Seafire Series, Book 1 by Natalie C. Parker

Author:Natalie C. Parker [Parker, Natalie C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2018-08-28T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Caledonia felt as though she’d slept for days when she finally peeled herself out of bed. Sounds of the ship in full swing filtered through the hallways. The rumble beneath her feet told her the ship sailed sure and steady.

She opened her cabin door to find Nettle leaning against the opposite wall, a plate of food in her hands. She perked up immediately, sloshing hot teaco over her hands and cursing as she regained balance.

“Captain. Good morning. Well, afternoon. Sun’s been going for a long while.”

Caledonia reached for the mug first, giving herself a good long sip while Nettle clearly tried not to squirm. “Nettle. What are you doing here?”

Nettle held the plate out in response. “Lunch. Well, it’s sort of dinner now. Amina told me to sit right here until you stirred and then make sure you put something in your belly. So, I sat right here and when I heard you moving, I ran down to the galley. Far says she’ll only accept an empty plate in return.”

Small as it was, the meal was still larger than it should have been for a single portion, but there wasn’t a girl on the ship brave enough to send food back to Far. Caledonia wolfed it down and sent the empty off with Nettle.

By the time she made it topside, the sun was sliding west and the end of the canals was in sight. Ahead, the seas were wide, with no towering walls to squeeze their skies, no perilously shallow channels lurking beneath. Behind them, the waters were empty and silent; no Bullet ships trailed in their wake. In no time, the Mors Navis would be cutting through open waters, and Caledonia breathed deeply of the salt-fresh air. For the moment, they were free and clear.

Tin came forward with a ship’s report. Her spiked brown hair had been scrubbed, and she looked well-rested and alert as she began to run down the list.

“And, finally, vitals,” Tin said, coming to the end of her reporting. “If we keep to this rationing, we’ve got stock to hold us for five days. I recommend reducing speed and dropping nets for a while.”

Five days. On seas that were entirely foreign to them, five days was far from comfortable. But Tin’s recommendation was a good one. “Bring us to a stop before we leave the cliffs. We’ll need the cover if we’re going to have any luck with the nets. Dispatch the bow boats to scout for signs of trouble. We can spare an hour, maybe two, but then we need to move.”

The ship slowed, and a team got to work unrolling the fishing nets and readying them for the water. Caledonia found the rest of the Mary sisters stringing lines and hanging laundry beneath the sun sail with a song on their lips. Redtooth had a small group of girls spread across the bow, their guns in pieces, their fingers shiny with oil as they scrubbed the powder from their barrels.

She found Amina

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