Pirate's Honor, page 5
Have more faith in yourself, she thought. Arms and legs are the only thing that woman has that I do not. And she spreads hers far too easily. Torius and I share a love of the sky and the sea, of adventure and freedom ...and each other. The stars may not lie, but perhaps I misread them.
Celeste was doubtful about this last thought, but forced her worries aside. To take her mind away from her tumultuous thoughts, she slithered over to the table and used her magic to unroll one of the scrolls that they had retrieved from the island cavern.
"Fah!" she scoffed. It was an incantation for animating a corpse. She found such magic revolting, but knew the scroll would fetch a few scarabs in Katapesh.
Unrolling the second scroll, she gasped. The scroll fell as her spell failed, the wooden spindle clattering to the floor. Cautiously, she unrolled it again and leaned close to read.
Could this be the significance of the stars' prophecy? Her heart fluttered as she read. The scroll would bring everything together: the prophecy, Torius, her ...
With this spell, she could transform herself into whatever humanoid form she chose, but the incantation was relatively simple. Unlike the more powerful spell in the potions they used, this was well within her capability to learn. She could take human form more often. Is that what Torius wanted?
"His dreams' desire ..."
A knock at the door startled her out of her disturbing thoughts. She rerolled the scroll and tucked it away. She had heard no commotion overhead, so there was little chance that danger lurked on the other side of the door, but nonetheless she prepared her magic before responding.
"Who is it?"
"It's Snick! I've got lunch for you, Celeste."
"I'm not hungry. Thank you, Snick."
The door, which Celeste knew had been locked, clicked open and swung aside to reveal the diminutive gnome holding a tray of food in one hand and a pair of crooked lockpicks in the other. She stuffed the tools in her pocket and grinned. "One of your favorites. Eel pie. Soursop made it special for you ...with extra pepper."
Celeste sighed and nodded to the chart table. "You can put it there, Snick. Thank you. I'm just not very hungry right now."
"Okay." The gnome placed the tray on the table and laid out a spoon and fork. "I know you're worried about Torius, Celeste. We all are. He's been pushin' too hard since our last little ...difficulty, but he'll be back on an even keel soon enough. You'll see."
"I'm not worried," she lied, moving to the table and flicking her forked tongue over the wonderful-smelling eel pie. Still, her stomach knotted at the thought of food. "Torius values loyalty above all things, Snick. He won't betray me."
"That what you're worried about? Nah! He's not the type to go dippin' into a trollop's purse!" Snick waved and backed out of the cabin. "You need anything, you just give a holler."
"I will, Snick. Thank you."
The door closed and clicked as the gnome relocked it. Celeste wondered sometimes about Snick; the gnome didn't have a violent bone in her body, yet here she was on a ship full of pirates, tending the killing machines she called her babies. All for Torius.
She'd once asked the gnome how she happened to join the crew, and Snick had just laughed.
"Oh, there's just something about Torius. He's got a way about him, you know?" A wistful look had come over Snick's face. "It's like he knows you, even when he doesn't. He looks at you, and with one glance he knows you. Just like that!" And the gnome had snapped her fingers.
Celeste resolved that she was right; Torius had a knack with people. Within moments of meeting someone, he could tell things about them. And he was usually—though not always—right in his assessment. His crew was fiercely loyal and would follow him through the Eye of Abendego if he led them there. And he repaid them with loyalty that was, if anything, even stronger. Snick and Celeste knew that better than most of the crew. Snick was what pirates called a gallows jumper, someone who has been called back from death by magical means. Torius had paid a high price for Snick's revival, which was part of the reason they were in their current financial debacle, but it had never crossed his mind not to do it. As for herself, well, Torius had saved Celeste more than once from the covetous machinations of men intent on using her for one vile purpose or another. She owed him more than she could ever repay.
In fact, she thought with a pang of guilt, I owe him my trust above all else.
