Pirate's Promise

by Chris A. Jackson

  "I'm not going to kill you." Celeste sighed, put her things down, and slithered over to the bunk. "I understand you've been hurt, Vreva, but you've got to put it behind you. Eat something, let Snick get you cleaned up, and get some rest. We'll need your help if that galley decides to come after us."

  "My help?" A cough of humorless laughter shook Vreva's shoulders. "Much more of my help and you'll all be on Zarina's rack!"

  "By the stars!" Celeste swore. "What did she do to you to make you give up like this? I've been a slave before—more than once, in fact. I've longed for death rather than continue living in darkness and chains. But once I was free, I thanked the stars and embraced life. You're free now. How can you want to simply lie down and die?"

  "When Zarina discovered that I'd seduced her as a means to interfere with her investigation, she ...she was angry."

  "And she tortured you."

  "Yes." Vreva sighed, and another tear escaped to run down her cheek. "She ...I don't remember most of it, but I saw what it did to her. She's ...beyond reason, Celeste. When she couldn't get information from me, she had me dragged through the Fleshfairs for everyone to see." A shiver wracked her. She hugged her knees to her chest and turned away. "They ...entertained themselves, beating me ..." Silence hung heavily for a long moment, Vreva's shoulders heaving as she wept. Finally, the courtesan raised her head, wiping away tears. "She ...killed Saffron ...and ..."

  "Saffron? Your cat?" Celeste stared, bewildered.

  "My familiar. He ..." She squeezed her eyes shut, her shoulders heaving with sobs. "He died trying to help me. He was my ...only friend. I don't want ..."

  "Desna weeps." Snick retrieved a vial from her bag and dumped the contents into the hot toddy, then handed the steaming cup to Vreva. "We're your friends. Drink this. You'll sleep."

  Vreva took the cup in her hands. She sniffed the steam rising from the surface and gave the gnome a knowing look. "Knock-out toxin?"

  Snick nodded and patted the courtesan's knee. "You need rest. Don't worry, Vreva. You're safe here. Nobody's going to hurt you."

  "You're wrong, Snick, but thank you." She drained the cup in one long draught, and handed it back. In moments, her eyes drooped closed, and her head fell to her knees.

  "Help me, Celeste." Snick eased the courtesan down onto Torius's bunk. "I've got to see how badly she's hurt."

  "She's already had two healing potions." Celeste used her magic to help arrange the blankets and pillows. "Surely her wounds are healed."

  "Don't think so."

  Snick pulled back the blankets, and used a scissor to slice open the shift and pull it off. With the soapy water and washcloth, she wiped away the grime to reveal the full extent of Vreva's injuries. Her pale skin showed a gruesome tapestry of torment. Deep bruises and contusions, scrapes, and welts marred her flesh. Her ribs were a mass of black and blue, and fingernails they'd thought caked with grime were actually black with blood. When they rolled her over, Snick caught her breath. Vreva's back had been virtually flayed. Two healing potions had barely touched her injuries.

  Celeste reared back and hissed. "By the stars, it's a wonder she's alive!"

  "And no wonder she wanted to die." Snick poured potion after potion down Vreva's throat until every mark, bruise, and welt vanished. Picking up the washcloth once more, she started to thoroughly clean the woman's body.

  Celeste wanted to leave, to forget Vreva's appalling condition, but she felt compelled to stay. Her cheeks burned with shame when she considered how she had blamed Vreva, assuming the worst of her. Snick's gasp drew her attention.

  The gnome held back Vreva's matted hair, revealing a vivid red brand of SPY on her forehead. "Celeste, another potion!" She poured the potion down the courtesan's throat, but the mark wouldn't fade. "Those motherless bastards! It must be some kind of magic."

  Celeste felt ill, staring at the brand until Snick nudged her.

  "Let's give it a break." Snick covered the sleeping woman in clean blankets. "I've got to get some clean water to wash her hair, and you need to go determine our position."

  "All right." Celeste gathered up her navigational instruments, and slithered to the door.

  "And Celeste, we need to tell the captain what happened to her." Snick nodded to the sleeping courtesan. "He needs to know how badly she was hurt."

  "What do you mean? He knows she was injured."

