by LJ Andrews
…map found and I cannot help but feel drawn to its power. Captain altered course to complete journey to Dia. Something stirs within me. The captain would squander the power of Dia. It has been decided, I will lead the mutiny against him and find the treasure for myself. Scarlet Moon will be mine.
Kale raised his eyebrows as Nova turned to look at him, heat flushing in her cheeks. Her father’s words were so cunning, so devious. The words were not the same as the man she’d loved her entire life.
“Are you sure this is your father’s?” Kale asked, glancing at the same final paragraph she’d read.
Nova turned back to the inside leather cover and pointed to the name etched in the corner. “I don’t know what this all means.” She admitted, ashamed of the tremble in her voice.
Kale looked at the floor of the boat, his eyebrows drawing together as if he were painfully rolling over Varick’s words in his mind.
“Nova, hand me the book,” Atlas said, interrupting their discussion.
She snarled like an angry wolf as she turned around. “No, it’s not meant for you.”
“Captain said I should be the one in possession of it. Now out of respect for you, I’ve allowed you to hold it, but now we’re boarding and I am taking it to the captain,” he said, narrowing his eyes.
“Respect? Is that what you call your actions? Funny, we must have learned different definitions of the word because from where I sit, there’s nothing respectable about you.”
Nova felt the searing pain of a bony hand across her cheek. She held the side of her face and saw the stout pirate from shore seething over her. Kale was on his feet, pistol outstretched.
“Enough,” Atlas demanded. “Phish, you won’t lay another hand on her.”
“Ye should start demanding more respect or ye’ll never stay in favor with the cap’n,” Phish said, glaring at Atlas.
Atlas shoved his hand on Phish’s shoulder, forcing him back onto the bench before turning toward Kale. “Put your weapon away and tie the boat off.”
Kale’s eyes darkened angrily, and his jaw clenched so tightly it seemed as if a small ball rolled around in his cheeks. Without a word to Nova or Atlas, he leapt onto the deck of the Vengeance as the jolly boat pulled right alongside her vast hull. Carefully he pulled the boat’s rigging so it was securely fastened.
“Hand it over, Nova,” Atlas said calmly, holding out his hand. She looked up at him; his face wasn’t soft and playful as it once was. But despite his demeanor, she detected a hint of desperation behind his eyes. “Please,” he finished so softly she barely heard him.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, and without shame for letting tears fall onto her cheeks, Nova handed over her father’s ledger ,feeling as if a piece of her was going to be lost to Smythe’s hands forever.
The crew bustled about the deck of the ship. Kale had disappeared quickly after tying off the boat. Almost as soon as Nova stepped foot on deck, Kane wrapped his crushing fingers around her arm and dragged her toward the captain’s cabin, Atlas stalking close behind.
“Captain, the little witch is back,” Kane chuckled as he shoved Nova into Smythe’s cabin.
Smythe was sitting behind his large desk, leaning over a tattered map of Launi Kingdom. His shirt was rolled up to his elbow, with the first riddle from the ancient ring-map tattooed across his wrist. To every other person on board the words meant nothing, but Nova could read the ancient language as if she’d spoken it her entire life, though she’d never been taught.
“Callin’ it close tonight,” Smythe said calmly. “The navy be close. Master Kane set sail to the outer border. Atlas, do ye have somethin’ for me?”
Atlas stepped softly, his head bent away from Nova. “Here is what we found, sir,” he said placing the leather book onto Smythe’s desk.
“We? The lass let ye be in her presence, now, did she?” he taunted.
Atlas shifted between his feet in notable discomfort. “Miss Willock found it just as she said she would, no resistance.”
Smythe mouthed the words Miss Willock in sarcasm, causing Nova to flush in embarrassment. “Fine, get to the helm and get us away from the Navy’s guns.”
Atlas crossed the cabin in three strides followed closely by Kane, leaving Nova alone with Smythe. The captain opened the ledger hungrily and scanned the pages, ignoring Nova’s nervous tapping of her toes.
Smythe flipped page after page, his lips curled in a deranged grin, never glancing at her. Quietly, Nova began backing toward the closed door of the cabin. Her stomach fell when a floorboard creaked and Smythe’s eyes shot up from the ledger.
