Lost at Sea book 1 Where There s a Will chapter 2
- 4 years ago
- 39
- 0
Belita stood at the Kestrel’s helm fighting the wheel with all her strength. The wind buffeted the torn sails and whipped the snapped ropes back and forth across the deck like angry serpents. Her ship was a wreck. The timbers were black with rot and full of broken holes. The storm pitched her back and forth and tossed plumes of water over her rails. Belita shouted orders, but her voice was drowned out by thunder. On the deck, her crew seemed like they were moving through water. They shambled slowly. Lightning flashed, lighting their rain-slicked pale bodies as they milled aimlessly. She could hear them screaming endlessly, crying for help, but she could not leave the wheel. All she could do was scream back, hoping someone could hear her.
Danica and Coleman North stood between the aftcastle stairs right below her, staring up with cloudy eyes and slack jaws. Their clothes were rotten and shredded. Danica’s eyes were swollen and red, nearly bursting from her skull. She reached upward toward her captain with broken fingers. The corners of Coleman’s mouth had split, widening his mouth in an infected grin. A black stinger rolled between his lips as he gurgled out his pleas for help.
Everywhere she looked her crew stared at her with white faces and red eyes. Lace. Stew. Colin. Will. Bella. Even Reeve. All of them. She knew they blamed her, and she knew they were right. Belita cried and apologized. The waves jolted the ship and wrenched the wheel from her grasp. It spun wildly. She tried to catch it, but only got her knuckles cracked by a whiling handle. It was too late. Another wave crashed and the ship listed suddenly. She watched in horror as bodies on the deck were swept overboard. The others clung to the masts and ropes, one by one, turning to stare at her with helpless blame. She held the railing for dear life and slumped to her knees, waiting for the sea to take them all.
A heavy hand gripped her shoulder.
She looked up into the rain, and saw a massive form. A shadowy, rune-scarred giant loomed over her. He was as tall as Reeve, though not as broad. He was naked, save for a pale mask. His manhood hung right in front of her eyes, limp but still shockingly large. At the end of the bulbous head was a carved ring of beached bone. Other white rings dotted his huge frame, piercing his nipples and ears. His skin was so dark that at first he looked like he was part of the rolling black storm behind him. His pale mask seemed to shift and move, like it was made from a dense fog that was continuously correcting itself as it tried to approximate a skull. A lightning flash lit up his body for a moment, revealing the bluish scars that covered his body. The larger ones, like the thick band of blue that wrapped his throat, looked like old wounds, but the rest were deliberate rows of strange glyphs. His skin looked like it was made from the darkened leather pages of an arcane tome.
“Enough of this,” a thundering voice growled. The firm demand didn’t come from behind the mask. It came from everywhere. It was the wind, the sea, the thunder.
“Oh gods no,” Belita whispered. “Please, not ye too.”
“Stand up,” the impossible voice rumbled through the clouds. The ship stopped rolling. The seas calmed in moments and the sky broke as if this man’s very presence cowed it.
“I’m dreaming,” she said to herself. “Alright. Good.” She took a deep breath and looked up at the monstrous shadow above her. “Is this really you?” Belita demanded. “Or am I just dreaming of ye too?”
The skull mask tilted. “Is there a difference?” the wind asked.
“Yes there’s a fucking difference! I don’t want ye here!” Belita shouted into the storm. “I don’t want ye to see me. Not like this.” She turned away from him, still huddled on the ground against the railing. Her heart sank further as she looked over the deck again, back to the accusing eyes of her twisted crew.
The man knelt, slid a powerful arm around her, and pulled her against his chest. “I am not afraid of your darkness,” that unsettling voice said through the waves and the wind.
“I am,” Belita said, turning her head away. “I thought I could handle the risks. The ... death. I can’t. I can’t look at them.”
“Look again,” his strange voice whispered through the creaking timbers of the ship.
She looked up. The sky was clearer and the rain calmed to a drizzle. Her crew was busy with shipwork. Lace was yelling at the riggers. Coleman was directing swabs to lower cargo into the hold. Will and Bella stood at the prow watching the horizon. Danica gave her a happy wave.
“You cannae do this,” she shook her head hopelessly. The sky darkened again. In the flashes of lightning her crew flickered between men and monsters. Coleman and his work crew moaned for help. Lace’s graceful climbing became a tangled slither of tentacles. Belita wiped the rain out of her eyes and shook her head angrily. “Ye weren’t there! Ye cannae change what happened!”
“I do not know what happened,” the man’s voice said through a soothing breeze. “But I do know that this is not it. Tell me the story.”
Belita leaned her head against the aftcastle railing and hated herself. “When I told ‘em what I was fixin’ tae try, two thirds of th’ old crew left. I don’t blame ‘em. They were obviously the smart ones. I wanted tae wait in Bastard’s Bay, tae hire on more an’ make sure we were full kitted, but I got intae a row with a kid who turned out tae be one of Old Man Teach’s whelps. We left port in a hurry with th’ crew at half strength. I promised th’ ones that stayed a bonus, and that we’d take on more along the way.”
She swallowed back the knot in her chest and continued. “We made it past one stop. One. I thought we got lucky in Barcola. Found a damn parade of good sailors willin’ tae risk the Drifts. At the time, it seemed like unbelievable luck. We left port with almost all the bunks full. There were crew enough tae work in shifts again. Things were settling out. Less’n a week later I took ‘em right into a grinder.”
“Grindylow, Sandy!” she said with a mirthless laugh, sounding like she still didn’t believe it herself. Her head listed against the railing. The more she talked, the less strength she had to hold herself up. She felt like the sky was pressing down on her. “We were attacked by Grindylow! They chased us right intae a storm, and kept coming. Twelve died in th’ fight. Two more by the next morning. Dozens of wounded. Two lost a leg, another an arm. Four have gut wounds and might not survive the week. Seventeen were nearly strangled, and I dinnae even know how many broken bones they ‘ave between ‘em all. It was a disaster.”
The big man didn’t move from where he knelt beside her. He just held her. No voice echoed from around her. He knew she wasn’t done.
“I wasn’t prepared. I got them killed. The ship is wrecked. We’re stranded,” she whispered. “It’s my fault.”
“I see,” the wind said.
“What, that’s all!” Belita snapped. Her grief turned to anger in an instant. The grey clouds above them flooded with crackling darkness. Lightning split the sky as she tried to wrench out of his embrace. “I got a quarter of the crew killed, and stranded the rest in a goddamn jungle, and you see?”
