Chapter 38 - Rewards

  Jack pressured a particular floorboard with the tip of his stained boot. It creaked. He relieved the pressure. Then did it again. And again, creating an eerie and irritating tune. He leaned back against the doorframe to Aaron's cabin and felt its hinges with his fingers. A coat of invisible grease came off and he rubbed it between his thumb and index finger.

  “So you're saying they argued?” Aaron asked. He took a deep whiff of that black coat he wore, smiling to himself after, or so it seemed. Jack could smell the thing from where he stood. Citrusy, like the perfume Eksa had applied earlier in the morning.

  “That's what it sounded like,” Jack said. Aki and Eksa had had some conflict over whether to give back the spoils to the fishermen of Kovar. Jack didn't understand any of it. Better to just dump them back in the ocean. They stunk. Even here aboard a different ship, he could catch a vague whiff when night fell and his senses were enhanced.

  “And you're telling me this now, days later?”

  “Didn’t seem important at the time,” Jack shrugged. He began sawing away at overgrown nails with a knife. “Barrels of fishes,” he sang. It didn't go well with the tune of creaking floorboards. Perhaps a lute or a harp. He glanced down at Viper who was reading from his journal, back to a wall. “You think she'd buy me one of those? I could use one. Write down songs or such.”

  Aaron rolled his eyes. He tossed over a clinking purse. “Get yourself new clothes too. Preferably not all white.”

  Jack looked down at his outfit. He'd changed back into his tainted clothes from the skirmish. He wanted to admire the art work, but the blood on his clothes had crusted and turned a hideous dark shade. “I like all white. Can't create art on an already marred canvas.” Too bad it wasn't Karine's blood. He grabbed a dried patch of shirt in his hands and crushed it with his grip. The bloody spots cracked and flaked. He skipped away and changed into spare sets. Couldn't very well walk into town in clothes like that.

  The Scarlet Reaver neared Eurale, ever gliding through easy waters as birds soar across an empty sky. Eksa had a knack for catching the right winds at the right times. Beneath her heavy perfume, the scent of her virgin blood was so tempting. But Jack restrained himself. She was mostly nice, and Aaron liked her. If Aaron liked her, Jack had to too.

  Aaron wants me. He didn't run despite knowing what I am.

  Jack liked it here, aboard the ship. He felt… a sense of direction. Without friends like Aaron and Viper and Eksa, what would he be but the animal everyone that'd caged him assumed him to be? An animal without a cage, without a leash. The animal his own mother had accused him of being. Strange. Tears did not come to his eyes when thinking on that. Was it really so long ago?

  Jack was the first off the ship when it lowered anchor. He didn't bother waiting for a gangplank, jumping off instead and drawing curious stares. Displaying his stronger physique felt good inside, as long as he kept it within reasonable human imaginations. He hummed along, hands to the back of his head, radiant sun beaming on his face.

  Beware, beware, the Lurker underneath

  The Lurker in the depths and her spoils a broken fleet

  Beware the tide and their stormless thundering

  Lest you fancy a date with a thousand violent teeth!

  The song was contagious in portside Eurale, many a passersby springing to hums of their own upon hearing him. Jack now listened carefully, the lyrics of this late night sailor's song not entirely known to him.

  “Sing song sing song when waves are rupturing.”

  “Sing song and praise for the almighty.”

  “When clear are skies yet restless is the sea.”

  “Sing song and praise for almighty Shuari.”

  And so drifted off the words as Jack trekked further into the markets. He repeated that new verse and printed it into memory, stirring it slowly while adding additions of his own to the song.

  Somewhere, in an open square amidst the clustered set of shops, a crowd was gathering, as if there were a troupe performing something of magnificence. Instead, it was a single storyteller who stood in the center and on a box for elevated height. His beard was long and white, and a white turban was wrapped around his lined forehead. “Come one, come all!” he was saying, gesturing wildly with his arms. “Come hear a tale known by none in Eurale. Come hear the tale of every sailor's bane. Yes, it is her I speak of —Griva is her name!”

  Jack squeezed past the crowd and made for the aisle most known for garments in this side of town. He had to admit to the allure of the storyteller's husky voice and rhymes, but the crowd and the stench of both perfumes and sweat that mingled was too overwhelming for him to stay.