“Ah, leavin’ so soon, Miss Nova?” he said with venom. Her feet became lead and her heart seemed to freeze in her chest, chilling her blood to the tips of her fingers. “An’ here I thought ye’d want to learn about all the dark deeds done at the hands of yer pap.”
Her nose crinkled in disgust and burned as she held back angry tears. “Nothing you say will ever change how I feel about my father.”
Smythe scoffed and opened the ledger, flipping the pages until he found what he’d been looking for. “Twelve days into the cold season on Rand Island—lots of young people livin’ there—I remember it well…” Nova closed her eyes and held her breath as Smythe kept reading. “Here’s what he said: under my directive, the crew made way into Rand’s main port. We took the jollies underneath the docks and banked undetected. The crystal sapphires were recently transported from Lacin mines to Rand and are ours for the taking.”
Smythe paused and looked up at her from the pages. “Not too bad now, is it, lass? Ah, but wait—there’s more after the raid. “Rand’s capitol will burn through the night and the baron’s daughter was taken aboard at the captain’s request for a buyer on Koning. I suspect it has much to do with King Insel and his tendency to pass through wives. The girl put up a fight, but the Scarlet Moon leaves triumphant yet again. The crystals were buried in the old churchyard. Rand’s people resisted, but in the end, our desire for the crystals won out and the church now sits in ashes…though our crew is intact with no loss of life, I cannot speak for the people of Rand Island…”
Smythe stopped when Nova sucked in a breath and closed her eyes, letting warm, silent tears land on her red cheeks.
“I never lie about piracy, miss, and yer pap was the worst of ‘em all,” he said as if driving the painful stake of truth deeper into her soul. “Turns out these particular crystals were all a part of his plan to find the mountain. He was clever, and as I read in his book here, he doesn’t offer too much direction and information. A pirate tactic. Ye don’t want to give up too much about yer treasure hunts, but just enough that ye can find it again. Despite this, I think this ledger will prove powerful on our journey to the mountain.”
Smythe took a step closer to her so their noses were only inches apart. Nova lifted her face cautiously, unashamed of the redness burning in the whites of her diamond eyes. Madness and black fury filled her chest like a bag of gunpowder waiting to ignite in Smythe’s leathery face.
She choked back bile in her throat when he wiped a strand of curls out of her face with his rotting, black fingernails. In a low whisper, he breathed close to her ear. “Well, now, we should be gettin’ ye back to yer room. It’s been a pleasure seein’ ye this evenin’, Miss Nova.”
As if he could read Smythe’s thoughts, Kane opened the door to the cabin and gripped Nova’s elbow.
“Ye did loyal work tonight. Expect an extra ration of bread for yer supper,” Smythe said, the degrading mockery evident by the malicious curl of his lips.
With a flick of his finger, Kane dragged Nova too forcefully out of the cabin and down toward the brig. Darkness enshrouded the cold, damp cells, and the only light was a faint moonbeam shining through a crack in the hull. Kale was leaning against the wall in a wooden chair, inspecting something on the hem of his shirt. Stopping short of the last step, Kane released her elbow but shoved the back of her head so she stumbled at Kale’s feet.
�
�The wench is yer’s to deal with now. Make sure she be locked up tight until the next time the captain calls.” Before turning up to the main deck, Kane spat a stream of dark saliva at her feet.
When the first mate was gone, Kale bent down and helped Nova to her feet. Despair wrapped its heavy arms around her like a weighted chain. For the first time since the heavy power had built inside her, sadness overpowered even the inner darkness.
“Are you all right?” Kale asked, holding her elbow as he led her to the cell. “Smythe didn’t hurt you, did he?”
Nova shook her head as her lip trembled. She faced the wet wall and hugged her knees to her chest. Behind her, Kale stood silent. His discomfort was heavy; she could sense it. Finally, he cleared his throat and joined her against the wall. “If you want to talk…”
She wiped her cheeks as he trailed off. Smiling sadly, Nova looked at him, resting her chin deep in her knees. “Besides standing by while pirates attacked my hometown, I also feel like my whole life is a lie. I’ve risked so much to find my father and save him from dangerous pirates, but…now I’ve learned…he used to be one of the worst ones. He kidnapped a young woman, Kale, and helped burn a town!”
