Page 101 of Stilettos & Secrets on the 7 Seas

“You’re talking about your gift, right?”

“Absolutely darling, there’s no hiding the gay me. I thought I was the only male transporter, but now they’re coming out all over the place. First Toches and now Max. I don’t feel special anymore.” Ace’s shoulders slumped.

“C’mon Ace, you’ve got a special talent. No one else would be able to jump in their lucky undies.”

“I do have a flair for fashion.” Ace perked up. “So, Max’s mother’s vessel was a submarine?”

“Yeah, Mortas described Lidiya’s vessel as an iron whale. I assume it was a sub like Sasha’s and Fredericka’s vessels.” I opened one of the medicine bottles and sniffed. “Eesh, this smells like sweaty gym socks.”

“How d’you think Max got this vessel?” Ace arced his arm toward the room.

I capped the bottle, placing it back in the bag. “No idea. Maybe it was her gift.”

Ace shot up, almost tipping out of the bed. “Brilliant. We’ve got a name for those.” He tapped his finger to his lips. “What were they called? We haven’t had one in ages.”

I paused, recalling the story Caiyan told me when we first met. “Caiyan told me the first travelers could control the gift and transfer it from one inanimate object to another.” Even though my teammates poked fun at my outhouse, it had grown on me, sort of like a puppy dropped on my doorstep. Now, I was attached. “Jumping in a vessel other than my outhouse would feel weird.”

“That’s it!” Ace snapped his fingers triumphantly. “A wielder. I’m sure of it. You’d think the crew would have bloody questions popping out of peril like a leaping leprechaun.”

“The crew turns a blind eye. They think theSea Stormis a ghost ship. Rowan acts like it’s all in a day’s work, but Max thinks he’s cursed.”

“Cursed?” Ace thought about it a beat. “Maybe we are.”

“We are not cursed. This special thing we do is magic. The Ancalites acquired the gift to save their starving tribe.”

“And now?” Ace hopped down from the bed and walked to the window. “What is the purpose now?”

I couldn’t immediately answer. Save the world from the Mafusos? Fix the future? Fulfill a prophecy? I wasn’t entirely sure. In the end, I gave him my favorite part of my gift. “So, we can jump to Sorrento on a hot summer day and drink fresh limoncello.”

“I’ll drink to that. A fresh limoncello would be quite refreshing.” He picked up the bottle of rum and toasted me, taking a drink. “What are the chances we find the treasure and get the ’ell out of here with all our favorite parts intact?”

“There’s a good chance a lot of Spanish treasure is at the bottom of the sea. The famous treasure hunter Mel Fisher didn’t find it until 1985. Of course, he was using special equipment but since we’re three hundred years earlier, I hope it’s more visible.”

“I assume it’s not in knee-deep water, or it would ’ave already been spoken for. How are we going to get it?”

“How good are you at holding your breath?”

“Not that good, doll.”

“If we find the King’s key, the game has only begun. The prophecy states the key is a golden armor and holds all the keys. I assume we’ll have to piece it back together while keeping evil hands at a distance.”

“And there’s the teensy issue of collecting all the keys. Especially the ones the Mafusos have secured around their dirty, rotten necks.”

“Let’s worry about that later. Right now, I need to get Marco back on this ship and figure out how to beat Mortas and Sasha to the King’s key.” I stood and paced the room. “And then there’s Max.”

Ace leaned back and eyed me. “Are you thinking about adding a passenger?”

“He doesn’t belong here.”

“Max grew up here. It’s the only home he’s ever known.”

“What if Mortas summons Mahlia, and they cart him off to our time?” I slapped my skirts with a theatrical groan. “He’s not a pirate. He may be able to stomp around, curse like a pirate, shoot like a pirate, but without Rowan’s help, his life span is short. Most pirates don’t live past thirty.”

“And what about tall, dark, and stormy? He won’t step aside even if we could get to Max before half-sies brother Mortas gets his slimy hands on him.”

“If we can find the treasure, I hope I can convince Rowan.” I smoothed my bunched skirt. “Do you think it’s possible for Max to return to our time?”

“Since Max was conceived in the present but born here, it’s a gamble. With Mortas playing long-lost family, promising things he can’t possibly deliver, it might be harder than you think to convince Max our side is the better choice.”

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