Page 35 of Virelai's Hoard
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Riley was tasked with hauling coils of rope from the hold to the deck, probably for no reason other than to make her legs sore from climbing the ladder and shoulders ache from the hard, rough material digging into her flesh. Ever more frequently, her gaze fell on where her hands were keeping the coil steady as she walked. She hadn’t been able to find replacement gloves, what with the rest of the crew not owning any, owning fingerless gloves, or not being willing to part with theirs.
The questions had been trickling steadily.
“So what’s with the fingers?” One of the brothers–Draven? Venn? It was hard to tell them apart–asked her one day as they both joined her table for dinner. “Gotta be a story behindthat.”
“Bet you pissed off a mutt or something,” the other said, and winced in sympathy. “Pissed one off when I was a kid and it bit me in the ass. Literally. Left a scar and all.” He shifted in his seat as if he could still feel the sting of the bite.
Riley hid her distaste with a smirk. “You’re not far off,” she said, shrugging. “Except it was a shark, and it wanted the whole ass arm.” She shoved another bite of food, suppressing a snicker at their wide eyes. “I sneaked a punch in and got off lightly. You should’ve seen the shark’s face. All shocked I was fighting it back instead of screaming and letting it eat me up. Almost worth the trade.” She grinned and wiggled her stumps at them.
The next day Pip wanted to hear the story of the shark, and Riley faked confusion. “What shark?”
“The shark that ate your fingers! You punched it and everything?” His face scrunched in thought. “No?”
Riley shook her head. “Wasn’t a shark.” At his crestfallen expression, she took another potato from the pile to be peeled and looked around to make sure they were alone in the galley. “Do you really want to know?”
Pip brightened. “Yes! Please!”
“Well… you know how Patch can get into trouble sometimes? One day, he had a run-in with some blasting powder. I had to grab him quickly before he blew up. He got away with a bit of singed fur and got to enjoy some freshly cooked dinner afterward.” She made a face. “Apparently they were delicious. He’s been sticking around ever since.”
The boy’s eyes became big as saucers. “Heatethem? Your fingers?”
Riley nodded, all serious-like.
And so it went. Anyone who asked got a different story. Today, when she passed Ignatius on deck, he raised his eyebrows at her and called out, “Oi, Riley. What’s the story today?”
She grinned, almost enjoying the game by now. “A princess!” she called over her shoulder. “The bastard that had her locked up demanded a price in flesh to let her free. Worth it.”
Amused chortling resounded at her back.
Riley’s own smile faltered as she walked out of his sight. The truth wasn’t nearly as funny–or worth sharing.
A moment later, her steps faltered too, for a different reason. She frowned as she observed Eryx, staring at the water beyond the railing.
They’d been there all day.
With a quick glance around to make sure Gadrielle wasn’t nearby, Riley let the coil of rope fall to the deck with a dull thud and approached them.
Eryx didn’t seem to notice her, their pale hands gripping the railing tightly as they stared at the water. Riley looked beyond too, trying to see what they might be seeing. The sea hadbeen calm ever since the storm, and today was no different. Its surface rippled with gentle waves, only disturbed by the passage of the Moonshadow, leaving long streaks in the water that slowly reassembled themselves further away. The sky was clear too, only a few puffy white clouds strolling across. Still, Eryx’s intense stare made her shiver. She remembered their warning on the night of the storm. How they’d been right about it. If they’d listened to them, then maybe Maren wouldn’t…
“Is there another storm coming?” she asked.
Eryx didn’t react at first, then they blinked, as if drawing themselves out of a daydream. “A storm?” They frowned and then looked up at the sky. A placid shake of their head, not even firm enough to bob the dark hair framing their face. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Oh.” Riley shifted on her feet, unsure about what to do next.
If this had been anyone else, Gadrielle would’ve snapped at them and told them to do something productive with their time quitea whileago. But ever since the storm, the crew had been cautious around Eryx. Some of them were suspicious, others reverent, gossipping in hushed voices about the young pirate who had warned the captain about the storm. About how they were touched by the sea, though no one could tell what that meant, which made them uneasy.
Riley felt that uneasiness too, now. She stepped to walk away.
“Riley?” Eryx asked distractedly, still staring at the water.
“Yeah?”
“Maybe you shouldn’t sleep in the crow’s nest for a bit.”
Riley blinked, surprised they knew about that. Maybe she shouldn’t have been. It was hard hiding anything on this ship. It would only have taken one person noticing her for everyone to find out about it the next day. But why was she still allowed to do it if everyone knew? It was against the rules.
