by LJ Andrews
Nova wrinkled her nose against the idea of intentionally dirtying herself. She wasn’t the most feminine girl, but she always kept herself clean and tidy. When Atlas finally agreed her nails were grimy enough, he pointed her toward the brig.
“Remember, Nova, there’s a lot of men on this ship that have been out in the skies for a long time. Being a woman isn’t to your benefit. That dirt just may keep you out of some precarious situations.”
Nova accidently ran into Atlas’s back as she moved in closer at the thought of meeting men without his decency. He laughed. “Don’t worry. Just stay out of the way and no one will even know you’re here.”
“I’m truly grateful for your help,” she said as they quietly stepped down a narrow stairway to the lower decks.
Atlas clicked his tongue and shrugged. “It isn’t anything to go on about. Not every sailor is rough and tough like you might think. So what’s your story, Nova? You look like you just crawled out of the cradle.”
Nova blushed as she pushed a low-hanging net out of the way as they switch-backed down another staircase. “I’m eighteen—plenty old enough to be on my own.”
Atlas abruptly pushed her against the wall when they stepped onto the brig deck. He put a finger against his lips, silencing the protests on her tongue before she could speak. Two sailors were grumbling at one another and carrying buckets of sudsy water toward the stairs. Atlas pushed Nova’s head, forcing her underneath the staircase.
“Stay quiet,” he whispered.
“What you be doin’ down here?” an old man with a scraggly white beard and missing front teeth asked when he saw Atlas.
“Just bringing down some final cargo for the captain.”
“Feigling left his quarters?” a young sailor with freckles and red hair asked. “I’ve never met such a yellow-bellied captain. It’s not like the criminals are going to break loose. He acts like we’re carrying the most dangerous cargo in the skies.”
“Shut it,” the old man said, turning his attention from Atlas. “These vagabonds put us at risk more’n anythin’. They attract pirates, fool. Keep a weather eye out for them black sails until we get to Dieb.”
“Dusty, you’ve been sailing the skies too long,” Atlas said. “We aren’t even close to pirate territory and we don’t fly the prison sails anymore. Anyone will think we’re sky trappers. You know that,” Atlas said, slapping the old man on the back, but Nova detected a hidden uneasiness.
The young freckled sailor laughed and started lugging his bucket up the stairs again.
“You mark my words, we best watch our tail or we might…” Dusty didn’t go on, but only swiped a dirty finger over his throat dramatically. “Don’t dilly dally down here, sailor. You need to get back to the helm. You’re the best helmsman to relieve Ed when the drink takes over.”
“Right-o, Dusty. I’ll be there shortly,” Atlas said, giving him a sloppy salute.
Dusty and the young sailor tromped up the stairs to the mid-deck and left the brig quiet. “Come on out here, Nova. They’re gone.”
“What if they come back?” she said slipping out from her hiding spot.
“Nah, they were just doing final checks. I’ll volunteer for checks from now on. It won’t be hard; no one likes the brig chores.”
Nova slipped the strap of her bag over her shoulder and followed Atlas again. “You’re a helmsman? That’s pretty impressive. My father told me it takes a great deal to be a good helmsman. You must have been sailing for a long time.”
Atlas nodded and pushed a barred door open, letting her pass through first. “I’ve been sailing since I was only twelve. Ran away from my pap. I took my chances on the skies instead of his fist, you see. That was almost thirteen years ago, and I’ve learned from some of the best sailors. I guess I just had a knack at navigation. Ed, the main helmsman, likes to drink a lot and so when he passes out, I take over.” Atlas chuckled. “He’s the captain’s brother-in-law—that’s the only reason he keeps him aboard.”
Nova smiled and looked around. The brig was damp and smelled bad. The large room was filled with a dozen cells, each with four prisoners inside. The men wore shabby gray clothes and each quartet was chained to one another, then all shackled to the wall with one enormous chain.
Several prisoners caught Nova’s pale face and leaned through the bars.
