Will’s head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. He was cold. He was naked. He was stiff and sore.

He was in a bathtub.

Uncoiling himself was a process. He caught a whiff of himself and recoiled. What had happened?

“Oh. Right,” he croaked as memories came flooding back to him. He reached over and started working the pump. In sputtering bursts seawater came flowing into the tub. It was comfortably warm. Probably daytime. The ocean was usually warm by noon this time of year. The charm hanging from the spigot didn’t have a lot of work to do to bring the tub to a soothing heat.

By the time the tub was full he was starting to feel better. The water definitely helped. Enough light filtered in through the porthole windows that he could find washcloths and soap. By the time he drained the tub and pumped up a bit more water to give himself a final rinse, he was feeling a lot better. His head still throbbed, but he felt mostly functional. 

He wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the door into the captain’s cabin. Bella was sprawled out in bed with her head under a pillow. He moved quietly, finding his pants and boots, but his shirt was nowhere to be seen. His decoy coin purse was missing. So was his not-decoy purse. More memories came back to him. He cursed under his breath. 

He walked out on deck shirtless and bootless, blinking into the noonday glare. 

“Wreckage, ho!” Lace called out from the rigging. Will blinked up and saw her pointing at him. The crew was laughing. He sighed and gave her a rude gesture. She returned it heartily. 

He walked up the stairs to the aftcastle. The new helmsman’s mate was at the wheel getting a lesson from the Captain. She gave him an amused look. 

“How ye feeling, Mister Sterling?” she asked, looking like she clearly already knew.

“There’s a drum in my head and knives in my eyes, and I’m thirsty,” Will shrugged. “Besides that, I feel terrible.”

“Good to hear,” Captain Vex grinned. “The galley saved ye some food. When ye’ve eaten, give us a heading. We’re four hours out from Barcola heading northerly.”

“Aye, Captain,” he smiled. It got dark suddenly. He turned and nearly ran into a monster of a man. His gaze ran upward. It was the giant they’d spotted last night. Captain Reeve. He had a small sliver whistle around his massive neck.

“New crew’s all assigned their berths, Captain. Rotations are posted, and Mister North reports that all the new cargo is logged and stowed,” Reeve said. 

“Thank you, Mister Reeve,” Captain Vex said. 

“Nice ink,” Reeve said, admiring Will’s tattoo before turning and heading back down the stairs, moving much more gracefully than Will would have expected from someone his size. 

Will gave the Captain a sideways look. “Reeve is your new Bosun?”

“Ye’ve met him?” Captain Vex seemed surprised. 

“No. I spotted him last night. Miss Webber told us about him,” Will said. 

Belita shrugged. “Miss Webber likes sea stories. I wouldnae pay them any mind.”

“So you don’t believe them?” Will asked. 

“I’m not sure what stories I believe, but I do believe that I dinnae really care. He’s a dependable sailor. That’s good enough for me,” Belita said adjusting her hat. “Some folk thought I was crazy for taking ye on as crew too.”

“Fair enough,” Will said. She gave him a small nod and he headed back below decks to get breakfast. 

The day was lazy and hot. With the additional crew, Lace’s ladders were being built quickly. The Kestrel bustled with energy. Through it all, Captain Vex maintained her presence on the aftcastle. The new crew quickly got used to working under the captain’s scrutiny. On some ships, captains let their officers run things and only came out of their cabins to deal with problems or emergencies. Not so on the Kestrel. With Lace in the rigging and Reeve on the deck, Captain Vex was able to efficiently command her ship with only small commands or even gestures. Reeve knew his whistle calls well, and his voice boomed, relaying the Captain’s commands and making small corrections of his own. The officers were pushing the crew a bit hard for a calm day, especially considering that many of them were nursing hangovers from the night before, but Captain Vex knew that day one with a sizable number of new recruits would set the tone for the rest of the voyage. She was loving how things were working out so far. 

Below deck, Will took his time finishing a bowl of oatmeal and honey and forcing himself to drink water. The meals after being dockside were always richer fare. The honey was a rare treat. By the time he finished he was feeling quite a bit better. He thanked the cook, washed his own bowl, and headed out into the ship’s underbelly. He wanted to check in with Jack after losing track of her last night. He was a little nervous about it, but he figured he owed her at least an explanation. 