He held her tight. “What do you want?” the rolling thunder cracked all around them.
“I don’t know!” Belita snapped, squeezing her eyes shut. Her body went limp, the fight leaving her as fast as it had come... “I just ... I don’t want t’ do this anymore.”
“Escape,” the creaking ship said.
“Yes,” Belita said bitterly. “Tae run away and disappear. Like ye did.”
“Come to me then,” the man said, offering her his hand.
She swallowed back her tears and looked at his huge, scarred hand for a long time. There was a part of her that wanted to push him away, the same way she wanted to push everyone away, but she trusted him more than anyone. It was obviously a mistake to trust herself, so the best thing to do must be the opposite of what she wanted. She reached for him, and let him pull her to her feet.
As soon as her legs were under her, she lunged for him. She wrapped her arms around his thick waist and buried her face in his chest. In spite of the sudden rain, he felt warm.
She squeezed him as tightly as she could. “I’ve missed ye, Sandy. I missed ye so much.”
His arms engulfed her, and held her, letting his calm soak up her strife. His big hand gently stroked her head, and his calm, implaccable patience drained all the horror and guilt out of her. When she finally tilted her head up to look at him, the sky was clear and blue.
Now that she was standing and the shadows had cleared she looked at him more closely. She prodded him. “Ye feel ... smaller.”
The waves and wind somehow managed to sound exasperated. “I have eaten nothing but fish since I left you, and done far too much climbing.”
“Aye, that’d do it,” Belita said. In spite of her heartache, she managed an appreciative smirk as she ran her fingers down the bulges and ripples of his stomach muscles. “I bet all that fuckin’ helped too.”
“Likely yes,” the sea sighed.
“Nothin’ but fish ... that dinnae sound like somethin’ I’d come up with. Are ye real?” she asked again.
The foggy mask shifted, making the skull look like it was raising a boney brow at her. “What is real?”
“Don’t ye give me any of that ‘Mysterious Sandman’ bollocks! I just want tae know if you’re really you, and not just ... the you I dream of.”
The skull mask tilted again, and the thunder began to rumble above them. She looked up and pointed an angry finger at the sky. “No!” The puzzled thunder stopped. She glared up at the smokey skull mask. “No cryptic puzzle answers. I just ... can’t right now. Ye tell me true. Will you remember this when I wake up.”
“Yes,” distant thunder laughed.
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, feeling like she’d been drowning and finally caught a lifeline. “Why did ye come? Why now?”
His hands slipped from her shoulders to her hands. “I need your help,” the wind whispered.
She shook her head. “I ... can’t help anyone.”
“You can,” the thunder rolled.
She looked up at the shifting mask wishing she never had to wake up. “Everyone who relied on me just got dead or marooned.”
“You owe me,” the ship creaked around her.
Her expression turned to shock. Confusion, betrayal, and anger flooded through the bleak hollow in her chest. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. She sputtered and punched him in the chest. He didn’t react. The absurdity of it all slowly bloomed into laughter. “You arsehole.”
“Had to get through to you somehow,” the wind teased.
“Fuck,” she muttered. “How do ye always know just what tae say tae yank me outtae my bullshit?”
The rolling storm clouds chuckled. “Practice.”
“Danica told me I was too important tae quit. Will told me I wasn’t tae blame. Lace told me I needed tae look out, not down. I tried! I keep trying, but I just can’t shake it. It keeps coming back, and it’s gettin’ stronger. Every time I stop tae think, I think of this,” Her jaw quivered as she spoke, and more dark clouds rolled in. She gestured down to her crew. In a thunderflash they flickered from the people she loved to barely recognizable monsters moaning for help.
The big man gave the storm clouds a firm look and they retreated again. “Back to work,” the ship’s timbers barked. The grotesque crew shuffled and turned, obeying orders and slowly regaining their color as they returned to their jobs. “Music!” the cracking sky demanded. Up in the crow’s nest, Lace pulled out her pipes and started playing a cheery Akula sailing song.
Belita looked at him with red rimmed eyes, then out across her suddenly normal ship and shook her head with a wistful smile. “Still saving me from myself.”
“You do seem to be the only one who ever gets the better of you,” The wind whispered.
“This time, I think the goddamn monsters helped,” she said bitterly.
“I know little of the Grindylow, but from the tales, it is an impressive feat that you survived,” a swirling flock of seabirds called as they passed.
“So everyone keeps telling me,” she said bitterly. “That innae it, though. The Grindylow, they all ... they used tae be people. No one saved them. They all just kept calling for help, an’ all we could do was kill them.”
“Ah,” the sea spray said gently. The eyes behind the skull mask were kind and understanding. “For you, that is a particularly painful wound.”
All she could do is nod.
“Grief is not a thing to be defeated,” the rolling waves said. “And it cannot be run from. It can only be weathered.”
“I’m so tired of weathering ... everything,” she shook her head. “Every joy just feels like a distraction.”
“As it ever is,” the wind said gently. “Life is pain. Joy is what we dilute it in, so we can more easily stomach it.”
“There ye go again with that shite,” Belita said with a single mournful laugh. “I dinnae what I hate more, the fact that I knew ye were going tae say somethin’ like that, or that I’m startin’ tae see where ye get it.”
“I am sorry” the ship creaked around her. “Learning the truth of pain is never pleasant. I wish there were other ways to teach it.”
“Sod off with your nonsense,” she snapped. “This innae teaching me a right bloody thing!”
“Isn’t it?” the sky asked.
“No, it- Alright, fine!” she said with a huff. “Aye, there’s a buncha things I’m thinking ‘bout differently now, but the lesson sure as hell innae worth the price! And how the hell am I supposed tae learn anyway, or even think at all, when every time I close my eyes I’m still ... here!”
Belita trembled. The music faded out. The crew began to become ragged and pallid again, and turned towards them as the storm rolled in again. The skull mask let out a ragged sigh, and glared at the crew. They dutifully returned to work. The sky cleared yet again and the music picked up as if it hadn’t missed a beat.
“That I can help with,” the sea spray said gently. “Though, it would be easier if you would stop fighting my efforts.”
She looked up at him with suspicion. “Why are ye helping with this anyhow? It ain’t like ye tae keep pushing away my nightmare. I thought ye don’t like anything that numbs away any of that pain ye love so much.”
“There are many kinds of pain. Some are good. That kind can be endured, and can teach a person much. Pain that does not relent teaches nothing. It cannot, and does not,” the big man shrugged while everything around them spoke, “Lessons require progression. None can progress while they still suffer. Only after.”
