Pieces of Jade (Pirates of Orea) (21 page)

“If the medallion isn't with you or on the ship, then where is it?” White Beard asked, strutting toward the captain.

“What medallion?” the captain asked, folding his arms.

“You claimed to know where the medallion was,” the admiral said, turning toward me. “Have you really seen it?” he asked, with an encouraging but subtle head shake.

I decided to trust him to know what he was doing. “No,” I lied, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Then how did you know about the medallion?” White beard asked.

“The men who boarded us, I heard them speaking of it. I thought claiming to have it might stop the fighting.”

“You see. You have the wrong ship,” the captain explained.

The admiral pulled on the sleeve of his coat. “It is as I feared. The
Thunderhead attacked the wrong vessel. The description I received from the prince doesn’t match the ship. The color is wrong, as are the sails. Please accept our apologies. We’ve had some recent unrest and the men are anxious.”

“I believe I’ve seen the ship you’re searching for,” the captain said. “They sail under a similar ensign, but the ship looks completely different.”

The admiral leaned toward the captain. “Can you describe the ship?”

“Bright yellow, though it used to be black, smaller than mine and shabbier, despite the new paint.”

I wondered if he had made that up, or if it was a description of a real ship. If so, I felt sorry for whoever was aboard.

The admiral nodded. “That is how it was described to me by the prince.”

The captain put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed hard enough for me to wince. “Your crewmen are being returned to you. My mother and I are ready to go.”

I stepped out from under his hand and approached the admiral. “May I stay here, sir?”

The captain stiffened beside me. “That can’t be allowed,” he announced before the admiral could answer. “She's my mother and she’s part of my crew, sworn in with a blood oath. And I’m not letting you go,” he argued, looking directly at me as he muttered the last part of his statement.

The admiral’s eyes flickered between
me and the captain, narrowing on the handkerchief the captain held. It was the one I had used to bind his hand, and it was embroidered with my signature emblem. The admiral caught the fabric between his fingers as he slid closer to the captain. He must have recognized it, removing any lingering suspicion he harbored about my identity.

“I’m afraid you must go,” the admiral said, releasing the handkerchief.

I felt tears well up in my eyes. “But—”

“It’s not negotiable,” he snapped. “It is
vital
that you go.”

“Thank you, sir,” the captain said with a flourish, the handkerchief dancing in his fingers as he bent in a bow. The admiral returned the bow, with a similar odd flick of the wrist, then reached out and shook the captain’s hand.

“May your future journey be a success. It is a rare man who knows he has everything he needs,” the admiral said. “But men are blessed when they recognize what they have is enough. The two of you are free to go.”

I frowned at the admiral’s words. I had heard my father say something similar before his own voyages, but something about the phrasing was off.

The captain nodded. “Thank you.”

The room exploded with tension. “You're letting them go?” one of the officers demanded.

“Are you questioning me? We searched with summoning spells and it isn’t on the ship. We attacked them without reason.” He then gave my arm to the captain who squeezed it mercilessly.

“Without reason? They're pirates!” White beard hollered, spittle flying from his mouth.

“We have no proof of that.” The admiral lowered his voice so only I could hear him. “I’ll not forget you, Sheridan. I have a feeling we’ll meet again.”

I shot a pleading look at the admiral, begging one last time for sanctuary, but his impassive face showed no sign of relenting.

“Make haste!” the captain ordered, his voice icy with fury. I climbed into the boat that hung hoisted next to the ship, and the captain followed. As soon as the boat was lowered and cast off, the captain spoke. “You’ll row,” he ordered.

With a gulp I grasped the oars, dipped them in the water, and pulled with all my might toward the ship that promised to leave my life in ruins a second time.

Chapter 14

My footsteps reverberated around me with a magnified thud as I stepped onto
the deck. I worked hard to keep my face expressionless, free from the fear that shrank my heart. Alone again on the pirates’ ship, my anxiety grew as the moment of my recompense drew nearer.

The crew stared boldly at the captain as they waited to see what he would do. The tattered ensign snapped in the breeze, breaking the silence, and my heart threatened to beat out of my chest.

The captain stood a few steps behind me. “What are you staring at me for; get back to your business!” the captain yelled. “Carry these wounded men to sickbay! And the rest of you, clean off this deck!”

The men immediately executed the captain’s orders. Some of the crew were so wounded that it took two or three men to carry them to the doctor. At least one was dead. Joe raised a bucket of water from the ocean and dumped its contents across the deck, sweeping debris and blood out the scuppers and back into the ocean. I stood as still as I could and peeked at the captain, keeping my head forward in hopes that he wouldn’t notice my glance.

He did.

With a loud and obvious clearing of his throat, the captain crossed his arms and turned to me, his jaw clenched so hard I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear his teeth crack.

“Care to explain yourself?”

I didn’t know where to begin. Disclosing any part of my activities would inevitably lead to more questions, and before long the captain would know everything. I might as well shed my disguise and announce myself as the former Emmía, then throw myself overboard to save him the trouble. My mind spun as I thought of other possible explanations, none of which would save me since the blood bond would tell him I was lying.