Her cabin was one of two that sat along the hallway from the galley to the hold, so he didn’t have far to go. He knocked on her door. Doctor Kalfou answered.

He blinked. She looked like she’d been about to say something, but then stopped in surprise. “What are you doing here?’ they said simultaneously. 

Doctor Kalfou laughed, and shook her head, bemused. “I had not expected to see you again, Will Sterling.”

“Uh, likewise,” Will managed to say. The Doctor looked quite a bit different than she had last night. Gone was the bodypaint and the fancy clothes. Now, she wore black breeches and a loose fitting white button up shirt that reminded him of the shirts Captain Vex favored, but without the added ruffles. Her hair was braided in many small coils that were all pulled back into a tail thicker than Will’s wrist. She glanced down at Will’s bare chest with an amused expression on her face, and suddenly Will regretted not wearing a shirt. It was a ship, and he was comfortable being shirtless around crew, but he couldn’t help but associate the Doctor with land, and he barely knew her. Being ashore had it’s own set of rules, and suddenly he felt underdressed. 

“What can I do for you, Will? How is your hand?” she asked, seeming like she wasn’t sure what else to say and was trying to fill the silence.

“Oh, it’s fine. A little stiff, but I barely notice it honestly.” Will glanced down at the bandages and realized how incredibly dirty they were. They were still wet from his bath, and the bandages were incredibly soiled with dirt. “I, well, actually I was looking for your bunkmate.”

Doctor Kalfou followed Will’s eyes to his hand and pursed her full lips with obvious judgement. “What did you do? Trying to get an infection, are you?”

“I... spent a lot of time on the ground last night,” Will said, a bit embarrassed. 

“Come in. Let’s fix that up again,” Doctor Kalfou said with a shake of her head. 

Will didn’t argue.

Jack was asleep on her bunk. Will’s chest knotted at the sight of seeing her like that, so peaceful and beautiful, but he pushed the sensation down and sat down on the small chair Doctor Kalfou gestured towards. She unwrapped the bandages, inspected and cleaned the wound, then re-wrapped it with efficient skill. “You still have not told me what you are doing here,” she said quietly as she worked. 

“I’m the Kestrel’s navigator,” Will said. “What about you?”

“Booked passage last night, I. Your ship’s doctor now, until I reach home,” Doctor Kalfou smiled.

“That is an impressive coincidence,” Will said, amused.

“Don’t believe in coincidences, I,” the doctor said. “Spirits guide us. They brought you to me last night, and they bring us together now.”

“Destiny? I’m not sure.” Will was trying to be polite, but his skepticism was strong. 

“Destiny, no. Is it destiny when a parent nudges a child in the right direction? Just because we cannot always see who is nudging us does not mean they are not there,” Doctor Kalfou smiled. She finished wrapping up his hand and tapped it gently. 

“Well, tell them I said thank you,” Will smiled. 

“So you did not come here seeking me?” Doctor Kalfou asked. 

“No, your sleeping bunk mate,” Will said.

“Wondered, I. Men do not often come to my door half dressed,” Doctor Kalfou smirked.

“If you want them to, maybe I can arrange something?” Will teased. 

“Seems unnecessary. You are here now,” there was a playful glint in her eye that made Will smile, but his smile froze as he noticed Jack watching him from her bed. “Morning,” he said with a look he hoped was reassuring.

Jack closed her eyes again and breathed like she was gathering strength, and then sat up, tucking a pillow behind her back and rubbing her eyes. She was wearing a white tunic-shirt as sleepwear. It looked like it had a few small holes in it and was worn enough that it was mostly translucent. She didn’t reply to Will. Instead she gave Kalfou a small nod as the doctor looked over her shoulder. “We didn’t meet at a great time last night,” she said to the Doctor apologetically. “I wasn’t doing well and needed some time to myself, Coming back to find I had an unexpected bunkmate was hard. I’m Jack Hunter.”

“I am Friday Kalfou,” the doctor said graciously. “It was not my intent to intrude on your space. I did not know you had not been spoken with.”

“Last night seemed pretty hectic for everyone,” Jack shrugged. Will chuckled. Jack gave him a flat look. 

