Ahoy!

Thank you to Mel, Jill, and Gemma!

ELEVEN

"This will never work."

I don't even know what our true plan is; I only know that it is doomed to failure.

Isabella looks at me. "Oh, come now, Captain. Chin up," she says, clapping a hand on my back.

I look at her in surprise. "We are far less than a seasoned crew," I tell her, eyeing the sailors Captain Thorne has assembled. Isabella looks around the dock. "Half these." I pause on the word men, as nearly half the sailors are in fact women. "Deckhands," I continue slowly. "Look barely old enough to have ever sailed at all."

"I trust Captain Thorne's selection," Isabella says with a firm nod. "And if all else fails, Darling, we'll have them drop us off at the nearest deserted island, and we'll make do with one another."

I gap at her brazenness, and she offers me a wink before stepping away to check in with the Captain. I bring my hand to my head, massaging my hairline where I feel an ache pounding away.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Jasper says, stepping up to my side.

I glance at him. "What choice do we have?"

He turns to look at me. "Turn her in," he insists quietly. "You won't be returned your personal items, but the reward would be substantial enough to buy back your ship."

I take a deep breath. "I can't," I say quietly, looking over at him. "You know the importance of what I've lost."

Jasper's shoulders slump. "I know," he says gently, his eyes flickering to a young lad struggling to successfully gather ropes.

"I've told her my name is Masen," I say, unable to use her name out loud.

Jasper's eyes travel back to me, and I see the surprise in them. "You've used your mother's name?" he asks. I nod once.

"I don't want her knowing more about me than is absolutely necessary."

Part of me feels guilty lying about my name, even though I am certainly justified in my reasons for doing so. No doubt Isabella has spouted incessant lies to me since the moment we met.

"I think that wise," Jasper says, pulling my attention back to him. "I worry what we are in for." His eyes return to the crew.

"Remain stalwart and vigilant," I tell him. "We will look out for one another, as we always do."

Jasper looks at me as I speak, and I meet his bright blue gaze. Jasper's eyes are like the sea: bright and clear and shining. Sometimes, I think he can see beyond the horizon with those eyes.

"Always, Captain," he says, dipping his head slightly. I smile at him, reaching a hand up to pat his shoulder. He is my oldest friend, and no journey I could ever take would be complete without him.

…

Captain Thorne stands before her crew, tall and powerful in her presence.

"I want it made clear!" she says, her voice carrying like thunder over water. "Anyone, be they man or woman, caught fraternizing with another on this ship will spend the entirety of our voyage in the brig. Anyone caught forcing themselves upon another will face execution." Her eyes are hard as she glares out at the crew. Dozens of sober faces stare back at her in agreement.

Captain Thorne turns on her boot, leaving her crew as the First Mate begins barking orders.

"Rather harsh punishments, are they not?" I ask her as she, Isabella, and I stand upon the quarterdeck. Captain Thorne looks at me.

"We have far too much ahead of us, and I need a crew that can stay focused. Would you rather be lost at sea while my crew devolves into wanton pleasure?"

I flush at her words.

"No."

Behind her, Isabella is smirking, looking rather delighted at such an idea. She shifts around the Captain to stand beside me, giving me a smile I am quickly coming to realize means only one thing: mischief.

"We're ready, Captain."

I turn, and belatedly realize that the crewmate is not talking to me. Beside me, Isabella snickers under her breath, and I turn and glare at her. By the time my eyes land on her, she is as innocent as a lamb. It is her most suspicious look.

"Weigh anchor!" Captain Thorne instructs her First Mate—who is also a woman, but goes by the name Mr. Davenport. I haven't an earthly idea why a woman would use such a name, but I've not had a moment to inquire about it.

Mr. Davenport turns to the crew to shout the Captain's orders to them. The barque is three-masted, and it is larger than my small merchant ship. I stand upon the quarterdeck with Isabella and Captain Thorne, trying to capture all the information I can about how this ship operates. Between observing the crew and listening to the Captain speak with the piratess, I'm learning a fair amount.

"I trust you will have our heading?" Captain Thorne says, breaking my concentration from the crew working below. I turn to look at the women beside me as Isabella nods.

"Of course," she says dismissively. "I've already begun."

Captain Thorne's eyes narrow, and Isabella reaches up, clapping a hand to her shoulder.

"Need I remind you that I don't benefit from leading you astray," Isabella says, her voice a combination of light lace and firm stone. How she manages to sound so sweet and so sinister at once baffles me.

"I trust you remember what I have vowed to do to your First Mate, should you betray me," Captain Thorne says, her voice firm and cool. Isabella's eyes travel toward her First Mate, who is helping to weigh anchor.

"Yes," Isabella says, turning back to the Captain. "We have an understanding."

There is a tense moment before Captain Thorne nods. Isabella claps her shoulder once more before stepping away and disappearing into the Captain's quarters. I make to follow her when Captain Thorne stops me.

"Where do you think you're going?" she demands.

I look at her in surprise. "I'm not letting that piratess out of my sight," I hiss.

Captain Thorne looks amused. "She needs to focus. As Captain of this barque, I'm ordering you to give her time."

My teeth grind together in my mouth, but I manage a tight nod. Captain Thorne looks me over, her head tilting slightly. "What is it she took from you?"

I don't know if it's me who is easy to read, or Isabella who is easy to predict. Either way, I huff.

"Everything," I grunt.

Captain Thorne smiles lightly. "Well, perhaps it's time to find a new everything."

I glare at her once more before turning and descending from the quarterdeck. I'd rather be a deckhand securing lines than deal with those two impossibly frustrating women a moment longer.