He had told her that she had no reason to be jealous of Vreva Jhafae. She had to trust him. If she couldn't, she was lost, and no reading of the night sky could lead her back.
paizo.com #2495541, Ronald Hartman
Chapter Four
My Last First Mate
Torius took a deep breath as he entered the dark, dingy hole-in-the-wall pub and smiled. There were a few corners of Okeno that were not dominated by the noisome stench of slavery, and the Tipsy Trollop was one of them.
Other trade items did, after all, come to the city, and traders from all across the Inner Sea came and went, usually stopping here on their way to or from Katapesh, Quantium, or Niswan, hoping to make a quick sale. Several inns and taverns catered to those sailors and merchants, who, for one reason or other, didn't care to deal in slaves. It was here that Torius would search for a new first mate.
"This could take a while," he told his two remaining escorts. He had sent the others back to the ship. "Have a drink at the bar. I'll be at that corner table."
He stopped at the bar, looked up at the bawdy painting of a drunken streetwalker that hung over the row of kegs and bottles, and tried not to grit his teeth at the memories the image rekindled. Not today ...He waved to the bartender.
"Ahoy, Capt'n Vin. Good to see yer still floatin'. What can I ge'cha?"
"Three ales, and water mine by half, Gambley. I'm going to sit for a spell and take in the scenery." He passed a gold scarab across the bar, many times the price of the drinks. "I'm looking for a new first mate. I've put word out at a few of the other places where real sailors drink and told them I could be found here. I hope you don't mind."
"Mind? Hell no!" Gambley grinned, showing the gapped remnants of dozens of bar brawls. "More business for me!" He laughed and drew their drinks from a barrel, watering one by half just as Torius had asked.
"Thanks, Gambley." Torius took his tankard, sat in the corner so he could see the entire room, and put his feet up to wait for his new first mate to walk through the door.
He had offered the position to Grogul, of course, but the half-orc had just laughed and said, "Nah. Not me! I deal with the men, sir. I let you officer types deal with the charts and logs and all those skinflint dockmasters and tax collectors."
Torius sighed with both relief and regret. He'd offered Grogul the position because he felt that the man had earned it. Torius trusted his bosun without reservation, and knew he would make an acceptable first mate, but he was an exceptional bosun. With Grogul on deck, discipline was tight. If there was grumbling, it was either resolved quickly or the offender was put ashore at the next port with a brand-new complement of bruises. Scuffles or thievery among the crew were dealt with directly, the offender nursing a sore head for a few days rather than stripes from the cat o' nine tails. But Grogul was also the first to admit that he lacked the finesse required in a good first mate; confessing that he'd rather smack an official upside the head than slip him a bribe. Which meant that Torius had to fill the vacant first mate slot. The trouble, as always, was to find someone both skilled and trustworthy.
Hours later, he leaned back in his chair with a disappointed sigh and watched his third applicant walk out the door. The first hadn't sufficient knowledge. The second told at least one lie that Torius could discern, which did not bode well for anything else that came out of her mouth. And the third bragged about his experiences aboard the yellow-sailed slave galleys, saying he wanted to branch out into new markets. With this one, Torius had been hard-pressed to remain cordial and not send the man out of the tavern on his ear.
The afternoon sun shining through the Tipsy Trollop's grimy windows had crept all the way across the floor to Torius's table, and he was considering giving up, when a long shadow fell across his mug of ale. At a glance he saw that the tall fellow was an elf, and from his stance, Torius judged he was a sailor. Unfortunately, that was just about all a visual inspection could yield. Torius found elves, and even half-elves, difficult to gauge. He could never tell how old they were, and they held their emotions closer to the vest than other races. His last first mate, Caliel, had been a half-elf, and proved himself a traitor. Torius hadn't yet recovered his confidence from that betrayal. Of course, Caliel would never recover, being dead. Torius allowed himself a quick smile and resolved to assess this new candidate on his own merits.
"You are Captain Vin?" the elf asked with a cordial nod.
"I am." Torius gestured to the chair across the table. "And you are ..."
