“Was he also a pirate?”
Bonnie chuckled at this. “He was a bookseller. Apparently, she was his best customer.”
Cali leaned back. “That explains your books.”
The pirate tipped her head in acknowledgment. “Piracy is no excuse for illiteracy.”
“Is that a family motto?”
Bonnie laughed again. “It should be. My grandmother and mother insisted their crews be well read.”
“And were their crews all-female?”
She tossed an empty shell onto the platter. “Naturally.”
“So, when your mother retired, you put on the patch?”
“I put on the patch.” Bonnie picked up another claw. “I was already crewing here. I already knew Tris. It was a simple transition. Besides, I look a lot like my mother.”
Cali turned this over in her mind, and something snagged. “Erindil.”
Bonnie’s hand paused over the platter of claws and shells, and she cocked her head. “Who?”
“The elf you met in Wayside. That was the first time you’d met him, but not the first time he’d met Bonnie One-Eye. That’s why he was startled when you said your name. He was surprised because you weren’t who he expected.”
Bonnie twitched one shoulder, as if conceding a point. “He knew my grandmother. Apparently, they go way back. When he saw me, he knew immediately that I wasn’t her. He kept it to himself, but he pulled me aside before we left Wayside to ask after my grandmother.”
That explained the elf’s enigmatic comments and the conversation between the two.
Bonnie took a swig of her wine. “The trouble with elves is that they live long enough to accumulate everyone’s secrets, and their memories are unshakable. He’ll outlive me and still know exactly which Bonnie I was.”
Cali plucked a claw from the pile, grateful they’d cooled slightly. “How does no one else question your age? Do they think Bonnie One-Eye is immortal?”
“Few pirates are known for their counting skills, and my eternal youth is all part of the legend. I’m sure some folks think I’ve got elf blood, but my crew knows the truth.”
“All of them?”
“All of them.” She said it without hesitation. “Some of their mothers or grandmothers sailed with my grandmother. Gert’s aunt was on the original crew. Pinkie’s mother served under my mother for fifteen years. They like to keep it in the family, same as us.” Her smile was warm. “They’re loyal because it’s not just a ship and a crew. It’s a family legacy for all of us.”
Cali understood this. Her crew had become her family. “And if other pirates knew. . .?”
Bonnie’s smile dimmed. “They would challenge me. Any captain who thought the real Bonnie One-Eye was a retired grandmother would no longer fear us.”
“So, the secret the sirens hold?—”
“Is the whole of it.” Bonnie circled a finger around the rim of her goblet. “They know all three of us. They’ve watched the name pass down like a torch. They’ve never told, but they’ve never let me forget they could.”
Cali was quiet for a moment as she shucked shells off the spicy shellfish and thought. “What happens when you’re ready to retire? Is there a daughter somewhere, being trained to wear an eye patch?”
Bonnie’s expression faltered. “No.”
“No daughter or no retirement plan?”
“Neither.” She took a swig of her drink. “I’ve been trying to decide what to do about it. My grandmother will be devastated. She considers Bonnie One-Eye’s legend a kind of immortality.” She sighed. “But I don’t want to do this forever. I’m not sure I ever did.”
Cali eyed the woman who seemed made for the role of captain. “But you’re so good at it.”
“You can be good at something and not want to do it forever.”
