Their cabin, the room equivalent of a musty shoebox, normally functioned as the first officer’s private quarters. Ellisar convinced him to rent the cabin to them in exchange for a generous handful of coins–freshly picked from someone else’s pocket, no doubt. The cabin was located on the quarter deck and consisted of four bare, timber walls, a grease stained floor, and a small table with chairs. A single bed was shoved against the aft-facing wall, above which hung the cabin’s only window.

Daana shuffled to the back wall as she took in the full scope of what would be home for the next two weeks. Normally she would have been more perturbed by the single bed. At the moment, however, she was more concerned with whether or not the rounded window nestled above it actually opened. With the way Snag was glaring at her, she felt suddenly inspired to jump through it.

Snag was seated at the table in the middle of the room. Ellisar was beside him, leaning uncomfortably close to the first officer, who seemed to be having some trouble remembering the correct method for counting to thirty. After double checking his fee had not been shorted, the man swept the loose money into a bag and stuffed it into his pocket. He stood, casting a final suspicious look at his cabin’s new occupants, before hiking up his sagging breeches and sauntering towards the open door.

“Will you be needing anything else?” he said.

Daana suspected it wasn’t so much of an offer for further assistance as it was a declaration that their business was concluded and if they wanted anything else, it would come at a cost. Snag was still too preoccupied with glaring at Daana to respond, leaving the honor to his less than enthusiastic business partner.

Ellisar waved the man with a disinterested flick of her hand. “No, be gone.”

Clasping one hand firmly to his now bulging pocket, the first officer ducked out of the open doorway and scurried off to go stash his treasure elsewhere.

“Lowly servant,” Ellisar called to Ashwyn, “shut the door already. It’s letting in a draft.”

Ashwyn stood tucked alongside the entrance. Having resumed her role of the ‘strong but silent’ bodyguard for the duration of the transaction, she hadn’t spoken a word since, resigned to a hostile silence that could be felt from all the way across the room. Her scowl deepened as she swung the door shut with a slam and started towards the table.

“And the lock,” Ellisar reminded her.

Clenching her teeth, Ashwyn backtracked several steps and fitted the wooden drawbar into place. With the room's main source of fresh air now gone, the pungent smell of water-damaged timber clouded the air so thick, it bordered on smothering. Darkness permeated the cabin. Daana blinked as her eyes slowly adjusting to the gloom, vaguely aware that the twitch in her hand had started anew.

“You know, this plan of yours isn’t all bad. I do enjoy ordering you around for a change.” Ellisar paused, allowing a rare smirk to pull at the corner of her sharp mouth. “We could make a game of it.”

Snag grimaced at her words. “Seriously?”

“What?”

“How can you possibly be thinking about anything else after what just happened out on the deck?”

“You mean all of my coy flirting?”

Snag finally broke his unrelenting eye contact with Daana to whip his head around at Ellisar, earrings jingling. “How high are you, right now? Because I was out on that deck just the same as you, and flirting was the last thing that was going on!”

Ellisar tracked Ashwyn’s movements, watching as the orc trudged across the small cabin and dropped into the open chair to her left. “For you maybe,” the elf said. “I’ve been trying to work the missus into an angry rumpy-pumpy session all morning. With all this blasted boat business, my needs have gone to the wayside.”

“You did it last night!”

“Only once, though. And barely a cuddle this morning. I lash out when I feel neglected, you know.” Ellisar slid her hand across the table and placed it over Ashwyn’s, watching the orc’s expression for tells as she did so.

Wordlessly, Ashwyn removed her hand from the table altogether and placed it in her lap, out of reach.

“Think you might have pushed too far,” Snag remarked. His yellow eyes darted back in Daana’s direction and narrowed. “Seems to be a common theme today.”

Daana’s stomach dropped as the sting of humiliation crept across her nose. Although the crushing weight of her panic had settled some upon entering the cabin, she still could not shake the urge to run. Doubly so now that Snag remembered she existed and was back to watching her every move. Daana placed her hand against the cold glass of the window, cursing it for being far too small to jump through.

Clunk!

The table lurched behind her, drawing Daana’s attention back to the center of the cabin. Ashwyn was scowling down at Ellisar, who’s own pinched expression appeared to be caught somewhere between pain and ecstasy. “Alright, footsies are off the table,” Ellisar wheezed around the breath caught in her throat. “Message received loud and clear.”

“You’re not getting a lick of attention until you’ve explained what the fuck is going on.” Ashwyn’s clenched fist struck the table with a slam. “Starting with why in goddess’s name you didn’t tell me we’ve had an unstable witch in our midst this entire time!”

Ellisar drew her leg up into the chair and cradled her smarting foot. “Witch is generous, but I see your point.”

“No wonder you fought the stupid boat idea so hard! I should have known something was fishy when you–you, who fucking loves being on the open water–wanted nothing to do with it. I thought you were dragging your feet because of the ex, not because Daana’s been burning her way through the realm!”

