Chapter 31 #2
As he spins he launches a bunch of rosemary towards me. I duck just before it hits me square in the face.
“Sorry Cap!” He blurts, cheeks red as he drops the knife with a clatter against the wooden chopping board. “You caught me off guard.”
I can’t help but chuckle as he fetches the discarded herb. “It’s alright. How’s the lunch prep?”
His eyes brighten, and I know I’m in for a wild ride.
“Well, I was just thinking about how good this fresh rosemary is that I got from town yesterday. It just makes everything taste earthier you know? Like, if you put it on roasted meat it adds so much flavour, especially lamb, but if you mix it with oil like this, it’s almost like—like a sauce right?
And I can’t decide if I want more herbs on the meat or the vegetables or both.
Maybe just the carrots, see them? Look at their blackened edges, that’s the best bit, like crunchy sweet, and the chicken smells mouthwatering—oh!
” He snatches another bowl with some sort of gravy in it, sniffs it and then holds it out to me.
“This is going to be so good! You hungry? Of course you’re hungry.
Everyone’s hungry. I’ve been hungry since breakfast.”
Otto finally stops to breathe and I smile.
“Lunch is going to be amazing as always”
He grins at me, his skeleton hand earring dangling off his right lobe. “Did ya need something?”
I gesture towards one of the stools at the table. “Can we sit for a moment?”
His brow pinches. “Sure, Cap.”
We sit at the table, and I take in a breath, trying to steady my mind. I have no idea how he’s going to take the news, and I’d really rather not tell him, but what other choice do I have?
“Is everything okay, Rune?” he asks softly.
I hold his gaze, and sigh. “It’s Odi.”
Concern washes over him. “Is she alright? If she’s caught that cough I can—”
I shake my head. “She’s healthy, Otto . . . she’s Ivor’s daughter. Nisse.”
The colour slowly drains from his face, and I prepare myself for whatever curses or accusations he wants to throw my way.
Then, his features soften, in a way that makes him look heartbroken. He shakes his head, voice dropping low. “Vicious seas . . . can you imagine? Growin’ up with that bastard for a father?” He lets out a shaky laugh, but there’s no humour in it, just the edge of something sour. “Must’ve been hell.”
It takes a second for his words to register. I furrow my brow, and I shake my head ever so slightly in disbelief. I expected anger, or disgust . . . possibly both? I wouldn’t have blamed him either.
The breath stuck in my chest finally breaks free. I thought he’d hate me for knowing the truth, or turn on me like Tavi and Elio still might, but instead there’s pity in his voice. Pity and worse—understanding.
“Did you hear what I said, Otto? Odelia is Captain Ivor’s daughter.”
“I heard.” He lifts a hand to his chest, reaching for the scar under his collared shirt. “No wonder she seems happier here.”
My jaw tightens and my chest officially aches as I sit and view the boy before me, because let’s be honest—that’s exactly what he is, but in this moment, something shifts.
In a blink, the boy is gone, and what sits before me is a man, acting like someone who’s lived a thousand lifetimes.
A man offering kindness to those who least deserve it.
It hits harder than any blade could.
“So . . . you’re alright?” I ask softly.
His big, blue eyes crinkle at the edges. “Of course! I’ll get her extra vegetables tonight. She seems to like those best.”
Before I can reply, he’s out of the chair, shaggy brown hair billowing around him as he races to stir the stew on the fire. I rise from the table, heading for the door, turning to watch him in his element.
I hate to admit it. But he’s right. Odi is happier here.
She’s different from the drowning thing I pulled from the sea that first day.
She’d claimed that it wasn’t her choice to be a Viper, that none would hire her if they knew who she was, that being alone meant safety, that her captain met every challenge with violent steel.
“I trust you too,” she’d whispered, voice shaking when she thought I wouldn’t hear.
Perhaps there were always small truths unearthing themselves from between the secrets she carried.
But I have to remember . . . it doesn’t matter now.
I was a means to an end. She’d used me. Lied to me when she had every single opportunity to confess.
And I’d slept with her . . . gods, I’d bared my soul to her.
And all that, to what may as well have been a stranger.
One who shared blood with a man that slaughtered indiscriminately.
She, herself, had slaughtered on his command. Again and again.
Some animals are born vicious. Like the sea. And the Ivor blood is tainted. Nothing can change that. It doesn’t matter what Odi wants or what life she thought she might lead.
Nisse. The ghost.
Otto might have forgiven her so easily, but I’m not sure I can. He’d only been a boy when he got that scar. His cheeks were rounder then, eyes wider. And I couldn’t protect him. But I will now.
