Privateer (The Five Kingdoms #1)

by Robin Roseau

  "You're welcome," he told me. He paused, grinning. "I bet you aren't going to mouth off to her anymore."

  I bet I was. I nodded slowly.

  "Does that mean you agree with me?" he asked, and I shook my head.

  He walked away, laughing, presumably to return to his normal duties.

  I looked out and watched the sea.

  It was hypnotic, and I soon found my thoughts lulled. I wouldn't have wanted to spend all day like this, but the motion of the ship and the beauty of the sea were relaxing. I didn't notice when others began to appear on deck, but then I heard my name called.

  "Auntie Rani! Auntie Rani!" I turned, and Minori was running to me, leaving her mother behind. I quickly climbed back to the safe side of the railing and accepted a flying hug from my niece. I held her tightly, and she squeezed back just as tightly.

  "I was brave, Auntie Rani!" she said. I nodded, still holding her. "Where were you? I was so worried. They took you away, and mama wouldn't tell me where you were."

  I leaned away from her, and that was when she saw I was gagged. She reached out a hand and brushed her fingers across it.

  "They took ours off," she said.

  I nodded.

  "They didn't take yours off?" she asked.

  I cocked my head, wondering how to explain. I held my hand up and used it like a puppet, making talking gestures. I went on and on for a while. Minori knew me well enough to figure it out.

  "Oh," she said. "You talked back."

  I nodded and touched her nose, then pulled her into another hug. It wasn't until she pulled away and touched my cheek with her fingers that I realized I was crying. "Auntie Rani," she said. "Don't cry. Mama said we're going on a little vacation. And then Daddy will get us all back. It will be okay. That's what Mama said."

  Her mother hadn't been hung out to dry by her sister-in-law, but even if I hadn't been gagged, I wouldn't bad-mouth Minori's mother to her.

  "Did they hurt you?" she asked. I shook my head. "Are they being mean to you?"

  I considered her question then shrugged. I didn't know how to answer her. Did anything Captain Westmere had done since I arrived on board compare to kidnapping us in the first place? I didn't think it did.

  "What were you doing here?" she said.

  I turned to face out over the water. Minori turned with me.

  "I watched the water yesterday for a while," Minori said. "No one wanted to play with me." The kids never wanted to play with her. At home, she had books and schoolwork, and my brother had even gotten her a dog to play with. That had surprised me, as I imagined Glora disliked animals. I always played with her when she asked, but I couldn't think of anything we could play.

  "Will you play with me, Auntie Rani?" she asked. I nodded. Maybe she had a game. She grinned. "We can play charades!"

  I caressed her cheek. She was a sweet girl, and I deeply wished she were my own, or at the very least that I hadn't alienated Glora so completely that I wasn't welcome to visit. Maybe Glora would let her come visit me more often, but I doubted she would want her daughter exposed to my corrupting influence any more than absolutely necessary.

  "You won't be able to guess mine," Minori said. "So I guess you'll have to act and I'll guess."

  I nodded. I stared into the sky for a moment, thinking of an animal. Soon, I was acting out the charades for mountain lion, then billy goat. Then I switched to places, which were more difficult, but she got them eventually.

  I was just acting out Southgate, although it was an easy one, when I saw the captain and her officers appear on deck. She glanced around, caught my gaze for a moment, then turned away and climbed the ladder to the quarterdeck. Minori guessed Southgate easily, and I got absorbed in more charades for her.

  I felt her before she said anything. "Have you become so self-centered, you don't even give her a turn?" It was Glora's voice.

  I turned to face her but was able to restrain myself from making any rude gestures. Glora saw the gag and immediately began laughing loudly. I glanced at Minori, and she looked uncomfortable; she had far, far more empathy than her mother did. But she stayed quiet, which was best.

  She'd once stuck up for me, and Glora hadn't let me see her for six months. I had talked quietly to Minori after that and explained she must never take my side, and she had understood immediately.

  "It looks like someone's mouth finally caught up with her," Glora managed to say eventually. "If your parents had tried that when you were younger, maybe you wouldn't have chased away every man who came sniffing after you."