“I guess that’s your whole deal, innit,” Belita said, starting to understand. “Pain now to avoid worse pain later.”
The skull mask nodded.
“What can ye do? Ye cannae erase my memories, can ye?” Belita asked, a bit worried.
“I could, but that would be counterproductive. You would learn nothing,” the wind said. The mask again tilted in thought. His large finger stroked her cheek. “I thought I would simply help you rest.”
“I really cannae think of anything I want more’n a good night’s sleep,” she said with a half smile. “I’m so tired. I’m dreaming right now, and I’m still tired.”
The skull mask nodded.”That, I can help with,” the Kestrel creaked.
“What do I have tae do?” she asked.
“Nothing,” distant thunder spoke. Then the wind continued. “I have clearly been away too long. Had I been more present, I could have helped the first night.”
Her eyes brightened, and she smiled wider than she had since leaving Barcola. “I thought ye were too busy?”
“I was. Things are slowly becoming more stable,” he shrugged. “My students were always going to have to learn how to break away from my tutelage. Now seems as good a time as any.”
Belita chuckled. “How is your flock of wee wounded birds anyway?”
The skull sighed and it’s toothy grin seemed to widen just a bit. “A handful, as always.”
“I warned ye the novelty would wear off sooner or later,” she smirked. “I don’t think you’re ever going tae get them tae change their ways.”
“I already have,” the wind whispered. “They have learned to build fires, and cook fish. They make spears from sharpened branches. They no longer seek ships or steal men.”
“Aye, because they have ye,” Belita said with a scoff. “What do ye think will happen if ye leave ‘em?”
“That is the next step,” the skull nodded. “For now, it is enough that they have learned not to kill people.”
“Ye turned yourself intae a hostage,” Belita shook her head. “And no one will ever know how many people you’re saving.”
“You know,” the waves said.
“Can they speak yet?” she asked.
“Only in the dreamtime. A few have taken to it, but most struggle,” the skull mask sighed. “Fwer still have learned how to dreamwalk their own. They are ... forgetful. Slow to learn. They take direction with enthusiasm and curiosity, but without a guide they fall back on old habits.”
“So ye spend all your time asleep trying tae teach them how tae be more’n monsters, and all your time awake fucking them intae complacency,” she teased.
The skull mask’s subtle expression turned wry. “Often both at once.” the wind admitted.
“The fact that ye can do that is still so damn weird,” she said with a shake of her head. She gave him a suspicious look. “Wait ... you’re not ... fucking one of them right now, are ye?”
Thunder laughed. “No. You are too far away to split my consciousness like that.”
“I thought distances didn’t matter in the Dreamtime,” she said, confused.
“We are not actually in the Dreamtime,’ the sea explained. “We are only perceiving it with our minds.”
Belita gave him a confused look. “That dinnae make any sense.”
“Dreams rarely do,” he shrugged.
“Do ye really need my help?” she asked.
The skull mask nodded.
She sighed. “How?”
The eyes behind the foggy mask were full of frustration and concern. His words rolled through the crashing waves. “Some of my students were nearly caught by a Malaharan slave ship. The others and I managed to save them, but one had a net wrapped around her neck so tightly that it crushed her throat. She survived, but her voice will never recover.”
Belita blanched. “Ye gods,” She touched her own neck in sympathy, and then reached up to his throat and ran her fingers across the thick blue hanging scar that circled it. “Well, I s’pose if anyone can help her through that, ye can.”
The skull nodded. “In time she may whisper, but she will never again sing. It is becoming apparent that for her, death may have been kinder.”
Belita slowly nodded, “Aye, tha’ makes ... unfortunate sense. Still, she cannae be the first mute of her kind. She’ll adapt, aye?”
Sandy shook his head solemnly as the ocean continued to roll. “She may, but the others will not adapt with her. Without her voice, she is a pariah. The others try to engage her, but only become confused or upset that she doesn’t answer. Or, they become upset when she tries. Her sudden lack of harmony with the others is being taken as an insult. They do not understand that she no longer has a voice, and do not have the attention span or the desire to figure out how to help. Instead they become angry, or lose interest and ignore her.”
“Aye, that sounds about what I would expect from them,” Belita said with a sympathetic sigh. “I dinnae see how I can help though.”
“The same way you helped me,” the sea explained. “Teaching her your father’s way.”
Belita’s brows rose. “Oh, of course! When ye said they only speak in the Dreamtime, I assumed that was the only way they could at all. The other way dinnae even occur tae me.”
The ocean washed and broke, punctuating their words with sea spray. “I have taught them some. It was one of the first things I tried. I thought it might help them learn to Dreamwalk if I could teach them a way to communicate with me while they were awake. They take to it surprisingly well. The trouble is, they all do it a bit differently. I can make out their intent, but the others generally do not. They take what I teach them, and expand on it, each in different ways. Now, they are as children who all speak slightly different languages. They each understand the others only brokenly, and get confused when others do not understand them.”
“Well, that’s better than I expected,” Belita said with a sympathetic laugh.
“They are smarter than you give them credit for,” the wind admonished.
Belita rolled her eyes. “Aye, they’d pretty well have tae be.”
“The voiceless one, I have taught what you taught me, as much as I remember. She is ... hungry to learn more. I hoped you would be willing to help,” the wind said.
“Of course,” Belita assured him. “Do ye want me to teach ye more so ye can teach her?”
He shook his masked head. “I cannot take so much time away from the others. They get ... unruly without attention. When I wake, I suspect I will pay a price for coming to you now. I was hoping you would come to me. To take her under your wing, so to speak.”
She winced. “Oh, now ye make puns? I dinnae know your obsession with pain ran that deep.” His mask didn’t betray his expression, but Belita swore she could feel him smirking. She sighed. “Aye, I would, but I am currently shipwrecked.”
“That I cannot help with,” distant thunder said in resignation.
“I don’t know if ye want tae send her with me anyhow. Assuming I ever get off this island, I’m headed on what might well be a suicide run,” Belita reminded him.
“That is still better a fate than what awaits her here,” the sea said grimly. “Without her voice, she is becoming ... bleak. Even surrounded by her sisters and I, she is alone. I am the only one she can communicate with, and it is clear that she is frustrated by the limitations of our vocabulary and the attention I can give her. She has much to say, and no words, or audience. I can see the cracking of her mind beginning. She scratches and plucks at herself now, and is beginning to lose interest in all things.”
“Even sex,” Belita asked, surprised.
“Yes,” the timbers creaked.
