Page 28 of Seaborn and the Seven Seas

Before I could move, not that I knew the first thing about mounting one, he gripped my waist and threw me up onto the saddle, then swung up behind me. My legs felt wrong, stiff and splayed against the animal’s sides. I had never been on a horse. Never known what one felt like beneath me, all heat and muscle.

Theron clicked his tongue and the horse lunged forward. My back slammed into his chest and I pitched sideways.

“For the love of gods.” His arm locked around my waist and pulled me back against him.

This man believed in the gods too.

His hand moved fast, sliding beneath my breast.

“Hey.” I slapped his hand. “What are you doing?”

“So that’s where you’d been hiding the pearls.” His breath was warm against my ear. “Figured as much. When we get to my ship, you will fulfill your bargain, or I will strip you bare to get what I want.”

“You’re no gentleman.”

“Again, I never said I was.” His arm tightened around my waist. “You might have gotten away with your pretty face and charm elsewhere, but not with me. You don’t want to mess with me. You play dirty. I play dirtier.”

Pretty face. The words landed somewhere they shouldn’t have, warm and unwelcome, and I hated that they did. I scowled but he wouldn’t see my expression.

The horse surged forward and the biting wind hit my face, carrying salt and the smell of the sea somewhere ahead. Trees blurred past on either side, the road narrowing ahead into shadow. I gripped the arm around my waist to keep from pitching forward.

Was I leaving one prison for another? Or would the man in the dark coat and ridiculous hat be our savior?

I looked back at Jina on the brown horse, her small frame pressed against Ranis, dark hair whipping across her face. She caught my eye and gave me a small nod. I meant to turn back to the front but stiffened when Theron’s eyes weren’t on the road but on me, that same dangerous look he’d worn since the cave when he looked at me.

“Does my face interest you?” Theron smirked.

Who are you?

I rolled my eyes and faced forward. Some questions were better left unanswered.

Chapter Ten

Theron’s ship was twice the size of Russo’s, though you wouldn’t know it at first glance. No skull on the sails, no symbol of threat. Just plain white canvas catching the wind, ordinary enough to draw no unwanted attention.

His crew had been polite, giving us space and staying their distance. None of them had asked who we were or where we’d come from. If they were curious, they kept it to themselves, which told me everything about the kind of ship Theron ran.

Since boarding I hadn’t seen Theron, occupied by the captain’s duty. A young female crew member named Fraya had taken charge of us instead—reddish hair pulled back, her build curvy and sturdy in a way that made her look like she could haul rope and hold her own in a fight equally well.

A thin scar snaked up from her collarbone, barely visible beneath her tunic. I tried not to stare. She had led us below and laid out clean clothes, plain pale brown pants and shirts, then gave us space.

The fabric was soft compared to the rough material I’d worn my entire life. I held the shirt a moment before putting it on. A bit big, so I rolled up my sleeves and tied the front, and helped Jina. The pants were baggy and long, so I rolled them up from the bottom. Then I tied back Jina’s hair and then my own. We were good to go.

“Come on,” Fraya said when she spotted us ascending the stairs. “I’ll show you around before you get lost and end up overboard.”

She led us across the deck, pointing things out as we went, rattling off names like she expected us to remember all of it.

“This here’s the main deck. You’ll spend most of your time on it. That raised platform at the back is the poop deck. Captain’s quarters sit just below.” She pointed up, where ropes crossed in a tight ladder pattern up one of the towering poles. “Those are the ratlines connected to the mast. Climb them if you’re feeling brave, but most of the crew leaves that work to the ones who actually know what they’re doing.” Her gaze went higher to a small platform near the very top of the mast. “That’s the crow’s nest. It’s the best view on the ship, but it’s the worst way to spend a storm.” She gestured toward the front. “And that’s the forecastle deck, up at the bow.”

“I don’t think I’ll remember any of this,” Jina planted a hand on her forehead, looking a little dazed.

“You will.” Fraya winked. “Give it a couple of days. Now the best part. We get to eat.”

Dinner had been chicken and potatoes, warm and seasoned, served at a small table below deck. The best meal I’d had in days. Jina had eaten every last bite and Ranis had asked for seconds.

The crew moved with calm efficiency, no barking orders, no cracking whips, no boots hammering the deck in a hurry. Even the ship smelled different, pine and clean salt air.

This time I didn’t have to pry oysters for pearls. This time I stood on the front deck with Ranis and Jina and let the cool wind kiss my face, watching the sun sink into the water and the stars appear in the darkening sky.