“Boy in the crow’s nest.” The gentle glow about the mini faery pulsed a brighter blue, a sure sign that he was on the verge of changing into his flame form.
“Is anyone else on deck?”
“Nope.” Disa gave in to his fiery aspect and zoomed around the room.
Wendy watched him make two complete circuits of the cell before flying to her side, then abruptly plummeting to the cushion. “Find me when you wake up,” she instructed. “Be invisible.”
Disa’s half-asleep reply was faint, but she knew he could find her anywhere and rarely showed himself to other big people.
Carefully rising from the bench, Wendy ran a hand through her once-more-tangled locks. Taking the time to fix the mess would allow the lookout to become bored and, hopefully, less attentive. After thanking whichever deity wanted credit for the comb left in her possession, she eventually wrangled the loose curls into a long braid that she tied off with a discarded ribbon from the nightgown lurking under the bench.
The next few minutes were spent debating whether or not to take the lantern with her. It would make navigating the corridors easier, but it also announced her position. It could come in handy when she made it to shore, though. She finally decided to bring it along. The benefit outweighed the risk.
Wendy hesitated at the brig door, then walked back to tuck her key ring under the cushion in her cell. She didn’t need them. As she slipped out of the brig, she wondered if she should have dropped them overboard so the pirates couldn’t lock up any more kidnapped folks. Then she remembered that Tam had at least one copy.Oh well.
On deck, a few lanterns remained burning. Probably to prevent another ship from running into them. The promised clouds had rolled in, obscuring the stars with only a bright patch to indicate the moon’s position. She couldn’t tell how much of the ship’s movement was forward momentum or if the anchor had been dropped, but the sails had been furled, and that seemed like a good sign to her.
Wendy scanned what she could see from her spot in the doorway, then opted to brazen it out. Wasn’t there something about being ignored by looking like you were supposed to be somewhere? She should have asked Disa to play the part of distraction again. Too late now.
Her heart protested the bold walk by trying to escape through her throat. Wendy couldn’t have recounted the journey across the deck, as fear smudged her perception. However shemanaged to dodge crates and avoid tripping on coils of ropes, she arrived at her destination before long. She stopped at the railing, blinking in surprise.
A soft whistle of air escaped her lips. Now or never. Steeling her nerves, Wendy set the lantern to the side and squared her shoulders. Then she moved to the first pulley. When her hand touched the rope, she realized she should pull the tarp off and check for oars. Drifting aimlessly at sea wouldn’t do anyone any good.
It took her a few fumbling moments to unlash the edge of the tarp. She pulled it back as far as her average female stature allowed without a step stool.Good enough, she thought, successfully quelling the urge to reassure herself by speaking aloud. Grasping the edge of the smaller boat, she heaved herself up on her bare toes to peer inside. Naturally, the nearest lantern failed to illuminate the interior.
Rolling her eyes at her own folly, Wendy scooped up her lantern and tried again.
“Going somewhere?”
Chapter Three
In Which Questionable Comestibles are Encountered
Agasp ripped out of Wendy as she spun to face the threat.
Lounging against a barrel tethered to the deck, Hook smirked at her in the light of the lantern swaying above his head.
How dare he look so at ease on his own ship! The sheer nerve of that man.
Silently seething and two seconds from giving him a sizable piece of her mind, Wendy took an angry step forward, only to be stopped by a sharp tug. She looked down to discover her skirt stuck on a large splinter. A small rip had formed. “Oh dear,” she said with genuine concern.
The handsome villain straightened to examine the tear. “That was my late mother’s.”
Her mouth fell open, and only one word squeaked out. “Really?”
“No.”
An indignant “Uhh!” came out at full volume, and Wendy threw the lantern at Hook, forgetting for a crucial second what she held in her hand. The wicked pirate caught the handle deftly with his hook, impressing her against her will. That irritation fueled her retort, “That’s not funny!”
His eyebrows lifted and dropped in a sort of facial shrug as he tilted his head. “I enjoyed it.”
Another aggravated huff left her lips. “You would.”
He stalked two steps forward toloomover her, losing whatever modicum of humor had come out to play. “Care to explain why you’re stealing my yawl?”
Wendy told herself that her increased heart rate had everything to do with the threat the villain presented and nothing to do with the pleasant whiff of soap and salt that lingered about his person.
“Why does anybody steal anything?” she snarked, folding her arms, then immediately uncrossing them to disguise her edginess.