“Sorry about the chaos. Things got out of hand,” Will said. “Thanks for backing me up.”

Jack just shook her head. She was trying to stay calm, but Will knew her well enough to see the angry pressure that was growing inside her. “What the hell happened? I went to get my face painted, and the next thing I know I’m facing down a goddamn Centurion.”

“Suspect that I happened,” Doctor Kalfou said. “The Magistrate was there for my Grandfather and I.”

“What? Why?” Jack asked. 

“Think they that we are possessed by demon spirits, or some such nonsense,” the Doctor said with sad exasperation in her voice.

“I was distracting the Magistrate so they could get away,” Will said. 

Jack looked pained but some of the tension in her seemed to drain. “Of course you were.”

“It all happened pretty fast. I didn’t exactly have time to tell you what was going on,” Will added. “When you showed up it put a pretty major kink in my plans.”

“Oh really?” Jack asked flatly. “Well forgive me for trying to keep you alive.”

“I wasn’t in danger, Jack. They were trying to capture me, not kill me. They’d have figured out I wasn’t what they were looking for eventually. I was just trying to draw it all out to buy time. I’ve been through that song and dance with them before. Hell, they were the first ones I went to when I tried to have the curse removed. They studied it at length, more than once. According to Janie there’s a whole shelf dedicated to me in the Fort Deliverance archive. They’d have detained me, done that weird communion thing, found out I’m fully documented and registered with them, and let me go.” Will said.

“Well how was I supposed to know that?” Jack asked angrily.

“You weren’t,” Will shrugged. “You weren’t around when that happened.” There was an edge to his tone that he hadn’t meant to put there, but couldn’t stop from coming out. 

Jack looked stung. Her eyes dropped. “I thought they were trying to lock you up for something.”

“Well, I guess they were, but I wasn’t really in danger until you turned it into a faceoff,” Will’s brows furrowed. “Then that revealing spell got the crowd involved, and we nearly started another war.”

“What was all that about asking them to kill you?” Jack asked fiercely. 

“What?” Friday interjected, giving Will a sharp look.

Will sighed. “It was out of hand. The crowd had decided I was one of the spirits the festival was about. They were already throwing things and getting riled. Magistrate soldiers were coming to back up the witch hunters. I was afraid it was going to reignite the old conflict and get people killed.”

“The crowd thought you were Loa?” Friday asked, shocked and amused. 

“Yeah. Apparently I glow like they do under a revealing spell,” Will said. 

Friday just shook her head. “So that is what Grandfather meant about you. Incredible.”

“You scared the hell out of me, Will,” Jack said quietly. 

Will didn’t answer for a while. It was rare for Jack to admit something like that. A surge of frustration and bitterness ran through him. He wanted to rage at her. To tell her that he’d been fine, and that he didn’t need her help in the first place, that she’d only made things worse, that he’d learned all kinds of ways to handle life without her, that it wasn’t his fault he didn’t trust her anymore, that she didn’t get to just walk back into his life like nothing had changed! 

The air was thick. Friday’s eyes flicked back and forth between them. “Think I’ll give you two the room.” Will gave her a small nod as she slipped out the door.

“It didn’t used to be this way,” Will said once they were alone. “A few years ago, you’d have been able to read my intent and roll with it. You’d have known I was scamming them the moment you saw me.”

“I know,” Jack sighed. “That’s why this is so frustrating. Last night felt good at first. Familiar. I was really enjoying just spending time with you and I thought we were going to be alright, right up until it really mattered. Then everything went to hell.”

“We’re different now,” Will sighed. “Maybe we can get back to that, but it seems like we should walk a while longer before we run.”

“We don’t have time to figure out how to walk again, Will,” Jack’s face twisted in frustration. “This job isn’t a milk run. If the two of us from last night go into it, not able to read each other and ratcheting up the danger every way we can, we’re going to die. We’re going to hit the Drifts in a week, and that’s the easy part. I’m second guessing all of this now.”

“We can’t force ourselves to feel differently, and we can’t fix years of distance and damage by trying to just be professional. We didn’t start that way. I don’t see us being able to use a job as a patch for this rift between us,” Will sounded a bit strained. The tangle of frustration in his head was still there, but he was trying to work forward instead of dwelling on the past. It wasn’t easy.

