lips dancing over mine, her arms clutched against my chest. From that moment on, I forgot myself, what I had been, and what I had hoped for, simply longing to hold her close forever.
It was all I ever wanted.
Chapter Five
The ship was taken and we were victorious as made evident by the wave of jubilation that swept across the interlocked vessels. But the killing persisted.
My boys rolled past me, putting the remaining Vershani warriors to quick deaths. The Vershani crew fought back to the last man, some even making brave stands. But the bloodlust that overcame us made our blades sharper, faster, and after long, bathed in crimson, while theirs clattered to the floor or lay in limp, lifeless hands.
All the while, I kissed that woman, ignoring the cries of death surrounding me, the spilling guts that made the deck slick with blood and gristle. Intoxicated by the moment, I drew her into me, her arms draping around me and her body pressing hard into mine.
“Blackjack,” I heard beside me. I separated from the woman to see Drovani threatening me with his weapons. He was serious, teeth bared and hands clenched around the hilts of his swords.
“Release her or die,” he said.
I smiled at the little guy, then looked back at the woman and saw worry and anger in her face. She stepped away, unable to face me, and Drovani angled into the gap that grew between us.
“You will not touch her again,” he said. Satisfied, Drovani stepped back, sheathed his weapons, and took off his cloak, wrapping it around the woman and leading her away.
Brutalis pounded the back of my shoulder and broke into laughter.
“The little man made you afraid,” Morlocki said, having some trouble removing his axe from the skull of one of the Vershani. Finally, he ripped the weapon out and wiped the gore and blood from the jagged blade.
Behind us, Skeetrix rushed down, his wound bound, his sword still held high as he led a score of our men.
The fight was over, though, and he bared a jagged row of teeth in what passed for a smile.
“Good work,” he said.
I nodded, watching Drovani take the V.I.P. away, hoping more than anything else that I’d see her again.
In the hours that passed, we swept the enemy ship, finding small pockets of resistance that were quashed with impunity. We also found a treasure room filled with riches that, according to Brutalis, would make each of us wealthy beyond avarice.
My clothes were destroyed and spattered with blood, so I ripped everything off save for a loincloth. I found a pair of silver bracers of a shiny material Morloki called Threnemyte, the strongest metal he knew of. They were engraved with detailed carvings of twin dragons spinning among each other as if in an endless winding battle. I slid them onto my arms, enjoying how the cold metal felt on my skin.
I left the men inventorying the contents of the vault and went above decks, noticing that most of the crew had fast gone from a bunch of killers, back to their former duties, which now included setting new sail to stabilize the falling vessels, repairing the Lady’s Nightmare, and cutting it apart from the Vershani vessel. The quartermaster, Mr. Picklett, was in charge of the taken ship, and he belted commands for his men to cut away the delicate sails of the Vershani ship, using axes to chop off masts, rope, and sail. Men shimmied up the rigging and along the masts and spars like monkeys on a tree, and just a few minutes after the battle, the two vessels were separated.
The goddess was already aboard the pirate ship, but I avoided going back over. Instead, I watched the crew hard at work. When the final rigging came free, Picklett ordered it brought alongside the damaged Vershani craft. Once beside us, men threw fresh grapples across, tying the ships properly, and setting a boarding plank for easier transfer of men. On the pirate ship several men were hard at work transforming the main mast to a crane, in order to transfer stolen cargo directly into our holds.
No one made any effort to repair the Vershani ship, despite the fact that it was much larger and apparently had greater armament. Her upper decks were razed of fallen rigging and masts, which were swept over the side. The crushing damage to the rear was ignored, and men were more concerned with taking everything of value.
Captain Nicatrix only once acknowledged me, lowering