“I suppose you’ll have to talk to Tavi, yeah?” Bear calls after me, ripping me from my thoughts.
I grip the door frame. “That’s where I’m headed next.”
He throws a grin over his shoulder towards me, and I can’t do anything but smile in return.
The sound of the crew grows louder as I head out on the deck. Elio is still stationed outside my room. He straightens as I approach. “How did he take the news?”
I sigh, leaning my shoulder against the wall as I look over the crew’s preparations. “Let’s just say he’s a better man than me.”
Elio drops his gaze to the ground, scuffing the front of his boot. “He’s always had a soft spot for strays.”
“Do you think Tavi will let me speak with her?” I murmur.
There is a good chance she won’t talk to me for a few days.
She’s the one who warned me after all. And like the stubborn ass that I am, I didn't listen. Tavi’s fierce when it comes to Otto—always has been.
She circles him like a hawk, ready to tear out the throat of anyone who so much as looks sideways at the boy.
And there’s no chance she’ll stand for him sharing space with Odi if Otto were to decide he doesn’t want her on this ship.
Elio’s hazel gaze finds me. “I can always say something if you like?”
I huff a laugh, though there is no joy in it. “Thanks, but taking the easy route was never my strength.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
It’s the right thing to do. I owe it to her. She loves Otto, me, and Elio. And I fear the moment Odelia becomes a threat, Tavi won’t hesitate to put her down to protect us. For better or worse, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure Odi makes it out alive, and then we can go our separate ways.
“Since I’ll likely be thrown overboard, I suppose I should plan to check the inktopus system.”
Elio grins and dips his head as he fishes in his trouser pocket. “Already did. Tossed the little guy a treat too. Those tentacles are quite grabby! I’d planned to tell you, but with everything going on, I thought it best to wait.” He hands a small letter to me.
The parchment crackles softly as I unfurl it, scanning the words on the surface.
The Sea Bane is hugging the coastline south. Sails low. Scaring off fishermen. I’d like to slap them all with a frozen fish. Killian.
With an eye roll, I leave Elio at the door, and search for Tavi. It only takes a few seconds to see her up on the foremast deck, staring out to sea. She doesn't flinch when I approach and lean my arms on the railing beside her. We stay in silence for a while, just being in each other’s company.
She talks first. “I told you there was something off about her.”
Her words bite, like those silver fish in the temple with their sharp teeth. I drag a hand through my hair as the wind dances around us. “You were right, and I should have listened. I’m sorry, Tav.”
Her emerald eyes flash, sharp as broken glass. “Captain Ivor’s daughter. By the stars, Rune . . . of all the people to bring aboard, of all the people you decide to . . . you chose her.”
“I know.” The words taste like chalk in my mouth. “And you’re not going to like this, but I’m going after the last key . . . with Odelia.”
Tavi exhales, closing her eyes briefly like she’s given up on the fight already. “Rune.”
“I have to, Tav.” I begin to pace. “We’re so close. We’ve lost too much. I can’t turn back now. Once we find the treasure I’ll drop her off at the nearest island . . . I promise.” I’m sure Odelia would demand nothing less.
“And what of Bear?” she asks pointedly. “How does he feel?”
I pass her twice before I answer. “I think he accepted her long before anyone else, and if he didn’t—his kindness overshadows any negative thoughts he might have about her.”
For a long moment she just stares at me, the only sound around us is the rigging above swaying in the wind.
“You know I’ll have to put her down if she so much as breathes wrong,” she mutters, lips pursed and eyes piercing like daggers.
There is no doubt in my mind that she’s telling the truth. And that’s what worries me. Because even though Odi betrayed me, I’d be a liar if I said she hadn’t curled into a space beside my heart. There’s no future with her now, but that doesn’t mean I want to see her dead.
“I know, but we’re not Vipers. We don’t kill for sport.”
Tavi sighs, turning back towards the sea. “You’re a damned fool, Rune. Don’t you dare go killing yourself . . . or Elio.”
A small smile creeps across my lips. Grateful that she hasn’t ripped my head off like my heart predicted she would.
My pacing stops. “Careful, Tav. Someone might think you love us.”
White wispy tendrils curl around her pointed ears as she glances sideways at me, her voice softer. “You I tolerate, but Elio . . . I’d drown without him.”
Those words earn her a look, my eyes widening with the admission.
She raises her brows as a silent warning, wild love swirling in her eyes. “You hear me?”
We all know who truly runs this ship. Tavi—fierce, loyal, and unyielding. She’s the heartbeat of this deck, the fire that keeps us moving. Truth is, we’d all be adrift without her.
I lean sideways and brush her shoulder with mine. “Yes, Cap.”