Belita’s brows rose. “Damn. For them, that must be like losin’ the will tae live.”
The rolling ocean continued to speak in crashes and spray. “Precisely. Her dreams have become more erratic. She can no longer focus to employ the lessons I have taught her, which is what concerns me most of all. A half trained Dreamwalker is a great danger to themselves. Madness often takes them.”
Belita’s brows furrowed as something he’d said earlier came back to her. “Ye cannae progress while you’re suffering.”
The skull mask nodded. “This is not a pain I can help her through.”
Belita’s eyes widened in sympathy. “That’s a rare kind of pain.” As understanding bloomed in her mind, so did a small spark of hope. Her eyes regained some of their zest for life. “But ye knew I could.”
She could feel him smiling behind his mask. “Yes.”
Belita turned to look out at the horizon. She knew it was a dream, but it was a habit that always helped her think. “Lost John’s Strait is on my way. It’s summer, so I’d planned on avoiding it, but if ye can keep your lasses in line, cutting through would save me as much as a week’s travel. My patron is hungry tae make up lost time, so I think I can sell it. Is that where ye ended up again this year?”
“No, but it can be,” the ship creaked. “I will convince the matriarch there will be better hunting there.”
“What if another lot is already there?” Belita asked.
“They share well among their own kind,” Sandy shrugged. “If there is not enough space, some will leave.”
Belita tapped her chin in thought. “It might be a bit before I’m seaworthy again. Can your mute lass make it a month or more?”
“I will see that she does,” the sea said. “When you are closer, I will bring her to your dreams. Perhaps your teachings will help where mine have not.”
“Aye, that sounds like a nice distraction for both of us,” Belita agreed. “I’m carryin’ civilians though, an’ half my crew is new. I dinnae know how they’ll handle me bringin’ her aboard.”
The clouds chuckled through their thunder. “It will be more inspiration for the stories.”
“Oh gods, not ye too. How they hell did ye read those?” Belita glared.
“You know that I did not,” the sea birds teased.
“Then how did-” Belita cut herself off and looked out over the deck of her ship to where her first mate stood. “Danica.”
“She is quite an enthusiastic storyteller,” the sea crashed like laughter all around her. “She would regale us with every chapter after she had read it. One of my great regrets since leaving is no longer being around to hear her retellings.”
Belita’s eyes went wide. “Us?”
“Your officers. Coleman. Webber. Myself. Sometimes Stewart would join us. When you took your meals elsewhere, she would catch us up on the latest tale. I particularly liked the one where you infiltrated a sultan’s harem in order to steal an enchanted scepter. That is, apparently, how you got your many rings.”
“The hell it is!” Belita said with an affronted gasp. “At least the first few were sorta true. They’re just makin’ things up now?”
The gulls laughed. “So it seems.”
Belita mimed strangling him. “When I find out who’s writing those damn stories, I’m gonna keel haul ‘em.”
“It is what you always wanted,” the wind reminded her. “Your name is known.”
“Aye, but not like that!” Belita threw her arms up in exasperation. “Ye should read what they say about you!”
The foggy mask swirled as the ship creaked out a dismissive scoff. “As if I needed another reason to avoid learning to read.”
“I still don’t get why you’re so against reading,” she rolled her eyes.
“Reading is dangerous for a Dreamwalker,” the wind explained.
“That’s just more stuff that makes no damn sense,” she repeated. “Your whole body’s covered in some kinda writing, but ye cannae read it?”
He shrugged. “It is not written for me.”
Belita rolled her eyes. “I’ll come tae ye just as soon as I’m sailin’ again,” she said, trying to get back to a subject she could understand. “But she cannae be tryin’ tae fuck everyone! Ye have tae make sure she knows how tae behave.”
Sandy’s laughter rolled through the clouds again. “I’ll try, but I am not sure she will understand. She is a creature of impulse.”
Belita rubbed her forehead. “They all are.” Then she gave him a mischievous look and began to unbutton her coat. “An’ so am I.”
“Indeed,” the skull mask chuckled, watching with interest as Belita disrobed. “This one may rival you.”
“Aye, well at least I’m smart enough tae know how tae pick my moments,” Belita countered. Her coat and shirt fell to the deck and she started on her belt.
“You will need to teach her that,” the ship creaked. “Thus far, I have failed.”
“Lovely.” Belita shook her head, sounding more amused than annoyed. She unbuttoned her tight pants, shimmied them down her hips and turned around to grip the railing. “As if stories about my ship innae wild enough already.”
Sandy’s skull mask leered at her, it’s grin seeming to widen more. He stepped in and ran his large hands over her rounded ass, squeezing into her bronzed skin like he meant to tear her in two. “You make it sound like something your crew won’t enjoy. I suspect you’ll have volunteers to help.”
“Oh, aye,” she said, looking over her shoulder at him, her face full of challenge and invitation. “I’ll just add fuck th’ birdbrained mute tae the duty rotation.”
His hands pulled her hips firmly and she felt his body press against her from behind. “Perhaps you could focus her attention on an individual, rather than the whole crew? That may be more acceptable to their sensibilities,” the wind suggested.
Belita began to laugh. “I know just the man.”
“I pity him already,” the ship chuckled.
“I suppose ye’d know,’ she grinned. “I dinnae know how ye keep up with all of them. How many o’ th’ crew did did that pink one go through by the time we got away? Four? Five?”
“I was not counting,” the sea said. One hand slid up her spine and gripped the back of her neck, while the other pupped between her legs and sent jolts of pleasure through her.
“Might need a duty rotation after all,” she mused between shivers.
The hand that was not busy between her legs slid along her ribs and cupped her chest, squeezing hard and flicking at the ring in her nipple. She squirmed as the hairs on the back of her neck prickled in delight. She was always amazed at how big his hands were. Together, they could nearly circle her waist. He was the only one she’d ever met who could hold her breasts and have room to spare. She idly wondered how they’d match up to Bella.
“It would not be the strangest thing to happen aboard the Kestrel,” the wind teased her. “Not many ships have watched their Captain fuck at the helm.” One thick finger slid into her, making her gasp.