“Then what do we do?” Jack asked. “I’m not very good at apologies to begin with, and lately it seems like all I’ve done.”

“I don’t know,” Will shook his head. “Maybe we were trying too hard, or getting ahead of ourselves.”

“When have we ever done anything slowly? The reason we work so well together is because we’re the only ones who can keep up with each other,” Jack smirked. 

Will shook his head again. “We also worked well together because we were naturally in synch with each other. We got even better at it over time, but it was never something we had to forge. It was just there, from the very beginning. Now it isn’t.”

Jack’s face fell and she nodded. “I guess that’s the problem isn’t it? There’s just too much between us now.”

“Feels like it,” Will agreed. 

“Well, we have a week to figure it out,” Jack sighed. 

“We’ve managed bigger challenges in less time,” Will said, trying to sound hopeful. 

“I don’t think anything has ever felt like a bigger challenge than this.” Jack’s hands were shaking. “I feel like I finally have a chance to have you back, and then last night you tried to kill yourself.”

“I didn’t try to kill myself,” Will protested.

“Didn’t you?” Jack’s glare was tearful and angry. “You stared into the barrel of a gun held by an Inquisitor who thought you were a demon, and asked her to pull the trigger. I don’t think you were gambling, Will. I think a part of you wanted it.”

Will opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. Was she right? So much had happened in that moment that he hadn’t thought about it much. He’d just acted. It hadn’t seemed too bad, the idea of dying. He hadn’t really wanted it, but at the time there had been something that seemed freeing about the idea of just letting it happen. Now that he was forced to stare that feeling in the face, he realized he didn’t like it at all. 

“You’re right,” he nodded. 

“I can’t lose you again,” Jack said softly.

Will was torn, but his anger and frustration had drained. Now he just felt hollow and sad. He looked at the door, but he couldn’t just leave. In his head he could see Janie’s face looking at him like he was being an idiot. He could practically see her gesturing him toward Jack. He nodded to himself, then got up and sat down on the bed next to her. She looked up at him. She wasn’t crying, but her eyes were brimming. He gave her a small smile. 

“I want us to be alright,” he said. 

Jack nodded. “Me too.”

They held onto each other for a long time.

_______________________

Captain Vex stepped over the thick ropes stretched across the deck and wove between sailors busily splicing and reinforcing them. She gave small nods of recognition and words of gratitude and encouragement as she went. She was nursing a mild hangover, but her crew would never know. Aside from the waterskin she’d been sipping off of all morning, she was at her best. Her boots and buckles were polished, her coat was freshly washed and bright blue. She’d stopped over at a bathhouse before they left, so she was fresh faced and immaculate. The two thin braids she normally wore at her temple had switched sides, and she’d swapped out the golden beads at the end for a different pair that looked more like teardrops or plumb bobs.

The looked the way an adventurous ship’s captain should, and the effect on the crew was noticeable. The newcomers watched her with awe and respect, and the old hands nodded and smiled with subtle pride as they watched the new folks being impressed. 

She stopped and had a word with their new Bosun. None of the crew heard what was said, but to watch the small, blond woman look up at the massive Akula and clearly command the man-monster’s respect was enough to add a new chapter to the growing legend of Captain Belita Vex. As she walked away, Reeve scanned the deck, noting the many eyes that were snapping down back to their work, trying to pretend they hadn’t been watching and trying to listen. The big man smirked and looked up into the rigging. 

“Webber!” he boomed. 

“What?!” Lace called down from above. She was upside down with her legs wrapped around a beam, re-tying a rope.

“Captain wants to see how fast we can move now that we’re fully manned. Once we get a heading we’re going to open her up,” Reeve said loudly. 

“We’re re-checking all the lines now, and I have a sail to patch. Give us a half hour,” Lace called down. 

“You heard the lady, folks!” Reeve boomed louder. “Show time in half an hour! Stow anything that isn’t strapped down.” He took two steps and bellowed down through the grating into the bay below. “Hold, check your cargo!”

“Aye,” a voice echoed up from below.

The ship felt alive.

