Several intensely awkward hours later, I was sitting in Captain Torrez’s quarters next to an angry Seyari and across from the Captain who looked tired more than anything.
“She’s a demon, Seyari.” Torrez kept his eyes on me.
“And you saw how she helped against those Navanaean privateers.” Seyari’s voice was hoarse.
At least they’d stopped yelling.
I was dressed in my spare shirt, which sported new armholes, and a pair of the Captain’s old pants. I was also unglamoured. The vicious slash across my chest had been bandaged but still hurt. Whatever kind of magic had been on that blade was clearly quite effective.
“Do you want me to risk the whole crew trying to sneak her into the Coast?” Torrez voice was still loud enough to make my tired head pound.
“She has a damn near perfect human glamour! It even disguises her aura somehow!” Seyari pleaded. “They won’t catch her even if the ship gets inspected by the Church.”
“The whole damn crew knows though. If there’s any suspicion, someone’ll talk. Hell, they might even brag about the battle later. Fuck, I know I want to.” Torrez slid back on his chair.
“Then we’ll stay on the ship until the repairs are done,” Seyari replied.
“Ya really want to stay for gods-know how long stuck on a ship in port in Navanaea? Going to hope everything goes well and no one finds out? The bound demon got away, so someone’ll be after us even though those assholes were clearly rogue.”
Before Seyari could respond I interjected, “Is there really no way to fix one of the ships at sea?”
Torrez gave me a pitying look. “`Fraid not, lass. You did their mainsail in and the good Lady’s taking on so much water we’ve half the damn crew in the bilge. If we get caught in a storm, we’re six kinds of fucked.”
We’d lost people in the fight and would be short on crew. I thought back to Aarsh, who hadn’t made it. His body was anything but peaceful, a pained rictus across his face in death. We’d buried him and the five other dead from the Lady’s crew at sea. Four were left of the other ship’s crew. There’d been more, but they’d been killed and dumped overboard: too many to watch over according to Torrez.
“Oh, sorry.” I looked down.
“Not your fault.” Torrez seemed to soften a moment, then turned to the other woman. “Damn, I see what you mean about seeming innocent, Seyari. Hard to believe she’s the same woman I watched rip a man in godsdamned half.”
I winced. The memories of today would weigh heavily on me. I expected nightmares, though at the moment I felt very little revulsion.
“So you’re just going to go to Ivlaet, since it’s the closest port, and dump us there?” Seyari said venomously.
“Fuck, don’t put it like that. It’s the only port near here and it’s on the mainland,” Torrez replied. “I owed ya that favor, but keeping your demon secret, pushing up our schedule, and giving you enough money and a cover story to get overland to Liseu is a damn sight more than I ought to do.”
“Ivlaet is in Navanaea, which, as we’ve been over many times, binds demons,” Seyari glared.
“Just bind her yourself then!” Torrez glanced between us. “Clearly you trust her and I believe you when you say she’s not faking her personality. The contract could be fuckin’ nothing.”
Seyari groaned, “Do you even know anything about binding a demon?”
“Do you?” Torrez fired back.
“I, uh.” Seyari looked between the two of us and then lowered her voice. “Yeah, I do. And it isn’t that fucking simple.”
Captain Torrez just shook his head and sighed exasperatedly.
“What does the bind do, Seyari?” I asked.
She paused a moment. “The binding would make it so you cannot act against me or my interests directly. Then, any number of restrictions or orders could be added on top of that depending on the contract. I don’t know if the contract is a mental charm or a compulsion, so I don’t know if you’d be prevented from acting against me, or made to never want to.”
“I think it’s the former.” I thought back to the bound demon on the ship, and her words.
“Does it matter?”
“Yeah,” I didn’t even hesitate. “I’ll do it. Bind me.”
“No.”
I set my shoulders and gave Seyari a hard look. “Why not? I won’t have to be stuck in a glamour, I can fight better if we need to, and you can just end it when we get to Liseu, right?”
She met my gaze. “You’re right.”
“So, you’ll bind me?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Just, no, okay. I’m not going to do anything like that to anyone ever.” Seyari’s voice cracked.
I saw tears form at the corner of her eyes.
Captain Torrez coughed. “Couldn’t ya just put a collar on and paint a brand on?”
There was a drawn-out moment of awkward silence as Seyari composed herself. “Anyone who checked would see there’s no magic binding it.”
“How likely are people to check?” I asked.
Seyari looked at me with tired gray eyes. “You look like, and I think you probably are, a particularly powerful greater demon. Anyone who could check would do so.”
I paused for a moment, defeated. “Alright.”