Her head lifted with a shock of pleasure, and the reminder that they weren’t alone. She looked out over the deck at her crew as they watched her. Rows of men and women stared excitedly while their Captain was bent over the rail next to the helm. At the prow, Bella watched excitedly. The dark haired witch was leaning over a barrel with her blouse and skirts gathered around her waist. Will was behind her. He gave Belita a tip of his hat while he stroked into Bella from behind, making her prodigious breasts bounce with every thrust. Above them, Lace leaned against the mast using a few ropes like a hammock. She’d pulled her breast wrap down so she could idly play with her own nipples. One hand was tucked down her shorts and working slowly. Propped up against the mast, Danica wiggled her hips against her husband. She gave her Captain a wide grin and a subtle thumbs up as Coleman groped her from behind. Belita laughed. Now, having all their eyes on her was a thrill. None of them began shifting into monsters as they watched her. She relaxed and allowed herself to enjoy the fantasy. “There’s not many of the old crew left. Most don’t remember that day,” she said. “I’m running with a different lot now.”
Will’s head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. He was cold. He was naked. He was stiff and sore. He was in a bathtub. Uncoiling himself was a process. He caught a whiff of himself and recoiled. What had happened? “Oh. Right,” he croaked as memories came flooding back to him. He reached over and started working the pump. In sputtering bursts seawater came flowing into the tub. It was comfortably warm. Probably daytime. The ocean was usually warm by noon this time of year. The charm...
Dawn was breaking. The storm had passed and the eastern horizon was slowly swelling from black to purple to herald the coming of the sun. The crew of the Kestrel was finishing roping hammocks between trees. The wounded were mostly already asleep. Others were unloading the smallboats they’d used to get supplies ashore. They were all exhausted but still managing to trudge along. Lord Morant and his porters had set up tents near the waterline, a ways away from the rest of the crew. Bella had found...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe island of Barcola was primarily Nivalese. The inhabitants had managed to repel a mainland occupation a half-century prior by pulling the majority of their people into the mountains and fighting a brutal guerrilla war against the colonizing forces. In the narrow mountain passes, the mainlanders’ usual tactics of shielded firing lines and phalanx-style close combat were completely useless. The colonists tried to starve out the natives, but the lush tropical mountain provided everything the...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe crescent shaped cliffside was littered with walkways and bridges, and dotted throughout with caves. Platforms made from a hodgepodge of materials were anchored into the walls, and stacked on each other haphazardly. Thick ropes and chains made an elaborate net that reminded Will of rigging designed by a madman. The largest platform hung in the center of it all, ringed with crane arms and hoist tackle. The whole web looked unstable, but figures walked throughout the tangle without a hint of...
Will got out of the tub after a quick rinse. He was impressed at how warm the water had stayed.“Jus’ pull the drain stopper,” Belita said. She was in the process of being dried off by her dutiful cabin girl. She had her foot up on a stool and Bella was finishing dragging a soft cloth along her thigh and calf.“Do I get that sort of treatment?” Will asked.“You’re not captain,” Cabin Girl Bella said, smugly. He looked around for his own towel. The one Bella had been using hit him in the face. The...
Fantasy & Sci-FiWill got out of the tub after a quick rinse. He was impressed at how warm the water had stayed. “Jus’ pull the drain stopper,” Belita said. She was in the process of being dried off by her dutiful cabin girl. She had her foot up on a stool and Bella was finishing dragging a soft cloth along her thigh and calf. “Do I get that sort of treatment?” Will asked. “You’re not captain,” Cabin Girl Bella said, smugly. He looked around for his own towel. The one Bella had been using hit him in the...
The sky was a flat, grey plane of clouds, slowly roiling. The air was warm and charged. The winds were gentle. An electrical storm was brewing.Will stared at Jack for a long time. “Do you ever think about what you’re about to say before it comes out of your mouth?”“Come on, Will! You never used to care about the words. You could see right past them and knew exactly what I meant. Try that now,” Jack demanded. She was barreling straight on, trying to get Will to catch up.Will wasn’t having it....
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe sky was a flat, grey plane of clouds, slowly roiling. The air was warm and charged. The winds were gentle. An electrical storm was brewing. Will stared at Jack for a long time. “Do you ever think about what you’re about to say before it comes out of your mouth?” “Come on, Will! You never used to care about the words. You could see right past them and knew exactly what I meant. Try that now,” Jack demanded. She was barreling straight on, trying to get Will to catch up. Will wasn’t having...
Will was surprised. He’d heard Bella talk about how bad hexes were before. “I thought you didn’t hex people.”“I don’t, usually. It’s one of those things the Magistrate really frowns on, but against pirates trying to kill us I’m willing to bend the rules,” Bella smiled. She finished crawling around and drawing the second circle as Will tied the mirror to the mast. Inside the mirror Will heard Tonya arrive. “Sorry it took me so long, I really needed to get cleaned up. What’s going on?” Bella’s...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi“Fuck,” Will swore. Will tried to turn, but his foot slipped on something. His bourbon from earlier. He ended up catching himself on the bar, but he was off balance. Inside him, he felt something seem to slide.Caine stood up.The whole room went quiet. To Will, everything seemed like slow motion. He knew this feeling. It felt like the world was sliding sideways, and he was a bystander in his own body. He tried to say something, but it was like he was moving through molasses. He only had time to...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi“Fuck,” Will swore. Will tried to turn, but his foot slipped on something. His bourbon from earlier. He ended up catching himself on the bar, but he was off balance. Inside him, he felt something seem to slide.Caine stood up.The whole room went quiet. To Will, everything seemed like slow motion. He knew this feeling. It felt like the world was sliding sideways, and he was a bystander in his own body. He tried to say something, but it was like he was moving through molasses. He only had time to...
Fantasy & Sci-FiWill was surprised. He’d heard Bella talk about how bad hexes were before. “I thought you didn’t hex people.” “I don’t, usually. It’s one of those things the Magistrate really frowns on, but against pirates trying to kill us I’m willing to bend the rules,” Bella smiled. She finished crawling around and drawing the second circle as Will tied the mirror to the mast. Inside the mirror Will heard Tonya arrive. “Sorry it took me so long, I really needed to get cleaned up. What’s going on?”...
Captain Vex’s hands knotted in the witch’s dark curls. Bella was a profoundly skilled lover. The Captain had a taste of what Bella could do on top of the lighthouse, but being the sole focus of-of a sex witch’s ministrations when there were no other distractions (and Bella was feeling particularly thankful) was to be given the best possible seat in a masterclass in how to pleasure a woman.Belita had already been turned on fiercely by helping Bella with her recharge ritual. The witch was so...
Fantasy & Sci-FiJanie’s breath caught in her throat. Will slowly sat down at the table and held his hands up. “There’s no need for that. Let go of the lady and we’ll talk.”“We ain’t here to talk,” the brute with the pistol said. Another man walked through the door and closed it. He was short and unfortunate looking with no chin and an overly large hawkish nose. His choice to keep bushy sideburns but shave the rest only served to draw more attention to his worst features.“Timmons?” Will said, confused at the...