  I thought that was a particularly crude thing to say in front of her daughter, but all I did was shrug.

  Glora continued to berate me, deeply pleased I was unable to offer any retort. I stood there and stared at her, offering a bored expression. The only power this woman had was controlled access to my niece, and as long as she didn't take her away from me, I didn't particularly care what she said.

  But Glora managed to attract significant attention. Soon Lindora and Jorek joined her. Glancing around, I saw all the hostages were watching the exchange. Some looked uncomfortable, but no one said anything to silence Glora; my mouth was famous, so I couldn't exactly blame them.

  "Mom," said Jorek. "Why is Aunt Rani still wearing a gag?"

  "Because she has never learned to keep her fat mouth shut," Glora said immediately. "And I for one am happy to see her finally silenced. If Dinor pays extra, I wonder if we can make the gag permanent."

  I didn't notice when Captain Westmere arrived.

  "Glora Karden," the captain said from behind me in her captain's voice. "Be quiet."

  I immediately turned around, and the captain stood only two feet away.

  "You are right," said the captain. "Your sister-in-law has a fierce tongue, and earlier she caused me to unreasonably lose my temper with her."

  "I very much appreciate your solution, Captain," Glora said from behind me.

  "I have more gags, Ms. Karden," the captain said. "Unless you wish to wear one, you will remain silent."

  Oh god. She was going to anger Glora. I held my hands in front of my chest where Glora couldn't see, pressed together in praying manner, then glanced at Minori, standing beside me. I pled with my eyes, continuing to press my hands together. Captain Westmere's eyes flashed to Minori for a moment, then back to me, and she nodded subtly once.

  "Glora," the captain said. "As I was saying, your sister-in-law has a sharp tongue, and I would rather she learn to control it. However, she is also one of the bravest women I have ever met. She was not obligated to join us on this little voyage. Do you care to know why she is here?"

  I shook my head, pleading with my eyes, but the captain ignored me.

  "I imagine because she couldn't imagine the rest of us going somewhere without her," was Glora's guess.

  "No," said the captain, and I was ready to drop to my knees to beg her to say nothing further. "She is here because your daughter was frightened, and she wished to help calm her. She took her gag first so your daughter could see it didn't hurt." The captain paused, and I knew the damage was done. Glora would never let me see Minori again. She wouldn't tolerate anyone speaking well of me.

  "You are correct. Your sister-in-law's smart mouth gets out in front of her. But on the other hand, nearly everything she has said to me has been completely accurate. I do not care for her tone, but I can not fault her words."

  "Well that's the problem, isn't it?" Glora said. "People don't want to hear the truth, and they especially don't care to hear it the way she delivers it."

  "Maybe not," said the captain. "But maybe they should be more open to listening. We don't always care to hear the things we should hear."

  Then the captain stepped closer to me, and I found myself staring up into her face. She brushed the gag with her fingers. "If I remove this, will I regret it?"

  I considered her question. Undoubtedly she would. I closed my eyes and nodded.

  She chuckled. "Am I going to regret it immediate
ly?"

  I shook my head. Then I felt gentle hands, and a spoken word, and then she removed the gag from my mouth.

  "Every time you wear it," she said, "the effects come faster. It will be several minutes before you can speak."

  "Several more minutes of blessed silence," Glora said.

  "Quite," said the captain. "Tell me, is your sister-in-law a poor aunt?"

  I turned around to watch Glora. "No. But my daughter idolizes her, and I fear she will pick up bad habits."

  "Or perhaps witness directly the consequences of those habits," suggested the captain.

  "What are you getting at, Captain?" Glora asked.

  "Ms. Karden has duties for me," Captain Westmere said. "I hoped you would allow your daughter to keep her company during the execution of these duties. I assure you that your daughter would be absolutely safe."

  I couldn't keep the hopeful expression from my face. Glora knew how I felt about Minori. She looked between the three of us, knowing she was in a position of power. It all came down to how petty she was feeling as compared to how ready she was to get her daughter out from under foot.