“You can wear your glamour again, right?” Seyari looked pained.
“If I really need to, I can.” I wanted to cry, but I tried to think rationally.
“Good. I’m sorry.” Seyari put a pale hand on my crimson one.
“That’s a big fuckin’ risk to take, but I’m not getting dragged further into this,” Torrez shook his head. “We’ll arrive in Ivlaet in a week. I’ll need to deal with the rogue privateer situation and get repairs figured out.”
“We’ll leave as soon as possible once we’re ashore,” Seyari replied.
“Good. Now go rest.” Torrez turned to a pile of what could be graciously considered documents and slumped even lower in his chair.
Seyari turned to walk with me, but I was already at the door. I slammed it on my way out.
I was tackled immediately by a black-haired blur.
“Mmsrry,” The blur said into my stomach, their coral pendant pressed sharply between us.
“It’s okay, Nelys.” Their presence lifted my low mood. “It’s not your fault.”
Behind me, Seyari slunk out of the room. She glanced at me and made to walk the other way.
“Hey Seyari! Do you know what people speak in Navanaea?” Nelys shouted at the retreating woman.
Both of us looked surprised for a moment, but I supposed it made sense Nelys had been eavesdropping.
“They speak Navvish. But Turquoiser is used as a trade language.”
“You should teach Renna and me Navvish then!” Nelys grabbed one of my lower hands and beamed up at me before turning back to Seyari. “And you gotta make sure Renna can speak Turquoiser too, right!”
Seyari looked back at me for a moment before replying, “I should, yes.”
“Great! Let’s go then!” Nelys tugged on my arm.
“Nelys, we need to sleep,” Seyari said tiredly.
The diminutive figure looked between us and their face fell. “Okay…”
I looked up at Seyari and she gave a half smile back at the two of us. With a bandaged Nelys, we walked back to our room together. When we got there, Thea’s stuff was gone. She’d moved after the fight for any number of reasons. Thankfully, our cabin was in the aft of the ship and hadn’t been damaged by the collision.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Since Nelys had been hurt in the fight alongside me and Seyari was mana exhausted, we rested while the able-bodied crew worked. Surprising both of us, Nelys was the first one asleep, going still in their hammock with slow, even breathing.
“I’m sorry about asking you to wear your glamour,” Seyari whispered.
Her voice was barely audible over the creaking of the ship and the gentle sound of waves against the hull.
“Then why did you? You know I hate it.” I looked up at the underside of her hammock above mine.
“How bad is it?”
I thought for a moment. “My head aches, my extra arms and tail ache even though they’re not there, and I just feel claustrophobic. Like a too-tight outfit all over my body and even my face. But worse. It also makes me tired, I feel weak all the time, and my magic is hard to use.”
“Do you really think being bound will be better?” Seyari replied in a biting tone.
“Yeah, I do. I trust you. Plus, the binding won’t be permanent.”
“How can you trust me?”
“Because you saved me and you keep helping me.”
“But you don’t even know me.” Her voice was a hiss. “You don’t know why I’ve done what I’ve done.”
“I know that you’re kinder than you think you are.”
“I’m really not.”
“You really are.”
“Renna, stop. I’m not a good person. I’ve done a lot of bad things and hurt a lot of people in my life.”
“Like what?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Do you want to do more bad things?”
“…Yes. I do.”
I frowned. “Do you want to make up for any of the other bad things?”
“Maybe.” Seyari paused for a long moment. “I think so, yeah.”
“Good enough for me then.”
“What? Why? You don’t know me and I just gave you a huge reason not to trust me,” She sighed and continued. “I’m just using you for my own ends.”
“Bullshit,” I countered. “If you really wanted to do that, you’d jump at the chance to bind me.”
Seyari started to speak, but I cut her off to continue. “And don’t give me some crap about it being ‘too obvious’ either. It’s clear you have some history with binding or something similar. I want to know, but I won’t ask.”
“I could still just be using you!” Seyari’s voice, like mine, was rapidly raising from a whisper.
“Not if I want what you want. Did you ever think of that?”
“I can’t tell you what I want.”
“Well why not?”
Nelys stirred in their bunk across from us. “Noo, don’t fiiight. Stoooop.”
Our conversation stopped. Nelys tossed and turned for a minute or so before their breathing evened out again. Did they wake up, or was it a nightmare? Would they really dream about me and Seyari?
Seyari looked down at me from above, her messy hair falling everywhere. I looked back up at her and for a moment, my blue eyes stared into her gray ones. I blinked first and she sighed.