Fantasy & Sci-FiJanie’s breath caught in her throat. Will slowly sat down at the table and held his hands up. “There’s no need for that. Let go of the lady and we’ll talk.”“We ain’t here to talk,” the brute with the pistol said. Another man walked through the door and closed it. He was short and unfortunate looking with no chin and an overly large hawkish nose. His choice to keep bushy sideburns but shave the rest only served to draw more attention to his worst features.“Timmons?” Will said, confused at the...
Fantasy & Sci-FiLost At Sea - PrologueHer name was Linda Reuters, but she resembled Scarlett Johansson just enough for her friends and colleagues to often call her 'Scarlett' instead of her real name. They thought it was funny and she pretended she despised it, but that was all smoke and mirrors: Secretly she had always found the cheesy nickname much more interesting than her real name. And so, from a certain point she had just stopped correcting people. She was, after all, a practical thinking woman. ?You...
Lace lounged against a tree, enjoying the music and her drunken buzz. The wake was still going. It wasn’t the happiest reason for revelry, but after a shipwreck and being attacked by monsters it was clear the crew would take any reason they could get. Sailors were an odd lot. They tended to be fairly stoic until you put a few drinks in them. Then everything they were feeling came pouring out. They were communal too, so what one felt, they tended to all feel, even if they generally didn’t talk...
“Bring her about to port, nice and gentle, but keep tightening the turn until she starts t’ list. Then pull back,” Captain Vex said.“Aye, Captain,” Colin Strong said with much less enthusiasm than usual. The big man looked like hell. The whole right side of his face and parts of the left were swollen and bruised in an angry clash of colors. Purples, yellows, even some blues and greens. The impact points were the fierce dark red of abraded skin and broken blood vessels. His upper lip was swollen...
Fantasy & Sci-FiHe had hips that pounded like the waves, relentless and driving. A slow, rhythmic battering that was trying to knock her over. All she could do was hold on. He stared down at her, his eyes full of concern but his expression a mask of calm. His large hands gripped her hips and pulled her back as he drove forward over and over again. Something inside her spasmed.“Holy… fuck,” she muttered, her hands clenching against the wall.“Are you alright?” he asked, pausing his pounding hips. It was obvious...
Fantasy & Sci-FiHe had hips that pounded like the waves, relentless and driving. A slow, rhythmic battering that was trying to knock her over. All she could do was hold on. He stared down at her, his eyes full of concern but his expression a mask of calm. His large hands gripped her hips and pulled her back as he drove forward over and over again. Something inside her spasmed.“Holy… fuck,” she muttered, her hands clenching against the wall.“Are you alright?” he asked, pausing his pounding hips. It was obvious...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi“You should have come straight to me,” Lord Morant said with an authoritarian stare.They were standing on the deck of the fishing boat as it pulled away from the docks. Morant, Lynch and Jack had joined them without a word as they boarded the ship. Will had started to speak, but Morant had cut him off.“Why would I do that?” Will snarled back, still fuming.“Nae, Will. He’s right,” Captain Vex said. She wore her hat and coat, but her other clothes had still been wet and were packed away, so she...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe crew began rousing themselves around noon. It was just too hot to sleep comfortably any longer. The shipwrecked survivors moved slow and gingerly, trudging through their tasks with stoic determination. There was a lot to be done. The ramshackle camp was mostly just strewn hammocks and bedrolls at the edge of the lagoon. There hadn’t been time or energy for much else, so the day’s first priority was to set up a more organized campsite. Nearly half the crew, lead by Mister Reeve, were off in...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe crew began rousing themselves around noon. It was just too hot to sleep comfortably any longer. The shipwrecked survivors moved slow and gingerly, trudging through their tasks with stoic determination. There was a lot to be done. The ramshackle camp was mostly just strewn hammocks and bedrolls at the edge of the lagoon. There hadn’t been time or energy for much else, so the day’s first priority was to set up a more organized campsite. Nearly half the crew, lead by Mister Reeve, were off...
“The energy doesn’t have to come from you, it just needs to be received by you,” Bella said. She was watching Captain Vex’s back arch against the bed while Will’s tongue worked between her legs. Belita stretched languidly like a big golden housecat, her expression happy and glazed.“Received?” Tonya asked, not following.“Well, it has to turn you on,” Bella clarified. “That’s not a completely accurate way to put it, but there’s enough overlap that it will work until you have enough experience to...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe prow of the wrecked ship hit the Kestrel with a sickening crunch. Swabs went to their knees. Riggers hung on to their ropes as they were whipped back and forth by the jarring impact. A few unlucky sailors even found themselves bowled completely over, or found themselves hanging in the air, suspended by their safety lines. Rope burn, splinters and scraped skin abounded. Those at the front of the ship fared the worst. Danica and Mister Lynch were thrown backwards from the prow all the way to...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi“So there was something under the water?” Captain Vex asked. “Yeah,” Will nodded, as he bolted down the last of the spotlight-lanterns on the railing next to the ship’s wheel. The other three hadn’t survived the fight on the prow. Captain Vex wasn’t thrilled about that, those lanterns were expensive. Will’s hands hurt badly, but he still had a bit more to do before he could let the doctor look him over. Besides, there were a lot of crew worse off than he was. “I started to figure it out when...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe island of Barcola was primarily Nivalese. The inhabitants had managed to repel a mainland occupation a half-century prior by pulling the majority of their people into the mountains and fighting a brutal guerrilla war against the colonizing forces. In the narrow mountain passes, the mainlanders’ usual tactics of shielded firing lines and phalanx-style close combat were completely useless. The colonists tried to starve out the natives, but the lush tropical mountain provided everything the...
“What did you do?” Caine asked. Janie hadn’t really noticed him come in. He was leaning in the doorway watching Janie blow out the candles in front of the mirror. She was disheveled and flushed after watching Bella work her oral magic on Captain Vex, and she definitely did not expect an audience for what she was thinking about doing next.She was recovering from being startled, but Caine didn’t give her time to reply. “A customer says you stiffed him?”“That isn’t true at all!” Janie said. “I did...