  "My daughter and my sister-in-law share a common trait," Glora responded. "I would rather she not be in a position to receive the same correction my sister-in-law shall undoubtedly receive again and again."

  "I am told your daughter is forever polite, if persistent," said the captain. "Is that true?"

  "Of course," said Glora. "Oh fine." She waved imperiously. "If Minori wishes to spend time with her aunt, I shall not deny her."

  "Very gracious," said the captain. "Ms. Karden, you will come with me." She turned to Minori. "You are also welcome."

  "Yes, Captain," Minori said, offering a quick curtsey.

  Captain Westmere led the way towards her cabin, leaving a hubbub behind us. At the doorway from the main deck, she turned to Minori. "You shall only pass this door when you have a direct invitation from me or your aunt. If you are not with one of us or on an errand for one of us, then you should not step past this door. Do you understand?"

  "Yes, Captain," she replied immediately.

  The captain turned away and led the way into her cabin. Upon arriving, she turned back to Minori. "Your aunt can probably not talk quite yet, but she'll be back to normal soon. We will perform our own introductions. I am Captain Westmere. You call me Captain or Captain Westmere. Nothing else. You are Minori Karden. Do you prefer Minori or Ms. Karden?"

  "Minori, please, Captain," she said immediately. "What have you been doing with my aunt?"

  I grinned at the captain. I had warned her.

  "Minori," she said. "Perhaps you will allow me to assign your aunt her duties. I have some time to answer a small number of your questions. If you choose to join us for meals, I shall endeavor to answer other questions you have."

  No one treated Minori the way the captain just had, well, no one other than me.

  "Will you give me real answers, Captain?" Minori asked. "Or will you give me the sort of answers most adults give me?"

  "I will strive to give you real answers, young lady," Captain Westmere said. "I do not promise to answer every question you ask, and if I tell you to stop asking, you will stop asking."

  "We'll see," Minori said. I would have laughed if I could.

  The captain smiled at her before turning to me. "You will clean this room," she told me. "Make the bed, scrub the floors, and attend to anything else you feel needs doing. But you will first polish my boots."

  I looked down. She was wearing her boots.

  "I have more than one pair," the captain explained. "Do you know how to polish boots?"

  I tried to speak, but the words weren't coming out. I shrugged.

  "You don't know how to polish boots?"

  I pointed to my own feet, which were bare, but nodded. I pointed to hers and shrugged.

  "Oh," she said. "Wash them very lightly first, then whatever you do for your own is fine."

  "We also both have clothing in the laundry. It is probably dry."

  I nodded understanding.

  "That will suffice for this morning."

  I nodded and turned to retrieve the cleaning supplies from storage in the head, but I turned back and hugged the captain briefly.

  "You're welcome," she whispered into my ear.

  By the time I found everything I would need, Captain Westmere and Minori were seated, deep in conversation.

  "That's not an answer, Captain," Minori said as I entered. She turned to me. "Aunt Rani, why can't you talk? She removed the gag."

  I croaked a few words, and Minori's brow furrowed. She turned back to the captain. "You hurt her!"

  I moved quickly and set a hand on Minori's shoulder and shook my head.

  "No," the captain said. "The more she wears the gag, the more completely she becomes gagged, and the effect doesn't fade immediately."

  "I could talk right away," Minori said. "Well, almost right away. My tongue was numb for a few minutes."

  "Yes," said the captain. "But your aunt has worn the gag much, much longer than you did. She'll be fine soon. I promise."

  I stepped away, setting the cleaning supplies down. I retrieved the boots then sat down on the floor to polish them. It should have bothered me to be treated as a servant, but I was so grateful to be away from Glora, and to have Minori with me, I didn't mind.

  "What were you doing with my aunt for the last two days?" Minori asked the captain. I glanced up to see the captain's expression.

  "Technically," Captain Westmere responded, "it was a day and a half, not two days."

  "That is four times you haven't answered me, Captain," Minori said. "I grow to believe you are no different than the other adults."