“Look at this, lassy. Come on over here, girl. I’ll make it worth yer while,” a prisoner growled. His face was dirty and covered in pus-filled scabs. His teeth were nearly as black as his eyes and the smell of his body made Nova heave bile into her mouth.
“They know I’m a girl,” she said in a trembling voice. “What else should I do? I can’t be seen like this.”
Nova bent down and grabbed more dust and grime from the brig’s deck and rubbed it all along her clothes. She smelled strongly of rancid saliva and gagged against the odor.
“Don’t worry. You got too close to them, that’s all. If you stay at a distance, no one will be the wiser,” he said, pulling her hand away from rubbing more muck over her pants. Atlas banged his pistol against the bars, forcing the dirty man to back off. “I don’t want to hear anyone disrespecting the brig hand or we might arrive with a few men lost to the skies?” The prisoners mumbled, but a few snarled hungrily like rabid dogs.
“Come on back here. I’ll show you where you can sleep,” Atlas said, tugging on her arm.
Nova tried to avoid the gawking stares of the prisoners. One man with wild eyes grabbed the bars desperately. Nova jumped back. His hands were boney and his collar bone protruded too much under his pallid skin as he called out to her.
“Well, don’t you look like the spitten’ image of Varick, the Phoenix copy-cat,” he cackled. Nova’s breath caught as she locked her eyes on him.
“What…what did you say?” she said, rushing to the mumbling prisoner’s cell. He stared at her blankly. “What did you say? You know Varick?”
He smiled widely and cocked his head to one side. “I didn’t do it. Tell them I’m innocent. They’ll find me here.”
“What, sir…what did you say about Varick and Captain Phoenix?” Her pleas grew desperate.
“Nova, stop,” Atlas said, pulling on her arm. “He’s the craziest of them all, always mumbling nonsense. Now come on. Let me show you this over here.”
Nova released the bars, covering her ears from the man’s sudden screams.
“No, please don’t leave me!” he called. “They’ll take me. I know too much!”
Atlas seemed unfazed by the rowdy passengers as he opened a small cupboard door. It had a slanted wall, but against the straight wall was an old cot with a folded blanket on the end. “Old mad-lip Willy stayed here until the last port,” Atlas said, pushing an old mop bucket out of the way.
“Who?” She asked, placing her bag on top of the blanket and taking in the small, dusty cupboard.
“Mad-lip. He was missing part of his top lip from a run-in with a pirate, so he said. And he was crazy to boot. He was the brig master until…well, until he walked himself off the plank at the last port. Crazy fool,” Atlas said, staring at the cot as if he was remembering the former brig master. “But I suppose he won’t need his bed anymore, so it’s all yours. You’re going to be all right if I leave you here because I best be heading to the helm before we crash into Dia or something.”
Nova stared at him curiously. “What’s Dia?”
Atlas laughed. “Dia…you know the hidden mountain, impossible to find, supposedly has endless mountains of treasure? Guarded by powerful gods? No? Still doesn’t ring a bell?” He smiled when she shook her head and looked at him like he was slightly insane. “Well, listen—if you want to pass as a sailor you best pretend you’ve heard of Dia. I’ll be down later with the prisoners’ food and something for you. Stay out of sight, hear?”
“Yes sir,” she said and gave him a stiff salute. Atlas rolled his eyes and jogged out of the brig and up the stairs toward the quarter deck.
***
Nova jumped when the door to the brig slammed open and shut later in the evening. Atlas came in carrying a bucket of dry rolls in one hand and another with fresh water.
“Nova,” he whispered, squinting against the dim lighting.
“Right here,” she said peeking out of her cupboard. The prisoners riled up again when they saw her, but mentally she blocked out their inappropriate comments.
“Okay, this isn’t the most pleasant part of the job, but you need to give each cell two ladles of water in the metal dish and four rolls. Just make it quick. They won’t hurt you.”
“You can’t stay?” she asked nervously as he handed her the buckets.
“Sorry, I can’t. I have to get up to the helm. Looks like a storm is coming. Oh, but I grabbed you this,” he said, handing her a lumpy parcel wrapped in brown paper. “A bit of supper for when you finish. Now get it done and I’ll check on you once we pass through these rough skies.” Atlas winked before turning out of the brig again, leaving her with the drooling prisoners.
