20 The Bookkeeper

The cove opened up around them after an hour of walking. It had probably been a little longer than that thanks to Spade.

An untamable jungle that had only recently ripened its first berries and fruits ripped open to reveal a cove with pale sand on its shores and ferocious waves striking the land one after another. Serenica only now realized it was windy. She realized she hadn't really seen the ocean in its natural state in years, unmarred by docks and merchant vessels. There were gulls, though, gulls were everywhere. They hardly cared if their next meal was a fish prepared by the sea or discarded by a cook. She had been to the port, but she hadn't had the chance to see the mass of water truly roam wild, as it did here, gently rocking the nimble brigantine anchored nearby.

It was hot, hot even though it rained, and there were around fifty men lying down on the sand, some shirtless, enjoying the heat and the refreshing shower of water.

They saw their captain coming. Some of the men got up to greet him.

"One thing before we go and present her to Myorka," Gadfly said. "I owe her."

"You do," Serenica said.

"He's always like this with women," Spade said. "Why are you like that, Gadfly?"

"Like what, Cap'n?"

"Forget it. I have your pay with me. Is that all right? Or do we need a fund for your self-imposed gender troubles? For heaven's sake, Gadfly. You could've taken out an earring or two, we're pirates, that's what jewelry is for."

Gadfly didn't shrink as much as usual. He didn't speak, though. The captain gave him some coins, and he in turn gave as many of them to Serenica as he could apparently spare.

"Thank you, I knew you'd remember," Serenica said.

"It's not as much about memory to him as it is about honor. I doubt the poor fellow can even pronounce your name right," Spade said.

By then, two of the men had had the courage to come up to them, a Karshaan young lad and a Sennite with an unforgettable smile. The latter seemed like a drunkard.

"Gadfly found something for us," the captain said and poked Serenica with a stick.

Serenica wondered if working on the Princess would always include being poked with something. She sure hoped it would not.

"He found your shirt," the drunk-looking man said. "Why is it on some lady?"

"You amuse me, Heike, you do. The thing he found is a healer. I am going to ask my wife if she will bring us profit or not."

"Gadfly can testify on my behalf," Serenica dared to say. "I healed his knee. You don't see anything unusual with his walk since there is nothing broken about him."

"Aye, except in the head department," the young Karshaan said and received a slap on the back of his head from Gadfly.

Serenica took note of the power relationship. There was no messing with the boatswain, but there was even less messing with the captain, and his wife had to be downright frightening if her opinion mattered even more.

"Where's William? I have important matters to discuss with him," Spade said. "Mainly concerning the next cargo and such."

"I have opinions about cargo as well," Gadfly said. "I think we could fit in a box of tobacco or two."

"Not right now," the captain said. "There's plenty of tobacco in Aja Vana. No way we're going to sell any there."

"The Admiral is already aboard," the younger Karshaan said. "Said he had something to do."

"Good. Seppei, Heike, Gadfly, introduce Serenica to my wife. I have business to do."

Serenica would've loved to get better acquainted with the captain, but there would be plenty of time for that later. Spade left towards the Princess.

The men took Serenica to a quiet hiding spot next to the shore, where a bush of twitchleaf covered a hole in the ground from the view. Then the men vanished.

Serenica looked around. There was a pink slipper on the ground next to the hole. Soon enough, she found its pair.

Serenica didn't see anyone. A small mouse ran away from her feet and for a moment she had a terrifying memory of that night at Herderg's house.

She turned away, but as she intended to walk back to the pirates a melodious voice said:"Wait! Who are you?"

Serenica looked towards the source of the voice.

A woman clad in red silk, petite and dark, was climbing out of the hole. She had something in her hands. Serenica suspected that something to be jungle clay, an ingredient commonly used in herbal baths. She wondered how they managed to have a bathtub aboard a ship. The woman looked like she was from the northern islands, so dark was her flawless skin. Everything about her had a certain melody to it, even as she was climbing, and when she arose, she flashed Serenica the slightest of smiles.

"It's so hard to find any good clay at all. Got to keep my cheeks looking healthy in the harsh sea air. I suppose you have a reason to be here?"

Serenica felt the need to bow a little. "I am a healer and an opportunist. I heard you were in need of the first."

"Thank you," the woman said as Serenica gave her the slippers. "I'm the bookkeeper. I appreciate that the male specimens left the final decision to me. The name's Myorka."

"Serenica Ingram."

Myorka allowed Serenica to lead her towards the sandy beach.

"You're different from the other ones Gadfly has picked up," the woman said as they were standing in the wind which picked every other word and threw it in the rocks.

"How so?"

"You're closer to a human being than the rest of them," Myorka said and shook her head.

"You people must've had some awful luck. Most of the healers I know are frighteningly sane and balanced."

"Are you sane and balanced?" the woman asked, tilting her head just a little, resembling a curious little bird.

Serenica appreciated the joke. "Not in the slightest amount."

"Then you'll feel right at home with us. I have a task for you. Something that will make it or break it for you. I need you to examine me," Myorka whispered breathily. A braver person would have thought of those words as seduction, but that illusion was shattered by the bookkeeper laughing, as if she was mocking the very concept of flirting. This woman was very likable indeed. There was something light, something almost weightless in her presence that made the air a little easier to breathe.

"That's kind of my job," Serenica said and wondered about what health problems could this woman possibly have that made her worthy as a test. She looked like she was in perfect condition. Her step was lively, her hips round and her waist slender, and from her voice it was apparent that she did not have any notable illnesses of the throat or lungs. Serenica feared that the same wriggling anomaly affected Myorka as well, but this was an unlikely fear, not something that could be easily replicated. Serenica was afraid of Spade, but she was not afraid of Myorka, even though the latter seemed to have more power.

Myorka took her deeper into the jungle, deeper than they should probably go.