  "I am avoiding answering," the captain said, "because I am not sure your aunt wishes me to."

  "Oh," I managed to get out. "Go ahead." It sounded like croaking, but they both understood me. Minori looked at me then turned back to the captain. I couldn't see, as her back was to me, but I thought perhaps she had an eyebrow raised.

  "All right, Minori," she said. "I have time for two questions, then I have my own duties requiring attention. Is this one of the questions you wish me to answer?"

  "Yes," Minori said immediately.

  "While you were being settled into your quarters in the bow of the ship, your aunt waited here in this cabin, watched by my first mate."

  "The horrible woman who ruined our party and made us wear those gags?"

  I grinned but didn't say anything.

  "Hush, you," the captain said to me. "Yes. That is my first mate. Once you were settled and had all promised to behave, I returned here to see if your aunt would also promise to behave."

  "I can guess the answer to that," Minori said immediately.

  "I imagine you can," agreed the captain. "And so she left me little choice. I had to lock her in the brig. That's like a jail."

  "But she's not in jail now."

  I didn't bother pointing out the missing details. Minori didn't need to know, and the captain and I both already knew them.

  "No. Last night, I asked again if she would agree to behave, and she said 'Yes'. But there are no other places to sleep, as the ship has become crowded, and so she spent the night here with me. This morning, she served breakfast to me and my officers."

  "Was she still wearing her gag?"

  "No. It was during breakfast that she angered me and I replaced the gag." The captain rose from the table. "I have answered far more than two questions."

  "No," Minori replied. "Those questions were only necessary because you weren't offering a complete explanation. My second question is this: by what right do you kidnap us?"

  The captain dropped back into her chair, and I couldn't help it. I laughed. Minori glanced over at me, but she knew I wasn't laughing at her. She smiled and turned back to the captain. "Well?"

  "That is an awfully adult question," the captain tried. I could have told her that wouldn't work.

  "Why don't y
ou attempt an adult explanation," Minori offered. "If I do not understand it, I am sure my aunt can explain in simpler terms while I help her polish your boots."

  "Minori," said the captain. "Was that sarcasm?"

  "Was I impolite?" she asked. "My apologies. Will you answer my question? Or are you like all the other adults who promise to answer, but then never do?"

  "All right," the captain said. "Norida and Alencia are at war."

  "Yes, I know," Minori said. "Lord Wren took offense at something Lord Gatham said, and so Lord Wren used that as an excuse to start another war so he could line his coffers. What has that to do with you kidnapping women and children?"

  The captain gaped. I continued to polish the boots, moving onto the second one, but I was shaking in mirth.

  "You're not helping, Auntie Rani," Minori said. "If she gets mad, she won't answer, and I want an answer. As I was amongst those kidnapped, I believe I am owed an answer."

  "I'm sorry, Minori," I said. "You are absolutely right. Well, Captain?"

  "The Grey Wizards have made the rules of war," the captain said. "I am only following those rules."

  "So, there is a rule that says, you, Captain Westmere, must kidnap innocent women and children? That is a very specific rule. I did not know the Grey Wizards made rules that were so specific."

  "No, Minori, there is no rule like that," the captain agreed. "You know, I am not sure I have an answer for you."

  "Perhaps if you have time, you will be able to think of an answer, Captain?"

  "Perhaps. And now I must go."

  "No!" said Minori. "Because you have not answered my question, and you have agreed to answer two questions, you must allow me to ask another question."

  "All right," the captain said. "If you make it a fast, simple question. I have duties that I can not ignore."

  "All right, fast and simple. Are you so stupid to think if you abuse my aunt, she will have sex with you?"

  Again, I couldn't help it. I roared with laughter. Captain Westmere glared at me, but she didn't tell me to shut up. "I'm sorry, Minori," I said finally. "I do love your questions."

  "I know," she said. "You're the only one. I wish you were my mom."

  "Oh honey," I said. "You mustn't say that."

  She turned to the captain. "You aren't going to tell my mother I said that, are you?"