“Christ. She did that?”
“When we were kids,” I said. “It’s a long story.”
“And ye ended up together?”
“Not just together,” Mullins said. “Cap’n here destroyed a whole ship and its crew for takin’ her. That’s why his face is all over every town. And her? Killed her own sister, she did. And plenty of others for threatenin’ him.”
“Sounds familiar,” Nazario added, poking the flames.
“Aye,” I glanced at Aeris, wondering what secrets a pretty, deceivingly helpless woman like her harbored. “I imagine you have similar stories. Perhaps we’re under their spell after all.”
“I would not argue that.”
Looking around, I could see my men starting to surrender to their exhaustion and rum. They lay scattered on blankets or on the bare sand, sleeping under the moonlight and by the fires. Glancing around the camp, I wondered why the clearing did not look more crowded and turned to Nazario again.
“You have a small crew,” I said.
“Aye,” he sighed. “Not all of my men agreed with Aeris being on my ship with her tongue. Some men left. Others died. Some, including my doctor, thought to defy me and tried to harm her against my wishes.”
“Shame,” Cathal said. “The doctor was a madman, but he was a sorcerer, that one. I swear it. Taught Aleksi some kind of trick that brought Gale right back to life before our eyes after he drowned years ago. It was witchcraft.”
“It wasn’t magic,” Nazario chuckled. “It’s the breath of life.”
“Sounds like magic to me.”
I laughed at their friendly argument, curious what the hell they were talking about.
“With all that we’ve seen, I would not doubt magic exists,” I continued. “Do you have enough men to sail after everything, though?”
“It is difficult. We were planning on leaving it all behind, if you recall.”
“And now?”
He turned to Aeris as if searching for reassurance. The way they seemed to say a thousand things with their eyes alone was enough to prove their feelings were genuine. As genuine as mine were for Dahlia.
“I think we are going to see this through with you,” he said. “I might be a pirate, but there is some honor left in me. And a desire to give Aeris back her waters.”
“My crew is a bit small at the moment as well,” I pointed out. “How attached are you to your ship?”
He blinked, slowly looking down the path leading to the beach as if he could see the Amanacer. Then he raised a brow at his quartermaster. The two shrugged and Cathal continued chewing on the strip of meat like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“She’s old. Perhaps she can do with a break on these peaceful shores.”
I chuckled. “Nowhere is peaceful, but she’d be certainly get a rest.”
“I’ll tell Aleksi and Nikolai,” Cathal groaned as he stood. “See to it they’re not too attached to her.”
“Nikolai is the best helmsman I’ve ever known. And Aleksi likes the crow’s nest. The rest of my men, they’re hard workers.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
Mullins smiled, extending his hand to Nazario. “Welcome to the Burning… I mean, the Storm Weaver.”
He and Nazario shook hands and to offer my respect, I did the same.
“I’m captain of the Storm Weaver,” I said. “But no one’s voice goes unheard.”
“Understood,” he said with a nod. “I think I can stand a break from the role, my friend.”