  "Yeah, but not like this." Snick followed her out of the cabin. "This isn't some battle wound, Celeste. She was tortured. That can do things to a person's mind, make them act unpredictably. If we're being chased, the captain needs to know if he can depend on her."

  It made sense, but Celeste still felt uncomfortable. If Vreva hadn't revealed the worst of her ordeal to Torius, then telling him without her consent felt like a breach of trust. "We don't know if they're after us yet. We shouldn't tell him unless it's necessary."

  "All right." Snick nodded and ducked into the galley.

  Celeste didn't look forward to such a conversation. She and Torius hadn't seen each other in weeks. The last thing she wanted was the specter of Vreva Jhafae hanging over their reunion.

  ∗ ∗ ∗

  Torius stepped out on deck and reveled in the faint blush of predawn sky and fresh sea air. He was alive, free, well fed, and clean. He hadn't gotten much sleep, but what he'd gotten had been deep and sweet, after an even sweeter reunion with Celeste. Their bond had been renewed, and he felt whole once again. Another glorious day at sea. He had his ship underneath him, and his crew at his command.

  Everyone but Grogul.

  Torius's mood slipped a notch. The loss of his friend weighed heavily. Like a good, firm anchorage with a blow coming on, Grogul's courage and friendship had been something Torius depended upon. Now he was gone.

  "Pirate's curse," Torius muttered as he climbed to the quarterdeck. He had to put the loss behind him, focus on the future, their next step. Today, that depended on what the morning sun revealed. They'd lost the galley's lights only two hours after their escape. It seemed likely that they'd given Nekhtal the slip in the dark.

  "How goes it, Thillion?"

  "Very well, Captain. The winds and seas are down, but we're still on course for Jalmeray. How are you feeling?"

  "Excellent, all things considered." At Celeste's insistence, he'd taken a healing potion for his injuries. Apparently, they had spent quite a bit of his fortune stocking up on curative magic, so there was no sense in skimping.

  Soursop topped the steps with a tray of coffee and fresh biscuits. As the morning glow brightened, they sipped coffee and ate biscuits slathered with butter and honey. Snick came on deck looking weary, with none of her usual morning quips.

  The first rays of sunlight had just touched the topmast pennant when Lacy Jane's voice called from the main top. "Sails! Two points on the port quarter!"

  Torius stiffened. Striding to the taffrail, he raised his glass. From his lower vantage, the horizon shone clear. "What color?"

  "Yellow, sir! She's hull down, but she's a lateen three-master. Gotta be the Scourge."

  "Gozreh's guts!" Torius began to pace. "It should have taken them hours to fix their steering. How did they pick up our trail?"

  "Two possibilities come to mind, sir." Thillion fiddled with his puzzle chain like a string of prayer beads. "Luck, or magic."

  "Gotta be that godsdamned inquisitor!" Snick surprised Torius with her vehemence.

  "Gozreh damn that woman!" Vreva had been right. Zarina wasn't going to let her go. Torius squinted aloft. The topmast pennant flapped lazily, the wind slacking. He did a little quick math in his head. "We've got at least twelve miles on them, maybe more. If we can increase our speed, maybe they'll exhaust their rowers trying to keep up."

  "They may have two full shifts in chains belowdecks," Thillion reminded him.

  "Let's hope not. Lacy!" Torius squinted up to the main top. "Keep an eye on that ship. Let me know if they're catching up."

  "Aye, sir!"

  "Slaves, Captain!"
Snick's mood shifted from gloom to something more calculating. "If they do catch us, we might be able to use their own slaves against 'em."

  "Use them how?"

  "If I can get aboard, I can free quite a few before the crew's any wiser, especially if they're distracted by a fight." She withdrew the skeleton-key wand from her belt and twirled it in nimble fingers. "Galley slaves are picked for strength and fed well. They'll be madder than a nest of hornets, too."

  Torius cocked an eyebrow. "Not bad, if it comes to that. We'll try to outrun them today, then lose them tonight. If that fails, we'll have to fight. I'd rather not get into a boarding action, but we have to be ready." He fixed them with a level stare. "If we come rail to rail, we've got to take the fight to their deck. If we let them board Stargazer, they'll overwhelm us."

  Snick grinned with her old mischievous guile. "I haven't had a chance to tell you yet, Captain, but I brought aboard a new surprise for my babies."