  “… Now we start this story with a rhyme known to many —childrens fare you may call it, but take heed as you would to any kingly writ.” *Ahem.

  Jack's ears perked. He attuned his hearing to the teller, drowning out the fanfare of a busy market. He'd picked up an acute appreciation for rhymes, for they'd been his only joy during his chained years.

  “Far south, down a thousand miles, there lies a place called the Arachan Isles. The entrance is barred by turbulent waters. But what lies beyond is an eldritch horror. Now—”

  Is that all, Jack thought, a tad disappointed. He shrugged and moved on, throwing a full purse of coins in the air for a jingle while rolling the rhyme around on his tongue for ways to improve and expand upon it. A song took shape in his thoughts, one accompanied by the jingle of his purse and the pattering of trailing feet.

  Jack grinned. No matter the place, a full purse in full view would undoubtedly draw a full crowd with foul intent. Jack's artistic sense took a violent turn. Euphoric goosebumps formed along his forearms. Dip into an alley! More deaths to tally!

  Jack near revealed his fangs for all to see in his moment of blissful madness. He stopped as he lay his eyes upon a pretty little thing staring his way, her full lips smiling beneath the translucent veil that hid them. She blushed and turned away. He scratched his head, not at all used to favourable looks from strangers. Was it the blond hair? He did stand out just as much as Eksa in this part of the world.

  He passed a group of patrolling guards, and soon enough, the attention given his purse faded into the ambience of a busy street. Now, in this aisle of clothing shops, where many lovely flowers strolled, a different kind of attention followed him —all of them reacting with a blush when he met their curious eyes. He shrugged to himself, and ducked into the cooling shade of a clothing store. Nothing caught his eye, save for the vendor, a dark skinned girl around his age. She hastily put up a translucent veil before her face when seeing him. Strange custom, Jack thought.

  “Welcome, ah, sir,” she began. “Does, er, anything meet your fancy?”

  “Yes,” he answered honestly. He continued staring at her. She was unscented, and that was all the more tempting. Virgin blood just like Eksa's but not clouded by a sky's worth of perfume. The face veil meant she was taken. Engaged most likely.

  “Er, which product are you interested in?”

  Jack stepped in until no distance remained between them. He bent over and stopped just short of kissing her ear. “You tell me.” Her heartrate was gradually increasing. As was her body temperature. Jack's gaze fell on a vein in her smooth dark neck. He caressed her face, feeling her pulse against his palm. He pressed his lips against her neck, near losing himself in the scent of nectar.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “M-my father will… soon…” she managed, twitching.

  “Hush,” Jack said, running a thumb over her lips and offering the sweetest smile he could manage. Her eyes went wide. He heard her swallow. Such soft, full lips begging to be kissed and nibbled on. But he wanted something else. Again he found himself looking at her neck. His own heart began to pound. Jack lowered his head and opened his jaw. Approaching voices near the entrance snapped him out of his stupor. He clicked his tongue and stepped away, instead pretending to examine a rack of long tunics that the men of the desert oft wore. A large dark skinned man entered followed by a thinner man with straw like dark hair.

  “Oh. A Xenarian customer!” the first man said. Likely the girl's father. “How rare. Anything specific you're looking for?”

  “Ah I'm not Xenarian,” Jack said, scratching the side of his head. The storeowner's daughter was still standing as a statue, heart thumping. “I'm looking for something similar to what I'm wearing, but in all white.”

  The owner rubbed his chin. “White… Most of our cloth comes dyed. You'd have more luck with white clothes in stores close to the southern entrance. Travellers trekking the deserts prefer white. I sell mostly casual city wear.”

  Jack was confused. A vendor recommending someone else's store? How odd. He smiled and gave a bow belonging in a performing troupe. “Your service is appreciated, sir. I will try my luck further south.” He walked away, considering perhaps complimenting the daughter's beauty, but deciding otherwise upon seeing a curved dagger strapped to the man's back.

  Jack again began tossing his purse in the air as he strolled down a busy street. He couldn't get the scent of blood out of his nose and now needed a drink. And he would get it in a different manner. He ducked into an alley, wondering if he would've been capable of stopping himself from killing the girl had he bit her.

