Broken Bones

Serenica managed to prepare some spells with the captain. Soon he had to leave, as he said he thought he should find a ship immediately in order to estimate the right course.

Serenica tucked the piece of obsidian tightly under her pillow and went to sleep.

The next day was almost painfully uneventful. Despite the mutinous attempts, some of the men were grieving Seppei and John. This was only natural, as they had had a long history together.

A groggy Spade appeared on the deck, flask in hand.

"I found something promising. I fear it will be a tough one, though," he said, unscrewing the cork and taking a big swig.

"Put that away, you're not the only one seeing death goddesses around here," the Admiral said. "Are there any weak vessels around here? I think not. We need to snatch it before someone else does."

The captain offered his flask to Serenica, but the first mate caught his hand.

"We're not going to mourn Seppei and John this way."

"How, then, dear William, are we going to mourn them?"

Serenica opened her mouth before the Admiral could.

"We're going to end Kinley's reign, her life and her influence while I am talking with her love interest."

Both of the men raised their eyebrows.

"I never thought of it like that, but you are right," Spade said. "You're on better terms with the Dreamer than she has ever been. If you get him to even share a bed with you, there is nothing left for Kinley. How sweet would it taste to take everything from her?"

Serenica laughed. She didn't remember the last time she had laughed, but it felt good. She hadn't thought of occasionally sharing a dream with the prince in that way, either, but it was delicious to imagine Kinley's reaction to it. She almost wanted to rub it in for the wench that she was regularly talking with the Dreamer. He had even saved her life once.

The soup that contained the last sickly goat left a lot to be desired in terms of nutrition, but at least it was spicy enough for its ingredients to be forgiven. The first mate had been helping out in the kitchen. That had resulted in an optimal amount of salt, and despite her stomach yearning for more, Serenica was satisfied with the taste.

"This ain't good," Heike stated. "We're going to go into a fight with nothing in our bellies. Aye, we will win anyway, but this is still bad."

"I will help out where I can," Serenica said. "Just try to avoid mortal wounds."

"Thanks, didn't think of that," the sailor said sourly.

Serenica scoffed. She had no patience for nasty remarks.

They were on the tail of a fat merchant ship that apparently sailed as gracefully as could be expected from a vessel loaded with treasure. The cargo could be anything, perhaps spices, perhaps cotton and silk, but that wasn't what the pirates were after.

Serenica blessed her crew, sprinkling moon water on everyone who agreed to stay still for her. It wasn't much, but it could help with finer skills and intuition, things very much needed in a fight.

"You think that water's gonna do anything?" one of the surviving Johns asked her.

"It's not going to hurt you," she replied, deep in thought and not really concentrating on his words.

"Wait, Cap'n is there. Is he going to give a speech?" John pointed towards the helm.

The captain was standing at a spot where he was sure to be seen and heard by everyone. Donning his best jewels and his coat with golden embroidery, he caressed the helm and his own chest that was adorned by precious metals and gemstones alike.

He glimmered in the sun, competing with the sparkle of the waters around them.

"We are in a perilous situation. That is nothing new to you!" he bellowed.

Every man stopped what they were doing.

"We're running out of food. I thought I'd inform you - you boys are free to sever and cook my left leg if things go awry."

Despite the tension, many chuckled. Spade had a way of making things sound so light-hearted in serious situations. The men liked that.

"However, I don't think you will have great difficulties in securing your provisions. We will reach the merchant tomorrow morning, so, you better sleep well. Any other crew would turn away, for the waters are infested with pirates and the merchants are tough as nails around here."

The men nodded; they had heard similar things hundreds of times. Something encouraging was coming next.

Serenica forced a smile on her lips. She knew they could survive this. She had seen the boys fight, and with a permission to kill, they could probably do things that were far worse than a few broken bones.

"I just need to be able to count on your hunger," the captain said, eyeing his men curiously. "You know the gnawing feeling inside your stomach. You know the dizziness and the way the sun drills into your head when you haven't had a proper meal in days. I don't think you want to experience it ever again."

He left and the crew was still for a while, apparently pondering the implications of failure.

Myorka came to talk with Serenica.

"I know this is probably a bad time," she said.

"You are correct. This is an awful time," Serenica said, shuffling her papers that were full of useful notes.

"He is worrying me." The bookkeeper sat down and crossed her legs neatly. "I think he is going to do something stupid."

"He just needs encouragement." Serenica completed a rude drawing on an empty sheet. "The merchant will be outmatched by the sheer power we have."

"I am not talking about the merchant. It's Kinley. He has never had an outright confrontation with another witch before. Show me that drawing."

Serenica turned the paper around. They both laughed.

"I think it needs to be more...let me show you. Give me a quill," Myorka said, still giggling.

"Don't ruin my mind," Serenica said. "What makes you think he will not survive that encounter?"

The bookkeeper dropped the quill. "I read his notes. You won't like what he wrote."