“I want to destroy the Church of Dhias.” Her voice was so soft it was barely audible. “There’s one man I want to start with and I want you and your power to draw him out so I can kill him.”
Her eyes were focused, but wet.
“Who?” I asked.
“You don’t know him. He’s high up in their organization, lives in the northeast of Ordia, and he needs to die.”
“Okay.” My reply was even.
“Okay? Just like that?” Seyari’s eyes searched mine. “Is that your demonic side talking? I thought you didn’t want to fight the Church.”
“I don’t have a demonic side.” I gave a fanged smile back up at her and stuck out my forked tongue. “Just me.”
Seyari shook her head and pulled herself back up to her hammock.
“The Church made the ritual I died in; you know. They killed me and nearly everyone I loved.” Above me, the shape of the fabric shifted as Seyari stiffened. “Does it really surprise you that I want revenge?”
“You said you didn’t hate Markus or Lorelei earlier. Was that a lie?”
I took a moment and shook the dark thoughts from my head. “It wasn’t a lie. I want to find my sister more than anything. I want to know why they killed my friends and family. I want to see the murderers brought to justice.”
“By your own claws?”
“If I have to.”
“I see.” Seyari continued after a moment’s pause. “We really should sleep. They’ll be putting both of us back to work tomorrow. I hope you and your arms are ready to empty the bilge for twelve hours.”
“Sure. One more thing first, though: Are you sure you won’t bind me?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good enough for me.”
Despite the weight of our conversation, sleep took me quickly. I dreamt of Tania and Abby hiking with me in the mountains above Linthel. I looked as I did now and I kept our tent warm with my magic all night long.
Seyari woke me up early with a gentle shake to my right shoulders. She left soon after and I dressed myself, shaking off my dream and thinking back to the conversation last night. As soon as I could, I’d get tail-friendly pants and underwear.
Nelys’ twisted hammock unfurled and dumped its occupant unceremoniously onto the floor. They yelped before scrambling upright in a disorganized flurry of limbs and underclothes. The blue coral amulet threatened to swing over and off their head, but Nelys caught it just in time.
“Morning, Renna!” Nelys yawned at me. “Didja sleep okay?”
“Great, actually!” I replied, although I yawned back.
I hadn’t lied. No nightmares. Despite the pit in my stomach when I really thought back to how I so casually killed at least two people, thoughts and memories of that moment didn’t evoke, well, any feelings really. Aarsh’s death stuck with me, however. I hoped my nature as a demon wasn’t hurting my empathy. The people I killed had been trying to kill us, after all.
Nelys stretched and turned toward their loose clothing strewn in a corner.
“Tha’s good. Mmkinda tired.” They pulled on a crumpled pair of pants from their pile. “Tell Seyari to teach us Navvish when she gets off shift, kay?”
“Sure thing Nelys.”
The diminutive human checked the bandage across their chest. It was stained dark, but dry. I thought back to Aarsh and the other dead crewmembers and my expression darkened.
“I wish I could heal like you do.” They pointed to the faint line across my chest under my brassiere which was all that was visible of the huge gash I’d received the previous morning.
“It is nice, I suppose.”
“I’d bet! I gotta go get this bandage changed, though. Have fun in the bilge!” They grabbed a shirt and left in a jog.
I smiled after them. I was glad Nelys was okay. They seemed so young sometimes that I couldn’t help but think a pirate’s life wasn’t appropriate for who they were. They were even sincere when they told me to have fun in the bilge. I’d probably fail to do so, but it wasn’t going to be for lack of trying.
***
I failed to have fun in the bilge. The first hour wasn’t so bad while I figured out how to maximize efficiency with my four arms. After that, however, the task became mind-numbing repetition. Water was coming in through a variety of gaps across the hull caused by the impact. The impact site itself was a massive hole across two decks. Taller waves would splash in and send everyone scrambling. On top of that, the ceiling was low enough for a normal person to have to duck. Meaning I spent half the time on two hands and my knees and the other half in a severe crouch.
Some of the crewmembers were down here trying to patch leaks, but most of us were bailing. The hole itself was already made smaller by junk timber, but leaked nearly constantly near its base. I hadn’t realized just how close the Lady of Liseu had come to capsizing. I appreciated Elnie’s magical defense even more.
I really should visit her and apologize before we reach Ivlaet. Maybe she’ll hit me, but I probably deserve it. She’d been up with other critical crew maintaining course and helping both ships out, so I hadn’t seen her since the fight.
The four crew from the other ship, whose name I’d never learned, were held somewhere on the Lady. Their ship trailed behind ours, roped loosely and watched closely.