  ***

  Eksa held a bottle upside down. A single drop remained at its mouth and it wasn't falling. She sighed and stopped, letting the glass roll out of her grasp. It fell to her boot and rolled a short distance. She leaned over and stared at the lines of her palms, red hair spilled over the side of her face. She dragged her hands down along her face and cursed. Through endless thought, she'd come to a conclusion. Aki was right regarding rewarding the sailors. And that conclusion had led to Eksa coming to a decision she very much detested. One that would end in her swallowing her pride.

  She'd kept her argument with Aki private from her other friends. Neither Jackrin nor Viper could have overheard, or one of them would've questioned it at least. Flames but she wanted to talk to someone and seek counsel. Eksa didn't want to seem a weak captain for doubting her own decisions. It was enough that she wasn't yet an adult, and a girl to top it off. Anymore and her sway over the crew would come to fall. It was already difficult earning their respect. She ran her hands through her hair and tugged while keeping her eyelids clenched. Tears squeezed out and glazed over the condensation already pressed at the sides of her nose.

  Any moment now. Any moment, Aaron is going to burst into my cabin and hold me like he did back on the Martyr's Breath. That was why Eksa hadn't locked the door for once. Aaron had been strangely distant in a way since the skirmish. Or she felt like he was. She wanted more out of him but he never pressed on. Never caught any hints either. She slammed a fist on her bed. “Flaming idiot.”

  Eksa stood up quick and stumbled as her vision blurred from exhaustion. She pulled a mirror from her trunk. Her hair had become the ends of worn brooms and her eyes had dark circles more befitting a buried person than it did her. Eksa cursed again as she settled her tricorne upon her crown and tipped it in a way to sort of shadow her eyes. Then she did up the buttons of her shirt which'd been half undone —another thing kept open in hopes of Aaron storming into her room.

  And then she put on a heavy brown coat with thick pads on the shoulders and weighty sleeves that were made for a taller figure with muscle. A second hand purchase she'd picked up at a second hand store. It smelled vaguely of musk. It made her almost look the part of the Eksa in her dreams, standing at her father's side as an equal.

  No one was equal here. She was a captain without respect. Maybe the coat will help. People often judged on appearance.

  With that, she strode out of her cabin, passing by Aaron's open doorway where he sat examining —is that another of my maps? She paused just outside the door and out of his vision. No. I just won't talk to him until he asks me why. Flaming dense idiot. Would it kill him to ask me how my day is going now and then? She carried on, pausing a second time after not two steps. She wanted to ask to borrow Viper but ultimately decided against. She had to face her fears alone. She couldn't overcome them otherwise. And asking would only make her seem weak, lowering her standing even more.

  Eksa couldn't have that. Not even amongst her own group of friends. She felt an outsider. I'm the only one who can't defend myself. A horrible trait to have as a member of the kingdom navy. At this rate, she'd lose her crew before ever setting out to explore. Her attitude needed changing. Whether such change was born of recklessness or some else manner, she cared not.

  Eksa rose to deck in time to see Aki disappearing into a busy street followed by Crow. His newly recruited mercenaries hounded his heels like mutts hoping their master would drop some scraps for them to feed upon. His ship, Tidestrider —which struck Eksa as a rather normal name —was moored next to The Virulence and another new ship with tall sails and oars hanging out the sides. Some manner of a dromon? The ship had an armored front made for ramming, leaving Eksa wondering how such a vessel had been captured.

  She made her way over to her commanding officer's vessel and let herself aboard. The few soldier types lounging on deck spared her sniggers. Her coat wasn't having the intended effect. Sweat seeped out her pores. I must look real silly in this. She rolled her sleeves so that they didn't engulf the entirety of her hand and then some, but her spindly arms only furthered her discontent. “I need to speak to the admiral,” she said to the nearest sailor with as calm as a tone as she could manage. “Is he on board?”

  “Master's cabin,” came a disaffected reply.

  Eksa grunted, just as disaffectedly, and headed below deck. Goosebumps formed on her bare arms as she stepped into the shadow. She became very aware of how alone she was, and rested a hand on her cutlass. Admiral Dhorjun was seated behind a desk too small for a man his size, in a chair that creaked with the slightest of shifts. His dark mane hugged his face like solid shade. Dim lighting gave him a bestial aura that Eksa begged flee from.