They sat in silence for a long time. Nova gnawed on her inside cheek, wondering if the truth of her father and his past had changed Kale’s mind of uniting with her against Smythe. If she was honest with herself, she wouldn’t blame him. She had acted much like a pirate in recent months, and now the truth of Varick felt almost too much to comprehend.
“You know, my father was one of the most respected merchant captains in the kingdom,” Kale said suddenly. “Barons and noblemen respected him just as much as his crew. He retired when my mother took sick; I was already stationed in the navy. When she died, I offered to return home, but I never had to.”
Kale looked off distantly. “Why didn’t you go home?” Nova asked when he stayed quiet.
Clearing his throat, he turned to face her. “Something he did during his trading was take on ‘lost causes,’ according to the law, at least. My father had a sense about people, and often offered positions on his crew so people could learn a trade and earn an honest living. He helped people turn their lives around. My father didn’t believe in lost causes if people had a reason to change. He tried his entire career to help people find that reason. I didn’t have to live with my father because he was visited nearly every week by some sailor he’d found during his travels. It gives me some consolation since I’ve been here, knowing Captain Tucker is being looked after by lost sailors.”
Nova gave Kale a watery smile. “That’s a nice story. Your father sounds like a good man.”
“So does yours, Nova. That’s my point. While you were growing up, your father wasn’t a pirate anymore. Maybe he found a reason for a second chance. Don’t let Smythe taint your image of your father. It’s what the lunatic wants.”
“So, you still want to work together?” she asked slowly.
Kale’s eyebrows scrunched together, shadowing his bright eyes. “Did you really think the fact your father was once a pirate would sway my decision on leaving the Vengeance?”
She shrugged. “I find I’m having a hard time gauging people nowadays. Everyone seems to disappear around me, literally and figuratively.”
Kale slapped his knees as he stood. “Well, I’m all in, even if I find you terribly irritating.”
Nova snorted as she laughed and quickly covered her mouth, embarrassed, but kept smiling. “You are pretty intolerable, too.”
Kale shrugged and left the cell. “I’ve heard that before. I’ll go grab your supper. Try and get some rest, okay? Who knows where we’re headed next.”
Nova leaned her head against the wood after Kale left and closed her eyes. The day had brought up too much emotion; she felt completely exhausted and was relieved when sleep overcame her tortured thoughts.
The white walls gleamed in the bright sunlight, like a radiant flame above the world below. Two gilded doors opened without assistance, leading into the clean throne room where she sat. Her lips were stained like blood as they curled up into a wide, satisfied grin. She watched as the woman stepped before her. Her long, dark hair had a natural blue tint as the bright sun hit against each strand. Her figure was small but still in a perfect hourglass as she bent low on one knee in front of the throne. Her fear and apprehension were obvious, but something won out. A resolve to complete her journey outweighed the woman in white robe’s fearsome power.
Nova woke to Kale’s steps returning to the brig. Her eyes were wide as she remembered the dream. It was so vivid, almost like a vision. The woman bowing low to the woman in white— Nova would never forget those soft hands brushing her hair, and holding her after every skinned knee. Her mother had kneeled in submission to the woman on the throne. Nova didn’t know how she knew it, but something pushed on her lungs making it difficult to breathe as she thought on the images. It was clear Kamali was in trouble.
Chapter 4
The Underbelly
Nova’s skin pulled white over her knuckles and her fingers ached from holding the same position for too long. Moonlight cast an eerie glow through the brig deck again, but she kept her eyes locked on a rusty nail across the narrow room. If sleep came, she feared the woman in white would appear again, or perhaps she would see something dreadful happening to her mother. Her eyes burned like fire as sleep begged to take over, but she held firm, refusing to see what her decision to run away had dealt to Kamali.
