Chapter 1

The old superstitions that women aboard ships bring bad luck have it all backward. The only reason Cordelia felt it was so common was because women actually get things done on these glorified rat holes. God-forbid the men actually be forced to work every once in a blue moon.

"Geralt, if you don't triple loop that mast I'm going to tie you to it!" She shouted at the sky. The skinny crewmember snapped his eyes downward, realizing he'd been caught taking shortcuts. Cordelia paced the length of the main deck again and again as the men let down the sails. The skies had cleared from the morning's storms and a brisk wind had begun to pick up. Her tangled red hair whipped around her face but she let it go, ignoring it completely. She watched every twirl of the lines, meticulously picking out anything that could cause a problem. Her list of duties never seemed to end. By the start of the afternoon, the sails were taut and pulling the ship along at a decent speed, despite it's sheer mass.

She glanced at the heavy wooden door at the stern of the deck. She huffed and gathered the men. "Alright, no orders left except to maintain the current course. At ease." Most of the men retreated into the shade of the decks below, but several stayed behind to watch the ropes and keep it secure. Cordelia turned on her booted heel and marched towards the Captain's quarters with purpose. He is not allowed to give such a vague order; he knew how much it irked her.

She opened the door with far too much force as it swung around to hit the wall. Her keys jingled in her hand as she reached behind her with her free hand to slam it again, for good measure.

"Am I allowed to know what was so important that I had to be summoned at the end of a thunderstorm to pull the sails? They weren't even dry bring them down!" She shouted, but there was no one in the room. She had spoken to the yellowed skull placed in the center of the charts table. It sat there inanimate, making Cordelia feel like even bigger of a fool. "Jonas! I'm your First Mate! You have to answer me!" She marched to the table, slamming her hands down to each side of the skull.

"You shouldn't yell like that, remember?" The soft voice eliminated from the skull, and sounded as if it had come directly from the clenched teeth.

"I can yell when you don't give me proper orders. The men want to know where we are headed in such a rush."

"You can yell, sure. I did warn you though that it's bad for your health. No matter, though. We are heading north towards our next target."

Cordelia sighed, "Another cargo ship? We are set for the next 40 years with supplies, let the men rest."

"No." The skull didn't move but the reverberations of sound shook the boards of the cabin. "A more valuable target. The matter of succession is of the utmost importance. I found a charter ship crossing the ocean housing ample opportunity. We could miss our chance if we don't begin immediately. It's your duty to make sure we maintain our speed. I want to be there before the week ends to intercept them."

"That's only 3 days, how close are they?!"

"Close enough, we can make it. Just ensure our speed." The map the skull sat on morphed, allowing a path to form, detailing his desires and eventual intercepting point.

Cordelia slid the map out from the skull, and studied the course. "This is gutsy. Are you sure we can make it?"

"Do you doubt me?" The subtle threat was there, despite the years of trust built up between them.

Cordelia placed the map down, a simmer of heat burning her ears out of subtle anger. "No."

"Good, and continue working on that temper. It may get you into trouble some day."

Cordelia refused to respond, instead she turned away and headed out to the deck, making sure to pull the door shut as hard as she could. Her temper was her business, and she was sick of him pointing it out to her. She didn't care that their history was there, she was trying to do her job, the one he gave to her.

As she stepped out into the bright sunlight she took count of the men working. She had nine of them on the ropes, and two for backup. She may have been a woman, but had earned their respect. She was strict, and was the most organized and efficient master they'd followed in their years of privateering. She wasn't going to lose that respect today.

"Maintain, good work men!" She shouted, her voice projected past the wind with a lifetime of practice behind it. "Heading due north! Mouse!" She shouted up at the crow's nest, where a young boy stuck his head out. "We are looking for a charter. I need to be informed of everything you see round the clock. Don't let me down."

"Aye Moss!" He shouted in return. All the men called her by her surname, Moss. She felt it earned a stronger reputation than 'Cordelia'.

She hurried down the steps to the lower decks. Several men were sleeping but more were drinking and passing the time with card games, gambling, and telling stories. She walked with purpose, the men all snapping their attention to her, but she said nothing and continued down the next flight of steps. The floor below held the kitchen, and she hadn't yet eaten today. This deck had wild chickens running about, keeping whoever was walking around on edge as they tended to dislike anyone but the cooks. She approached a bowl with boiled eggs and some bread and took two of each. She stuffed them in her coat pockets and hurried back up the stairs. She made her way to the upper decks where the helmsman, an ex corporeal for the English navy, kept to the course. She dictated her orders from Jonas to him.

The men disliked hearing orders from their captain via the first mate, but order was needed. Only Cordelia knew where he was currently, but they all knew he was off-ship. She didn't leave the deck once she had set the course correctly and distributed more detailed orders.

She leaned over the railing, letting the wind hit her face, freckled on every inch from constant sun exposure. She had no interest in appearances, but several men had told her she was a unique form of beauty, at least until they'd gotten to know her attitude. She pulled and egg out of her coat pocket and peeled it, letting the shell fall into the water. She bit half of it and looked out into the horizon, the heat warping the ocean's flat surface to her eyes. She enjoyed her breakfast and took a moment to clear her head. The frustrations of not having Jonas aboard took their toll, and she clearly let her temper get the better of her more often when he wasn't around to calm her. She felt a wave of determination wash over her, as she wanted to complete this mission, so Jonas could return and set everything straight.

"Moss!" One of the men called from the main deck. The sheer size of the ship meant her work was never done. She stood straight and wiped her mouth on her sleeve heading back to her duties.

Thank you so much to everyone who has sent in submissions! I love reading them! Those who are still submitting, can I request no more nobility in the characters? Wealth is fine, but I'm trying to get more diversity and also I don't want them to all automatically recognize each other.

Thank you Abizeau for the shoutout in her story, The World is Watching. I appreciate it so much! Also, everyone, if you haven't already seen it, go check out the Pinterest board for this story. headlessgummy

Keep the submissions coming! Reservations are allowed but I need them in a few days, because I'm going to start introducing some of them. So excited!