telescope with Roslyn or having drinks with the girls. I’ve even seen him trying to warm up Niridia. She’s not the trusting sort, though when you do earn her trust, she’s the most loyal friend you’ll ever have. I imagine it’s only a matter of time before Niridia is all chummy with him as well.
Soon I’ll be the only person on the ship who can’t stand him.
Kearan is at the helm when I make it to the aftercastle. He’s only been back on duty within the last couple of days. Took him some time to recover from his cleansing. It’s too soon to tell whether I like the man better sober or not.
“Wind’s picking up,” he says in greeting. “There’s a storm on the horizon. The little one spotted black clouds. We’re headed right for them.”
Of course we are.
“Keep us steady,” I say to him. Then I shout for Niridia. “Get everything tied down and well secured. Storm’s ahead.”
“All hands to work!” she shouts. “Storm warning. All loose items are to be stowed away!”
All decks are in a flurry of activity as crates and barrels are doubly tied down. Though I stay on the main deck, I know what’s happening below me. Trianne, the ship’s cook, is securing everything in the kitchens behind cupboards. The cannons are being stowed, dispersed around the ship so their weight doesn’t pull us too far to one side. All ports and windows are being closed.
It isn’t long before those of us up top can see the black clouds on the horizon.
“The sails?” Niridia asks.
“Not yet.” There’s not enough distance between us and Kalligan’s fleet. Storms usually last no longer than a few hours. Every minute the sails are tied down is another minute the fleet will gain on us.
Night falls, and I order every lantern on the ship lit. No one dares to go to sleep. They’re all out on deck. Waiting. Watching.
Most of the night has passed when the storm finally hits. The wind becomes frenzied, and Kearan starts to wrestle with the helm.
“She’s the easiest vessel I’ve ever handled!” He shouts to be heard over the sloshing water and ravenous wind.
“One of the perks of having a smaller ship!” I shout back to him. The sails flap frantically in the wind, no longer doing us any good. They’ll only shred if we leave them up.
“Niridia, get those sails down!”
She rushes down the companionway and cups her hands around her mouth. “Riggers, to your posts! Bring down the sails. No one is to climb the masts without a secure line!”
Riden and the others attach ropes to their waists and tie off the other ends to notches near the feet of the masts. The rain comes down hard, making everything slippery almost instantly. The ship turns sharply, the current below sending her in unpredictable directions.
I spin around. “Kearan, relinquish the wheel.”
“I can hold her steady, Captain. I’m a seasoned helmsman.”
“You don’t know the Ava-lee like I do. Now move over!”
He scowls but does as I say. Rather than stomping off belowdecks, he hovers behind my shoulder. Another violent jerk starts to move the ship, but I grip the helm and hold her still. Even then, one girl slips from the mast and dangles from her line. The rain is too thick for me to tell who it is. But her hands find the rope, and she pulls herself up. Another girl hurries to her along the beam and helps her to get her feet on solid wood.
“Niridia!” I shout. “All unnecessary crew are to go belowdecks!”
“Aye.” She races around the deck, shouting to everyone holding on to the railing, masts, and anything else to keep from being tossed into the ocean. Calmly, yet quickly, they head for the hatch. Enwen is the first to reach it. He hauls it open and hands the girls into the hole one by one before traveling down himself.
All the sails are tied down save the topmost square-rig on the mainmast. A larger body that can only be Riden climbs upward with a couple of the girls to secure it.
“Kearan, join the others belowdecks,” I say.
“I’m needed, Captain. I’ll stay.”
I look over my shoulder. “How are you needed?”
“If you should fall, someone else will need to take the helm.”
“You no longer care for your own safety, is that it?”
“The only person I trust at the wheel is myself. I am watching out for my own neck.”
I go back to ignoring him after that. If he’s going to start being