All day she’d tried to convince herself the visions were only in her imagination, and the reason she now saw her mother was because she’d visited her old home. But Kamali’s warning in the short note stayed in the back of her mind, and deep in her heart Nova knew her mother was in trouble. It wasn’t clear what the vision of the strange woman meant, if there truly was a terrifying being upon a golden throne, or if she simply signified something to Nova’s subconscious.
Kale had come in and out throughout the day, tending to the brig duties. His quizzical expressions were obvious, but he never asked her about her sudden melancholy attitude. Now the Vengeance rested in silence. The crew had long since gone to bed and only the creaks and groans of the wood were heard as the vessel rocked through the clouds. Slowly, Nova lowered her head, resting it against the cold iron bars, and her eyes fluttered as she fought against the exhaustion taking over.
Wood giving under the weight of a boot snapped her to attention. Kale never came into the brig after midnight and by the moon’s position, the time was early in the morning. Nova rushed to the darkest of the four corners of the cell and hugged her midsection, feeling a heavy wave of fear at being locked helplessly in her cell at the mercy of whoever chose to torment her when the rest of the crew slept. Holding her breath, she watched a shadow progress lower into the brig from the small flicker of a lantern.
He stopped at the last stair, the flame casting his broad shadow over the floor. He couldn’t see her, but she watched as the pirate paused as if reconsidering. As he finally stepped onto the deck, she took note of his brown leather coat pulled up around his neck, and dark hair spilling out from under a leather hat. She narrowed her eyes and clutched her chest, angry and surprised he’d show his face voluntarily in front of her.
Atlas looked at the other two cells before turning the lantern light toward her cell. She pressed her back harder against the wall, trying to keep out of the flame’s wake. But the cell was too small to maintain any real cover, and her legs fell into the gold light. Atlas met her face and quickly lowered his lantern as if surprised to find her staring back at him. Clearing his throat, he awkwardly began tromping toward the stairs.
Nova grasped the bars and pressed her face out again, deliberating whether she should stop him. “What do you want?” she asked when curiosity won out.
Atlas stopped and she saw his shoulders heave up and down once before he turned around. “I didn’t think you’d be awake. I couldn’t sleep so I was wandering the ship.”
“And
you wandered to the brig?” she asked, intentionally seething venom in his direction. “It’s a little unsettling to know you came down here, knowing full well I was the only one here, to what…watch me sleep?”
Atlas shook his head in annoyance and looked away. “I don’t know why I came down here. I know I’m the last person you’d wish to see, and I don’t particularly like being near you either.”
Nova scoffed. “Yes, because I tried to throw you overboard. I’m horrible company.”
Atlas took off his hat and rubbed a hand over the black bandana covering his head. “I don’t like to be around you because…because of what I did.” Nova watched him through narrow slits as he took another step closer, looking truly torn between anger and sadness. He finally lifted his eyes to her face. “You don’t look well. Is it the darkness you once spoke of? Is it…is it still consuming you?”
Nova studied him. He knew everything about her inner battle, and it had always surprised her he hadn’t told Smythe about the strange power. He’d only spoke of the dagger, but how could she trust him now? “I’m fine.”
Atlas took another deep breath, shifting his gaze to every part of the brig except her. “I understand how you hate me and I wish…I wish it hadn’t happened like it did…” He trailed off.
Nova bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t speak to him like this; it felt like it would be the end of her. “Well,” she began barely above a whisper, “I wish it hadn’t happened, too, but you made that choice and we both will live with the consequences.”
Atlas cleared his throat. “I made the decision I thought was best.”
Nova’s face flushed in anger. “Are you incapable of opening up to another person? You chose yourself over my life—ˮ
“Let me finish,” he interrupted. “I thought I made the right decision, but I know I was wrong. You can hate me, Nova, I expect it, but I need you to know I didn’t know Smythe was going to try and kill you. I take responsibility for saying nothing. I should’ve tried to stop it. I chose someone else over you, and for that I’m sorry. You deserved to live more than this person did.” Nova looked up in surprise at his confession, and couldn’t distinguish if it angered her more or broke a piece of hate away. “I just needed you to know that I didn’t know he would try to kill you. He said he would lock you up and send you to Dieb.”