  Dhorjun squinted her way. “Girl,” he grumbled after a while, with a voice seasoned by alcohol.

  “Sir,” Eksa greeted, saluting. He snorted, making light of her salute. It made her hate him just a little more.

  “A vessel brought back on your first trip, I hear. And not a single shattered plank of wood.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “I hear you didn't fire those new weapons. Not even once.”

  It wasn't praise. Well, nothing Dhorjun said ever sounded like praise, but Eksa was certain that this was scorn bred from suspicion. “I didn't see it fit, sir. And so I didn't order it. There was no way to confirm if the ship we'd caught were the corsairs we'd been chasing. I couldn't sink the boat.” The admiral grunted. “And so I managed to bring back a ship in good condition.”

  “Well done. And so why are you here instead of celebrating?”

  Eksa sucked in a breath. “I need funds,” she said. She didn't want this. Didn’t want to plead, but she had to set aside her pride just this once.

  Dhorjun put his meaty forearms on the desk and leaned forward. “You want to hire more men now that you've lost some?”

  Eksa frowned. “What? No! I didn't lose anyone. Who told you that?”

  He snorted. “Oh. I was assuming. So your plan is to hire more hands so you can overwhelm your enemies with numbers instead of using the weapons I've supplied you with. With a fair cost, might I add, Eksa.”

  Never does he address me as captain. It's always 'girl' or 'Eksa'. “If need be, yes, I would rather not use the weapons,” Eksa admitted. “If I see a more cost effective path, then I will take it. I would argue that it is safer as well. If I'm not moving in coordination with others of the fleet, then I find saving ammunition for potential surprises would be more effective.” She only just came up with that last reason.

  Dhorjun grumbled something incoherent. He took a swig from a bottle and shuffled through the drawers of the desk before throwing a fat purse Eksa's way. “Not many mercs in town last I heard. You can send a missive to the king and ask him to call some over. Otherwise you're stuck with slaves from those pig pens east of the city.”

  Eksa ground her teeth. Pig pens? That was certainly what it felt like when she'd been a part of that, but reducing every hapless individual there to swine? She pocketed the fat purse and turned away. “You're mistaken, sir,” she said, pausing in the doorway. “I'm quite content with my fighting power as is. I won't be using the money to hire more hands. I'll be using them to throw a party. I think my crew has earned it after risking their necks. You're welcome to attend.”

  The burly admiral raised a brow but did not voice an objection as Eksa had been expecting. He merely snorted and went back to drinking.

  Eksa hurried along, not desiring to remain on The Virulence for a moment longer. “A reward is brilliant,” a hoarse voice said not long after.

  Eksa jumped, squealing, and half drew her blade. Her heart was a riot. “Flaming Ashes! You were with me, Viper?”

  “Yes, Aaron ordered I watch over—”

  “He what?” she almost screamed. “That bastard. That stupid Flaming bastard. Sends you instead of coming with me himself. I hate him. Flames, I hate him. I don't understand why you obey him. Tell him to do his own bloody work next time.”

  “It is my own choice,” Viper said. “As I was saying, a reward is great. It will increase the crew's favor towards you. You know, you're not as stupid as I originally thought. I thought your wind reading talent was all you had really, but you're quite clever.”

  “Thanks,” Eksa grumbled. The reward idea wasn't hers to begin with but she saw no reason to let Viper in on that… “Hold a Flaming moment,” she scowled. “Did you just say you assumed me rather stupid?”

  Silence.

  Eksa seethed. She began stomping on the shadow covered wood planks of the ship.

  “You know that doesn't hurt me, right?” Viper said after a while. “Humans can't affect anything in the Umbra.”

  Eksa stomped harder. “I know!” she lied, screaming now. “I Flaming know but I'll do it anyway.”

  “I rescind my earlier statement. You are stupid.”

  “I hate you.”

  “No you don't.”

  With a final burst of spite, Eksa spat at the ground, knowing that wouldn't reach him either. He was right. She didn't hate him. In fact, she was glad he had her back.