“Like you’d rather be next to him than standing here next to me. Or anywhere else for that matter.”
“I can’t stand next to him. He’s been moving about the ship too quickly for me to keep track of.”
“That’s not what I mean. I mean in a general sense, you want to be near him.”
“Well… yes.”
“Why?”
“He smiles more than anyone else here,” she began, tilting her head with thought. “He plays that instrument well, provided he isn’t full of rum. He tends to tease me, which often causes me to plot small bits of vengeance, but he never seems to care.”
“Vengeance? What do you mean?”
“One time, I took a bite of his apple, hoping he would notice and get angry. He didn’t. I take his sashes and bandanas often and hide them places for a time. I displaced his pillow for days.”
I laughed aloud at her list of benign acts, amused by how serious she was being. For such a vicious creature, she spoke of her quiet war with Mullins like it was a chore. When I started to chuckle at her comments, she tightened her brow, staring at me with utter confusion.
“You want to get revenge on Mullins for teasing you, you’re going to want to be more direct.”
“How so?”
“Just tell him to stop teasing you.”
Her gaze fell and by the way she chewed on her bottom lip, I could see that it wasn’t the solution she wanted.
I leaned a bit closer. “Unless you like him teasing you.”
“Why would I—”
“With the crew of the Amanacer joining us, there is very little room below deck. Mullins is the only other crewman with a room of his own. I’ll let him know to make space for you.”
“What?”
I shrugged as I backstepped away from her. “We have to make do. Small sacrifices.”
The look on Meridan’s face before I turned away from her was almost comical. I wasn’t sure if she was accustomed to sarcasm, but she wasn’t laughing. As I passed Mullins, I slapped my hand against the back of his shoulder.
“Clean up your quarters,” I said. “Meridan is sleeping with you.”
He straightened up like someone had kicked him in the ass and snapped his head toward me.
“What’s that?”
“You heard me.”
I headed up the steps to the helm, where one of Nazario’s men, Nikolai, was already acquainting himself with the wheel. According to Nazario, he was mute, but he could handle a ship like none other.
“Nikolai,” I greeted. “Getting a feel for her?”
He nodded, quietly praising the ship with his eyes.
“You’ll get a chance to take the wheel sooner than later.” He stepped aside with a subtle nod and I took the pegs of the wheel in hand, facing the deck. “Weigh anchor, men, and drop the sails!”
They’re real, she said
The voices in her head
~Lilly Henry
