Day 3.
Ash opened her eyes and wished she could close them again.
“Wake up, swabbies! You got one minute or you’re on kitchen duty.”
Ash groaned and shoved herself out of her bunk. She blearily and frantically put on her boots, pants, shirt and oiled jacket, then winced as she stumbled her way out of her little room. Her shoulders were so sore. Scratch that. All of her body was sore, and she most certainly didn’t want to do another round of kitchens.
Savros–for all he could whip insanely tasty meals–was a tyrant, and she didn’t think she could ever look him in the eyes again.
Fabian came whistling out of his cabin just as she was closing her door.
“Hey there, Ash. We’re on Sentinel duty today. Bonnie said we should meet her downstairs.”
“Food,” mumbled Ash.
Grabbing some freshly toasted bread and coffee from the kitchen–and taking a few seconds to spread on a generous heap of apricot jam–Ash headed down to the forward observatory where she found Bonnie and Fabian already setting up for the shift.
Ash’s first day on the ship had been spent on watch duty. Second was the kitchen. Third was on watch again–to really drive home how important the role was. Tomorrow was supposed to be with the enchanters.
Apparently, everyone needed to know at least the basics of every role on the ship, in case of emergencies and whatnot. And watch duty might be the most stressful and boring, if such a combination was possible.
Bonnie stored a notebook in her side pouch and eyed the two new recruits for a few moments before she quietly and deliberately asked. “So. What do you two remember?”
“Keep an eye on the noise readings. Both magic and sound,” recited Fabian.
“Keep the second eye on life readings and make sure the cloaking enchantments are working,” continued Ash.
“And if anything’s abnormal?” asked Bonnie.
“Call the alarm first. Then double check.”
Bonnie nodded and adjusted her glasses. “Good. Let’s get to work, then.”
***
Day 4
“Oh, wait a second,” said Axel. “We can’t have you two out like this.”
Ash tore her eyes away from the walled harbor in which they had docked. Behind them, the massive metal gate had already been lowered, and the many masons and laborers had resumed their work on the inner walls.
Instead, she looked down at her clothes. She was dressed just fine? In fact, she hadn’t been out in public this well dressed in years. It wasn’t much, but it was clean, didn’t smell of sweat or mold, and there were no tears or grease marks anywhere.
“Oh… I think I know what Axel is talking about,” said Fabian, a wide, dumb smile on his face.
A minute later, the quartermaster came back with two vests he held by their collars.
“They’d better be spotless when you bring them back, Axel,” called out Alina. “I was just done re-applying the enchantments.”
“Alright,” said Axel as he handed Ash and Fabian a jacket each. “These should fit. Probably. Put them on and meet me down the plank. We’ve got three hours before we’re heading back out.”
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Ash took a second to look down at the jacket, and her breath caught when she recognized what they were.
“I never thought I’d wear one of these,” said Fabian as he gingerly patted down the dyed leather. He raised his arms to admire the sleeve’s red bands, then back down at the simple dark and red design, then at the blood-red interior.
Ash quickly did the same, struggling to keep the smile off her face as she patted down the jacket and looked at her sleeves. She was wearing the colors of a Privateer’s ship. The Sea Signet of Velistraine. A way to broadcast to everyone–especially those who wanted to start trouble–which crew she was part of.
Part of the crew.
Ash stopped herself from daydreaming for too long and made her way down the plank. Axel was looking over a shopping list as he waited for them. He wasn’t wearing a jacket himself, but he probably had other ways to prove who he was.
Ash asked. “What kind of enchantment does it have?”
“Oh, basic stuff. Some defensive, some to locate it, anti-appraisal.”
Ash, Fabian, and Axel slowly made their way down the dock and through the harbor’s customs. Within a few minutes, they were standing in the center of Stormfront. The newest experiment of the Dominion.
They were in a wide and busy plaza. Kids ran around, laughing and chasing each other while tourists from The Jewel and the new locals mingled in an open marketplace where people bought and sold all sorts of trinkets. Ash kept her eyes on the alleys and dark corners of the city, but she couldn’t see any starving children or gang signs.
Didn’t mean there weren’t any. But maybe this island would be different.
After a couple of stops, Axel took them to a street that seemed to be only occupied by bars and restaurants.
“Took you all long enough. Come on, let’s have a drink!”
Ash slowly turned and found the Captain already sitting at a table with a few of the crew, having a lavish breakfast while the crowd kept a very safe radius away from her.
Axel looked down at the arrayed meals, then back at the Captain. “Does Savros know about this?”
Velistraine pointed a fork at him and spoke with her mouth half-full. “He’d better not.”
The quartermaster crossed his arms and grinned. Ash could almost feel the air growing thick between the two. “I need a new storage ring.”
Velistraine was about to respond when the quartermaster raised an arm. “At least mid-grade. Everything we’ve got on the ship is low-grade garbage.”
“Ugh. Fine. Sit down already.”
The trio sat down, and Ash did everything she could to ignore the attention of the nearby patrons or random pedestrians who’d just stop and point at the captain. Velistraine didn’t seem to care–or mind–the attention, and instead stabbed a bit of sausage, looking up at Ash while she chewed.
Ash tensed.
“Did you use your potion?”
Ash blinked. That wasn’t what she expected the captain to say. A comment about the vest, maybe. Or about her performance over the last few days. But not about the potion.
“No. I want to see if I can exchange with… fewer limits.”
Velistraine hummed. She drank deep from a frosty green cocktail with mint leaves and a lemon wedge. “We could keep an eye out. What do you think, Axel? Any of your contacts got anything good?”
Axel was fashioning himself a piece of toasted bread with butter and jam.
Ash couldn’t help but stare for a moment. Jam was a luxury, and she got to enjoy it on the ship these last few days… but butter? She couldn’t pass this up.
Her hands shook slightly as she reached forward to get a piece to butter her toast, expecting someone to stop her at any moment, but no such thing happened.
“Well, some are easy enough to procure. Like the Chameleon drakes. Or Spellsinger ravens. But if we want the best… it’ll have to be something from deep in the Reach. Or from the ocean, and you know as well as I do those don’t come easily. I heard of a Kaleidoscope cuttlefish specimen going for auction a few weeks back. We might track the buyer and make an offer. Or we could hope to encounter a Trickster kraken. But… ya know.”
Velistraine groaned. “Buggers always run when they’re beat.”
Ash bit into the piece of buttered toast and closed her eyes with bliss, but she couldn’t help but listen intently. A moment later, she asked, “Can’t alchemists make a potion out of the flesh of one? If Trickster krakens tend to run, maybe one of their arms would be enough?”
Fabian, who’d been silent so far, shook his head and confidently spoke up. “No.”
When all three stared at him, he explained. “Ah. Um… From what I’ve heard from alchemists, abilities are in the soul. As long as something’s still alive, they can’t extract its abilities from discarded limbs. It has to be a still living specimen, or freshly dead and preserved. The only way around that limitation is, ironically, copying abilities.”
Ash eyed the man for a moment. Had he been in training to become an alchemist? A quick glance at his hand showed normal, unblemished skin. So maybe not.
Captain Velistraine spoke next, and Ash looked up. “Well, Axel. I guess look into that cuttlefish if it’s still available. Otherwise, it might be time to go on a hunting trip soon.”