Privateer (The Five Kingdoms #1)

by Robin Roseau

  "So me, my mother, and certainly the officers."

  "If your father were here, he could."

  "What if I had applied it on shore? Does the gag know that it belongs to you?"

  "No. The gag knows you applied it, and it knows who it feels outranks you."

  I taught her to remove it, and then Rani made her niece apply and remove it several more times. Finally Minori said, "I got it, Aunt Rani." She tried to give the gag back to me, but Rani closed Minori's hands around it.

  "Aunt Rani, do you want me to gag you when you need it?"

  She nodded.

  "What about Mama?"

  Rani considered it. Then she pointed to the ship.

  "Only while we're on ship?" And Rani nodded.

  Minori and Rani both turned to me. Rani immediately began digging at my belt, and I realized she was trying to open my pouch.

  "I only have the one, Rani," I said, pushing her hands away. "Radha, how many gags do you have with you?"

  "Four."

  "Give me..." I looked at Rani, and she held up two fingers. "Give me two of them." Radha handed me two gags, and Rani immediately took one, slipping it inside her tunic.

  "You won't be able to use it," I told her.

  She stared up into my eyes.

  "All right, if it makes you feel better," I said. I slipped the other one into my pouch to replace the one Minori was holding. "Minori, these are expensive. If you lose that one, I will add the cost to your ransom. Furthermore, I will be forced to punish your aunt severely for trusting you with it."

  Rani immediately stepped to her niece then she was pulling a ribbon out of Minori's hair.

  "That's my only purple one, Aunt Rani! You gave it to me. Oooohhhh," she said. And then Minori tied the ribbon around one of the ties of the gag before slipping it into her pouch. "I won't lose it, Captain."

  Then Rani turned to me and stepped behind me. I had a tie for my braid, and she pulled it from my hair. She stepped back in front of me and pressed the ribbon into my hands. Then she held her hands out.

  "Captain, have you given my aunt any presents?"

  "The use of some clothes."

  "Those were for practical considerations, perhaps," Minori said. "I believe you should gift my aunt the ribbon from your hair."

  "Should I ask why?" I asked.

  "No," Rani managed to croak. "Sorri, that is a very lovely ribbon." She still held out her hands. "But if it has special meaning for you, perhaps you will gift me a different one."

  "Am I going to see it in your hair?"

  "No, but perhaps dangling from the side of my head from time to time."

  I laughed and handed the ribbon to her. "I wish you to have this ribbon, Rani."

  "Thank you, Sorri. I shall cherish it." She examined the ribbon carefully. "I didn't see what color it is."

  "Bright red."

  "You have worn it a lot. It is very worn."

  "I'm sorry. I have nicer ones."

  "No. This one is very distinct, and it is perfect. Thank you so much." Then she pulled her gag out, tied the ribbon around one of the ties, and replaced the gag, now with the ribbon attached, inside her tunic.

  "I will give you a pouch later," I said. "Will you tell me why you tied ribbons to the gags?"

  "No, Captain," she said. "And if you ask again, have a gag ready, because I will lose it."

  "All right," I said. "But is there some ritual I don't know?"

  "God damn it!" Rani said. "You had to-"

  And then Minori had her hand over her aunt's mouth, and she spoke the word, and the gag filled Rani's mouth.

  "You just had to ask, Captain?" Minori asked.

  Rani was stamping her feet and fuming, but her niece had gotten the gag properly placed, and Rani didn't resist when Minori did the ties.

  "Captain, if my job is done here, perhaps my aunt could escort me to the galley. I can see well enough to navigate the ladder now. She'll be calmed down by the time we arrive at the galley. May she return if she is calm?"

  "Of course. Perhaps she can bring more tea." I paused. "Minori, the gag is not a toy. If I see it in anyone else's mouth, you will find yourself in the brig. Do I make myself clear?"

  Rani stamped her foot and I thought perhaps would throw herself at me, but Minori wrapped her arms around her. "Of course, Captain. I'm not a child." Then Rani let her niece pull her away, and a few moments later, they both disappeared into the dark.