Fantasy & Sci-FiJanie looked at herself in the mirror. She barely recognized the person she saw.Her had been styled with hot metal rods and some kind of light, fragrant oil that held its shape as it dried. It had taken a while, sitting there and letting Tonya do who-knows-what to it. Then Tonya had put makeup on her and helped her pick out an outfit from a communal closet. After all that work she could finally see it all. Her hair tumbled in loose flowing waves. A small black hat with a white band was pinned...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThey got out of bed and Janie tentatively approached the ladder. She looked over to Bella who shoo’d her forward encouragingly. Janie began to climb. She could faintly hear the rhythmic slapping of skin on skin and a woman’s deep, throaty moans. She climbed a little faster.As her head crested the trapdoor in the early dawn light she saw Belita Vex still wearing one of Will’s large shirts and nothing else, holding onto the brass railing, looking over her shoulder with an expression of excited...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThey got out of bed and Janie tentatively approached the ladder. She looked over to Bella who shoo’d her forward encouragingly. Janie began to climb. She could faintly hear the rhythmic slapping of skin on skin and a woman’s deep, throaty moans. She climbed a little faster.As her head crested the trapdoor in the early dawn light she saw Belita Vex still wearing one of Will’s large shirts and nothing else, holding onto the brass railing, looking over her shoulder with an expression of excited...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe prow of the wrecked ship hit the Kestrel with a sickening crunch. Swabs went to their knees. Riggers hung on to their ropes as they were whipped back and forth by the jarring impact. A few unlucky sailors even found themselves bowled completely over, or found themselves hanging in the air, suspended by their safety lines. Rope burn, splinters and scraped skin abounded. Those at the front of the ship fared the worst. Danica and Mister Lynch were thrown backwards from the prow all the way...
“Get out!” Belita yelled as the door opened.“Nope,” Danica said, walking in and shutting the door behind her. “I said leave!” Belita snarled, pushing herself halfway up into an unsteady, angry crouch.“And I said no,” Danica shrugged. She walked over and sat down against the wall next to the Captain. “Part of my job is to tell you no when you need it. Right now you need it. What’s going on?”“Insubordinate… I’m going tae-” Belita couldn’t find the words.“What? Lock me up? Whip me? Hang me?”...
Fantasy & Sci-FiCaptain Vex’s hands knotted in the witch’s dark curls. Bella was a profoundly skilled lover. The Captain had a taste of what Bella could do on top of the lighthouse, but being the sole focus of of a sex witch’s ministrations when there were no other distractions (and Bella was feeling particularly thankful) was to be given the best possible seat in a masterclass in how to pleasure a woman. Belita had already been turned on fiercely by helping Bella with her recharge ritual. The witch was so...
Will had his feet up on his desk and was enjoying some long awaited silence. It felt a bit strange to be alone. Only a few days ago he would have been used to it. Janie had always left in the evenings. He rarely had visitors. The lighthouse was built in an area of the town which did not have a lot of nighttime activity.All the chaos and excitement that had happened the last few days was what his life had once been like all the time. Now that he had it again it made him realized how much he’d...
Fantasy & Sci-FiWill had his feet up on his desk and was enjoying some long awaited silence. It felt a bit strange to be alone. Only a few days ago he would have been used to it. Janie had always left in the evenings. He rarely had visitors. The lighthouse was built in an area of the town which did not have a lot of nighttime activity.All the chaos and excitement that had happened the last few days was what his life had once been like all the time. Now that he had it again it made him realized how much he’d...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe barge Princess Caroline made a brief stop at Westminster Bridge steps, allowing Patrick and I to disembark, from where it was but a short walk along Whitehall to Horse Guards. On entering Colonel Slade’s office I was pleased to see both Krish Armityge and Zinnia Teazle present, as I had little opportunity to speak to either of them before having to rush off to Bristol. I looked forward to picking up the latest news concerning Caroline Ashford from Krish, and of my sister Rebekah from...
“Aye, Cap’n,” Will said, his voice muffled between her legs. His tongue kept up its swirling around her entrance, occasionally sweeping up and fluttering across her clit. She sat up a bit, leaning back on her forearms and watching the top of his head. The muscles in her thighs and her butt twitched of their own accord, squeezing as her pleasure mounted. She ran a hand through his hair and pulled his mouth harder into her, starting to rock her hips.He firmed his tongue into a point and started...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi“Aye, Cap’n,” Will said, his voice muffled between her legs. His tongue kept up its swirling around her entrance, occasionally sweeping up and fluttering across her clit. She sat up a bit, leaning back on her forearms and watching the top of his head. The muscles in her thighs and her butt twitched of their own accord, squeezing as her pleasure mounted. She ran a hand through his hair and pulled his mouth harder into her, starting to rock her hips.He firmed his tongue into a point and started...
Fantasy & Sci-FiBella took a deep breath and sat down on the bed. She was exhausted. She’d been standing unmoving, concentrating fiercely for hours. Her whole body ached. Fighting to remain in one position while the ocean rocked the floor beneath her had been much more difficult than she expected. Her thighs were quivering. In spite of her fatigue, her eyes were glued to the mirror, watching the scene play out in her alcove.Tonya was naked, sitting on Bella’s table, her legs spread wide and wrapped around...
Fantasy & Sci-FiA loop of rope dropped around a pale neck. The screaming head attached to it didn’t seem to notice. The makeshift noose went taught. A pale, rag-clad body was yanked thrashing into the air. Lace Webber swung down like a boom, counterbalancing the weight of the creature she’d just lassoed against her own. She crashed into another grindylow with both feet, feeling a satisfying crack and sending the clumsy creature sprawling across the deck. Another crewman quickly took advantage of the opening,...
Fantasy & Sci-FiA loop of rope dropped around a pale neck. The screaming head attached to it didn’t seem to notice. The makeshift noose went taught. A pale, rag-clad body was yanked thrashing into the air. Lace Webber swung down like a boom, counterbalancing the weight of the creature she’d just lassoed against her own. She crashed into another grindylow with both feet, feeling a satisfying crack and sending the clumsy creature sprawling across the deck. Another crewman quickly took advantage of the...
“So there was something under the water?” Captain Vex asked. “Yeah,” Will nodded, as he bolted down the last of the spotlight-lanterns on the railing next to the ship’s wheel. The other three hadn’t survived the fight on the prow. Captain Vex wasn’t thrilled about that, those lanterns were expensive. Will’s hands hurt badly, but he still had a bit more to do before he could let the doctor look him over. Besides, there were a lot of crew worse off than he was. “I started to figure it out...