“How’s the patient?” Captain Vex asked Doctor Kalfou.

The doctor was sitting on a bench at the prow. She’d just removed a long splinter from a sailor’s hand and was alternating between watching the rolling sea and the bustling ship. 

“Has a severe concussion, he,” she replied. “It is getting better, but he did not do himself any favors trying to push through it at the beginning. That is how such damage becomes permanent.”

“He’s stubborn. How long ‘til he’s fit for duty again?” the Captain asked. 

“Two days? Perhaps three.”

“Good. I’m going tae need him in a week,” Captain Vex smiled. 

“What happens in a week?” Friday’s brow raised. “Likely won’t be at his best by then, he. Injuries like his usually take weeks or even months to heal fully.”

“We are going through the Drifts,” Captain Vex said with an grin that bordered on manic.

Doctor Kalfou’s brows furrowed and she looked at the Captain oddly. “You have an odd sense of humor, Captain.”

“Aye, true. It innae a joke though. We really are going through the Drifts,” Belita smiled.

“Glad to be off your ship by then, I,” Doctor Kalfou said. “Hope you reconsider. I appreciate your help, and do not wish to see you die.”

“I dinnae wish tae see me die neither,” Captain Vex agreed. “So I’m not planning on it.”

“Sure that’s what every other poor soul to make the attempt thought too,” Friday warned.

“Aye. That’s why I’m not going tae do things the way they did,” Captain Vex winked. 

Doctor Kalfou shook her head, smiling a bit in spite of herself. “As your doctor, I cannot recommend… whatever it is you’re planning.”

“I appreciate the medical advice,” Captain Vex chuckled. 

_______________________

“You wanted to see me?” Jack asked, walking through Morant’s door as Lynch opened it.

“Yes. I would like an update regarding the Drifts,” Morant said, not looking up from the book he was writing in. 

“You know what I know,” Jack said. 

“I find that doubtful,” Morant said. “You do not strike me as someone who would agree to a plan without having a full understanding of it.”

“With anyone else, that would be true. Will Sterling is a special case. We’ve worked together enough that we trust each other’s judgement.” The words tasted like ashes in her mouth as she spoke them. “He’ll let us know the plan after we stop in Drifter’s Key.”

“For my own peace of mind, I would like to know before then. See what you can do to find out,” Morant said. 

Jack shrugged. “I’ll try. Don’t get your hopes up though. Will plays his cards pretty close to the chest.”

“I suppose you will just have to be convincing,” Morant said, closing his book and looking up for the first time. His pale blue eyes were sharp and meticulous. 

Jack was worried. Morant wasn’t the kind of person who would let something lie. He needed to think his orders were being followed. She had to give him something or he would find other ways of getting what he wanted. “All I know is that it has something to do with an Akula fishing web, whatever that is.”

“Hmm. Interesting. Thank you,” Morant said thoughtfully. 

“Anything else?” Jack asked, glancing at Lynch. The ever-present manservant said nothing and was almost as implacable as Quinn. 

“No. You may go.” 

Lynch opened the door and Jack left feeling unsettled. She headed straight for the Captain’s cabin and knocked. A naked, disheveled looking Bella opened the door, squinting into the light. She didn’t say anything, she just left the door open and headed back into the shadows. 

“Long night?” Jack asked. 

“Went drinking with the Captain,” Bella’s voice sounded hoarse. “Lesson learned.”

Jack pulled a small canteen from her belt and handed Bella. The witch drank eagerly, then coughed. “Ugh. Ow.”

“Slower,” Jack smiled. “You’re going to make yourself sick.”

“Yes, mother,” Bella grumbled, thumping back down on the bed and taking another drink. She did do it slower this time. Jack smiled and went into the washroom. Bella heard her working the water pump.The water splashing into the tub made her notice her full bladder. She followed Jack in, sat down on the privy and made water. 

After half a minute without Bella stopping, Jack looked over her shoulder, impressed and horrified. “What are you, a camel?”

Bella took another drink off the waterskin. “Ha ha,” she said flatly. She eventually stopped relieving herself, but didn’t get up. She just sat there on the privy taking small sips of water and looking miserable. Jack continued to fill the tub. 

“Remember that morning after your birthday?” Jack asked. 

