Chapter 14

  Two days passed as they limped toward the isnd where they’d make repairs. Rumrunners‘ Cove would have all they needed, so long as the demons hadn’t burned it to the ground. The Admiral had kept herself busy, throwing herself into tasks she normally left for others, in an effort to keep her mind and body occupied. She and Nereida did not talk at all about what had passed between them, and the Admiral was content to avoid the princess, to pretend nothing had happened. Though at night, when she readied herself for bed, she imagined she still held Nereida’s hand in hers.

  Routines continued, though now they included Epelda teaching the two small Samanders how to fight. The Admiral watched the sessions as she stood at the helm. Epelda was teaching the boys to fight dirty, without honour or respect. The Admiral had to smile, knowing the little princes of the Samanders, if they survived, would fight like pirates and not princes. She imagined them fully grown, dressed in courtly clothes of red and gold, defending their honour against a foe in a duel, and starting by simply stabbing the foe in the groin. It was a funny image, something to distract her mind from the feel of their mother’s hand entwined in hers.

  Dammit

  The princess was nearby, working on repairs of the crew's clothing. She had subtle hands and knew embroidery, so she had volunteered to do repairs. The poor woman had no idea the amount of clothing that needed work; the crew, while they had crisp, well maintained uniforms for when they were actively participating in military operations, had a plethora of clothes for their long journeys that had simply not been important enough to repair. Her husband sat beside her, sewing away at clothing as well, his taller frame hunched as he picked at a difficult piece. His hands were far less subtle, and he poked himself often, once bleeding on a piece that had been near completion. She smirked, gd to see the oaf suffering. The smirk was wiped from her face when watched Nereida say something to him that made him ugh.

  A sudden piercing whistle pierced the din of daily life. The Grand Admiral looked up at the crow’s nest, seeing the exaggerated signing from the man above as he blew shrilly into the whistle.

  “Danger! Demons! Port!” The Grand Admiral called for her spygss, and once it was delivered into her hands, she gazed out over the water. Two bck vessels with equally bck sails were sailing straight toward them. They had been seen. The Grand Admiral reached for her own whistle, peeping out a call to her officers to meet her in her cabin. She took the stairs two at a time, and slowed at the Prince and Princess. She touched the Prince lightly on his shoulder. Her arm screamed as if it had been burned, but she ignored the sensation, ignored how unpleasant and different his magic was from his wife’s. She could ponder on that when death was not at their door.

  The man looked up at her with concern. She made a point of not touching her rival, but she needed his undivided attention at the moment.

  “Get her below deck.” Her voice was soft, but there was no mistaking the order in it. She flicked her eyes to the ocean and back again. “We may need your fire, if you are willing, your majesty.” He nodded.

  “I can help,” Nereida protested, clearly annoyed at being ignored.

  “Can you reign fire down on our enemies?” Ael snapped. Nereida pulled back from both the Admiral and her husband, her expression mutinous. “Can you face the demons after what they did to you?” This Ael said quietly, barely above a whisper. Nereida’s eyes widened as if she had been struck. The husband and wife exchanged significant gnces, war waged between them without word or gesture. It was the princess who looked away first, her battle lost.

  “By your leave, Grand Admiral, Crown Prince.” Nereida’s voice dripped with emotions, too many to number, but anger and resentment at the forefront. She stormed off the deck, crew scattering out of her way. The Prince let out a long, low breath.

  “Neither of us are ever hearing the end of this,” he said lightly. She chuckled, finding herself agreeing with her rival.

  “Let’s make sure she has many years to hold this over us, yeah?”

  “Basiano,” he said, holding his hand out. “Call me “your Majesty” when the crew can hear and you will be in for all sorts of issues.”

  “Basiano. A pleasure. I’m still Admiral.” He grinned at her.

  “Somehow I doubt you’d have it any other way. I’ll get ready for a fight, and return shortly. Do I have time?”

  “At least an hour before they can overtake us. Go.”

  The Grand Admiral ordered Epelda to take the children below deck.

  “Once they are safe, it’s all hands.” She spoke, not having the time to dedicate to transtion. Epelda nodded, and signed a single word.

  “Sing?” Ael closed her eyes, took a breath. She did not want to expose Epelda to the Samanders. Epelda’s hand brushed her face, making her open her eyes. “Mama-Samader already knows. Not a secret from them now.”

  “Oh….” Ael felt relief warring with frustration. “Next time, tell me!” Epelda nodded again, and then shepherded the little boys below deck with their mother.

  The officers were all in agreement once gathered: they would attempt to outrun the pursuing demon ships. Still, cannons would be made ready. They were concerned about the Samanders using their fire magic on board, but it seemed better than the alternative. The demons, if they won, would take the ship, drown the crew and if the royals were very lucky, they’d be drowned alongside the crew.

  As the other officers left, Evander slowed his pace.

  “Admiral?” He whispered tentatively. She smmed the door closed, figuring her first mate would not share whatever picked at his mind with anyone else around.

  “Make it fast.”

  “Yes Admiral. I think you should bring the Countess… the Princess to fight.”