She opened the parcel and saw a slice of fresh bread, purple pears, and a few crumbles of white cheese. Her stomach rumbled as the smells wafted through her nostrils, but soon the banging of metal plates on the bars tore her attention away.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she grumbled.
Nova approached each cell with apprehension and quickly dumped water into tin pails, and tossed the rolls onto the floor. The prisoners lunged on the bread, forgetting for a moment she was there. At the final cell, she ladled the water into the pail, ignoring the four men chained in a line watching her every move.
All at once the ship swung like a pendulum. Nova lost her balance and flew against the bars of the cell. A thick man with tattoos coating his bald scalp grabbed hold of her wrist tightly. Nova screamed and tried to pull away from his ferocious glare, but he only pulled her against the bars harder.
His gray eyes swirled like a dense storm as he studied her. Nova froze when his two fanged eye teeth were visible. Snarling, and barring his fangs he looked like a wild cat from the jungles of Silva Island. With incredible strength in his thick palms, the man pulled her closer to him. Feeling a strange fire inside her chest, she fought angrily against him. In vain, she twisted and pulled her arm, but his grip only strengthened. Her head spun as his breath coated the insides of her nose with a putrid smell of rotten beef and decay.
“You will curse us all, demon,” he whispered next to her ear.
A snarl billowed from deep within his throat, and his sticky tongue crawled along the nape of her neck, marking his spot to tear into her flesh−she was sure. She tried to block out the calls for her slaughter from his sadistic cell mates and felt the burn of tears fall onto her cheeks.
“Don’t, please,” she said softly.
He smiled wickedly. “Your time is coming.” The words were scratchy and haggard as if speaking to her took great effort.
She closed her eyes, praying for death to be painless
But in an instant, his grip on her arm loosened and he shoved her away from the bars when the ship swayed with the rough wind again. Nova landed hard on her back, but looked up at the frightening man. He glared at her with malice. Rubbing her arm, Nova quickly ran to her cupboard and slammed the door.
She took several deep breaths, trying to control her emotions that threatened to spill over. She thought about what he’d said to her. None of it made any sense− how could she curse them? What did he mean by demon? A chill rushed up her spine and she shook away the thought of his dangerous eyes.
Chapter 7
Black Sails
“I can’t find anything that means demon, only writings on sky witches, and Captain Feigling is one of the most superstitious men I’ve ever met. He has books and ledgers on almost any creature in the entire kingdom, even legendary monsters believed to inhabit the Unknown,” Atlas said as he tossed a roll into the fanged man’s cell. She adamantly refused to go near the rusty cage ever again. “It was most likely just the ravings of a mad man. Just forget about it.”
“I can’t forget it,” Nova argued. “He looked at me with such hatred, Atlas.”
“Nova, it’s been five days, and I’ve never seen the lunatic glance in your direction.” His eyes darted toward the dark cell. The fanged creature was sprawled out on the hard floor, his rotund chest rising and falling in deep breaths.
She shook her head. “I don’t know, but for a moment it was like he was possessed with disdain for me. And just like that, it was over,” she said, snapping her fingers.
Atlas plopped onto the cot in her cupboard and laced his fingers behind his head. “Hey, this is more comfortable than my hammock; I think I might trade you.”
Nova smirked. “You’re no help at all.”
Atlas shrugged. “I don’t know what you want me to tell you, girl. We are transporting thieves, murderers, and maniacs, and that’s all he is.”
She watched Atlas relax against the cot, but his jaw was clenched as he spoke of the prisoners. “Can I ask you something?”
He closed his eyes and sighed in relaxation. “Ask away.”
“Do you think you’ll ever go back home? I mean I know you said your father was unkind, but don’t you have anyone else? More family?”