  "I hope your surprises can compete with the Scourge's broadside and two catapults!" Torius chewed his lip. "Getting close enough to use your babies will cost lives. They'll rake us like a wildcat. And they've got that inquisitor. She's a caster."

  "We have casters of our own," Thillion pointed out. "Miss Celeste, and you say that Miss Jhafae is a sorcerer ..."

  Torius considered Vreva. "I don't know how much we can expect from Vreva. She's a spy, not a warrior."

  Snick gave him a significant glance. "Yeah, Captain, about Vreva, that's somethin' we've gotta talk about."

  "First things first, Captain." Thillion glanced aloft. "Shall we bear off the wind a point or two and rig stuns'ls?"

  "Yes. Bend every sail she'll carry. We've got all day to plan tactics if we can't outrun them." Torius looked aloft with a professional eye. "Put her on a beam reach, and rig the whole shooting match. Shift cargo to port to stiffen her up."

  They nodded and went to work. Torius raised his glass and looked aft. He still couldn't see Bloody Scourge from his lower vantage, and he hoped he never would.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Lessons in Vengeance

  The click of the cabin door stirred Vreva not from sleep, but from deep thought. She welcomed the disturbance. She had far too much to think about, most of it bad. A boot scuffed, and the door clicked closed. Vreva lay warm and snug in Torius's bed, her back to the cabin, legs braced against the roll of the ship. The physical injuries were gone, leaving behind deeper wounds.

  Saffron ...Zarina ...She pressed her eyes closed, forcing years of mental discipline to order her thoughts. Safe ...I'm safe ...Remember the training ...Calm ...Wall off the pain, the fear ...Separate yourself from it ...

  "How is she?" Torius's voice reached her as a bare whisper.

  Scales rustled on fabric. Celeste had apparently been watching over her. "Better, I think. She slept soundly, and her breathing is steady." The naga's scales hissed across the floor, then came the soft, unmistakable sound of a kiss. "Did you get any rest?"

  "I slept in the guest cabin for a few hours. I'm headed back there now, but I thought I'd check with you first." He paused. "Snick told me what happened to Vreva."

  Calm ... Vreva walled off the memory of Zarina's madness, her tearful golden eyes, her hoarse cries of "I loved you!" She would deal with that later. Right now, she had to take control, not succumb to the pain.

  "I need to know if we can depend on her if things get dicey. Bloody Scourge is still gaining. If we can't shake them off in the dark, we're in for a fight tomorrow."

  Zarina ...But Vreva pushed that memory behind the wall as well. Zarina's gone. She's dead.

  "I don't know, Torius. She seems hurt, but not physically. She's been through a lot."

  "Too much, maybe." He sighed. "I don't know what to do with her if we have to fight. If she can't—"

  Enough!

  "Maybe you should ask me, instead of talking about me like I'm not here." Vreva rolled over and sat up, adjusting the blanket to cover herself.

  "You're awake!" Celeste rattled her tail against the table leg, a flash of temper crossing her face.

  Calm ...I can do this. "Yes, and I'm not an invalid." Vreva scooted to the edge of the bunk. She stood, a little wobbly, but firmly enough, and fixed them with an even stare. "Are they going to catch us?"

  "Probably." Torius shrugged, but Vreva could see that he was nervous.

  About me? I've got to show him ...Calm ...safe ...

  "We didn't shake them off last night like I'd hoped." He went to a cabinet, pulled out three crystal tumblers and a couple of bottles. Wine filled one glass, and a measure of amber liquid the other two.

  Vreva caught the scent of spiced rum. Oh, you sweet, sweet man.

  "They must have some way of tracking us." He handed a glass of rum to Vreva and the wine to Celeste, then took a sip from his own. "Do you know if Capoli can do that with magic?"

  "She might. I don't know." Vreva inhaled the heady aroma of spices, and quaffed a third of the strong liquor. It burned down her throat. Warm ...safe ... "We never discussed her magic."

  "If it's a spell, perhaps we can block it." Celeste's forked tongue flicked out over her levitating glass of wine, and she took a sip. "I bought a variety of scrolls before we left Katapesh. One of them blocks scrying."