When it became apparent that I could do the work of at least two crew members bailing, the number of people down in the bilge was reduced to help keep this whole mess afloat. This meant more work for me. Couple that with a high level of endurance and it was late evening by the time I was able to switch out.
I reeked of seawater when I sat down in the mess hall and finally got something to eat. The place was mostly deserted so I had to cobble together dinner from leftover bits.
A minute or so after I’d sat down, I saw Elnie walking toward me. I waved at the elven woman, but she glared daggers back at me.
“Demon.” She stopped a couple meters away and addressed me.
“Elnie.” I frowned back at her.
“What did you do to me?”
“I don’t know. I pulled on your anger and something snapped. Are you alright?”
“You what?” She glared at me. “I’m not alright, you bitch. No wonder I’ve been getting headaches and my emotions are all fucked up. Fix me. Now.”
I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. “I, well, I don’t know how. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t fucking cut it, demon.” Elnie glared at me. “We should throw your ass overboard. Cunt.”
I hesitantly reached out to her anger. The mass of her emotion pulsed unevenly, struggling to grow. I wanted to help.
“Your eyes are glowing. Don’t fucking think I won’t kill you.”
“I’m trying to see if I can fix it.” I kept my voice level.
The only response I got was a glare, but she didn’t leave.
The mass of her anger was lopsided. I saw it after a few more moments. I pushed some of my mana into her emotion. She didn’t resist. Not knowing how much to use, I pushed too much in. Her anger flared bright and boiled into a rage.
Elnie moved, lunging at me in a fury, her magic forgotten. Her hands wrapped around my neck. I felt pressure, her manic strength enough to impair my breathing despite my demonic fortitude. I tried to keep my concentration.
I poked and prodded the mass. Her face shifted with each alteration. I tried to understand what I was doing, hoping some sort of instinct would take over. I was in luck.
From the odd shape of the mass, I felt a tug. Pulling and twisting her emotion, a cord formed. On its own, the string snapped to something else intangible that I couldn’t see and connected to it. The roiling mass stabilized, still burning bright.
Elnie didn’t stop strangling me.
Unsure if I should fight back, I tried my best to remain calm. I could try to reduce her anger, but while I’d gotten better at doing so, I really, really didn’t want to make things any worse.
After a few more moments, when it was clear her attempts to strangle me weren’t effective, she kicked off me and with a flick of her arm sent a blade of force at me.
The magic caught me by surprise. Pain blossomed from the side of my head. I felt warm wetness trickling down. Something hit the table. Numbly, I looked down and saw my bloody ear sitting in the remains of my dinner.
“We’re even. Stay the fuck away from me, demon.” Elnie sounded satisfied.
Originally, I wanted to thank her for saving the Lady of Liseu, but right now all I could do was stare at my severed ear. Deep breaths. My sigil, perhaps a better term for my tattoo, glowed a faint green.
I managed to keep my voice level and looked back up at Elnie’s smirking face. “Fuck you too.”
Elnie turned and walked off without another word. I sensed her anger again and it seemed to have shrunk naturally, at least. I also took a moment to look at her aura. I hadn’t seen an aura that wasn’t demonic—I’d been too worried about my eyes glowing with my glamour on—but I couldn’t really tell what I was looking at. Her aura was a faint lavender over gray and comparable to my own.
I looked away in case she looked back and caught me staring.
The bleeding from the side of my head quickly stopped and was replaced by an itching, hot sensation. I hoped this meant the ear would grow back. And screw Elnie if she thought regeneration wouldn’t make us even anymore. We were even when I apologized and fixed her before she assaulted me. Bitch.
The few other crewmembers who’d been watching either left or tried to finish their meals. I got up and dumped my plate, ear and all. I wasn’t hungry any more.
Briefly, I contemplated revenge, but it would only escalate things. Seyari told me Elnie was vindictive, so if she says we’re even then I’m not going to poke someone who might really try to kill me. Especially someone who could very well make good on that promise. Force magic, at least from what I learned in Ordia, was rare, and force magic that could hurt someone that precisely, even more so. What someone like her was doing in this crew I had no idea, but her abilities along with Seyari, and the Captain, were starting to explain the Lady of Liseu’s reputation.
If my ear didn’t grow back though, I’d show Elnie a real demon. Even if her magic worried me.
Someday I’d need to learn more about magic. I knew so little, and whether I liked it or not (and I did decide I liked it), my life was going to have a lot more magic in it from now on. Thankfully, the short walk back to my cabin was uneventful aside from banging my horns into the top of the doorframe. Again.