  * * * *

  Rani Karden

  The gag was calming. I had hated it before, but now it was calming, and I was fully under control before we crossed the main deck. As soon as we were inside the passageway, I stopped Minori and touched the gag.

  "Do you want me to remove the gag?"

  I nodded, and she removed it immediately, storing it in the pouch with the money she had taken from the captain.

  We hugged, and then she led us to the galley.

  "It's about time!" Jorek said when he looked up. "It's your turn to wash, Minori."

  "She was-" I croaked. I touched my throat for a moment, then tried again. "She was helping me."

  Glora looked up from whatever she was doing, then she crossed the room to stand in front of me. "Something is going on."

  I spoke very quietly. "Minori, you will explain to your mother in private. She may practice on me, but not you, or you may find yourself searching for a ship's officer's assistance at an inopportune time. Please do not embarrass me overly much."

  I turned back to face my sister-in-law. "Glora, can you wait for an explanation? Understand that I, and the captain, have offered your daughter a great deal of trust. And also in you."

  "In me?"

  "Yes."

  "I can wait," Glora said. "Is she back now, or do you still need her?"

  "She is back. I need more tea."

  "Dishes, Minori. Your brother can't keep up."

  "Yes, Mama."

  "Minori, thank you," I said to her back.

  "You're welcome, Aunt Rani." Then she was beside Jorek and asked him what he wanted her to do.

  "She is an amazing girl, Glora."

  "Yes, she is. Deeply frustrating, but very amazing. You've had a lot to do with that. I have been inspired by your patience with her."

  "It isn't patience, Glora, and if that's how you see it, that is why it is difficult for you. It is deep admiration."

  "I must get back to helping. Thank you for asking us first. I haven't had this much fun in a long time. Dinor doesn't let me cook, and I do love it."

  "If you offer, they will accept more help, Glora."

  "I have, and they have accepted, all I want. Lindora will learn as well. But I believe you are teaching my youngest daughter other things. Perhaps you could also arrange for my son to learn."

  "He will not care for my company."

  "It doesn't not need to be you who teaches him, but it shouldn't be that his little sister knows more about the running of a ship than he does. That will grate on him."

  "I believe this is a problem Captain Westmere is more than qualified to solve."

  Glora returned to whatever task she was doing and I collected tea. The cook pressed a small basket of hot buns into my arms as well. "It is a cold night, and warm food helps," she explained. I carried everything back to the quarterdeck, where my offerings were well-received.

  The captain was talking to the commander, so once I had distributed the supplies, I took my place at the railing, looking out over the water. It was so dark, but I could see the water, and when I looked back, I could see our wake.

  It was some time, but the captain moved to the deck to stand next to me. She didn't say anything, and she didn't touch me. We stood there quietly, watching the water.

  "Captain, is there something you wished to ask me?"

  "Yes."

  "Are you afraid how I will react?"

  "Yes."

  "Is it about the curse?"

  "Yes."

  "I will not answer too much. I believe I can res
pond calmly if you ask a question once and back off if I ask you to back off. I can tell you one thing. This curse is absolutely not catchy. You do not need to worry it will rub off on you if you touch me."

  "Oh Rani, that's not why I am not touching you. I wasn't sure whether I was welcome."

  "I haven't been clear?"

  "I thought perhaps you were still angry. You left the quarterdeck angry."

  "If you wrap your arms around me, I would like that, Sorri."

  And she did, and I liked it. We stood together like that, and it was warm. She was strong and warm, and her arms felt good. I thought about how I was reacting. I knew some of it was due to fear, and I was accepting her comfort. I craved the comfort. I knew some of it was due to the attention she was giving me; I wasn't accustomed to it. Oh sure, I got attention from people who didn't know me, but it didn't last, not after I opened my mouth. But her attention lasted, even after the things I had said to her. I wasn't used to that, and I enjoyed it.

