The two days aboard the frigate felt like an eternity to Luna. For the duration of the journey so far, she remained a stones throw from her hammock in the belly of the ship. Luna was going out of her way not to leave her belongings unattended. The crew hadn’t done anything notably hostile, but her upbringing in the Undercity had taught her that desperate individuals tended to take desperate actions.
On Luna's first day aboard the ship she noticed the way the crew's eyes lingered just a little too long on her knapsacks—thieves always recognized other thieves. She was running on fumes by this point and the burnt black coffee was the only thing keeping her from a much-needed deep sleep. Though she didn’t know it at the time, her instincts to distrust the crew of The Dartmouth were more than appropriate.
The ship’s captain, Cutler, approached her with a sloth-like gait. The last rays of light from the setting sun glimmered off the water, sneaking through the small round windows and into the hull of the ship where they reflected off the captain’s jewelry.
Luna watched him with heavy eyelids as he paused every handful of steps to take a long drag from his tobacco pipe. He wasn’t wearing his purple hat any longer and his long oily hair and beard were braided intricately with copper beads. “Ya look like ye’ been throwing hands with the sandman lass.” Captain Cutler said, with a hearty chuckle.
“Huh, oh yeah, I haven’t been sleeping very well aboard the ship. I guess I’m just not used to life on the water.” Luna said, not lying outright, but definitely doing her best to avoid drawing attention to her mistrust of the crew.
One of Cutler’s bushy eyebrows raised. “Well, we should reach Nisse by sunrise. We’ll dock in Moon Meadow and ye’ should be able to find suitable accommodations.” Cutler fished out a rusted iron pocket watch from his coat and used the muddled reflection to pick a bit of fish from between his teeth with his nail. “The Dartmouth won’t be stayin’ long. Faster I can get supplies and be on the way the better. Damned elves give me the creeps.” Cutler mumbled, scrunching his nose like he had caught a whiff of something foul.
Luna let out a big yawn covering her mouth with her palm. I guess the good captain is a bit of a drama queen…or perhaps he just got a sniff of his own rank breath. I suppose smoking all that tobacco paired with a life on the water doesn’t necessarily promote impeccable dental hygiene. Hopefully he’s just exaggerating when it comes to the elves.
“I do appreciate you allowing me passage aboard your ship.” Said Luna, feeling as if her heavy eyelids were weighed down with fishing weights. She took a sip of her now cold coffee and felt the weight ease ever so slightly.
A billowing cloud of stinky smoke flowed from Cutler’s mouth taking the shape of a tiny ship. “Well, the crew an’ I have been happy to have ye’ along.” His eyes drifted down to her knapsacks for a moment before darting back up to her face, he thought she didn’t notice. “An’ after all there's no need to thank me. Ya’ made it worth our while, lass.” Cutler winked at her and turned to head back up to the deck.
Luna pulled her bags closer and scanned the dimly lit quarters with wide eyes. They’re up to something, I can feel it in my bones. Cyrus may have been a no good tunnel rat, but he taught me to trust my instincts. A woman with ratty red hair was mopping the floorboards while a man chopped up turnips and potatoes for the night's supper.
As captain Cutler stepped up the stairs he looked back over his shoulder at Luna. “Oh, the staff is doing a little boxing this evening on the deck after supper. Yer’ welcome to join us. Ya’ve been cramped up down here since we departed Cantrick—a little fresh air might do ye’ good. A little blood is always good for morale.” Cutler said with a raspy chuckle, continuing up the stairs to the deck without waiting for an answer.
Luna grunted and ran her fingers through her hair. I don’t know what they’re planning, but it’s probably best that I don’t wait around to find out. She looked out the tiny round window in the hull towards the distant shoreline. The sun had retreated behind the towering treetops and the landscape was transitioning into a cool blue, undergoing its nightly transformation ushered by the dusk. The shore is far, and I’ve never been a strong swimmer. I’m almost certain that I’ll drown if I try to bring all my things with me. Stars, I might even drown without all my things, especially given how bloody tired I feel.