Atlas slowly opened his eyes. Watching the open doorway of her cupboard it was as if his mind went to a distant place. Finally, after a tense silence he cleared his throat and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “My father wasn’t always bad. I had a good set of younger years until…it went bad. I had an older sister, Eliza, about four years older than me. It was just the three of us my entire life, seeing as my mother died havin’ me.” Atlas sat up and leaned on his elbows before going on.
“Eliza was perfect, at least to me, in every way. My father and Eliza were real close, but then one day she got sick. For months we fought to keep her goin’, selling everything we had, but the sickness won out and she died.”
“I’m sorry Atlas,” Nova said quietly.
He smiled sadly and shrugged. “Before she went, Eliza made me promise I’d take care of our pap, look after him and be the family we always were. But seein’ as we’d given up everythin’ to pay physicians, things took a turn for the worst. My pap started hangin’ down at the pubs too much, then started takin’ out his anger on me. I tried to keep my promise, I tried to be the man Eliza wanted me to be, but I just couldn’t. My family was over so I just set out to find a new one.”
Nova placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
He scoffed. “Couple of crews came close I guess, but then they just let me go. I guess I’m still looking.” He paused and slowly locked eyes with her. “I think I might be getting close though.”
Nova blushed and lowered her eyes to the floor. “If it’s any consolation, I think Eliza would be proud of you.”
His eyes brightened. “Thank you I appreciate that.”
“So, how much longer until we get to Dieb do you suppose?” she asked, trying to lighten the mood.
Atlas furrowed his brow as he calculated. “I’d say we could make berth in another two or three days. Don’t be in too big of a hurry to get to that place though.”
“You’ve sailed there I assume? You don’t seem like you want to go,” she said, watching his face fall.
He shook his head. “Dieb doesn’t hold many good memories for me is all.” He paused, and shifted his weight so he was facing her. “Nova, why are you going to that island? What are you looking for? I don’t know how much more I can warn you of the dangers waiting there.”
“Does it matter?” she asked. “Will you decide to rat me out if you know my reasons?”
Atlas frowned. “You tell me. I told you why I helped you stow away and, so far, you haven’t given me a reason to change my mind.” He smiled and looked away for a moment. “And it’s nice having someone who doesn’t smell as company.”
She chuckled. Nova paused and stared at Atlas for a moment
. He had been kind to her; he’d helped her and kept her hidden. Her cheeks flushed as she studied his handsome face. She admitted she enjoyed every moment he spent with her in the brig, too. Finally, she reached behind him on her cot and grabbed her bag. Lifting the dagger slightly, she allowed Atlas a glimpse at the jeweled hilt. “You don’t have to worry about me on Dieb. I can take care of myself,” she said.
Atlas’s eyes widened as he touched the blue sapphires. His face turned down into an angry snarl—not the reaction she’d anticipated. “Where did you get a dagger like this? Are you a thief, Nova? I stuck my neck out for you because you promised you were clean.”
Nova quickly tucked the dagger back in her bag and held up her hands in surrender. “I’m not a common thief, Atlas. I stole it from my own house.” She sighed and allowed her shoulders to slump. “Listen, I ran away not because I didn’t have a good life, it’s just…my father was taken by some men two years ago. I think they were pirates. I couldn’t stand it anymore. My mother tried to shelter me from it, but I had to go look for him. For some reason, my mother had this dagger hidden behind our wall. Once I found it, I made the choice to leave and find my father on my own.”
Atlas stayed quiet for a long time. He leaned forward on his knees and scratched the dark stubble on his defined chin. “Your mother just had a priceless dagger lying around?”
Nova shrugged. “I’d never seen it before, but yes. I didn’t think much about it when I found it, but I can see how it looks suspicious.”
“Yes, it does.” He frowned and rubbed his dark hair as he thought. Finally after a tense pause, Atlas gave her a half smile and tucked the dagger back into the bag. Their hands brushed against one another, sending Nova’s stomach into spirals. Atlas cleared his throat and pulled his hand back. “So that’s why you want to go to Dieb? You’re hoping to find the pirates who took your pap?”
“Something like that,” she replied.
“You’re brainless, girl,” he said. “You can’t just go talk to pirates. They’ll slice you in no time.”