Belita’s vision swam and her consciousness bobbed like a drowning man struggling to stay above water. The last of the notes of music had finally died, and the last of her crew had retired to their hammocks or passed out near the dying bonfire, leaving her alone with her thoughts. No matter how hard she had tried to banish them tonight, they had stayed with her. Between every laugh, every dance, and every shared story, her...

Lace lounged against a tree, enjoying the music and her drunken buzz. The wake was still going. It wasn’t the happiest reason for revelry, but after a shipwreck and being attacked by monsters it was clear the crew would take any reason they could get. Sailors were an odd lot. They tended to be fairly stoic until you put a few drinks in them. Then everything they were feeling came pouring out. They were communal too, so wh...

“You alright?” Tonya asked, slowly sticking her head through the door to Will’s room. Janie was sitting on the bed using her rosary like a worry stone. She wasn’t even sure why she still wore it, but somehow it was comforting. At the very least it gave her hands something to do while her mind was having trouble focusing. “I’ll be fine,” she answered. “I just… didn’t enjoy the conversation.” “Yeah, it was a little weird,”...

“I really appreciate this, Mister Kaduska,” Janie said as she accepted his hand and sat up from the canvas sack she’d spent the last hour hiding in. “Oh, my pleasure, my dear. Anything for you, you know that.” The big merchant grinned. “Besides, any opportunity to be a thorn in the side of the Teach gang is one I’ll take.” Janie swung her legs off the table Kaduska had set her down on, and let the rest of the canvas bag f...

“Bella!” A lilting woman’s voice called her name from the darkness. She jolted unexpectedly at the noise, then smoothed her skirts to sweep away the spike of worry. Her heart was suddenly pounding, which annoyed her. She sighed at her own foolishness. She was obviously still just jittery. “Yes?” she answered back. Jack’s tent was still lit from within and threw off enough light that Bella was able to recognize Doctor Kalf...

“You think he’s still down here?” Jack asked. “I can feel him,” Bella explained.  They were in the ship’s hold. It felt like a tomb. Everything was still, and quiet, and lifeless. Bella slowly wandered down the hallway and found herself in front of the Quartermaster’s hold. The bars blocked her way. “He’s in there?” Jack asked.  Bella nodded. “I’m honestly surprised he didn’t run off into the jungle as soon as we got here...

“Get out!” Belita yelled as the door opened. “Nope,” Danica said, walking in and shutting the door behind her.  “I said leave!” Belita snarled, pushing herself halfway up into an unsteady, angry crouch. “And I said no,” Danica shrugged. She walked over and sat down against the wall next to the Captain. “Part of my job is to tell you no when you need it. Right now you need it. What’s going on?” “Insubordinate… I’m going ta...

The crew began rousing themselves around noon. It was just too hot to sleep comfortably any longer. The shipwrecked survivors moved slow and gingerly, trudging through their tasks with stoic determination. There was a lot to be done. The ramshackle camp was mostly just strewn hammocks and bedrolls at the edge of the lagoon. There hadn’t been time or energy for much else, so the day’s first priority was to set up a more or...

Dawn was breaking. The storm had passed and the eastern horizon was slowly swelling from black to purple to herald the coming of the sun. The crew of the Kestrel was finishing roping hammocks between trees. The wounded were mostly already asleep. Others were unloading the smallboats they’d used to get supplies ashore. They were all exhausted but still managing to trudge along. Lord Morant and his porters had set up tents...

“So there was something under the water?” Captain Vex asked.  “Yeah,” Will nodded, as he bolted down the last of the spotlight-lanterns on the railing next to the ship’s wheel. The other three hadn’t survived the fight on the prow. Captain Vex wasn’t thrilled about that, those lanterns were expensive.  Will’s hands hurt badly, but he still had a bit more to do before he could let the doctor look him over. Besides, there w...

Grindylow were starting to crawl up the Kestrel’s sides, cresting the railings toward the midship, flanking the defenders. At the helm, Captain Vex cursed. They were running out of time. “Danica, Coleman, get us free!” “Aye, captain!” came the answering calls. Coleman and Danica North led their gaff hook wielding swabs toward the prow, but the fighting was too thick. There wasn’t going to be any safe way to employ their h...

A loop of rope dropped around a pale neck. The screaming head attached to it didn’t seem to notice. The makeshift noose went taught. A pale, rag-clad body was yanked thrashing into the air.  Lace Webber swung down like a boom, counterbalancing the weight of the creature she’d just lassoed against her own. She crashed into another grindylow with both feet, feeling a satisfying crack and sending the clumsy creature sprawlin...

The prow of the wrecked ship hit the Kestrel with a sickening crunch. Swabs went to their knees. Riggers hung on to their ropes as they were whipped back and forth by the jarring impact. A few unlucky sailors even found themselves bowled completely over, or found themselves hanging in the air, suspended by their safety lines. Rope burn, splinters and scraped skin abounded. Those at the front of the ship fared the worst. D...

Will was surprised. He’d heard Bella talk about how bad hexes were before. “I thought you didn’t hex people.” “I don’t, usually. It’s one of those things the Magistrate really frowns on, but against pirates trying to kill us I’m willing to bend the rules,” Bella smiled. She finished crawling around and drawing the second circle as Will tied the mirror to the mast. Inside the mirror Will heard Tonya arrive.  “Sorry it took...

The sky was a flat, grey plane of clouds, slowly roiling. The air was warm and charged. The winds were gentle. An electrical storm was brewing. Will stared at Jack for a long time. “Do you ever think about what you’re about to say before it comes out of your mouth?” “Come on, Will! You never used to care about the words. You could see right past them and knew exactly what I meant. Try that now,” Jack demanded. She was bar...