Bella made a small gagging sound. She knew exactly which birthday Jack was referring to. “Ugh. You mean the time my friends tried to murder me with alcohol?”

“I tried to warn you,” Jack laughed. 

“I’d only been working at Mary’s for a few months, I hadn’t learned not to mix up my drinks yet,” Bella sighed. 

“What’s your excuse this time?” Jack teased.

“All Souls Night?” Bella smiled weakly. 

“There’s a difference between partying with the dead and trying to join them,” Jack chuckled. 

“Noted,” Bella nodded, moving her head as little as possible. 

“Here. It’s actually pretty warm. Warmer than is should be. What’s doing that?” Jack asked standing up to make room.

“Heat charm,” Bella muttered blearily. She stood up and took the two steps needed to get into the tub. She slid into the water with a sigh, instantly feeling a bit better as the weight of her body lessened. “What did you need, anyway?”

“Nothing. I was actually looking for Will,” Jack said.

“Oh,” Bella said. Jack couldn’t decide if she sounded disappointed or just tired. 

“Glad I came though. Seems like you need a little extra help today,” Jack smiled. 

Bella gave her a half-hearted glare. “I’m still not happy with you.”

“I know,” Jack nodded. 

“Thank you,” Bella said with a ghost of a smile. 

“Gotta make things up to you somehow. Maybe you should get hungover more often?” Jack raised an eyebrow. 

Bella’s face scrunched in discomfort and she sunk all the way into the tub, sticking her legs out and up onto the wall so she could dunk her head. Jack laughed. Bella slowly let her held breath out and then surfaced for air, letting her face out of the water just enough to breathe. “What did you do last night?” she asked.

Jack suddenly got cagy and winced. “Uh… Will got into a fight with the Magistrate, and I ended up… well, I thought I was helping but… we ended up almost starting a riot.”

Bella rose back out of the water like a scowling mermaid, water pouring down her lush body. “Go on,” she said flatly. 

Jack sighed. “I guess it’s better you hear it from me first. You’re already mad at me anyway. I’m still not sure of all the details, but here’s how I think everything went down. A pickpocket cut Will’s hand, and he went off to find a doctor. I guess the Magistrate came looking for the doctor, so Will offered to lead them off so she could get away. The next thing I knew a Centurion and two Witch Hunters were chasing him through the crowd.”

“What? He fought the Inquisition? And a… an actual Centurion!?” Bella was horrified, but suddenly very distracted from the pounding in her head. 

“Yeah. They caught him, so I intervened. The Inquisitors thought he was a spirit or demon or something, and to prove it they cast a Revealing spell. Will lit up like a lantern, but so did most of the crowd, who decided Will really was one of their spirits and started throwing bottles at the magistrate.”

“Oh no…” Bella groaned.

“Yeah. We nearly reignited the Occupation War,” Jack took off her hat and rubbed her forehead. 

Bella’s mouth just hung open as she tried to process what she was hearing. “You two…” the corner of her mouth turned up as she shook her head. “I know you two have a habit of sowing chaos, but you’re really making up for lost time with this one.” She took a drink of water and shook her head. She couldn’t help but smile a little.

“And I’m leaving out the part where Will tried to get them to kill him to prevent it.”

Bella’s face hardened as the mirth drained out of her. “What?”

Jack sighed. “The Witch Hunters were arguing. One of them had a gun on him. I didn’t hear it all because I was busy with the Centurion, but I definitely heard the part where Will asked to be shot. He wanted to die rather than get a bunch of other people killed.”

“I might kill him,” Bella said sardonically. 

“They ended up letting him go, but it was pretty tense for a bit,’ Jack finished. 

Bella slumped back down into the tub. “Go on an adventure, they said… It will be fun they said…”

Jack found a washcloth and some of the Captain’s perfumed soap and handed it to Bella. “I already talked to him a bit, but I managed not to get mad. I don’t think I should be the person to yell at him, even if he deserves it.”

“Oh no. You definitely aren’t. I got this,” Bella said, scrubbing herself angrily with the cloth. She was suddenly feeling better by the minute. Apparently anger was a good hangover treatment. 

“Thanks,” Jack smiled. 

