“Gurney, get below and take a tally of our earnings,” the captain ordered. The quartermaster gave a salute of two fingers to the brim of his cap and lumbered off. Gurney was in his late forties, dressed in typical sailor’s clothing with high boots, cloth pants, and a shirt. His normally tired-looking expression gave way to enjoyment at the thought of how many shares he would receive. The quartermaster got a smaller share than the other officers but made considerably more than most of the crew.
A dozen men took up positions on their captured ship, and after getting settled both ships started heading north. Most everyone had duties aside from their participation in raids, but Red still had blood on his boots, and after everyone saw him execute the other ship’s captain, they decided to let him lounge around a bit. Sky was swabbing the deck, but stopped when she came to where Red was parked along the railing.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” she said only loud enough for him to hear.
“Your first?” he asked.
“I’ve killed before, but not like that. E’ was jus’ on his knees, waitin for death. I had no respect for that, but still, it was hard to put a man down like a fatted calf.”
“For better, or for worse, it gets easier.” Red looked her up and down. There were only a few other women among the crew, none of them were as desirable as Skye was, and none had the heart of a Doreh.
“You killed as many men as any two of the others. Any three of the others!” She looked him over, taking stock of the lean muscle, red hair, and pale white skin. “You did more than those brothers, the ones from Kronos. They’re good… but you’re better.”
“Better at many things, dearie.”
“Big talk, from a big man.” She smiled lasciviously.
“It’s only big talk if you can’na back it up. I’m confident for a reason.”
“Good to know.” She looked out to the sea and neither of them spoke for a spell. “I noticed something when the captain spoke, something that caught my attention.”
“Go on.”
“When I found out who the captain was, I was na sure that signing on for this crew was a good idea. I’ve heard about these goat men, nothing good, mind you. The way he says the word, human...”
“I too have no love for the goat-headed beasties. Is that all that’s bothering ya?”
“A lot bothers me. The way they look at us, I would settle for indifference, but they have hate in their eyes for all of us. Doreh or Kronos men; even give the Uzor the evil eye. I’ll follow them for now, but long-term, I’ll fear they’ll be the death of us.”
“You worry too much. Get back to your cleaning, woman!” he growled.
“What about you? You have no duties?”
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“Like ya said, I killed twice the men that any other on the raiding team did. They’d be fools to mess with me.” To punctuate his boast, he slapped her hard on the right cheek of her buttocks.
“How dare you!” she cried, dropping her mop and trying to swing on him. He grabbed her wrist and spun her around so that he could tan the other cheek.
“Be off with you woman!” he said, pushing her away with his booted foot. She grumbled, looking at him with murder in her eyes. Red passed his gaze across the deck, taking in everyone. The humans were hard at work, cleaning and pulling lines. The captain chatted with the first mate at the far end of the ship; the Mavit Tomar rarely interacted with the crew, except to give them orders.
“You there, sailor!” A Mavit Tomar officer named Nerin bellowed. “There’s plenty of work to be done. Get up and grab a broom!”
“I’m tired… from killing most of the other crew. Why don’t you do it? I’ve never seen one of you spill blood or break a sweat.” He stood up, looking down at the man, short horns coiled on the sides of his furry head.
“Do as I say sailor, or the captain will surely punish you for mutiny!”
“I think you’re talkin bout ‘insubordination’. Are you actually a sailor? Sir.”
“I am your superior, and that’s all you need to know. Now jump to it, or face the consequences!”
“Calm down… sir, calm down.” He grabbed for a broom and the Mavit Tomar stomped away in triumph. He began to wonder about her observation, and wondered if the Mavit Tomar were using their human crew for more than mere piracy.
Just as Skye was falling asleep, there was a knock on her door. Opening it, she found Red, well on the way to inebriation. The front of his shirt was open, and he smelled of ale and sweat. He leered at her lewdly, drinking in the vision of her in her night dress.
“It's late!” she said, trying to push him away. Instead, he pushed her, causing her to stumble backward into her cabin. “Get out! I’ll call the officer of the watch!”
“Do that. I like an audience when I take a wench!” He swaggered into her room, less drunk than she thought, more lecherous. She clutched at her dress, covering the thin cloth that revealed her nipples with her forearm. “Teasing me? Good! Meat that you kill always tastes the best. A woman taken by force always satisfies more.” He ripped her arm away from her chest and reached out for a squeeze. She slapped him hard across the face causing him to laugh, his eyes growing wide in anticipation. He slapped her back, leaving scarlet fingerprints on her cheek, and a drop of scarlet blood wet her lips.
“You son of a bitch!” she screamed while punching him in the face. He laughed.
“Not bad! I actually felt that one. He pushed her into the cabin and shut the door behind him. “Don’t fight back, this will go much easier.” He grabbed her wrist and with strong fingers, ripped her nightshirt off. She growled like a cornered wolf and held her hands before her with her fingers taught like an eagle’s talons. Scooping her up, he held her with a vise-like grip, smashing her bare chest against his. Skye scratched his back leaving bloody trails where her nails had sliced his skin. Releasing her with one arm, he reached over and smacked her ass with a ringing slap. He spun her around and bent her over the bench. His one massive arm was able to hold both her arms to her body, effectively trapping her. With his free hand, he released his manhood and entered her. The calm of the night was split by grunts and screams.
“You didn’t last long,” she said while lying naked on top of the sheets.
“Sorry lass, that scratching really got me going.” He chuckled as he gently stroked her hair, “I was thinkin about what you were sayin bout the officers. That goat-headed asshole Nerin came and threatened me with mutiny if I didn’t pick up a broom and start sweeping.”
“Did you murder him?” she asked hopefully.
“I did not, though the temptation was there.”
“We made a lot of money today, but I’m not sure how much of a future we have working for these creatures.”
“We’re heading to Isla Cassius, there should be at least one or two other ships there. Let's ask around quietly and see what the others are thinking.”