  "You had questions?" I prompted her.

  "How long have you been cursed?" she asked.

  "All my life."

  "Who would curse a baby?" she asked, shocked. "Was it a curse aimed at your parents? Do you know?"

  I didn't know how to answer that. It wasn't a curse, after all, but letting her believe it was a curse kept her from getting closer to the truth. "I am not sure it was intentional," I said finally. "Perhaps wrong place and time. I seem to suffer from that."

  She didn't say anything for a while. After a few minutes, I asked, "That was it?"

  "No. But you feel good, Rani. I don't want to ruin the moment."

  "Don't get used to this, Captain," I replied. "I may have calmed down about it, but I haven't forgotten my welcome aboard your ship."

  She sighed.

  "You haven't apologized, and I don't believe you are at all remorseful."

  "I know," she said quietly.

  "You singled me out because I remind you of Pera."

  "I singled you out because you are my physical type," she replied. "And I saw the way you looked at all of us. You looked so fierce. So small but so fierce."

  "I'm sure," I said sarcastically. "My hands bound behind my back and my mouth gagged, my dress ruined and my shoes falling off my feet."

  "It was your expression."

  "I do not believe there are no other places you could have put me. I bet there is a storage room somewhere that could be rigged with a berth somehow."

  She stiffened behind me.

  "Is an apology coming?"

  "I don't know," she replied. "I don't know if I can apologize when the actions I took led to you standing here with my arms around you. How can I say I am sorry about that?"

  I didn't have an answer for that.

  "Is that what you want? To be left in a makeshift berth in a closet somewhere, and for us to have no further conversations?"

  "No," I admitted. "I do not suffer boredom well. Loneliness I am accustomed to, but days or weeks of nothing to do would leave me intolerable. More intolerable than I am normally."

  "So will you forgive me the choice to keep you with me, even though I am not remotely remorseful for it?"

  I stood silently while I considered that. "I don't know," I admitted finally. "Your choice and the way it was presented also landed me in the brig. I did not care for that at all."

  "You weren't supposed to," the captain said. "I am going to tell you something. I hope you will think about it. I do not believe it would be productive to talk more about it until you have had a chance to mull over what I will tell you."

  "All right. Are you about to upset me?"

  "I don't know. I want you to consider two possible forms the brig could take. The first is the one you envisioned, much like a jail cell. Radha and I would have taken you there. Perhaps we would have unbound your arms and removed the gag. Perhaps it is soundproof, so you would not disturb anyone else. We could lock you up and leave you there. The other is the brig you experienced."

  "I think I prefer the first brig."

  "I know. I don't blame you. But what I want you to do is think about this. What would have happened if we used the first type of brig?"

  "Nothing. You would have locked me up and I would have stayed there, bored out of my mind but out of your way."

  "Then the question I hope you will consider is this: in hindsight, would you prefer one full day in my brig or the entire cruise in yours?"

  I tried to pull out of her arms. I didn't care for the implications at all.

  "Shhh," she said. "Please, Rani, I would very much like you to tell me in a day or two which you would prefer, or if you have a third choice, I would like to hear that one."

  "You could stop kidnapping people!" I told her hotly, struggling to pull away.

  "We're not talking about that right now. We're talking about the nature of the brig. Please, think about it."

  She didn't release me, and I stopped struggling with her and let her pull me back into her arms. I knew where her conversation was going, and I didn't like it. But while it wasn't always easy, I had never been one to hide from uncomfortable truth. I would think about what she had said.

  She held me for a while longer, only long enough to assure us both I was letting her, before she asked, "Would you like to steer the ship for a while?"

  "I won't be able to read the compass. I am blind from the galley."

  "I will teach you the tricks."

  "Thank you. Minori will find a moment of privacy to explain things to her mother. Sorri-" My voice cracked.

  "Shh," she said.

  "Glora has asked to assist in the galley with some frequency. The cook has granted it. Lindora will also join her."