“Is now a good time to point out that the ex is still my main reason for being difficult?” The resulting glare from Ashwyn forced Ellisar to reconsider her strategy. A strategy blatantly void of groveling or even the slightest form of apology, of course. “Alright, yes. We probably should have mentioned Alkurth before. But we’ve been through so much fucked-up shit in the last six months, it all starts to blur. Nothing sticks out as extraordinary anymore. There was everything that went down on the mountain, a battle with magic flying everywhere, a dragon, a flood. Honestly, Daana burning a city to the ground felt like small potatoes in comparison.”

“For the last time, it wasn’t the whole city!” To her horror, Daana realized her unruly mouth had betrayed her once more. Well shit. Seeing as she already had everyone’s attention, she supposed it wouldn’t hurt to correct Ashwyn’s other highly incorrect assumption. “And, again, as I have pointed out numerous times, I am not a witch.”

There was a fourth, empty wooden chair tucked beneath the rickety table. Ashwyn kicked it out from under the table in an unspoken invitation to join the conversation.

Daana’s gaze darted past them towards the barred doorway, debating whether it was even worth the effort to reiterate what everyone obviously already knew–that she was a fuck up and that agreeing to deliver her to her mother had been cursed from the start. She could still hear the bustling crew scuttling across the deck beyond the cabin. The Ducky Luck had yet to launch, meaning she could simply waltz back down the deck and disappear if she truly wanted.

Ultimately, it was Snag’s expression that gave her pause. Daana was convinced he hadn’t blinked in nearly ten minutes. Stifling a sigh, she moved to the table and sank into the chair.

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“You were saying?” Ashwyn prompted.

Right. Staying had only been half the battle. Regretfully, that still left the talking part to muddle through.

Daana slumped lower. “I’m sort of a dysfunctioning half step between a witch and a magic-sensitive person. I don’t have magic of my own, but I can use the magic of others under the right circumstances. Those stones you threw overboard were a means for me to store magic when there wasn’t a readily available supply nearby.”

“Sounds an awful lot like a witch to me,” Ashwyn grumbled. “So what’s the deal? Is your control shit or something?”

Daana stiffened at the insult. “It’s not shit!”

Ellisar snickered, but it was the low growl from Snag that wilted any remaining argument from Daana’s tongue.

“It’s just that my powers weren’t this strong before. I used to be able to control them without any issue, but after, well, this” –Daana pulled her sleeve back to expose the branching veins on her wrist– “it hasn’t been the same. Something from that mountain latched onto me and ever since, it feels like my powers have been supercharged. A simple push spell levels a city wall and no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to get a handle on it.”

“And each time you do, it causes the infection to spread.” Snag’s tiny fist struck the tabletop, causing the ancient wood to tremble in protest. “Which is why we agreed you would retire from magic!”

Behind the anger, Daana sensed a deep disappointment. Regret pooled in her chest as she stared down at the chipped tabletop, unable to meet his gaze without flinching. “I’m sorry, Snag.”

“Don’t be. Keeping the stones was the first badass thing you’ve done.” Ellisar added with a shrug, “Besides the fire, of course. Gonna be hard to top that.”

“You!” Snag wagged his claw at Ellisar, shoulders bristled for a fight. “Stop encouraging this! You understand her carelessness not only puts her life at stake, but ours as well, right? We’re gambling with death each time she taps into her power.”

“Meh.”

“Meh? She’s putting our lives at risk and that’s all you can say? Meh!” A second shrug from Ellisar caused Snag to throw his scrawny arms into the air above his head, shouting, “Why do I even bother trying to talk sense into you? You’re perfectly content to watch the world burn, with us right in the thick of it!”

Ashwyn pinched the bridge of her nose with a heavy sigh. “You know, it would be a lot easier knowing how pissed I’m supposed to be if someone told me what actually happened.”

Daana supposed it would be better if the explanation came from her, if only to prevent Ellisar from including some of the more colorful details that really had no impact on the story whatsoever. “It was an innocent mistake, honest. Ellisar and I got pulled in by the city watch and thrown into a holding cell for the night. We were both a little plastered and–”

Ashwyn held up her hand. “For what?”

Daana didn’t know whether the lurch in her stomach was due to the question or the shifting of the waves beneath her. “Come again?”

“You got pulled in by the city watch for what?”

“Prostitution.” Ellisar held the palms of her hands in the air to mockingly ward off Daana’s glare. “Sorry, attempted prostitution without a license. Ya happy?”

“No, actually,” Daana said. “I’m not. Because I never asked for your involvement in the matter to begin with. You took it upon yourself to find me a lover and got us both thrown in jail because of it!”

“Admittedly, offering money to an off duty officer was not my best idea. In my defense, however, he wasn’t wearing a uniform and I was drunk off my ass. You’d been so uptight, I thought a good romp would make you more tolerable.”

Daana desperately wanted to sink into the floor. Alas, the cat was out of the bag now and there would be no shoving it back in. She opted to move the retelling along to the part that actually mattered. “While in the cell, Ellisar said to create a distraction while she popped the lock. I only meant to start a small desk fire, but things quickly got out of hand.”

“The important thing is I got us out.” Ellisar tilted the chair back on two legs and folded her hands behind her head. “Even had time to stop and retrieve our belongings before the entire building was engulfed in flames. All in all, one of our better getaways, I’d wager.”