“My pleasure,” Bella said flatly. It occurred to her that her hangover had faded extremely quickly. Then she realized she hadn’t been sea sick on this trip save for a short bout when she first came aboard. She knew neither of those things were natural to her, so she was instantly suspicious. 

“Do I seem normal to you?” Bella asked.

“What do you mean?” Jack asked warily. She had no idae what to make of the abrupt change of subject. 

“Nevermind. I guess you probably aren’t the right person to ask that question. Something seems weird. Not bad, just… not normal,” Bella said, looking over her body like she expected to see something wrong with it. She saw nothing besides smooth olive skin. “Maybe I’ll ask will about it after I’m done chewing him out.”

“Maybe go easy on him? I think there’s something really wrong that he isn’t talking about,” Jack said. 

Bella’s brows rose. Jack and Will had a strange relationship. Usually, they seemed like they were trading off making fun of each other, or or setting each other up for pranks, or even getting mad at each other. In the past, Jack was usually the first person to advocate for someone to yell at Will. For Jack to say Will needed a softer touch was unheard of in Bella’s experience. 

“Alright. What do you suggest?” she asked. 

“I don’t know. He seems like he’s just… drifting right now. His sails are full and no one is at the helm. I think he needs something to head towards,” Jack shrugged. 

Bella slowly smiled. “I can do that.”

The Cabin door opened. Jack leaned back around the doorframe and looked. “Speak of the devil,” she said to Bella. 

The Witch’s eyes narrowed and she stood up to start rinsing the soap out of her hair. “Go ahead. I’ll be out when you’re done.” Jack nodded and slipped out of the washroom, shutting the door behind her.

“Hi,” she said as Will hung up his hat and started to set up the pull-down desk. 

Will looked over his shoulder. “Hi,” His brows furrowed. “You look like something’s on your mind.”

“Morant,” she said.

Will rolled his eyes. “What’s that icy bastard want now?”

“Your plans. You were right. He’s trying to get me to figure out how you’re going to get through the drifts,” Jack said. 

“Tell him you don’t know,” Will shrugged. He opened a compass and started taking measurements and markings on the glass covering the map, talking as he worked. 

“I did,” Jack said. “He expects me to use our relationship as leverage to get you to tell me.”

Will snorted. “I don’t think he has a very clear understanding of our relationship.”

“I don’t think we have a very clear understanding of our relationship,” Jack countered. 

“Good point,” Will said wryly. 

“I’m going to have to tell him something. Have anything you can give me?” Jack asked. 

“We aren’t taking the Kestrel through. That’s what all the smallboats are for,” Will said. 

“That was pretty much everyone’s guess. Nice to hear it confirmed,” Jack said. 

“It gives him nothing, but makes it look like you’re doing what he wants,’ Will shrugged. 

“I told Bella about last night. She isn’t thrilled with you,” Jack said cautiously. 

Will’s grease pencil stopped making it’s marks and calculations on the glass. He sighed. “I thought we dealt with that?” 

“You and I did. She asked about last night and it seemed wrong not to tell her. I figure if you’re sharing a bed with someone they probably deserve to know when you almost die,” Jack said, trying to be helpful. 

“I still think had the situation under control,” Will said. 

“Oh? Didn’t we just have a conversation about you trying to commit suicide by Witch Hunter?” Jack said. “If that’s your version of a controlled situation, it needs work.”

“I wasn’t really trying to. It just… didn’t seem like a bad option. I really wish that part could have been left out of the story to Bella.” Will rubbed his eyes.

“That’s the important part, Will. That’s really the only important part,” Jack said firmly. “I don’t know how deep your relationship with her goes, but I know both of you pretty well. If you want to keep her on your good side, just be upfront about everything.”

“I hadn’t planned on keeping anything from her. She was sleeping,” Will said.

“Well, she’s awake now. She’s also hungover, so she’s already in a bad mood.” Jack smiled with a satirical level of sweetness. “Have fun.” She tousled his hair and left. 

Will shook his head and went back to his calculations. He’d just finished when the washroom door opened. He turned in the chair to see Bella, wrapped in a towel, standing in the doorway looking at him with a strange mixture of emotions on her face. She didn’t say anything.