  Vreva shook her head, grateful for a problem to solve. "Zarina"—it hurt to say her name—"knows me well enough to be able to scry me, but that would only tell her that I'm aboard a ship, not where the ship is. We can't know what spell she might be using, or whether she's tracking me, Torius, or the ship itself." She knocked back the rest of her drink and pursed her lips, firming her resolve. The barriers between her and the horrors stood firmly in place. She was still Vreva Jhafae, and she could survive this.

  She thought about Zarina. Yes, I loved her once. Before Saffron. The innate thirst for revenge flared. Sweet Calistria, grant me vengeance ... "No, we should prepare for the worst. Assume that they're going to catch us."

  "Then we've got a serious fight on our hands." Torius bolted his drink and sat at the chart table. "They outnumber us, have more ballistae and two catapults. And Capoli's a force to be reckoned with. She stood toe to toe with Grogul, and I saw her teleport, but I don't know what other spells she might have. They may have another caster aboard as well."

  "To my knowledge, they don't." Questioning eyes turned toward Vreva. "At least Nekhtal never mentioned one."

  "You know him?" Torius sounded incredulous.

  "I ...entertained him once." Vreva managed to keep her voice steady. "He's the brute-force, hands-on type. I don't think he'd see the need to have a wizard aboard."

  "Well, we can't know their capabilities, so that just leaves the question of our own." Torius centered his gaze upon Vreva, fixing her eyes unwaveringly. "I know you're no warrior, but you do have magic. How can you help us?"

  Vreva found no pity in his gaze, only a genuine plea for aid. Considering the question, she seemed woefully unprepared. She leaned back on the bed, and the blanket parted to expose her leg. Catching Celeste's pointed look, she put down her glass and closed the gap.

  "My magic is attuned to espionage, not combat, but I can learn."

  A drawer in the dresser opened as if of its own volition, and Celeste nodded toward the rows of ribbon-bound parchment. "Feel free to peruse the scrolls I bought in Katapesh."

  Vreva went to the drawer. With a simple spell, the scrolls came alight with the auras of myriad spells.

  "These will do nicely." She nodded to Celeste. "I'm also adept with poisons. If you give me some of your venom, I can purify it into a more lethal toxin."

  "Thillion already uses Celeste's venom on his arrows."

  "I can make it better. If I can use your kitchen for a short time, I'll make enough for both of us."

  "It's a galley, not a kitchen," Celeste said. "And I thought you weren't a warrior."

  "I'm not, but it doesn't take a warrior to sneak up behind someone while invisible and put a crossbow bolt in their neck
. I'm no archer, but at close range, I manage."

  Torius nodded and poured more rum in their glasses. "If you can put one in Nekhtal and another in Capoli, that would help."

  Zarina ...Vreva lifted her glass in toast. "It would be my pleasure to do them both, Torius." The crystal struck a musical note, and they drank.

  "A bolt in the neck, however, presumes a boarding action. Stargazer's more maneuverable than Scourge, so we'll try to dance around her and see what kind of damage we can do with Snick's babies and spells."

  Vreva gave him a wry smile. "I'm sure I can find a spell of use from a distance. Regardless, I'll need some clothes before I go into battle."

  "I'll find something for you." Torius finished his rum and stood. "Lacy Jane's about your size. I hope you don't mind looking like a pirate."

  "Not at all."

  "Wait." Celeste slithered between them, a gleam in her dark eyes. "I have an idea that might neutralize one of our threats without firing a shot."

  "What?" Torius eyed her curiously.

  "The inquisitor." She turned to Vreva. "You said she was in love with you. Do you think she still is?"

  Vreva quailed to think what Zarina might be feeling toward her, but furrowed her brow in thought. "I ...don't know. I don't remember much, but she was crying when she ...asked me questions. Why?"

  "Because you, Vreva, are our secret weapon." Celeste slithered to a locker, and the door opened to reveal a row of glistening dresses. "I remembered how you taught me to draw attention to myself when we had Benrahi Ekhan aboard. How do you think Capoli would react to seeing you in your full glory, looking like the woman she fell in love with, undiminished by what she did to you?"

  "I ...don't know." Vreva forced down her tremulous thoughts. Could it work? Could she still love me? The notion seemed ludicrous, but ... "It might ...unsettle her."