Daana desperately wanted to kick Ellisar’s chair off balance. She stretched her right leg as far as it would go, coming to the dismaying conclusion that she’d have to be under the table for it to reach. “I think it’s only fair to mention that, while I might have started the initial fire, the destruction wasn’t purely my doing. Snag’s powder charges played a part, as did the certain someone throwing them.”

“You’re right,” Ellisar agreed. “Our best getaway ever.”

For some uncanny reason, Ellisar’s words sparked a twinge of pride within Daana’s sinking soul. The feeling was fleeting, however, and Daana’s momentary elation was immediately brought back down by the presence of the scowling goblin beside her. Wordless, Snag’s curled expression spoke volumes on its own, something to the tune of: ‘We do not seek validation from Ellisar’.

Ashwyn drummed her fingertips against the table in thought. “Daana, you said your powers only work if you have access to a magical source, yeah?”

“Yes.”

“And now that I tossed your pretty little stones overboard, you no longer have access to said magical source?”

“Yes.” She could pull from witches too, but that seemed redundant to bring up at this point. Daana hadn’t felt any source of magic since boarding the ship. Rich merchant and war ships had uses for magic, certainly, but cargo vessels such as this simply could not afford to keep a witch on the payroll. For the better, probably, in Daana’s case. Although the twitching in her fingers had eased, the irresistible itch crawling beneath her skin was still alive and well. Perhaps a few weeks at sea, free of magical temptation, was just what she needed to get it out of her system.

Ashwyn was busy talking herself through a rundown of everything she’d just learned. “So you’re not a witch, but you can use magic–poorly, from the sounds of it. Which is why after burning parts of Alkurth to the ground, you swore off magic completely. Right up until just a few moments ago.” Ashwyn’s understanding hit a dead-end, prompting the orc to tilt her head at Daana quizzically. “I’m still not sure how that ties in. Remind me again, what possessed you to drag out your shiny stones of destruction back there on the deck?”

Daana rubbed the edge of her elbow as she tried to explain her reasoning without sounding unhinged. “I just have a thing with ships and water. I panicked and…”

“Almost blew us to smithereens,” Ellisar finished helpfully for her.

The table lurched a second time as someone’s foot nearly sent Ellisar spilling to the floor. Ashwyn kept her focus on Daana, pretending as though she had no idea where the kick had come from. “Because you felt helpless?”

She hated how easily her overreaction could be summed up in a matter of words. What’s worse, they were stupid words. Stupid words for a stupid problem, all befitting the equally stupid girl to whom they were directed. Daana’s response tasted bitter on her tongue. “Yes.”

“Well the solution seems simple then.” Daana didn’t like the sudden calm, confident tone Ashwyn had switched to. She didn’t dare question it, though, and sat silent instead, dreading what sort of resolution the orc was about to present. “We teach you to fight. That way I get to kick your ass on the regular, you learn not to be so helpless, and start to actually pull your weight for a change–a real win-win all around.”

That didn’t actually sound too bad. Unfortunately, her confounded mouth had to go and open, allowing the first thought in her head to come tumbling out. “That’s it?”

“It?” Ellisar repeated. “What, were you expecting more? Sweet goddess, Daana, she’s not your mother. Keep your weird power fantasies to yourself. Ashwyn’s already got more than she can handle with me.”

“Excuse me? I am well versed at handling you, miss. Right side up, upside down, sideways sometimes.”

“Stop, you’re making me all steamy.” Ellisar was up and out of her chair in the blink of an eye. She slumped over the back of Ashwyn, draping her lanky arms over the orc’s shoulders and down her front, whilst whispering in her ear at a volume that was, regrettably, impossible not to overhear. “Are you finished playing scary orc interrogator yet? Because it gave me some ideas.”

While Ashwyn’s scowl remained stubbornly fixed in place, the harsh glint within her eyes softened. “Now?” was the only thing she said.

“Yes, now.” Ellisar nuzzled her face against the orc’s neck. “You look fit to burst and I’ve been begging for your undivided attention all day.”

“You realize we share a cabin, don’t you?”

Ellisar hooked her arm though Ashwyn’s and made a rather futile attempt to pull her from the chair. It didn’t stop her from trying, however. Remarkably, she managed to drag both the orc and the chair several inches closer to the barred doorway. “Come on. I saw a dark, secluded little nook on the way in. If you can keep from drawing blood when you bite, nobody will even know we’re there. Besides,” Ellisar said, glancing over her shoulder at the table’s remaining occupants, “Snag looks like he’s got something to say and believe me, you do not want to be around when he pops off.”

Against her better judgment, Daana stole a glance at Snag from the corner of her eye. The state of his face made Daana suddenly wish she’d been invited to tag along. Unfortunately, she didn’t even have the opportunity to stand before Ashwyn and Ellisar were up and out the door, slamming it shut behind them.

The silence that followed was suffocatingly thick. Daana drew a breath, managing a single word. “I…”

“Don’t talk,” he snapped.

“But–”

“I’ve heard enough out of you already. You want to convince me you’re no longer a stupid little girl?” Snag stood, shoving away from the table. “Then start acting like it.”