“I have to take a heading to the helm,” Will said. “Then I’ll come right back and you can yell at me.”

“I’m not going to yell at you Will,” Bella said. She pulled the towel free and revealed her glorious, naked body. “I’m going to remind you of things you’ve obviously forgotten.”

Will’s brows rose. He watched the light play off her glorious curves and felt a bit nervous. This was not what he’d expected. He held up his hand, where he had jotted their new heading on his wrist with the grease pencil. He pointed to it with his other hand. “I’ll be right back.”

He stepped out into the light feeling like he’d just walked out of a lion’s den.

__________________________

“How is she?” Prelate Alexandra asked. 

Caine sat on one of the benches overlooking the bluff. Alexandra stood behind him with a parasol. To observers, they would look like two people enjoying the view and the sun, same as any of the other passers by. 

“Not great, but managing,” Caine said. “She’s struggling to adapt.”

“Hardly surprising. You brought her into a den of sin,” Alexandra said. She didn’t sound upset about it. If anything, there might have been a hint of amusement in her voice.

“Seemed like a good idea at the time. Still does. You have a better one?” Caine asked, obviously not caring what the answer was.

“No. The notion has grown on me. Your strange arrangement with the Teach family works to her advantage,” Alexandra said. 

“That’s what I thought too. Nice of you to notice,” Caine snarked. “How about your end of things?”

Alexandra sat down on the far side of the bench, adjusting her parasol. “Tense. Word of the bounty on Janie’s head is starting to spread, and there’s growing talk that the Magistrate is going to try to assert some kind of control over the port.”

“Well, that’s true. That’s been your plan for a decade,” Caine said wryly. 

“Yes, but ideally it happens easily, with the populace wanting our protection. It is much harder when they prefer to remain lawless,” Alexandra said. “There was growing support due to the safety our presence provides, but currently that support seems to be waning. It seems the locals prefer street violence and extortion to the kinds of large-scale public standoffs we saw a few days ago.”

“The first feels like it might be able to be avoided. The second doesn’t,” Caine said. “People are selfish. Terrible things sometimes happening to other people is tolerable. Inconvenient things frequently happening to everyone isn’t.” Caine tossed a rock off the bluff and watched it arc down into the harbor. 

“Your pessimism is always impressive to behold, Greyson,” Alexandra smiled. 

“Cynicism,” Caine corrected. 

“The nuance escapes me,” Alexandra said with a slight roll of her eyes.

“Pessimists accept and expect the world to be awful. It’s a defense to keep them from being disappointed. Cynics are just frustrated idealists, so they’re disappointed all the time” Caine clarified. 

“I feel like I just learned the crux of your entire personality,” Prelate Alexandra said dryly. 

“I’ve never claimed to be complicated,” Caine shrugged, taking another drink. 

“Quite the opposite, really. As I recall, your overly simple outlook is what got you into your current predicament,” Alexandra mused. 

“I’m not interested in debating ethics with you, Alexandra. You’re right on the edge of how much evil I’m willing to tolerate in a person already,” Caine gave her a sideways look.

“Greyson, was that a compliment?” Alexandra smiled. 

Caine huffed out a laugh. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“I am having Janie’s things brought over from Fort Deliverance, but I cannot keep men posted around that old lighthouse forever,” Alexandra said, changing the subject without preamble. “If she needs to retrieve anything, now is the time. I suspect once my guards are removed, the Teach gang will make an example of the the place.”

Caine nodded slowly, thinking. “Thanks for the heads-up. We’ll make the trip today.”

“I suspect things will become unpleasant soon,” Alexandra said with uncharacteristic concern in her voice.

“Why do you care, anyway? Janie’s almost an exile,” Caine asked.

“Her grandfather is still highly influential. If I were to let anything happen to his only granddaughter, I suspect it would make my life quite a bit more difficult. Also, I do rather like her,” Alexandra smiled. 

“It can’t ever just be kindness with you, can it?” Caine said sourly. “Can’t just help people because they need it or because you like them. It has to be political.”

Alexandra shook her head, seeming almost sad. “It does not have to be. Is just is.”

They watched the waves in silence for a while, two people who were not sure if they were staunch allies or bitter enemies, both hoping they would not have to make the choice.