Through Fathoms Dark and Deep: A YA Pirate Adventure Novel (Lady Pirates Book 2) by Jennifer Ellision

Author:Jennifer Ellision [Ellision, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2018-11-05T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

After turning sail and dropping anchor less than a day later, our knowledge-gathering party strides onto Exlibri.

Well…for the sake of accuracy, I suppose I should say that Sam and I slump onto Exlibri. When the longboat was ready to go ashore, one of my father’s men knocked at our cabin door with a new skirt for Sam and refused to leave until we gave him the destroyed one. Now, we’re both outfitted in the battle-hindering garments once more, until Sam has time to take her knife to them once again.

“How,” she wonders, lifting her skirts in a fist to emphatically shake them at me, “do you suppose these men think their women are weak? I’d very much like to see them don these heavy skirts.” She sighs longingly. “I’d so rather be in breeches.”

“There’s a lot of things I’d rather do,” I agree. “Like haul rope across the Luck’s deck.”

Sam catches my eye and grins. “I’d rather scrape barnacles off the hull.”

“Rather sew someone up with Jane.”

Sam doubles over, whooping with laughter and clutching her sides. “Swab Anne’s shit off the poop!”

“Trust me, you wouldn’t,” Leo’s pushed onto the dock, looking grim. “I don’t know if Anne was eating something other than the rations the rest of us got, but that amount of excrement was unnatural.” He shudders, recalling it. “I’d much rather clean the head—so long as she hadn’t been at it in there as well.”

This only serves to increase the volume of our cackles. After a moment, Leo’s mouth twitches and he joins in as well, shaking his head ruefully.

Marbury stares at us and mutters, “There is something wrong with the entire lot of you.”

“Killjoy.” Sam elbows Marbury in the side, and he stumbles, surprised by the unexpected camaraderie. His lips spasm, but he smothers the laughter before it can rise to the surface and betray him.

There’s something that’s changed when he looks at all of us these days. He’s not quick enough to hide the flash of consideration before it’s masked.

My father cuts our silly moment of mirth short, walking up and clasping his hands comfortably behind his back as he observes us without expression.

Marbury stiffens. It’s not as though my father actually caught him laughing with us, but the lieutenant grows noticeably discomfited at the idea of his superior catching him engaging in an almost friendly encounter with enemies and pirates.

Marbury coughs into his hand, and when he looks up, there is no trace of humor in his eyes.

My father stands at attention, looking at him sternly. “Marbury, you and I will take this group to the Exlibri temple library. One of us will remain with them at all times while they seek the information they need.”

“Aye, sir. Let’s go,” Marbury says, jerking his head inland and holding fast to Leo’s chains.

Sam and I follow. Like insolent schoolchildren, we snicker behind him. Sam elbows me. She jerks her head toward Marbury’s shoulders. The tense set to them tells me he’s not ignorant to our mocking, but he says nothing, keeping his eyes locked ahead on our path and on his commander.

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