Daughter of Dragons by Jack Campbell

Author:Jack Campbell [Campbell, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy
ISBN: 9781625672667
Publisher: Jabberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.
Published: 2017-10-19T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Jason maintained a sullen silence, but to Kira's eyes also looked uncertain. They hadn't made up a ready lie to explain why Jason had to wear the drive around his neck, and they certainly couldn't tell the truth about it.

"Now," the first mate insisted, growing angry.

"It contains his father's ashes," Kira suddenly said, making up her explanation as she spoke. "He's oath-bound to keep them with him until he reaches his father's home for proper burial."

"Why didn't you just say that, boy?" the first mate demanded.

"I don't like to talk about my father," Jason mumbled.

"Neither do I about mine, but I'm smart enough to answer questions. I'll not separate you from it, then. The captain told you true. He is an honest man and this is an honest ship. If either one of you steal anything while you're onboard, from ship or shipmate, it'll go very hard on you. Now get back on deck."

Once on deck again, Kira stood, trying not to look nervous. She was acutely aware that Jason was still acting very much the surly teenager. Kira didn't know what was about to happen, but the smiles of anticipation she could see on the gathered crew didn't reassure her in the slightest. There were less than twenty in the crew, ranging from men and women who looked to be barely eighteen to grizzled old sailors who must have already been sailing long before Kira's mother changed the world.

The first mate looked them over again, shaking her head. "All right, then, girl, let's see what you and this boy have in you." She pointed up. "To the mast. See if you can reach the topsail."

Kira followed the gesture with a sinking sensation in her stomach. Maybe it wasn't actually that tall, but faced with climbing it Kira thought the mast seemed incredibly high, the highest sail a small patch against the sky. Someone shoved her toward ropes interwoven into squares, one end of the ropes fastened to the ship's railing and the other end to a small platform high on the mast. "Feet on the ratlines and up the shrouds, girl!"

Kira set her jaw and walked to the ropes, grateful that at least this test didn't involve personal humiliation. She made a clumsy effort of getting up on the rail and onto the ropes while the crew howled with amusement. On the other side of the ship, she saw Jason being shoved toward the identical shrouds and ratlines leading up on that side. Jason, his face set in surly lines, was taking considerably more punishment from the crew's rough-housing than Kira had.

The rope was rough, with sharp fibers sticking out randomly enough that they couldn't be avoided. Kira started up the shrouds cautiously, wincing at the pain in her hands as they gripped the horizontal ratlines. "Move it, girl!" the first mate roared, and two sailors sprang onto the ratlines behind her, racing up and past Kira in a flash, each one dealing a blow to her back as they passed.

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