She probably thought her cold behavior would change my interest in her. In that, she was mistaken. For one thing, I could see right through her, spotting the lingering glances, the way she self-consciously touched her vivid red hair, or how she walked close to me even while supposedly furious with me. I made it my goal then to sweep her off her feet tonight. After all, making a woman go weak in the knees when she was more interested in going fist into face—myface—was the ultimate compliment.
Perhaps it was because she was meant to be a fearsome sorceress, but this compliment was particularly pleasing. I might have even preened a bit while walking beside her. But really, I was just glad she was here.
I also had to admit, Iwasin fine form tonight, ready to play the game that was pirate politics. My tailed white coat with black piping offset the bronze and gold damask waistcoat beneath it. I had, of course, eschewed the usual frilly cravat and the shirt it went with. That was a style that better suited smaller, less robust men.
This way, the definition of my chest was more visible, another show of my strength in addition to the arrival of a portion of my fleet.
“I sense your disagreement,” I said when she did not respond. “So youareblushing because I’m so dashing. How flattering.”
“You’re far from dashing,” Sofie said, voice flat in a way that betrayed the lie. “Nothing you’re wearing matches, and that coat is at least two sizes too small for you.”
“I think you mean my muscles are two sizes too big.” I flexed my arms, straining the fabric. “I’ve put on a good bit of brawn since last year.”
“You look like a pauper trying to masquerade as a prince,” Sofie continued.
“So you think I look princely, then.”
“A pauper who has no idea what a prince actually looks like. Unlike you, I’ve seen them.”
“Oh?” I asked, the picture of innocence. “Did you curse them to eternal slumber, too?”
“Only the ones who annoyed me.”
She tried to surge ahead of me then, but alas, her legs were far too short for that. I quickened my pace to an easy lope, leaving her scrambling to catch up. When I glanced behind me with a wolfish grin, her entire face was flushing, this time from exertion in the lingering warmth of the day.
She really was overdressed for an isle at this latitude, even if the cool breeze of a coming storm was tempering the heat rising from the cobbles.
I called to Safira. Unlike Sofie, my navigatrix caught up with me easily.
“What do you sense?” I asked her.
“Something wicked brewing. The sea is in turmoil—but that is well in the distance yet.”
“The trajectory?”
She did not shake her head, though the elaborate knot of braids she wore like a crown was too well-bound to have a hypnotic effect. “Too soon to tell.”
“I want to know what you do, the moment after you hear it.” As a siren, she could hear the song of the sea—an invaluable tool for navigating waters during cyclone season. It was early in the summer for that, but not unheard of.
I didn’t need to be a siren to know something in the air was off. For one thing, old injuries from past battles were beginning to ache, my knees sore enough to suggest they were swelling. And just the hint of pressure was forming behind my eyes, a sign of the fierce megrim that would come.
Suddenly, the door to the palazzo seemed so far away, along with all my ambitions. When I had first set out for the Queen of the Sea, it was with knowledge of the inevitable in mind: I was getting older. And while my impressive regimen of training and strength-building had yielded good results—my tight coat was testament to that—it could not turn back the clock, nor erase my past injuries.
There were moments such as this one in which I questioned whether the Queen of the Sea would truly change that, but as I was bound to pursue the enchanted astrolabe by the conditions of the curse, I did not let myself ponder this for long.
Such was a problem for future Jax. And I, as a rule, only dealt with the present. Except, of course, for when I could not shake the past.
I thought of Amarylis guiltily…and then of Sofie.
But brine and bracken, this curse was changing me. Making me question myself more often. Making me wonder if the grand prize I envisioned for myself and my crew was even worth it.
What I wanted was that beautiful palace straight ahead of us, staffed by dignified retired pirates who’d traded treasure hunting for livery. Palazzo Prevariana and all its fertile lands and holdings came with the only title in our line of work that guaranteed both ease and adventure in whatever ratio that lucky pirate desired.
This palace belonged to Goldenbeard, the king of all pirates. And if I could just get my hands on the Queen of the Sea this time, I would be the next pirate to take his title. Better than that, I wouldrulethe unconquerable Diam Sea and become the only pirate with a direct route to the bountiful and magical City of Nox.
And if that happened, my ledger entries would be prolific beyond my wildest dreams. The current Goldenbeard would have no choice but to cede his title to me.
Thanks to my dreams of glory, some of my pains melted into the background. I approached the towering doors of the palazzo with renewed vigor, as if ready to reap the spoils of another profitable year. Aoki had already delivered copies of this year’s ledger, ensuring I would retain my title for the next three years.
