On Sinister Shores by Jennifer Ellision

Author:Jennifer Ellision [Ellision, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-05-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Getting moving takes us just a touch of shouting and frenzied footsteps across the planks as the Serpents draw closer to their purloined ship. Their waving pistols get close enough for the bullets to bury themselves in the wooden masts—but they’ll have to do better than that if they want to slow us down.

The sailors from the Commandant pitch in at my father’s direction, firing their own weapons and aiming toward the fray, shouting insults at Whighorn’s abandoned crew all the while.

But though their longboats row quickly and fiercely through the waves, they’re no match for the speed of a full-blown ship.

We raise the anchors. The wind’s in the sails, and Ilene’s at the helm.

We pull away, shouting hoarse cheers over the victory.

I feel a gaze on me and stand up straight to meet my father’s eyes. He slowly brings his hand to a forehead in a salute and I return the action. It’s the first time I’ve done it without sarcasm, meaning the respect that the gesture is meant to convey.

“For love!” he shouts.

If I catch a glint at the corner of his eye, I tell myself that it was just a trick of the light.

My words get caught in my throat when I try to reply. “And luck!” I return. Mama’s catchphrase. Even though things didn’t work out between them—even with all the resentment he harbors over it—he’d proved again that he hadn’t, would never, and could never forget her.

We have that in common.

And I’d never forget him, either.

We stand there silently saluting, our crews moving around us, and the Broken Serpent drawing further and further away, until finally he’s a mere pinprick in my vision. And then he’s gone.

And when he is, I return to reality. We’re on a new ship. We’re surrounded by a crew whose loyalties lie elsewhere. And we need a heading.

A few of us—Sam, Ilene, Maude, Leo, his brother, and I, start opening doors until we find to a room that has a bolted down table. We leave Marbury and the rest of the Luck to man the weapons and our newly appointed crew.

I survey it, nose crinkling at the poor state the room’s in. But it will do for now. I withdraw the Map of Omna from my bodice, its spelled ink and parchment keeping it well safe from any particles of water that may have meant another paper’s destruction. I hope The Gray Death has fared even half as well.

The map unfurls across the table without fanfare, halcyon rays of sunlight, or any god-blessed magical sparkles that would give it away as the article of mysticism that it is.

Until the ink over its parchment moves without a pen to wield it.

Maude eases herself back from the table, making the sign against evil as she mutters under her breath and eyes the Map of Omna, unease evident in her expression. Those of us who have seen the map do what it does before, are relatively unfazed.

Leo leans forward, eyes flickering to me, then he looks to Ilene, waiting for permission from her.

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