The seconds stretched on and his irritation grew in proportion. At length, when I still said nothing, he nodded curtly, then turned on his heel and strode away. I felt my arms seized from behind and turned to find two men flanking my sides. They dragged me forward, my feet trailing behind me. My hope dimmed with each landing of stairs we descended, diminishing with the sunlight. Finally we entered the dank, dark, and smelly brig.

“Welcome to your new home,” one of the pirates announced, releasing my arm long enough to open the cell door.

“Wait!” the captain yelled before I could enter my prison.

I twisted my neck and saw him striding towards me, full of purpose. “I knew you had it as soon as I saw you deserting the ship,” he fumed.

“I don’t know what you’re referring to.”

“Stand still!” His eyes flashed silver and my body froze, obeying his order, while he patted me down. He felt the hard lump and plunged his fist inside my shirt. I gasped and tried to twist from his grasp, but a second later his hand emerged with the medallion. “I meant this.”

I wrenched my hands free and raised one to slap the captain. He easily blocked my slap, grabbing my wrist tight.

“Both you and the medallion are my property,” he said in a quiet voice that sent
goose-pimples up my neck.

“I am no one’s property!” I leaned close, pointing a finger into his chest.

“Oh really?” He lifted his hand and traced one finger along the scar across his still healing palm. “This begs to differ.”

He dragged me into the cell, propelling me forward.

“Do
not,
” he said, slowly, “
ever
cross me again.” With a grunt he stepped back across the threshold of my prison. The metal doors of my cage slammed shut, sending flecks of rust fluttering to the floor. The captain strode straight out of the room and his men followed without a word, leaving nothing but the clang of the bars echoing through the room.

I stomped my foot and spun around, surprised to find I wasn’t alone. Dorian studied me from the next cell. How had he ended up back here?

“Fantastic plan,” he said, the sarcasm dripping from every word.

I shot him my dirtiest look. “I at least made it off the ship, which is more than I can say for you,
Hound. Where were you?”

“I saw you scuttling like a rat to the navy ship, but I was busy fighting five men at once. Besides, you untied the rope behind you,” he added dryly.

“But you’re a Hound.” I slumped against the bars. “You should have used your Hound abilities and made it over there before any of that became a problem.”

“My skill is tracking. I tracked you, and I watched you leave without me. We should have left the ship at the same time.” He scoffed. “I thought you’d be able to figure that much out on your own, but apparently not. I’ll be sure to explain everything in better detail the next time.”

I continued to glare at him as he made himself comfortable, propping his back against the bars of his cell and lowering his hat over his eyes, effectively ending the conversation.

“So what now?” I eventually asked. “Should we try again? Should we make a plan?”

“We’ll have to wait for an opportunity to present itself and act in the moment. For now, as you can see, we’re out of options,” he said, gesturing to the prison bars surrounding us.

“But—”

“We can try again when the ship returns to port. For now, we wait.”

I loathed him, but I had to admit he was right. The captain had the medallion again, and now that he knew of my designs on it, he was sure to keep it on his person at all times.

I paced furiously in my prison until my anger gave way to fatigue, and eventually I settled on the ground with a groan. How long would I be in prison this time? I would likely be here for the duration of the voyage, which could be weeks or months. I coughed, choking on the foul air as I contemplated my situation.

It was dank and cold. My clothes were still damp and my hair lay wet and tangled around my shoulders. I shivered and cradled my sore hands to my chest, curling myself into a ball, attempting to stay warm.

I allowed my mind to slip back to my time on the Voyage. I replayed my experience in a loop, and every time, the image of the admiral shaking his head to keep me from confessing my identity stood out.

The admiral had always been excellent at strategy; it was one of the reasons his military career had been so successful. No one in
Orea could compete with him. He knew my true identity and that I had the medallion, and yet he had sent me back with it into the hands of the pirates rather than have me stay with him on his ship. It was treason at the highest level. So why would he do it? And how could he still wear his medallion?

I groaned in frustration and kicked the bars of my prison, only to be rewarded with a shower of rust. Even if the admiral had believed it was another ship he was after, he certainly knew the captain and his crew were pirates. He should have at least taken the officers as prisoners. Instead, he knowingly let us all go and directed his crew on a wild goose chase.

Try as I might, I couldn’t figure out a satisfactory reason as to why. At some point my furious thoughts turned to dreams and I fell into a restless sleep.

Awoken by the bang of a door, I opened my eyes and sat up, startled to find a
heavily-bandaged Lafe, a red-head I recognized as Edmond, and the captain entering the brig. The captain seemed to have mastered his temper somewhat since I had last seen him. The barely controlled rage was gone, replaced by a sense of purpose. My time observing politics in the Court let me know that the games were about to begin.

I was in no mood for it though. I remained seated on the ground and stared into the captain’s cold blue eyes, watching as he sat on a stool and stared at me with a sarcastic smile.

“Hopefully a night of our gracious hospitality has loosened your tongue. Would you like to tell me exactly how you ended up on the enemy ship with our most prized possession?”