She twirled her messy hair around her finger, chewing her lower lip and making an unintentional contemplative hum. Luna looked back out the window at the wide winding river and the shore. A feeling of dread sunk it’s tendrils in deep, rooting itself into her stomach. I have to try to get away, I have a nagging feeling that something bad is waiting for me when this ship docks. My best chance is stealing the rowboat hanging off the ship when they’re all distracted by the fights. If I go in the dead of night, they might not notice. For now, I just need to do my best not to fall asleep.
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Luna sat with her back against the wooden hull and her bags within arm’s reach. She bounced her head rhythmically off the rough wood to keep herself from falling asleep.
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The time had come. Luna could hear the raucous crew cheering and shouting up above. That meant they were more than likely somewhat drunk and almost certainly full of hearty stew by this point in the night. She closed her eyes for a split second before forcing them back open, hoping desperately that they wouldn’t notice and chase after her.
A quick look around the candle lit quarters confirmed that everyone was up watching the fisticuffs. She rummaged through her bags and tied a few items to her belt before running her hand against the knapsacks full of amethite crystals. She had never been religious, but she whispered a silent prayer to any god who might care to listen to a poor girl from the Undercity.
She lifted her cup to her lips and gulped down the last bit of coffee, then snuck up the uneven wooden stairs.
All of her doubts and fears evaporated, sinking to the cold depths of the river as an offering to the flowing waterway. Each step up the staircase strengthened her resolve like a blacksmith hammering away their latest creation—by the time she reached the deck, her will had hardened into a golden ingot.
She didn’t even bother looking around the ship, scouting was a luxury Luna didn’t have the time for. As Luna ran towards the railing at the edge of the ship, she noticed that the shore with the towering trees didn’t appear all that far away. Maybe there really was some omniscient entity looking out for her after all. Exhaling through her nose, Luna prepared to make the leap into the rowboat. Here goes nothing! She closed her eyes, planted her foot hard against the splintered wood deck, and leaped into the air.
She prepared herself for a hard impact into the rowboat, but it never came. A muscular set of arms wrapped around her and tackled her out of the air. Luna took the brunt of the impact as she and her assailant crashed to the uneven wooden deck. Her head bounced hard off the dense rough planks and her vision blurred. The scent of cheap tobacco stung her nostrils as she struggled to compose herself between labored breaths.
The burly man who stopped her from escaping and a scrawny woman with a piercing through the bridge of her nose laughed while they pinned Luna to the ground. Luna’s unexpected collision with the deck had knocked the wind out of her. She gasped like a free diver returning to the surface as she tried to return precious oxygen to her lungs. Thrashing and flailing and trying with all her might to get free of her captors to no avail, Luna looked up and saw Captain Cutler standing over her. He appeared like some nightmarish apparition with a swirling smoke doppelganger floating around his silhouette. Though, she was pretty sure that was just a symptom of her likely concussion.
Cutler had his ever-present pipe hanging from his dry, cracked lips which twisted into a smirk. “Leaving the party so soon, lass?” He paused to bellow a cackle that sent shivers down Luna’s spine. “That just won’t do. Not when yer’ the guest of honor after all.”
The captain took a draw of his pipe and exhaled a plume of thick smoke that took the shape of a serpent. In a quick motion he drew his dagger and slashed at Luna. Luna closed her eyes and winced, expecting to feel the cold steel open her up. Instead, the small blade cut open one of the knapsacks and it fell to the deck, purple crystals spilling out.
The whale bone pipe fell from his mouth and thudded against the deck all aboard the ship went silent. Cutler gasped. “Well, I’ll be damned. amethite…looks like fortune smiled on us when ye’ walked into our lives little lady.”
Luna’s face contorted with rage and deep sorrow. Though her breath hadn’t returned, she struggled to get out two words, laboring over each syllable. “You’re…des…pic…able!” Luna accentuated the words by spitting at the opportunistic captain.
Captain Cutler ran his hand through his greasy hair and yawned. “If I only had a gold crown fer’ every time I’d heard those words—well, then I wouldn’t need ya’ at all my dear!” The drunk crew had gathered around and shared a cruel laugh with their vile captain. “Tie her up. We’ll be in Moon Meadow by dawn. We’ve still got a bounty to collect.”