.
But the attention felt… Unusually good. I’d never had such positive feedback from one of my heists.
They were usually lonely affairs with me tucking into bacon, bread, or a fine wine that I’d absconded with.
Celebrations for one and only one where I relished in the joy of a job well done and the light that bounced off whatever goodies I’d stolen refracting across the ceiling of my home or hideout.
Two of the kitchen maids appeared and handed out more food.
“Here.” Eira proffered a small bread roll. “To soak up the alcohol.”
I’d never say no to bread. Anyone who did was a fool in my book.
The top of my head tingled like I was being watched, and I peered around the room while keeping one ear on the swell of conversation around me.
Sailors laughed and jeered, others heaved helpings of stew into their mouths, and…
my eyes latched on to a pair of bright blue ones where the corners were crinkling and the lips below curved upward.
Henrik.
He continued watching me, challenging me with his stare, and brought his drink to his mouth, taking a lengthy swig. Something fluttered in my stomach, but I didn’t look away.
A sailor beside Henrik said something to him and the captain nodded but didn’t remove his gaze from mine. My skin tingled even more, and I curled my toes. How dare he have this effect on me? It was time to give it right back.
I set down my drink and reached up to my braid. Tugging on the leather tie, I unspooled it and let the white-blonde tresses fall over my shoulders and down my back. The room grew hotter, as did the look Henrik gave me.
Next I moved to the hidden pins, pulling them out and setting them aside to fully let my hair down.
Henrik swallowed hard.
Eira was right. I did like challenging him… and being challenged by him. However annoying he could be. There was something about his flirtatious behavior and dangerous confidence that settled within me like a toxin without an antidote.
“You all right there, Bryn?” Dragin asked, then burped.
“Fine,” I replied, still not removing my gaze from my target.
Henrik brushed his tongue across his top lip, shook his head, and got up.
With lithe steps, he sauntered across the room, accepting pats on the back and well wishes.
Then he appeared behind me, leaned down, and pressed his palm against the table, crowding against me.
His lips ghosted against the shell of my ear. “Come with me.”
A shiver ran down my spine.
“What for?”
“There’s only one way to find out, little thief.”
“Tease.”
“That makes two of us,” he replied, his tone so low I could feel it in my toes.
But I wanted to go with him. Wanted whatever this feeling, this heat and tension and coiling inside me to explode or dissipate. At my hands or his. I couldn’t stand it anymore.
I rose from the bench and followed him out of the mess and back to his quarters.
The cool air on the deck was a balm to my nerves but did nothing to lower my body temperature nor the nature of my thoughts.
If he was going to be that bold and flirtatious with me, I was going to throw that behavior right back at him. See how he liked being toyed with.
The door to his cabin bumped shut behind us, muffling the sound of the waves and the crew on the levels below. It was just the two of us, his shiny trinkets, and that comfortable bed.
“What do you want with me, Captain?”
He slowly pivoted on the spot and wiped his hand across his mouth while staring me up and down.
I swallowed hard at the attention but didn’t back down. “Tell me or I will go back out there and strike up a conversation with one of your crew. I’ve heard mixed messaging on Dragin, but he seems big enough for my liking. Do you think he could handle me?”
Henrik’s eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t dare.”
I took two steps forward, bringing us chest to chest. “Tell me what you want.”
Standing this close, he smelled of ale and salt and pine. He leaned down, pressed his forehead against mine, and whispered, “You.”