"My name is Thillion." He took the proffered seat, moving his chair slightly so that his back was not to the crowded room. "The barkeep told me that you're looking for a first mate."
"That I am." Torius took a shallow sip from his mug of watered ale. "Can I buy you a drink?"
"That would be very generous of you." Torius waved a barmaid over, and the elf said, "Icewine please, with lime."
Torius cocked an eyebrow and suppressed a disgusted sneer. "Wine with lime? That sounds ...interesting."
"It's a taste I picked up out of necessity. I've never been partial to grog, and of course the lime staves off scurvy."
"Each to his own taste," Torius said.
"Your ship is the Stargazer, no?"
"It is," Torius admitted. "Do you know her?" He waited for the elf to flatter him with false compliments, but Thillion surprised him.
"Only by reputation. A brigantine, isn't she?"
"Yes." Torius began to feel like he was the one being interviewed. It was disconcerting, so he tried to regain control of the conversation. "You have experience in the Inner Sea?"
"I have experience throughout the Inner Sea, the western Arcadian Ocean and Lake Encarthan." The elf's wine arrived, and he deftly squeezed the wedge of lime into the cup, then peeled the flesh from the rind with gleaming white teeth. "I have yet to traverse the Obari Ocean, but have been as far south as Mechitar."
Torius raised an eyebrow. If the elf's claims were true, he was older than Torius had guessed.
"And you have experience as first mate?"
"For about twenty years on various vessels." Thillion swirled the wine in his cup and took a sip. "I'm well versed in celestial navigation and can barter as well as anyone. I know the customs of every nation along the Inner Sea and speak many of the languages."
Torius liked what he was hearing, but he forced himself to keep his expectations low. How many applicants had he interviewed in the past who talked a great tale then washed out when he posed a real question? His next was one of his favorites.
"If I asked you to plot a course from Sedeq to Corentyn along the North Tack, how long would that trip take, and what ports might we stop in along the way?"
No confusion clouded the elf's eyes, and he responded promptly. "I don't know your ship, Captain Vin, so an estimate would be rough."
"She's a brigantine, as you know, ninety-five feet at the waterline, with a clipper bow, following stern, thrice foreyards and a clean coppered bottom. She'll hoist eight thousand square feet of sail, not including spritsails, which we can set for light air. We rig staysails for close-wind work. Give me your best estimate."
"Laden or unladen?"
A good question. "Laden."
"Very well." The elf's brow furrowed. "The North Tack from Sedeq will take you along the coast on a beam reach west of Yanimere Island. You do not want to shoot the gap between Yanimere and the mainland; the current is dangerous enough to wreck a ship on a northerly reach. From there, you run straight to Absalom. A close reach to Oppara, figuring an extra day to beat up the delta, then assuming the current prevailing winds, you could drop your staysails and enjoy a broad reach to Cassomir, Almas, Ostenso, Westcrown and on to Corentyn. Assuming a laden downwind speed of eight knots, and a one-day stop at each port, that gives you a transit of approximately twenty-three days, barring inclement weather, evasion of pirates, or ...other unfriendly encounters."
The estimate was spot-on, but Torius wasn't through. "And the return trip, taking the South Tack with the same conditions."
"Assuming she's a weatherly ship, beating against the prevailing easterlies under reefed topsails and staysails and using the southern capes to your advantage, you could touch at Manaket, Merab, and Sothis, reaching Katapesh in about thirty days. A couple more if there's a blow. There are fewer stops and not the same profit on the South Tack, but you could pick up a load of pesh in Katapesh and make an easy run back to Sedeq that'd make up the difference."
"Very good!" Torius raised his tankard in toast; the elf knew his business. "Now, I'll let you know straight up that Stargazer is a cosmopolitan vessel. Katapesh is home port, but we get around, and I have crew from nearly every nation and race. I'll ask you up front if you have any problem with other non-human races, and I expect an honest answer."
"I have no problems with other races, Captain, as long as they're civil to me and sane." Thillion smiled and sipped his wine. "Please do not assume that because I'm an elf I'm also a bigot."