The night was everything an evening on ship should be. Clear skies, calm seas, land distant flecks on the horizon close enough that they could faintly hear the cries of seabirds. The sunset had been long and gorgeous, full of oranges and pinks that gave way to darker reds and purples before disappearing into dusk. The western horizon was a glowing purple haze that slowly faded revealing more and more stars above.The Nivalese had a strong musical tradition full of drums and guitars, and many of...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThis kiss was different. The first had been a question. This one was a demand. It was hungry. Not overly aggressive, but fierce with desire. Janie moaned into his mouth and one of his hands found the back of her neck and gripped a little harder than he probably should have. Her fingers were twined in his hair again. After a brief eternity their lips parted and their foreheads came together to rest on each other.“Wow,” Will said faintly. Janie nodded against his head. She was suddenly aware of...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThis kiss was different. The first had been a question. This one was a demand. It was hungry. Not overly aggressive, but fierce with desire. Janie moaned into his mouth and one of his hands found the back of her neck and gripped a little harder than he probably should have. Her fingers were twined in his hair again. After a brief eternity their lips parted and their foreheads came together to rest on each other.“Wow,” Will said faintly. Janie nodded against his head. She was suddenly aware of...
Fantasy & Sci-FiBella stared, not sure how to respond. “You know what Will’s curse is?”“Damn it,” Jack whispered. “I didn’t want to talk about this.”“Too late. Do you know how to get rid of it?” Bella demanded.“Yes,” Jack sighed. “It isn’t what you think though.”“What is it then?” Bella asked, wishing Jack would just give her a straight answer.“No. I’ve already said too much. You and Will are both too damn smart and neither of you can just let anything lie,” Jack shook her head. She stood up.“Oh no! You don’t...
Fantasy & Sci-FiBella let go of Will’s shoulders and quickly shimmied her long sleep shirt up around her waist. Her fingers found her smooth slit. She wasn’t wet, but Belita giving Will a blowjob was starting to feel really good. She licked her fingers and brought them between her legs. She was glad she didn’t have to focus on trying to get herself turned on. Under the circumstances that might have been hard without the assistance from the link between them.While Bella adjusted herself and got ready, Captain...
Fantasy & Sci-FiBella let go of Will’s shoulders and quickly shimmied her long sleep shirt up around her waist. Her fingers found her smooth slit. She wasn’t wet, but Belita giving Will a blowjob was starting to feel really good. She licked her fingers and brought them between her legs. She was glad she didn’t have to focus on trying to get herself turned on. Under the circumstances that might have been hard without the assistance from the link between them.While Bella adjusted herself and got ready, Captain...
Fantasy & Sci-FiGrindylow were starting to crawl up the Kestrel’s sides, cresting the railings toward the midship, flanking the defenders. At the helm, Captain Vex cursed. They were running out of time. “Danica, Coleman, get us free!”“Aye, captain!” came the answering calls. Coleman and Danica North led their gaff hook wielding swabs toward the prow, but the fighting was too thick. There wasn’t going to be any safe way to employ their hooks and shove them free of the black ship. For every Grindylow the crew...
Fantasy & Sci-FiBella took a deep breath and sat down on the bed. She was exhausted. She’d been standing unmoving, concentrating fiercely for hours. Her whole body ached. Fighting to remain in one position while the ocean rocked the floor beneath her had been much more difficult than she expected. Her thighs were quivering. In spite of her fatigue, her eyes were glued to the mirror, watching the scene play out in her alcove. Tonya was naked, sitting on Bella’s table, her legs spread wide and wrapped around...
“What did you do?” Caine asked. Janie hadn’t really noticed him come in. He was leaning in the doorway watching Janie blow out the candles in front of the mirror. She was disheveled and flushed after watching Bella work her oral magic on Captain Vex, and she definitely did not expect an audience for what she was thinking about doing next. She was recovering from being startled, but Caine didn’t give her time to reply. “A customer says you stiffed him?” “That isn’t true at all!” Janie said....
“You trained him to do what!?” Will demanded.Bella was sitting on the edge of the bed trying to coax her monkey back inside. “Well, I was ransacking your room for your clothes. I pulled your drawers out and started stuffing as many of them as I could into a duffel, and then you called me down. Jack must have thought we were robbing the place and kept going after I left.”“You trained him to commit larceny?” Will was simultaniously amused and horrified.Bella gave a small guilty shrug. Janie...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi“You trained him to do what!?” Will demanded.Bella was sitting on the edge of the bed trying to coax her monkey back inside. “Well, I was ransacking your room for your clothes. I pulled your drawers out and started stuffing as many of them as I could into a duffel, and then you called me down. Jack must have thought we were robbing the place and kept going after I left.”“You trained him to commit larceny?” Will was simultaniously amused and horrified.Bella gave a small guilty shrug. Janie...
Fantasy & Sci-FiMister Garrik looked up at the ceiling, raising an eyebrow at the muffled sounds of a woman’s pleasure. “Mister Sterling, I appreciate your time, but I came here to do business, not be distracted by the sounds of blue theatre.”Will cleared his throat. “Apologies, Mister Garrik.” Will’s quick mind pulled a lie out of thin air. He was talking before he’d really formulated his story. “I am hosting a friend who... used to work as a brothel girl. She upset the madam and was kicked out of her room. I...
Fantasy & Sci-FiMister Garrik looked up at the ceiling, raising an eyebrow at the muffled sounds of a woman’s pleasure. “Mister Sterling, I appreciate your time, but I came here to do business, not be distracted by the sounds of blue theatre.”Will cleared his throat. “Apologies, Mister Garrik.” Will’s quick mind pulled a lie out of thin air. He was talking before he’d really formulated his story. “I am hosting a friend who... used to work as a brothel girl. She upset the madam and was kicked out of her room. I...
Fantasy & Sci-FiBella stared, not sure how to respond. “You know what Will’s curse is?” “Damn it,” Jack whispered. “I didn’t want to talk about this.” “Too late. Do you know how to get rid of it?” Bella demanded. “Yes,” Jack sighed. “It isn’t what you think though.” “What is it then?” Bella asked, wishing Jack would just give her a straight answer. “No. I’ve already said too much. You and Will are both too damn smart and neither of you can just let anything lie,” Jack shook her head. She stood up. “Oh...
Jack idly watched Bella draw an elaborate warding circle. The first ring ran along the floor of the round tent. She was in the process of drawing a second ring on the walls in large white symbols. Friday was outside whispering some sort of incantation and walking in counterclockwise circles around the tent. They were moving with practiced efficiency, but to Jack it felt like ages. She lay in the center of it all on the pile of blankets and furs, exhausted and barely able to move. Her mind...