  “Are you daft?” She gred at him, a gre that once would have had him scurrying away. But he squared his shoulders instead. She expected eboration, expnation, something, but instead he just touched his arm where the wound from the blood oath was. She deepened her scowl but he remained unmoved.

  “And if her story is true? Can she survive facing them?”

  “She made an oath and bound it in magic. I felt the magic Admiral. I still do. Please.”

  Ael threw her hands into the air in utter frustration. She let out a guttural growl, which only partly expressed her feelings on all that was happening.

  “Fine,” she spat. “But if she dies, it’s on you.” She stormed out of her own cabin, leaving her mutinous first mate to deal with the princess. She almost hoped they did get boarded. At least then she’d have someone to stab.

  Her mood did not improve after checking the cannons and making sure each was manned. Coming back above deck she saw Epelda engaged in whispered conversation with both the Prince and his wife. All three had their heads pressed together, looking almost like a little family. She warred with herself; part of her wanted to break up the whispers, demanding to be involved. But her cooler head prevailed. They are making a battle pn. She knew that to be truth, and so, against her own best interest, she turned away and went to focus on the helm.

  Without their mizzenmast, their maneuverability was severely compromised. The Admiral and her officers were well spaced out, ready to pass information and orders quickly. Admiral watched from a distance as Epelda climbed up in the riggings. To the Admiral’s unending surprise, the princess climbed up too, her movements through the ropes awkward and slow. Epelda tied the princess to the mast, then tied herself. What were they up to? The Admiral gnced over at the Prince and saw he had shed himself to a smaller mast. Her concern mounted.

  Epelda blew into her own whistle. Three short peeps and then a longer one. A talewind? Admiral gaped a moment before sounding back a single short peep. “Do it.” She was concerned that Epelda could not maintain what they needed. The wind was calm, blowing against them when it did flutter, and so they had dropped sails and switches to oars.

  “Raise sails! Hang tight!” The Admiral projected the order, her voice caring over the stillness. And as the sails dropped into position, one by one, music began. It was not just Epelda’s wordless voice echoing over the ship as the wind stirred, but a second, soprano voice. It was high and strong, singing words to the melody of Epelda’s song.

  “South wind we call, rise up and bide

  waves do grow in endless tide

  Ebb and flow as wind and sea

  T’ward freedom mercifully.”

  There was more, but the words were swallowed by the sudden wind that bsted their sails. Ael felt her heart might burst from her chest. They invoked the sea while Epelda’s magic sang! Daft fools, they’d draw Sirens to them for certain!!

  The ship picked up speed immediately, carried by the strong wind. As if the wind had woken the sea, the waves began cresting higher and higher. The waves and wind in concert pushed their ship. The Admiral grabbed her whistle and peeped the order to baton the hatches. With waves this rge, they had to make sure that no water came in.

  The ship tilted and rocked dangerously. The Admiral scrambled to the helmsman to sh him to the helm. If he fell, it would be disastrous. Everyone around her continued to work, but she could feel the fear of her crew building. This was not a sustainable pace, not for the ship, and not for Epelda!

  Yet it was almost an hour before the pace slowed and the headwind and waves died. By some miracle, not a single person had fallen overboard. Ael’s skin itched, there was so much magic on her ship. The air was heavy with it. No one else seemed to mind, or even feel it. Once the ship slowed and she could give the orders to continue to row, a cheer rose up. The crew shouted Epelda’s name over and over again. The adolescent waved from her high perch. Her exhaustion was evident even from the ground.

  “Evander! Take some folks and get them down!”

  “Yes Admiral!”

  She had more orders to bandy about, two crewmen injured when the ordeal had begun, but nothing life threatening. The Prince had calmly untied himself and had disappeared below deck the moment the ship had slowed, his face a mask showing no emotions. The Admiral scoffed quietly to herself. She had wanted to speak to him to find out what the princess had done, why she had been up in the riggings. Was the princess able to use future-sight? Is that why her magic felt so different from her husband’s?

  Both Dragon-Blooded were soon retrieved. For all her exhaustion, Epelda was eted.

  “Did you see?” She signed as she bounced on the balls of her feet. Her hands were a flurry of movement, repetitive and excited. “Did you, did you, did you?” The grin on her face was wide and proud. Ael smiled back, her pride quieter but just as true.

  “You did wonderfully.” She spoke and signed, though the words were slower. “Hopefully we have lost them.” She looked over the Princess as she spoke. Nereida was pale, her lips almost blue. “We should warm you both up, get food into you.” Nereida looked like she was about to protest, and so Ael added “after you see the children of course.” She gave Nereida’s shoulder a squeeze of gratitude, feeling the magic of the other woman flowing beneath her fingertips. Nereida, for a moment, seemed to lean into the touch, but the moment was brief, and so Ael assumed she had imagined it, or that the princess was as tired as the deckhand. “I’ll be along to my cabin shortly, for tea and food. You’ll both be there.” Her voice hardened a moment, so that they could hear the order. When they nodded, she lifted her tone to be less severe. “Once we know where we are, how far off course we are, we can work with that.“ She dismissed them both with a wave of her hand and set to gathering up the officers. They had avoided doom for now, but needed to get to the isnd if they wanted any chance of continuing this journey.

  And then she had to figure out what in the five hells the princess was up to.