"I won't, if you realize that I'm only asking to stave off potential problems." Torius leveled a stare at the elf. "If I take you on in this position, you'll be working closely with my bosun, Grogul. He's a half-orc, and the best man aboard my ship, though I'll thank you for not telling him that. Until you prove your worth, I'll value you far less than I value him. Is that understood?"
"Of course, Captain." The elf looked slightly surprised. "I would expect nothing less."
"Good." Next came the most delicate question. "Now, I must ask one other thing, and once again, please be honest." He sipped his ale and cleared his throat, lowering his voice to a pitch that would barely reach across the table. "Many of our ...business ventures tend to dip beneath the law. I prefer to keep bloodshed to a minimum, and don't believe in unwarranted violence. But I'll let you know now that you'll be using that shiny rapier at your hip if you become my first mate."
"Do you mean that you engage in open piracy, Captain?" The elf raised one slim eyebrow, but his tone remained questioning, not disapproving.
"Not open, so to speak. We usually target specific items being transported outside of the ship's general cargo."
"I see," the elf said, and once again his tone stayed neutral.
"Would you have difficulty working under those conditions?"
"I've never felt a particular ...penchant for abiding any one nation's laws, Captain. I don't think I would have any problem serving on such a ship, if the ventures are profitable and not too dangerous, but I will be honest with you. If I find myself in a situation I find unacceptable or ...distasteful, I'll depart your ship at the first convenient port."
"Fair enough. If we're honest with each other, we should have no problems." Torius finished his ale and sighed. "Thillion, I'm prepared to offer you the position right here and now, but there's one more thing you should know about me before you accept."
"Yes, Captain?"
"I demand absolute loyalty from my crew." He fixed the elf's almond-shaped eyes with a level stare. "I've been betrayed in the past, and I won't tolerate it."
"Betrayed?" Now both of the elf's brows arched. "How, if I may ask?"
"My last first mate sold our navigator into slavery. That mate is now dead, Thillion. I abhor slavery, and I consider betrayal an act of mutiny and treat it accordingly. Is that clear?"
"Crystal clear, Captain."
"As first mate you'll receive eight percent of our net take after ship's expenses, with bonuses for extra duty. You'll have your own cabin and will stand three watches a day. Three hot meals will be provided, and a ration of grog." He nodded to the elf's cup. "Sorry, but if you want wine, you'll have to supply your own. Do you accept those terms?"
"Those terms are perfectly acceptable, Captain Vin."
"Good!" Torius stood and extended his hand. "Welcome aboard Stargazer, Thillion."
"Thank you, Captain." The elf shook his hand firmly.
"Grab your gear, and we'll head down to the ship."
"What you see is all I have, Captain." The elf shrugged. "My previous ship met with a ...mishap, and all hands were forced to abandon her with what they could carry. I managed to save my bow," he indicated an unstrung bow in a long leather scabbard across his back, "and had enough in my belt pouch to buy this sword."
"Well! You'll have to tell me about that adventure some time." Torius leaned close and whispered, "Best not spread it around the crew, though. Some are superstitious about a man coming off a wrecked ship."
"Of course, sir."
"Well, then let's head down to the docks, and I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew." He waved his escort forward. "This is Joss, bosun's mate, and Marci, foremast jack. This is our new first mate, Thillion."
"Pleased to mee'cha, sir," they both said, with the customary sailor's salute.
"Likewise," Thillion said, with just the right nod and tone of officer to crew.
"Good! This way, then." Torius led them out into the sultry afternoon air and back to the ship. "We'll take on water and provisions and put this place in our wake."
∗ ∗ ∗
"And this will be your cabin, port-side aft."
Celeste's tail stopped twitching at the sound of Torius's voice. He had been gone most of the day, and she couldn't imagine that the entire time had been taken up with Vreva Jhafae, unless ...No! She shoved the thought away. He was back, and that was what mattered. She rushed to the door as his key clicked in the lock.
