Page 132 of Vengeance of the Pirate Queen

“Don’t fake anything.”

“Oh.”

I leave her to think on that and slide back down to the deck.

“It’s Alosa,” I say to Dimella and those near her. “TheAva-leeleads five ships toward us.”

“Thank the stars!” Enwen says.

“Aye. You might be meeting them soon if we can’t find a way to let her know it’s us. Don’t forget, we’re on a foreign ship now.”

Dimella says, “We haven’t our colors. They went down with the ship.”

“We’ll need something the queen will recognize,” Kearan puts in.

And as I eye him, I know just what to do.

“Your coat,” I say, gesturing to Kearan. Alosa is all too familiar with it. “Off with it, and we’ll hoist it high.”

By the time we’re close enough to the pirate queen’s fleet to make out the flags on all her ships, Kearan’s coat is strung high, flapping in the breeze. We’ve explained the situation to the Drifta, and they grow slightly on edge. I don’t blame them. They’re about to meet a foreign monarch. No one would expect the likes of Alosa.

A few hours pass before we’re finally upon each other. Alosa surrounds us with her ships before lining up theAva-leewith our vessel. A gangplank is lowered, and the queen treads across the distance between the two ships with all the grace and beauty one would expect from a half siren. Two men walk just behind her. The first is, of course, the frantic Wallov, whose eyes scan the ship in search of his daughter. The other is Riden, the queen’s consort.

Alosa’s crew follows after them. They fan out along the edges of the ship, as is protocol when boarding a captured vessel.

Alosa scans the entirety of the ship, taking the measure of all the unfamiliar faces. When her gaze lands on me, she strides forward and embraces me. In my ear, she asks, “Roslyn?”

“Alive and well. She’s at her usual post.”

Alosa claps me on the back before turning to Wallov. “I think you’ll find your daughter up in the crow’s nest.”

He takes off toward the mainmast. I look up at the top, where just Roslyn’s eyes are peeking over, watching her papa advance with a desperation that almost tears at my heart.

To me, the queen says, “I see you’ve brought back with you more than I sent you out for.”

“Aye, Captain. There were lots of folks that needed saving.”

“From?”

“A siren artifact and a man’s greed.”

At that, Dynkinar steps forward, her little translator in tow. It makes sense that she would rather one of her own speak for her than have me be the go-between. She bows her head in a sign of respect, and Alosa does the same.

“I am Dynkinar, last surviving Speaker for my people,” the boy translates. “We are blessed to meet you, Queen Alosa. Captain Sorinda has told us much about you and your greatness.”

“Greetings, Dynkinar. Perhaps we’d better find a place to talk so you can both tell me the whole story?”

We all nod.

“Riden?” Alosa says.

“Aye?”

“Assess the crew aboard this vessel. Have the healers tend to any wounded and make sure all their bellies are filled.”

“Aye-aye.”

Alosa won’t know yet that I’ve already healed the injured, and I don’t correct her. The time for that is not yet.

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