  "You are full of surprises," Sorri told me. "It is rare my passengers offer so much assistance to their kidnappers."

  "Perhaps you will be so grateful you will return us home without asking our ransoms."

  She laughed. I joined her.

  "That's not why you are helping, is it?"

  "No. I am helping because I detest boredom and I enjoy your company, in spite of the situation. My sister-in-law is helping because she loves to cook, but my brother does not let her. I did not know. Minori is helping because that is her nature. Lindora is helping because her mother ordered her to, but perhaps she also detests boredom. And that leaves Jorek."

  "Your nephew."

  "Yes. This is a problem I can not solve, as he does not care for my company." I explained to Sorri. "Is this a problem you wish to solve, Captain?"

  "Do you believe he understands that everyone begins aboard ship as a cabin boy or girl?"

  "Probably not. He will not take well to being ordered, but perhaps if he is offered to learn the way of a ship, and someone is patient enough to explain why he must learn a cabin boy's duties first, then at least it would be his choice to suffer boredom and a sister who knows more than he does, or to accept duties he may feel are beneath him."

  "If he acts sullenly about it, I will not be pleased."

  "Then whoever talks to him should be clear."

  "Are you asking me to handle this, Rani?"

  "I presume you would delegate to someone, but yes. However, I need you to tell me I can trust you with my nephew's well-being. He may not respond well, and he should not suffer unduly if that is the case."

  "I bet his little sister learns faster than he does."

  "Yes, and he finds that galling. Perhaps you can put them on divergent paths, so it is not so clear she is learning faster than he is. But he will not respond well to kitchen duty, either, as then he would be in comparison to his older sister."

  "I am not accustomed to dealing with the sensitivities of teenagers. I order; they jump."

  I laughed.

  "I'm serious."

  "I know. You are under no obligation to take this on."

  "No, Rani. I would love to. Which of my officers do you think we should ask to handle this?"

  "The quartermaster was very kind to me.
"

  "Oh," Sorri said. "And the quartermaster's duties are very, very different from the direction your niece is taking."

  "What direction is my niece taking?"

  Sorri laughed. "She is learning to be a ship's captain, along with her aunt."

  "Is that what you are teaching me?"

  "Yes, but you won't learn it all on this voyage."

  "I didn't think I would." I leaned against her.

  The ship's motion combined with the warmth of Sorri's arms, and I relaxed against her. "I shouldn't be happy," I said after a while.

  "You are happy?"

  "Yes."

  "Shall we talk to the quartermaster regarding your nephew?"

  "Oh, I have a message for her from the cook! Oh Captain, I almost forgot!"

  "Commander Wattmore, your presence, please," the captain said. The quartermaster hurried over.

  "Commander," I said. "My apologies. I almost forgot. I'm sure you will do a proper inventory anyway, and you probably already know this, but the ship's cook mentioned the need for fresh tea at the next port. I promised I would relay the message. I suppose it wasn't necessary."

  "It wasn't," she said. "But thank you anyway."

  "I am a lousy messenger. I should have told you an hour ago."

  "It was not an urgent message," she said. "And you have managed a wide range of details this day. Plus, perhaps, a wide range of stress. Was there anything else, Captain?"

  "Perhaps. Krissa, would you like a student?"

  "Ms. Karden?" she asked.

  "My nephew, Jorek." Between Sorri and me, we explained. "I thought of you because of your gentle nature with me some days ago. He may not respond well. I would not expect you to tolerate abuse, but I wouldn't want him to be punished severely for being impolite in declining."

  "He does not know you are asking?"

  "Not unless his mother has since told him."

  "Do you wish me to order him, Captain, or offer?"

  "Offer," the captain said, "and only if you are willing. Otherwise I will handle it myself."

  "No, I would be happy to. If it goes poorly, I will tell you. Tomorrow morning?"

  "Perfect."

  "I will not personally teach him cabin boy duties directly. I will assign him to Clancy."

  "Excellent." And that was settled, at least until Jorek made his decision.